In my teenage years, it wasn’t unusual for me to see several shows back-to-back. Now in my late 30s, after two days at the Red Hot Summer shows, I’m feeling every one of my years. I’m tired. My feet hurt. My lower back is achy. I’m thankful that I gave myself a little time to recover before going back to work, because I need it. Was it all worth it though? Absolutely!
I decided to write a combined review of both shows because while the weather varied, this was essentially the same concert. It makes sense really, with each act crafting a set full of the right songs to delight the fans.
But as I mentioned, the weather. It really went from one extreme to the other, and neither was ideal. This is the risk with staging an outdoor concert. The gods might smile down and gift you the perfect sunny day, not too hot or too cold. Or you might get the sort of heatwave conditions I experienced at Mt Penang Parklands on the Central Coast. The kind that make you feel so lightheaded you wonder whether you’ll make it to the first band. Or you might get the kind of gloomy cold day with torrential rain that soaked us to the skin at Cockatoo Island in Sydney. Neither is ideal for a live show, but if you get right the things you can control, the crowds won’t mind too much.
The organisers of Red Hot Summer must be commended for that. The line-up was exceptional, perhaps even better than the one I saw in 2017. There was a diverse array of food vendors serving quality eats fast. There were plenty of toilets. We weren’t left waiting too long between acts; the MC’s giveaways helped keep us all interested until we were ready to rock again.
I also appreciate that Red Hot Summer is more than a nostalgia fest. Every year I look forward to discovering new talent. In 2018, Red Hot Summer delivered with Taylor Sheridan, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from country Victoria. It’s always easy for an entertainer with pop-rock leanings playing an acoustic guitar to pique my interest. But to hold it takes something special. While his cover of “Billie Jean” was inspired, I was impressed with his excellent originals which rewarded anyone willing to listen to the lyrics. “Beauty of the Plan” and new single “Friends Like Me” were standouts. Finishing with a cover of “April Sun in Cuba” was the perfect way to win over anyone who wasn’t already on his side.
1927 are one of my favourite childhood bands, and as I discovered last year they’ve lost nothing. The band are tight and Eric Weideman’s voice is still so powerful. I wish I was feeling better for the Mt Penang show, as I felt I didn’t get to enjoy their set quite as much as I should have. I made up for lost time in Sydney though, jumping around and pumping my fists in the air during “You’ll Never Know.” “Compulsory Hero” gave me chills both shows. And those massive singles, “That’s When I Think Of You” and “If I Could,” has us all singing along.
The Black Sorrows were one of the standouts of last year’s Good Times tour, and they stamped their authority on the Red Hot Summer stages too. Joe Camilleri might be one of Australia’s most charming front men. I could watch him sing, wail on his saxophone, and dance around with wild abandon all day. Add in the divine voices of Vika and Linda Bull and you’re always going to have a good time. It was another superb set, with hit singles and some lesser known cuts represented. I loved watching the chemistry between Linda and Joe during “Baby It’s a Crime” and seeing Vika totally owning “Never Let Me Go.”
The Baby Animals were the only one of the big acts I’d never seen live before. Now that I have, I wonder why I left things so long. Suze DeMarchi oozes cool, even if she’s battling the heatstroke that plagued so many of us at Mt Penang. She’s definitely one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever seen performing. The way she moves, her commanding voice, her look, it’s all so impressive. The big hits like “Early Warning” and “Painless” sounded every bit as good as they did on the records, but had that extra special something that can only come from a live show. New single “Tonight” proved this is a band still in its prime, not one that needs to simply trade on nostalgia.
Daryl Braithwaite is such hot property right now. I’m not quite sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way he became really cool again. Millennials fell in love with “The Horses,” and there were plenty of them at the show, waving inflatable hobby horses and wearing rubber horse heads as they clapped along. But Daryl is much more than “The Horses.” While that song was the natural closer, it came after Dazza reminded us of his stellar career with Sherbet and solo smashes. Songs like “Summer Love” and “One Summer” are made for festivals like this.
The roar that came from the crowd suggested it wasn’t just the women with custom-made John Farnham shirts hanging out for Farnsy. There’s a certain air of excitement when he takes the stage, an indescribable feeling that magic will happen. Ably supported by his band of recognisable faces, musicians and vocalists who have been with him for decades, John belted out hit after hit. His was the sort of set you can sing along to, no matter whether you’ve ever bought a Farnsy album. These songs are in our DNA, from tender ballads like “Burn For You” to the show stoppers like “The Voice.” In between John chatted happily to the crowd, cracking jokes easily, then speaking with sincerity of the gratitude he has for those of us who stood in the heat or rain to hear his music. When the sets of most artists didn’t change, John made each show unique for his fans. The Central Coast was treated to “Don’t You Know It’s Magic” and the much maligned “Sadie the Cleaning Lady.” For Sydney it could be nothing other than “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.” They did, but with John to keep us company it was easier to grin and bear it.
The two Red Hot Summer shows in New South Wales didn’t happen under ideal circumstances, but by getting the essentials right the organisers ensured the crowds had the best time they could have hoped for. Bring on 2019, hopefully with better weather than this year brought!
Image source: own photos