Review: Greg Phillips Photos: Jason Rosewarne
There’s something about the air in Melbourne when a major international band comes to town. There’s an intoxicating vibe to it. This week it’s Foo Fighters causin’ all the fuss. On Monday night, ten of thousands packed into AAMI Stadium for their fix of Foo fun. Last night on the band’s lay day between stadium gigs, it was a mere 250 who stood toe to toe at The Workers Club in Fitzroy to experience Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett performing a rare solo gig.
Support act for Chris Shiflett’s show was Americana music belle Meghan Maike, who was clearly enjoying the attentive Melbourne crowd’s appreciation of her heartfelt tunes. Hailing originally from Montreal, then spending time in Melbourne and the Mississippi Delta (likes to reside in places beginning with M), it’s no surprise that many of Meghan’s songs speak of her travels and the encounters that emerge from those experiences. Check out her new album Dead Horse Creek to discover more about Meghan Maike’s world.
While most of the songs from Shiflett’s latest solo album Lost At Sea were written on acoustic guitar, the opportunity to play the songs au naturale doesn’t arise too often. He’s usually backed by at least a drummer and bass player, with access to his wide array of effects pedals. Tonight however, it’s acoustic guitar into the desk and out to the people.
As Chris eagerly arrived at The Workers Club microphone a couple of minutes early to a raucous crowd welcome he tells us, “I don’t think this is going to be one of those mellow acoustic shows tonight!” He launches into Dead and Gone, the opening track from the Lost At Sea album and one that’s close to his heart, a tribute to friends no longer with us. Liar’s Word follows from his 2019 album Hard Lessons. The audience knows this one well and claps and sings along, a guitar solo is cheered on enthusiastically. He tells us he appreciates the crowd clapping along as he has no rhythm section to back him up.
Sticks and Stones next and there’s a pattern emerging as he’s playing the opening tracks of each of his solo albums. As an introduction, he says his wife tells him he’d have no songs at all if they never argued. It’s not that they argue a lot he adds, it’s just that every time they do, he writes a “dumb song” about it!
At this point Chris changes from the bright sounds of his Gibson J200 to the deep mellow tone of a beautiful Australian made guitar he acquired this week from luthier Tim Kill … “created and designed by real Australian termites,” he says! (Tim Kill guitar pictured right in Chris’s hotel room). He introduces Good Night Little Rock by relating the amusing story of how he got the gig playing with punk rock band No Use For A Name and how he’s never looked back since.
With Shiflett’s amiable nature, entertaining anecdotes and obvious guitar skills, the evening has effortlessly transformed into your quintessential, high-energy bar room gig. The honky tonk songs and beers are flowing, we’re singing along and for the lucky Melbourne music fans in attendance, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.
Overboard from Lost At Sea, a love song to his wife finds the crowd bringing the noise down a notch, a little more studious and appreciative of the song’s sentiment. Damage Control has a similar effect. The guy knows a thing or two about performance dynamics. Shiflett spots a guy in the crowd wearing a Jackson United (one of his old bands) T-shirt and tells him that Damage Control was actually written back then and had remained as a demo until finally surfacing on the new album.
He begins Long, Long Year (Aint it), the first song he wrote during the covid lockdowns but is compelled to stop as the spirited audience is dictating the tempo, clapping in double time. He laughs, composes himself and takes back control, restarting the tune at the velocity he originally intended. The crowd surrenders to the slower beat and sings along with gusto.
Chris encourages the audience to find his longtime Melbourne mate Matt Riley, also known as ‘good c*nt’ and show him the way to the stage so we could all wish him a happy birthday.
Like many of the songs tonight, Shiflett performs I Don’t Trust My Memories Anymore from Lost At Sea for the first time ever in front of an audience. It is indeed a special evening of music.
Remembering his old band Jackson United’s only tour of Australia and a memorable gig at the Cherry Bar, Chris launches into a vibrant version of All The Way before thanking the crowd and leaving the stage to loud applause and shouts of ‘one more song’. Chris returns to tell us that earlier in the day when framing his set list, he feared it might be a drag for everyone but was relieved when things went so well that the night seemed to fly by so quickly.
West Coast Town the title track from his 2017 album ends the gig but not the party, as Chris encourages the crowd to stick around for selfies and most of them did. God knows what time he got out of there. We beered, we sang and had a mighty fine time. Wednesday night at AAMI Park it’s back to his ‘day job’.
Chris Shiflett Remaining Solo dates:
THURSDAY DECEMBER 7 – THE GREAT CLUB, SYDNEY (18+)
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21 – WHAMMY BAR, AUCKLAND, NZ
frontiertouring.com/chrisshiflett
https://www.frontiertouring.com/foofighters
Also check out below the pre-tour interview we did with Chris
More photos from Jason Rosewarne
