Almanac Music: The Real Thing: Russell Morris in Geelong

 

 

“Are you awake?” asked the anxious child bride last Friday morning.

 

“Huh? I’m just dozing.”

 

“That Russell Morris concert we were talking about. It’s on tonight.”

 

“Do you reckon he can he still sing?”

 

“One way to find out.”

 

“Eh? Yawn!”

 

“Look, put your hearing aids in, get your glasses on and come and help me book some tickets.”

 

“Hmm, very well.”

 

After some quick research, we find that, indeed, not only is the Russell Morris concert on at Costa Hall on the Geelong waterfront, but also, it is almost fully booked. But not quite, so we quickly hoover up a couple of the remaining tickets on the upstairs balcony and prepare for the rest of the day.

 

On arrival, we settle into our designated seats and have a quiet chuckle as we survey the capacity audience. Every grey haired, cashed-up baby boomer in Geelong has obviously heard of the concert, part of Russell Morris’s farewell tour around the country.

 

On stage shortly after seven o’clock, it’s Mr America and It’s All Over Now Baby Blue to open the batting. Both hit the spot sweetly as the appreciative audience starts to warm to the 14 piece backing band. Four guitars, three violins, one cello, two drums, two keyboards, two female backing vocalists and one saxophone.

 

Now, if you’ve counted 15 there, you’d be quite right. But one impossibly cool dude has a guitar slung over one shoulder and a saxophone over the other. Perhaps in a nod to last Wednesday’s international day for left handers with their purported additional artistic creativity – yep, you guessed it – he’s a southpaw.

 

Morris then gets busy with a mixture of material from his 15 albums. We hear popular tracks including Van Diemen’s Land and Doctor In the House as well as old favourites such as Rachel and The Girl That I Love.

 

When we break for ‘half-time’, as he endearingly refers to it, I revisit the question of his voice quality with the child bride. “Best it’s ever been,” she insists. “So strong and clear.” I am in heated agreement.

 

In a slightly quirky interval experience, I find myself in a rare queue for the gents’ toilets alongside the more common queue for the women’s. I then remember the audience demographic. Hmm, the problems of the prostates and bladders of boomer males on a cold night with most now cursing those pre-show drinks which seemed such a good idea at the time.

 

Most of those opposite look at us with fixed smirks. One is even bold enough to offer editorial advice with a playful smile, “hey boys, now you know how it feels eh?!”

 

Back on stage for the second half and Morris opens up by throwing the switch to the blues with a mixture of tracks from his albums Sharkmouth and Red Dirt-Red Heart.

 

At one stage, our adaptable left-handed friend with the guitar and saxophone abandons them both while showcasing his skills with a banjo and harmonica. He immediately becomes the tearaway winner of the Mark Blicavs award for best allrounder of the evening.

 

As the intensity of the show slowly escalates, I quietly remark to my constant companion how the lighting and sound have been outstanding all night. As one who tinkered with such things many decades ago, I well know the old story – get them right and nobody notices but get them the slightest bit wrong and audiences and reviewers alike kick the crap out of you. So, if any of you characters from Friday night ever get to read this, well done folks!

 

It’s then more songs from various genres. I didn’t count them, but Morris obviously doesn’t skimp with his audiences. Including the interval, we were in at 7.00 promptly and walking out about 10.15. After one track towards the end, Morris and band members give us a wave and walk off stage to generous applause.

 

But wait, there is still a handful they haven’t done. How can this be? Oh yeah, the encore.

 

 

Sure enough, they soon re-emerge to play a trifecta of songs that would surely pay a miserly TAB dividend. First up, it’s On the Wings Of An Eagle followed by The Real Thing. In the latter case, the collective grunt of his 14 helpers helps him unpack the best version of that track I can recall.

 

But there’s still one more to come. And I’m in luck. It’s the long-standing personal favourite of your reviewer, Sweet Sweet Love.

 

“Sweet sweet love

It will last, it will last

Na na na na, na na na na na….(repeat)”

 

At full speed, full volume and, as the versatile left-hander and his band mates slip into overdrive, they absolutely nail it. The surging energy of those lyrics in the last part of that song delivers a fitting finale that will stick in the mind as a “where were you when Russell Morris played his last gig in Geelong” moment? A thunderous and emotional standing ovation follows.

 

Russell Morris – farewell and thanks for your music from all of us here in Geelong!

 

 

 

 

Read more from Roger Lowrey HERE

 

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Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

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