Tommy Emmanuel's concert at QPAC in Brisbane was something this crowd had been anxiously anticipating for some time.
Tommy has been a mainstay of Australia's music consciousness since at least 1990, when he supported the Australian tour of Eric Clapton. That break came after 25-plus years of playing to smaller venues.In recent years, living in Nashville, US, Tommy has come to a much broader acceptance as the standout living acoustic guitarist. After the show at QPAC (18 May) there will be no one who doubts that assertion, but more on the show shortly.
Tommy's acknowledgement is reflected in his first Grammy Award in 2024, for the work he did on 'Folsom Prison Blues', having been nominated twice previously. He has spoken to student musicians at one of the highest musical colleges across the globe, the Berklee College of Music, despite not being able to read music.
Tommy's biography notes he is perhaps most proud of the C.G.P. initials he often uses after his name, reflecting the award granted by country guitar legend, Chet Atkins, as a Certified Guitar Player.
Image © Michelle Cop
In addition to his incredible guitar playing, Tommy is a real showman who delivers with a great comedic feel, and has always made clear his love and strong support of Australia. His support of Australia is reflected partly in his role as an ambassador for locally-made Maton guitars, three of which he uses this evening.
Given his musical status, he could obviously play a stunning Gibson or Martin, but he is only seen in interviews holding one of his beloved Matons. His passion for Australia also comes through in much of his playing, particularly tonight's encore.
I last saw Tommy in 2011, at the BB King Blues Club in New York City, playing with his late brother Phil, in a completely explosive show, so I was certainly dying to hear him play as he approaches his 70th birthday in the next fortnight. That night in 2011, the two brothers played the complex Mozart piece, 'The Turkish Rondo', and left NYC music fans completely aghast!
Tonight's solo show at QPAC is sold out, and Tommy tells us these are his favourite two words. He comes onstage at 7:30pm, and the first one-hour set kicks off with a bluesy feel, but in a way only he can deliver.
Image © Michelle Cop
As he kicked off, what I found notable was that it was his right (strumming) hand that was doing all the work, particularly in these earlier pieces. The playing is incredible and the first two songs are abruptly ended on a darkened stage, with Tommy silhouetted on the final note, all perfectly timed.
For his next piece, it has more of a bluegrass feel, but again it is mostly in his right hand, and for the wind up of this piece he drifts into a simple one-string version of 'Waltzing Matilda', sounding almost like it was coming out of a set of bagpipes.
Tommy is also famous for the difficult time he gives to the face of his guitars, as he uses it for percussive effects. Damage can be seen on two of the three guitars he uses this evening. This piece was almost rockabilly in nature, and he really pushes the percussive effects, with some great visual moments, that had the crowd again in awe. He jokes late in the piece "take it away boys," the crowd accepting this as highlighting the incredible amount of sound he can get out of one acoustic guitar.
Tommy says he thinks there are some "Chet nuts" in the audience tonight, and plays 'To B Or Not To B', apparently in the beautiful key of B; this is a song he performed with Chet Atkins before his passing. At this point, Tommy humorously notes he's had a few requests this evening, but he's going to keep playing anyway!
Image © Michelle Cop
He is seated for the lovely 'Little Georgia', an ode to his youngest granddaughter, which is followed by 'Scarlet's World' dedicated to his older granddaughter; the nature of both songs is so different, written in different styles to reflect their individual personalities.
He opens the next song with intricate harmonics; it's a piece that goes back to at least the 1930s; it is 'Secret Love', a song beautifully covered by Australia's own jazz great, Vince Jones. It's a lovely version, replete with shimmery chords and winds up with a much more subtle ending than some of the earlier pieces.
A change of guitar brings a change of tuning, and the lower D string really rings out in the next piece, 'Timberland'. Tommy notes that the movie director asked him to provide some dark and mean music, yet with a glimmer of hope, and he indicates he will let the audience know when that moment arrives. It happens twice, and there's a cheesy look on Tommy's face when the music becomes a little more uplifting, and again the crowd is in raptures when it happens.
He switches to the third Maton acoustic, a brand new one he has been developing with the local luthiers, with a gently strummed piece, before kicking into an a cappella windup of 'Today Is Mine', by American country musician Jerry Read.
Image © Michelle Cop
Before departing the stage, Tommy notes: "Life is not a rehearsal so you better get on with it." Fine thoughts, and clearly the way he is living his own life. After the interval he comes back on, with some lovely work on the new guitar, followed by a Spanish-sounding piece, for which he perfectly nails the ending in unison with the lights.
We are then told he will play a piece penned in 1999 for his daughter, which is the most requested song as he tours the globe. 'Angelina' is stunning and winds up on a beautiful subtle chord, before he tells us that he's kicking back into fifth gear for the next one, giving great contrast to the musical experience.
'Mombassa' follows and is mainly percussive, whacking the face, strumming the neck, incorporating a 'brush' drum stick and the microphone into the piece; while it was not my favourite, the crowd disagreed and went totally berserk with applause at the end.
Tommy moves into an incredible piece based around 12-bar blues, but infinitely more complex, dropping in a reference to 'Day Tripper' by The Beatles. 'Stevie's Blues' follows, as an ode to Steve Ray Vaughan, constructed very much like SRV's 'Scuttlebuttin'.
Then Tommy asks the crowd how 'Wonderwall' goes, and moves into his great rendition of that Oasis piece. He often plays a Beatles medley, and does so again tonight. 'Please Please Me', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', and 'Day Tripper' again, and the bass and melody are completely distinct from each other.
Image © Michelle Cop
The medley then drifts into a percussive 'Lady Madonna', one of the evening's real highlights. Tommy thanks the team at QPAC, and specifically calls out his light man, Zac from Chicago (at which point the stage goes completely black!), and his sound man, before talking about his family, and in particular brother Phil who passed away in 2018.
Tommy is close to tears, noting the loss of his irreplaceable partner onstage, and tells the audience he loves to travel and all he wants to do is give his very best every night, before playing the song written for Phil, 'Sail On', which winds up with the stage bathed in blue light.
He plays the standard 'Over The Rainbow'; this is one of the songs that I think best demonstrates Tommy's jazz sensibilities, and was probably the most restrained piece of the evening. A full standing ovation follows, before he comes back onstage to wind up with a song with clear indigenous (and other) Australian influences.
Tommy Emmanuel is someone of whom we should be immensely proud. He represents Australia on the global stage, and always puts on a show of pure entertainment, fantastic guitar skills, and a healthy dose of nostalgia.
More photos from the concert.
