REVIEW – COLD CHISEL: ‘THE BIG FIVE—O’ TOUR, MORNINGTON RACECOURSE Sunday November 10
Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: David Harris.
Since announcing that they’d be hitting the road to celebrate 50 years together, Cold Chisel’s 23 date “The Big Five-0” has become one of the most successful tours in Australian music history, with most shows completely sold out. Having already played two sensational Melbourne shows in the big top at Flemington and outdoors in rural Victoria at Ballarat’s Victoria Park, the band returned to the southern state to shake up Mornington Racecourse along with Karen Lee Andrews, The Superjesus, Birds of Tokyo, and The Cruel Sea.
On a gorgeous sunny day on the Mornington Peninsula, Karen Lee Andrews strolled onto stage alone with her Maton cutaway acoustic and proceeded to impress the hell out of the massive audience, who had arrived early to stake their claim of viewing territory for the day. Her set, featuring a mix of originals and covers such as Stand By Me and To Love Somebody demonstrated her powerful, stirring vocal range, winning her many new fans I’m sure.
The Superjesus are always good value and with Sarah McLeod clearly in a jubilant mood, the band delivered a short, sharp, rockin’ 40 minute set. Highlights included ‘Money- We’re Only In It For Love’, the new single “Something Good’, crowd fave ‘Gravity’, finishing with a vibrant Generation X cover ‘Dancing With Myself’.
With Birds of Tokyo’s catchy anthems and huge sound, they’ve become quite adept at pleasing large arena crowds. On stage, the Perth-based band are a vibrant collection of musicians, all delivering their parts with conviction. Singer Ian Kenny has the frontman vibe down pat and there’s an obvious connection between band and audience. It took little encouragement to get the Mornington throng singing along to their hits such as This Fire and Lanterns.
The Cruel Sea band members hit the stage unannounced and kicked straight into the fabulous ‘4’ a feel-good instrumental from their 1992 album ‘This Is Not The Way Home’ Featuring Jim Elliott (Drums), Ken Gormly (Bass), Dan Rumour (Guitar) and Matt Walker (Guitar), this is an accomplished outfit that melds together so well, watching and listening to each other, contributing quality individual parts that result in a magnificent total sound. The lanky figure of frontman Tex Perkins finally emerged, as he added his renown deep vocal flair to the mix. ‘The Drift’ another exceptional instrumental gave the band another chance to shine while Tex casually left the stage, probably for a smoke. ‘Straight Into the Sun, a new single from a forthcoming album showed that there’s much life in the old girl yet! ‘Black Stick’, ‘The Honeymoon is Over’ followed before the band’s crowning achievement, the moody “This Is Not The Way Home’ ended a memorable set.
Like most of the bands today, Cold Chisel hit the stage unannounced while Muddy Waters was still wailing out of the PA system. Charlie Drayton counted the band in and Mossy launched into the classic opening chords of Standing on The Outside. The crowd leapt to their feet and erupted into song. Many women waved one hand in the air whilst raising their cups full of chardy in the other to toast the return of their beloved music heroes. Misty eyed men gathered together, arms around each other shouting back the lyrics of a song they grew up with. Meanwhile on stage, one of the world’s greatest live bands was delivering their signature dynamic, passionate rock ’n’ roll punches, just as they have since day one.
Tugging at the heart strings further, Letter To Alan followed, a tune dedicated to the band’s fallen roadies Alan Dallow and Billy Rowe, who died in a truck accident while working with Jimmy’s brother Swanee. Featuring some tasteful organ sounds from Don Walker and exquisite lead lines from Ian Moss, the song pumps along beautifully courtesy of the incessant work from the band’s engine room, Phil Small on bass and Charlie Drayton on drums.
The melancholic piano intro to Choir Girl rang out and the mass Mornington choir immediately sprang into action, “Looking like a choirgirl. She’s crying like a refugee” How could you not singalong?
Up next was the Phil Small penned ‘My Baby’ with Ian Moss on vocals and legendary guitar parts, showcasing the depth of talent in this band. ‘Breakfast At Sweethearts’ next and Don Walker displayed his command of the keyboards, while Mossy contributed his heartfelt guitar licks on this soulful tune from 1979. Can you remember what you were doing in ’79? Maybe not, but the poignancy of the moment took our emotions there anyway. ‘Forever Now’ was another excuse to bellow at the top of our lungs. And those signature guitar intros, you forget how many Mossy has embedded in our hearts.
As the sun began to sink and the bubbly kicked in, a little ’Rising Sun’ rockabilly went down treat. But how good was it to hear Mossy and Jimmy combining on the epic ‘One Long Day’ from the band’s debut album? That moment three quarters of the way into the song after Ian and band have reached the climax of their escalating jam and they suddenly stop. Jimmy saunters in, backed only by a few sympathetic Don Walker piano chords and soulfully delivers those heartfelt lines “one long day is all it takes to steal her heart away”… gets me every time.
Want another iconic song for ten thousand people to singalong to in Mornington? Sure, how about ‘Cheap Wine’. We weren’t even half way through the show and the joy generated by this band could power an entire city. Forget your nuclear option Dutton!
Like fans of another great live band the Rolling Stones, who look forward to Keith Richards’ solo spots, similarly Chisel fans can’t wait for Mossy’s nightly ballad and on this Sunday evening, we were treated to his fabled version of Georgia on My Mind.
Back into rock mode, the band unleashed Shipping Steel and Merry-Go-Round and again demonstrated the power and elite musicianship that this group is capable of.
In an introduction to the next tune, Jimmy told us about a dream he had in which he had the whole band in the car that he was driving. The radio unexpectedly plays the song Flame Trees, not the Chisel version but Jimmy’s solo band version, which is slower. Not wanting to upset the band in the car, Jimmy reaches out to turn the radio off but feels a hand stopping him from touching the dial. He looks up and sitting next to him is sadly departed Chisel drummer Steve Prestwich, who co-wrote the song and tells Jimmy to leave it, he likes his version. The song is a sentimental favourite to begin with but how could we not singalong with zeal after that tender story. My wife had just arrived back from a quick bathroom visit and told me a huge random man out of the blue had just hugged her (in a non threatening way) and thanked her for sharing the moment with him. Songs can mean so much to people. Who knows what special memories that song tapped into for that guy. It might be a cliche but you can honestly say that these songs really are the soundtrack of the lives of so many in attendance. They’re more than just songs, they are markers of time.
Needless to say, the crowd just went off upon hearing Don’s intro to Khe San, Australia’s unofficial anthem (sorry Farnsey). On this day we were one, singing, dancing, fist punching together with our mates, partners, kids and strangers. For those artists out there looking for the latest fad, or manufactured sound or trending look, this is what it’s all about, touching hearts and connecting with your audience on a human level. Of course it helps to be one of the greatest rock bands on the planet and Chisel’s presentation of Bow River proved just that.
Off the stage for a quick breather and back for a casual ’Saturday Night’ … do do do do doodoo do! The sublime ballad Four Walls was next featuring the band’s fabulous backing singers and then strangely into Houndog, an obscure song from 2011’s Circus Animals album, such an odd choice for the pointy end of the show when fans were seeking blissful hits. However, all was forgotten with a second encore beginning with the gorgeous When The War Is Over. As they’ve done thousands of times before the band rocked out and left us with Goodbye (Astrid Good-bye).
The Oxford dictionary tell us that nostalgia is ‘a sentimental longing or wistful affection for a period in the past’ and tonight there was plenty of that. But who needs that sentimental bullshit anyway, when the real deal is still alive and kicking and sounding as vibrant and relevant as ever. Happy 50th Cold Chisel and many happy returns!
