Winter's icy breath is already knocking at Sydney's door, but the Opera House is set for a warm-hearted evening as Chris de Burgh brings his 50LO tour to Australia.
The show (8 May) begins with a beautiful string arrangement as de Burgh enters to rapturous applause, smiling and clapping to the audience. He begins sentimental tune 'The Hands Of Man' as two solo lights beam down on the grand piano.'Here Is Your Paradise' is equally melancholic under orange lights, de Burgh's voice strong and tender. "Good evening, how are you?" he asks as the crowd welcome him warmly.
"There are moments in life when you wish time would stand still, and this is one of them," he emotes. "There are three iconic halls – Carnegie I've never played, Royal Albert I've played 17 times, and here for the first time tonight.
"I plan on singing as many of my 330 songs as I can. I hope you brought your pyjamas," he jokes. "You probably have a few questions for me so I've written them down." He brings out a piece of paper. "Is he still alive?" he jokes as the crowd laugh loudly.
'Missing You' starts a nice sing-along under green and purple lights, de Burgh getting the crowd clapping along surprisingly in time. 'Sailing Away' turns the roof into an aqua ocean, changing into red and ending back on green. "You're beautiful," de Burgh says. "You can now say you've sung at the Opera House!"
The next medley was inspired by dolphins and the pure joy of unrestraint, before de Burgh continues his entertaining stories. "I was brought up in a little country called Ireland," he begins a story about skinny dipping. He gestures how cold the water was by the length between his fingers.
He continues into a discussion on understanding men and women. "Men care about three things: Food, football, and what can the other one be?" He rests his hand on his chin. "Fighting!"
'Suddenly Love' is nice under red lights, before de Burgh shares the story of how Dame Edna came out onstage at a show in a red dress and put the dress over de Burgh's head. "She is no lady," de Burgh smiles.
'It's Never Too Late' follows, de Burgh's falsetto stunning for any man, let alone one of his age. "I'm approaching 59 years in the music industry," he confirms his longevity. 'Let It Be' is a beautiful sing-along, before de Burgh jokes: "This mic stand needs some viagra."
'Always On My Mind' is a perfect song after all these years, de Burgh the perfect performer under blue lights. 'The Light On The Bay' starts a section about Blackbeard and 1700s smugglers, as a stunning green and gold light show plays.
'Lonely Sky' is a lovely piece of songwriting, before 'Be My Valentine' has an '80s piano tone under red lights. 'On This Day' bursts under green lights, before de Burgh announces 'Spanish Train' to a deafening roar, his strumming impeccable.
"I wrote this as a stream of consciousness," de Burgh says for 'Transmission Ends', a sentimental track that showcases more of de Burgh's falsetto.
'Borderline' is deeply moving under blue lights, before 'A Spaceman Came Travelling' features the nicest sing-along so far atop its minor chords. 'The Lady In Red’ draws a cheer, as the stage floods red. It is brilliant songwriting.
Toto's 'Africa' is a colourful choir celebration before 'Patricia The Stripper' is a hilariously raucous time, de Burgh kicking his legs along the stage. 'Pretty Woman' starts the encore, which appropriately ends with 'Legacy'.
Chris de Burgh is a showman, a brilliant songwriter and still one of the greatest male voices to grace a stage.
