In their first return to Adelaide since 2018, and 25 years since re-formed Canadian dark magic rockers The Tea Party played a notionally seated gig at the Norwood Concert Hall, there was, almost immediately, dancing up and down the aisles, in the seats, and when front-man Jeff Martin allowed it, when the crowd stood as one.
For fans who had been following the band's musical and spiritual journey since the early '90s, last night (18 June) at Norwood Concert Hall was like sitting before the preachers on the mountain, the gurus at the temple, the shamen in the jungle.Outside of Canada, Australia is undoubtedly spiritual blues rockers The Tea Party's second home; they've toured here a dozen times, and charismatic lead singer Jeff Martin is a permanent resident who is applying for citizenship.
Martin joked he would perform the darkest ever version of 'Waltzing Matilda'; thankfully, or maybe unfortunately, he didn't go through with this promise.
There were smatterings of other covers, though, including their famous rendition of The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It, Black', Bowie's 'Heroes', U2's 'With Or Without You' (during their jangly chorded sole Canadian #1 song, 'Heaven Coming Down') and Lou Reed's 'Walk On the Wild Side'.
Aside from paying tribute to some of rock's greatest artists, this was a night that mostly celebrated 1999's 'TRIPtych', with performances of singles from the album like their cover of Daniel Lanois' 'The Messenger', 'Gone', 'These Living Arms' and 'Heaven Coming Down', which Jeff said he wrote while bored in his trailer during the filming of a clip on a newly purchased 12-string.
He shared that he told his band mates, Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows, that it would be their first #1 song, which it proved to be. Whether this was a tall tale, a re-writing of history, or a true story of prescience is hard to tell.
Martin's storytelling, his esoteric wisdom, and his command of the stage were on full display. As is inevitable, Jeff's raspy blues snarl, particularly in the upper range, has been lost a little to the ravages of time and touring. He croons more now at times, and deftly navigates around the trickier spots. Instrumentally, though, the band rocks as hard and as proficiently as ever.
Roadie Kenny was onstage almost as often as the band as he brought a never ending array of differently tuned guitars to Jeff, so he could reproduce the world music-infused sounds of hits like 'Temptation' and 'Save Me' before, in the week before the winter solstice, finishing the night with the encore of 'Winter Solstice' and 'Sister Awake'.
Jeff sagely advised the crowd that, despite journeying everywhere from Egypt to the Czech Republic seeking answers to the meaning of life, he'd never arrived at an answer. He said if you ever believe you've arrived, then there's nothing left for you in life.
Shows like this were a reminder there is always something more to look forward to, to experience, and to learn from.
