It has taken Big Country more than 30 years to tour our great country of ours, but the wait was so worth it.
Big Country arrived in Adelaide (16 June) to a crowd of mainly diehards. For those in attendance, you could feel the electricity and see excitement on people faces, as this was a night that had plenty of cheers, sing-a-longs and overall great moments; just being, there you could feel the Scottish vibe.
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Original members Bruce Watson (guitarist) and Mark Brzezicki (drums) were joined Jamie Watson (Bruce's son, guitar), Simon Hough (vocals) and Scott Whitley (bass guitarist who only joined the band last year) to complete the line-up. With decades of hits: 'In A Big Country', 'Kansas', 'Look Away', 'Fields Of Fire' and 'Wonderland', Big Country had the audience from the get-go.
Image © Shayarah BrownBruce showed how much Big Country had embraced our great and beautiful (big) country, as no matter what he was doing, he always had a huge smile on his face. Even Simon had a bit of advice for any males that wanted to be a performer: "Don't shave before you go on stage" (Simon had accidentally cut himself while shaving before tonight's performance). It got better as Bruce mentioned had also cut himself while shaving before the performance, it just wasn't visible to the general public. Scottish humour at its finest.
It was so heart warming seeing a father and son relationship onstage, as they played off each other throughout Big Country's entire set.
Image © Shayarah BrownMidway through Big Country's set, the sweat was literally pouring out of each member, as live music was truly at its finest to the small, but loud Adelaide crowd. Many people also danced along to their personal favourites, because this was truly a night to let your hair down and enjoy yourself.
Big Country has a wonderful and distinct sound that is unlike anything else. The way Bruce and Jamie are able to get such a staunchly Scottish sound out of their guitars is amazing and is a must see. The way they're able to make their guitars sound so much like bagpipes brings the fans in and keeps them mesmerised.
Image © Shayarah BrownEven though the weather had a Scottish Highland feel about it, it was not enough to keep those dedicated fans away, and the rain didn’t put a dampener on anyone’s spirits. In fact if anything it added to the performance. The crowd, the venue and the band made the night feel like you where in a pub in the middle of the Scottish Highlands. The only thing that was missing was a roaring fire in a beautiful, ornate fireplace.
Image © Shayrah BrownOverall it was a great night and no one went home disappointed. They had braved the weather and were rewarded for it with what could only be described as a concert full of passion, warmth and love for the music. There may not be many sore heads after this, but there might be a few sore muscles from the dancing that was done by many in the crowd.
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