The second show of the Red Hot Summer Tour (Series One) rolled into Perth’s Swan Valley with a 10,000 sell-out crowd eager to see the star studded line-up perform in the natural amphitheatre of Sandalford’s Winery. With temperatures in the 30’s and clear blue skies above, it wasn’t just the stage that was ‘red hot’, as the crowds were encouraged to drink plenty of fluids (I’m sure they meant water guys & girls) and apply plenty of sunscreen. For those who have tickets to the forthcoming shows, I don’t want to ruin it by going too in depth with the set lists, but all the acts played all that was expected and more…
Chocolate Starfish kicked the day off at 2.30pm sharp, the band gracing the stage in striking fashion all clothed in white, except for the charismatic Mr Chocolate himself, Adam Thompson, who was dressed in a black and silver floral suit. Opening the day’s festivities with a fantastic rendition of Meat Loaf’s ‘Bat Out of Hell’, the guys set the pace for the day with their entertaining set with a set comprising of ‘Mountain’, ‘Four Letter Word’, ‘Your So Vain’ & ‘Farmer Loretta’ from their latest album ‘Spider’. Thompson worked the crowd tirelessly, encouraging song-a-longs & crowd participation at every opportunity. This was the perfect start to the long afternoon & evening ahead.
Next to showcase his creative years in the musical limelight was ARIA Hall of Fame’s Richard Clapton, playing songs spanning his 45-year career. Even though Clapton is now in his 60’s his vocals were strong and his band tight and it was clear he was another good inclusion on the bill, as the crowd happily sang along to hits like his 1975 release ‘Girls on the Avenue’.
I’ve always liked what Diesel has produced over the years, so I was looking forward to seeing him on the live stage. He’s an artist that has always eluded me one way or another… and he certainly didn’t disappoint. For me, he put in one of the performances of the day with his exceptional guitar work and incredible vocals. His set was littered with his big hits like ‘Tip of my Tongue’, ‘Man Alive’ and fantastic version of ‘Cry in Shame’. His performance certainly raised the already highly placed bar for the remaining acts.
With the majority of the line-up seemingly being geared to the ‘older’ fan, a refreshing inclusion was the energetic and frantic rockers The Living End. Making their first Red Hot Summer Tour appearance, with their Stray Cats/Clash punk-like, fast paced rock which certainly blew the cobwebs off any the members of the crowd that didn’t realise there was a concert going on. The front of stage area erupted with fists pumping the air and beers flying through the sky and choruses sung in unison. Lead vocalist Chris Cheney joked, “We don’t normally play to 10,000 crowds… we play to much bigger than that,” before smashing through tracks like ‘Death of an American Dream’ from their latest album ‘Wunderbar’, as well as tried and tested classics like ‘White Noise’.
Most guys my age [coughs] with a love for plain old dirty rock n roll, grew up with a fantasy rock goddess at one time or another and the next act certainly was one of mine – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts played an important part in my growing love for rock and this was another act that I thought I may never have got to see live. Dressed in trademark black with tight pants and dark glasses, the ‘Queen of Rock n Roll’ strode onto the stage with a veteran swagger, as she pumped out a 60 minute set of her back catalogue including the now iconic ‘I Love Rock n Roll’, ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’, ‘Bad Reputation’ and The Runaways classic ‘Cherry Bomb’. Jett announced early into the set, in her heavy New York accent, that she was saving her voice, so we were entertained with short stories injected throughout the set by long-time collaborator, song writer & producer Kenny Laguna on the keys. At 60 years of age, Jett showed she still has plenty to offer as a live artist and this set was another highlight of the afternoon.
As the sun set over the Indian Ocean and the Swan Valley descended into darkness, slowly the night sky started to light up with stars but none could outshine the headline act, Jimmy Barnes, who tonight was in outstanding form with a set crammed with hits from his Cold Chisel song book, his incredible solo career as well as squeezing in a couple from his forthcoming album ‘My Criminal Record’. Pacing the stage like a ferocious animal stalking his prey, Barnes snarled and screamed through his set, as the crowd sang along in anthemic unison to some of the songs that have shaped Australian rock music over the years. Chisel favourites ‘Flame Trees’, ‘Rising Sun’ and ‘Khe Sanh’ with met with euphoric cheers with Barnes also unleashing solo hits like ‘Driving Wheels’, ‘No Second Prize’ and ‘Working Class Man’. I always wonder how someone who puts his voice through so much, and has done for many years, can sound so incredible, but tonight he hit every note and more as he left the crowd almost as breathless as he must have been himself.
One final note I must mention is to the organisers – too many times I’ve been to concerts or festivals where you seem to wait forever between acts but this was not the case here. Where we were located we could see the backstage crew bringing each artists equipment on & off stage with speed and efficiency and this helped make the day flow so well. I can’t wait to see what line-up we will be getting next year but if it’s anything like this one, put me at the front of the queue for tickets.
