A night with Missy Higgins under the stars (or, as it were on this night, the clouds) was simply magical.
As with her recent performance as part of A Day On The Green (read our review), this was once again a showcase of pure talent. Unfortunately, like that show, Missy’s Melbourne show was plagued by bad weather – but rain does not an empty Sidney Myer Music Bowl make.
Crowds turned up in their thousands, packing out the venue and donning ponchos. It was beautiful to see the power of music drawing humans to a stage like a strong magnet, regardless of forecast. We are so blessed to be able to experience art and talent such as Missy’s – and Friday night’s crowd was noticeably appreciative for this privilege.
The first half of Missy’s set was primarily a selection of newer music from the album ‘The Second Act’. . . And heavily referenced her recent separation and time as a single mum. It was an incredibly emotional set – in fact, this reviewer barely stopped crying for its entirety. Such is the power of music and its ability to heal, to allow us to process trauma, and maybe even to move forward.
Her songwriting is powerful: laden with personal experiences and references and yet written in such a way that – though you know you’re hearing one individual’s story – feels wildly relatable.
There’s something extremely admirable about Missy’s apparent emotional intelligence and deep empathy. To hear and experience live music is something you can’t replicate, and when it’s the music of Missy Higgins, that fact rings even truer. The palpable emotion emanating from the stage and being rallied back to her from the audience was extraordinary.
Then, for act two, audiences were treated to a live play-through of Missy’s debut album ‘The Sound Of White’ in its entirety. . . 20 years after its release.
Missy was a teenager when she wrote ‘The Sound Of White’. A teenager with confounding wisdom and emotional strength, wise beyond her years. These lyrics could have just as easily been written by someone with many more years’ worth of life experience – which means they hold up (and maybe even mean more) coming from their author 20 years later.
Act two felt a lot less heavy, thanks to the sense of familiarity and nostalgia in tracks like ‘Nightminds’, ‘Ten Days’, and ‘Any Day Now’. Audiences felt more comfortable joining in – many clearly relishing in the opportunity to sing along to songs which defined their younger years.
Title track ‘The Sound Of White’, about the death of Missy’s cousin, was beautifully performed. . . With Missy calling on the audience to raise their phone torches if they’d lost someone, and could feel their presence. It was overwhelming, but unsurprising, to watch a sea of white lights illuminate the Music Bowl.
Thousands of people simultaneously rose to their feet upon hearing the first few chords of ‘Scar’ – perhaps one of the most recognisable songs by any Australian artist ever. This, as well as cheeky bonus track ‘Steer’, made for a joyous and freeing ending to a genuinely beautiful night of music from one of our greatest.
Thanks for everything you’ve given us – and continue to give us – Missy.
