Eagle and the Worm - 6 June 2014, Black Bear Lodge

w/ Fox & Fowl, Love Signs


Eagle and the Worm have been a little quiet of late, until Record Store Day hit that is, and we had the pleasure of listening to their latest single "Automatic" on 7-inch wax. To celebrate this new release, the band celebrated with a string of east coast tour dates.

Opening the night were Brisbane locals Love Signs who played to an almost empty room. It was so disappointing, because they are actually quite good. Although a little rough around the edges, the vocalist has a good voice and did an amazing job. It wouldn't hurt the trio, however, to venture out of the power ballad set list they have going on, and have a little more charisma on stage. Still for an up and coming band, a good opening slot.

Up next were Fox & Fowl. The five piece had a really great thing going on and were more the support act I expected for a band such as Eagle and the Worm. They had a good balance of fun upbeat music to dance to and music just to groove and pulse along to. Their rendition of "Bette Davis Eyes" was really rad and by time they got the then of their set they had most of the ever-growing crowd of their feet grooving along. Also, a special mention must go to the frontman on his exceptional Tambourine-ing skills.

I’ve been a big Eagle and the Worm fan for quite some time and tonight was no disappointment. They started off strong, but then there was a lull in the middle of their set which made me think that they were not as 'fun' as they used to be and that they were even a little mellow. By the time they got to the back end of their set list, it all came together and started making sense. Closing with a fun of "Futureman", "Automatic" and “All I Know", among others made for a hectic dance party.

EatW have such control of the songs they play and it makes me so incredible happy when bands can take liberties with their songs and reinvent them in new and fantastic ways. They had instrumental solos in almost all of their songs, which just enhanced my opinion of the band. They have such control of the ebb and flow and a song and also of the dynamics. So, so good.

Overall it was an awesome night, but the lack of turn out was both surprising and disappointing. Maybe it’s just that they have been away from Brisbane for a while or maybe it’s that they’ve just been absent for a time, but I would have expected there to be so many more people at the venue. Your loss guys, it was an amazing gig!

Michale Bublé - 12 May 2014, Brisbane Entertainment Centre

w/ Naturally 7

He is suave. He’s more than a little bit sexy. He is one of the funniest performers I’ve ever seen live. He has a filthy potty mouth. And he has unquestionably one of the single best vocals of our generation. He is the one, the only Michael Bublé.

However, lets just take a breath. As elegantly put by Naturally 7, 'You can’t go into a Michael Bublé concert without a decent warm up. That’s why we’re here'. Naturally 7 have an amazing thing going on and they take being an acapella group to the next level and their version of Coldplay’s "Fix You" was honestly one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. Not only do they sing wonderfully, they put on a hell good show. For a half hour support set they had the crowd up on their feet dancing and singing like they didn’t have a care in the world. They certainly achieve their goal of warming the crowd up for Mr. Bublé.

As the lights once again dimmed, the band started playing a musical overture that segued into the intro of "Fever". The curtains raised and there was Michael Bublé towards the back of the stage upon the top of a ramp, with his head down singing. The crowd went nuts. Half way through the song, he, in true Bublé style slid with those shiny black shoes down ramp to the front of the stage, where he continued to sing. He then went straight into "Haven’t Met You Yet" before taking the time to have an intimate chat with all 11,000+ of us.

What was really cool about the stage set up was the movable band platforms. There were time when there were at the very back of the stage and Mr. Bublé had the full stage and other times where they were right up there with him. In addition, there was the amazing light screen. Sometimes it doubled the video feed, other times it showed close ups of the band, and then other times it had amazing visuals. It was a really good combination of different things to create a visual feast.

He sang standards including "Moondance", "Feeling Good" and "I’ve Got the World on a String", before moving onto the ballad section of he set. He brought to the stage his wonderful string section to perform "That’s All", "Close Your Eyes" and "Home" to name a few. Then, again, in true Bublé style he said, 'I love singing ballads, but if I sing one more, I’m going to cut myself'. Cheeky rascal! I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a gig!

At this point in the show, he moved to the little stage at the back of the stadium to perform a Motown inspired set with Naturally 7. It was a great to see him interacting with the crowd at the back and singing some awesome tunes including "Ain’t Too Proud to Beg" and "To Love Somebody". He closed this section of the set with "All You Need Is Love/Burning Love", where he made his way back to the main stage accompanied by confetti hearts that had been fired into the crowd.

He closed the set with "It’s a Beautiful Day" before retaking the stage for his encore. I am so happy that he performed "Cry Me a River"; his version is my all time favourite version of the song and he sang with so much passion. There were moments where he looked hurt, and other times he looked truly angry. It was by far the highlight of the set for me, visually and vocally.

Now, I don’t know if this was a set up or what, but a woman was brought up onstage with a sign that read, 'My Grade 4 class don’t believe I can meet you. Prove me wrong!' He indeed proved them wrong and sang them a special rendition of "You Got A Friend in Me". Wrapping up the show was the single most incredible moment of the set. During "Song For You" the lights went down, and when they came back up again, he was without microphone, and proceeded to sing the rest of the song without amplification. After a two hour set, to project over the entire hall was a feat in itself, but to do so with so much passion and emotion was truly breathtaking and something I’ll not soon forget.

There were no bells and whistles in the show, just a single man, backed by an incredible live band affectionately known as 'Team Bublé'. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and it is clear he absolutely loves what he does. He said at one point during the show something to the extent of, 'As you go off to your lives tomorrow, you may not think of me. However, I will think of you always. Because of you I get to do what I love every day of the week. Thank you.'

No, Thank you Mr. Bublé. You are truly an amazing artist and it was an absolute pleasure to be in your company for the evening.