I’ve known of the immense talents of Darren Hayes ever since
I first heard Savage Garden and have always loved his voice and his lyrics!
So when I heard my friend Sazz had a ticket going spare for
his concert in Brighton, I snapped it right up!
Sazz doesn’t live in the area, so came down the night before
and stayed over for the weekend, so we could attend the concert and squeal
together. :)
Until this Saturday just gone, I never had the chance to go
to a Darren Hayes concert (or a Savage Garden one, for that matter). Now I
have, I feel utterly blessed that I was able to be there and witness that
fantastic voice in person!
Before the concert started, we headed to the merchandise
table. I ended up buying a signed vinyl single of Bloodstained Heart. I have a turntable and a small collection of
records, along with a small collection of autographed items and an enjoyment of
how music sounds on vinyl, so it seemed like the natural choice :)
Opening Act: The
Candle Thieves
The show started with a 30 minute set performed by The
Candle Thieves, who are a pretty awesome and fun band. Their music has a bit of
a retro sound and incorporates keyboards and a number of more unusual
instruments along with the standard guitar/drum/bass combination. At one point
the keyboardist had a plastic bin, and a bit later a harmonica!
They were truly entertaining and after the concert I ended
up buying their most recent album, Balloons.
Main Act: Darren
Hayes
Before Darren Hayes or his band appeared on stage, a piece
of classical music was played through the speakers. I think it was No.29 (Finale) from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, a gorgeous piece of music.
After that tension-raising piece of music, the show began
properly, with the band and backing vocalist walking onto the stage, and
finally Darren, armed with his LED umbrella. He immediately launched into God Walking into the Room, a song from
his most recent album, Secret Codes and
Battleships.
Darren sang a great variation of songs from his works,
including Savage Garden songs. This probably made me the happiest of all, since
when I was a teenager I utterly lamented that I couldn’t go to a Savage Garden
concert!
The songs he performed from that era were some of my
favourites too, such as To the Moon and
Back and I Don’t Know You Anymore.
The performance of the latter song was particularly powerful!)
A few times, Darren stopped to talk to the audience,
explaining who he’d written songs for, sharing anecdotes, and being ever grateful
for all of the people that have supported him in different ways to get him
where he is now. He is a very buoyant, energetic performer and he definitely
loves being in the spotlight, but through these little interludes it was clear
what a genuinely nice guy he is. :)
Here's a YouTube video I found from the concert! This was the final song of the set.
Here's a YouTube video I found from the concert! This was the final song of the set.
The full extent of Darren’s musical talent is far more
apparent when seeing him perform live than on a recording. He sounds fantastic
on CD or mp3, but live in concert his vocal range and strength are utterly
staggering!
The band and backing vocalist were also fantastic; I’d make
a note of their names here but my memory is terrible for things like that!
Darren Hayes is one of those musicians with the ability to
truly perform, to dance around and sing with all his heart and let the emotion
behind his music reach out and touch the hearts of everybody listening. I alternately
got goose bumps and found myself ready to tear up at his performance. It was an
utterly fantastic, memorable concert!
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Reading all your sweet comments makes me happy! :) I appreciate each and every one and try to reply to all that I can!