Back at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt and tonight, this bill is something else, two amazing voices on the same night, I’m in! I’ve seen Richard Marx a number of times and he always delivers, but tonight will be my first night seeing Tina Arena live and I can’t wait to hear these songs of hers I’ve heard for the last thirty years.
Richard Marx is up first and opening with ‘Believe In Me’ and his voice is still so smooth. This is going to be a great night. Into a hit that everyone knows with ‘Endless Summer Nights’ and some excellent crowd singalongs show him that we’re there and happy to see him back in Australia. Yes, one of my favourites is up next in ‘Take This Heart’ and what a song. He’s not holding back tonight as it’s going to be a shorter set from him so it’ll be all the big ones, and ‘The Way She Loves Me’ is just that and is a groove.
Here on his seventeenth trip here and now his favourite so he says, we’ll take that as long as he keeps coming back and each time is better than the last. Heading back to 1988 and a song he wrote in Sydney as he tells us the story of how he wrote ‘Angelia’ man that was great with some amazing work from the band on that one. Staying with Repeat Offender and changing up ‘Too Late To Say Goodbye’ as Richard and J Take this one and it sounds amazing before Whynot and Brian join in. Taking to a stool and playing his first number one and damn his voice is magic. ‘Hold On To The Nights’ is so so good this way just shows how good of a songwriter he is. The last note rings out and ‘Now And Forever’ starts and I have always loved the song and he’s delivering it perfectly. Damn. The band joins in at the middle 8 and fill the song out.
Time to rock things back up with ‘Satisfied’ and what a tune it is and you know it got people up on their feet. Now throwing in his song he wrote with Keith Urban and ‘long Hot Summer’ and what a tune and it’s always amazing hearing a songwriter sing their song that became somebody else’s. That got the crowd going big time and I can’t imagine we have many left as here comes ‘Hazard’ and here comes the best part! Yes!! Nailed it.
Back to 1987 with ‘should’ve Known Better’ which was amazing and the delivery of “slowly driving me insane” was on point tonight. Taking to the piano got a little ‘Easy’ and then into the only song he could close with ‘Right Here Waiting’ and what a version that was. As we all sing along and they close it out as a full band and make it not just a power ballad but a powerful ballad, the most powerful ballad of all.
Richard Marx and his band delivered tonight and a lot of the people here were here for Richard and it showed. They had a ball, we all did.
Richard Wilkins introduces Tina Arena as she comes on stage and straight into ‘Heaven Help My Heart’ and well that’s one hell of a voice she has. This one takes me back and is still as catchy as all get up, we are in for a treat from this set. What a start. ‘Wasn’t it Good’ is next and flawless, and if like me you’ve spent a lot of your life with these songs it’s awesome to hear them played live and delivered this way. Tina tells us that she first played here at the Opera House at age nine and now at fifty seven she’s back. That is pretty awesome if you ask me. Taking us back to ‘Don’t Ask’ which by the way is celebrating thirty years since its release, and we celebrate with a trumpet. ‘Message’ is next and it’s groovy, and yes the trumpet was great. Telling a story about ‘Show Me Heaven’ and she delivers an unbelievable version of the Maria McKee track including a big key change which gets me every time. Getting the tempo back up for ‘love Is The Answer’ and followed by ‘Greatest Gift’ which was perfect.
‘That’s The Way A Woman Feels’ is such a vibe and had people moving. ‘Be A Man’ rocks things up a little and again this band is something else, every member is bang on and the mix is outstanding. ‘Standing Up’ keeps things going and what a catchy little ditty that is. Staying with Don’t Ask we get ‘Unravel Me’ in which Tina hits some amazing notes. This next one is haunting and might just be my favourite song of the night. It’s ‘in Command’ and what a song. This could’ve been the first song of the night I mean she’s singing like it is and her voice is still pristine. ‘You Made Me Find Myself’ is a big power ballad and was so good.
‘Not Still In Love With You’ is one hell of a song. Damn. That’s going straight onto the listen to tomorrow play list. Quick band introductions and I do mean quick as the 10pm curfew looms before ‘Sorento Moon’ and that gets people on their feet once again and with only a few minutes to go we all know what’s next.
‘Chains’ was something else, and to hear the power in the way that she delivered this song was just mind blowing. You know that everyone was waiting for that song tonight and for it to close the set and the show was the only thing that it could’ve been.
I just got to see one of the best female vocalists I think I’ve ever seen. That was extraordinary. I can’t add much more than that, and if you want more, well… don’t ask.
Essential Information
Venue: Sydney Opera House Forecourt – Sydney
Date: December 9, 2024
Promoter: Face To Face Touring
Richard Marx set list:
Believe In Me
Endless Summer Nights
Take This Heart
The Way She Loves Me
Angelia
Too Late To Say Goodbye
Hold On To The Nights
Now And Forever
Satisfied
Long Hot Summer
Hazard
Should’ve Known Better
Right Here Waiting
Tina Arena set list:
Heaven Help My Heart
Wasn’t It Good
Message
Show Me Heaven
Love Is The Answer
Greatest Gift
That’s The Way A Woman Feels
Be A Man
Standing Up
Untangle Me
In Command
You Made Me Find Myself
Not Still In Love With You
Sorrento Moon
Chains
