Tina Arena Live In Concert in Melbourne, Australia ( 2007 ).
Tina Arena Live In Concert in Melbourne, Australia ( 2007 ).
Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre, Melbourne - Saturday 29th December, 2007.
[ Following on from my previous article about Tina Arena's new studio album released just recently earlier in month of December " Songs of Love and Loss " ] Tina Arena embarks on her ' Songs of Love and Loss ' Australian Tour of Summer 2007, having already played Live at Melbourne's Hamer Hall ( The Arts Centre, Melbourne ) on both the evenings of Friday 28th December [ to a Sold Out crowd ! ], and Saturday 29th December. As I have already mentioned earlier, I was unable to attend the Friday night show due to work commitments, but was lucky enough to have been able to attend the second show on Saturday night. I can't comment on the Friday night show as I wasn't there, but I gather that both shows would not have been all that different.So, at the Saturday night show, I arrived in good time prior to the commencement of the show, having almost 30 minutes to spare before Tina officially makes it onto the stage. Upon arrival at Melbourne's Arts Centre, I bought myself the concert program ( AUD $ 20.00 ), and a black T-Shirt sized 'small' ( AUD $ 40.00 ), featured on the front is the same image that's on the front of the inlay booklet of the ' Songs of Love and Loss ' Album. I was a little surprised though that the tour details were NOT printed on the back of the T-Shirt, like you'd find with many other touring artists.; Other products being sold at the merchandise stand included a cream-coloured T-Shirt, a black 'Songs of Love and Loss' mug, and the ' Songs of Love and Loss ' CD Album ( which I already have, of course ! ).
As the auditorium doors open to allow people in, a vocal dialogue announcement informs that there will be no support act at this show.;
Making my way into the auditorium to locate my seat, couldn't help but immediately notice the orchestral equipment and setup of all the things on the stage ! It caught my eye nice and early, the seats and equipment of Tina's orchestra and band were beautifully set-up on the stage, with small glowing blue lights underneath the orchestra seats making the whole stage-set glitter with a blue/white lighting effect, makes it look great !; When I was eventually shown to my seat, located 'technically' third row from the front of the stage ( Row BB ), which is quite the understatement actually. Where I was 'actually' sitting was in fact closer to the stage then the technical statement makes it sound. I'd say I was located a little to the left of center of stage, and approximately 75 - 80 cm from the very front of the stage ( at times it's like being right underneath Tina's nose if I could so boldly put it... ) If you were there, and you sat somewhere in the first front four rows ( Rows AA to DD ), then you know what I'm talking about ! Anyone sitting in that section had the best seats in the house !; From where I was sitting, I could see almost everything, bar the few orchestra-players and sound equipment located behind the black piano that was located just on my left, which obscured only a tiny percentage of my view, but hey, I'm not complaining ! As for Tina, I was close enough to have an almost-accurate view of even the jewellery that she was wearing, including the tiny silver glitter on her bracelets and ear-rings. Speaking of Tina, I have to add how absolutely Glamorous and Beautiful she looked on stage, along with the fantastic and beautiful out-fits she was wearing.
The primary drum kit located on the far right hand side forward section of the stage is noticeably partitioned-off by a large transparent glass-frame - Tina calls it ' The Cage '. If I understand it correctly, the Cage would have to be specially designed, with a particular kind of glass able to withstand high-levels of decibels and sound, in order for it not to smash under extreme audio conditions, and its purpose being to shield off the sound of the drums, and to ensure that the ' sound-waves ' generated by the drums don't interfere with the delicate sound of the rest of the orchestra. The sound of the drums is carried to the speakers via a dedicated microphone positioned above the drums.
Let me just say that this show was absolutely Jaw-dropping, and a Not-to-be-Missed one-in-a-million Experience ! It's worth more than every penny that went into the ticket that gets us into the auditorium. The atmosphere was high and ecstatic, and would have you coming back for more. If you've heard her music only on radio or on CD, then you ain't seen nothing ! Tina Arena Live on Stage is an absolute Spectacular, something you have to be there and experience for yourself first-hand ! Gee, and I thought she was good on record - she IS good on record, but Tina Live on Stage - that's something of an amazingly indescribable experience ! The energetic and brilliant voice that she sings with on stage is just phenomenal ! Her Live singing voice is more pure and spotless than I had initially imagined it to be. Just beautiful ! Tina has really matured as a person and also in her style of show-presentation, bringing with it a quite professional and very elegant 'look' of it all, all-the-while maintaining the utmost quality in her music, what she does best.; OK, On with the show...
With the official commencement of the show eminent ( and on-time as scheduled ), the members of the orchestra walk briskly out on stage and quietly take thier place in their designated orchestra seats. Momentarily accompanied by the guy I'd believe to be the lead string-player on violin who co-ordinates with the other string players to ensure the entire string section is in tune. ( yeah, i know it sounds technically processive, I've been through it myself quite a number of times, having been a violin-player myself in the school orchestra where I went to school in my younger years.; In fact, I've actually played ON the Hamer Hall stage itself during the final speech-night of my year-12 graduation year, all the way back in late 1992. );
Just moments before Tina's grand entrance onto the stage, an anticipative instrumental sequence is played through the on-stage speakers, shortly after which, all the lights go down, and the auditorium is almost pitch black and momentarily dead quiet. Yes, it's the moment that signals the lead artist to finally light up the stage in full, and everything on stage is brought to life. Tina walks out onto the stage in her beautiful silver dress outfit. She kicks off the show with a track from the Songs of Love and Loss album called " The Look Of Love ".; At times during the course of the show, Tina's band adds a bit of slight Jazz-feel to a few of the songs.;
Ok, I'd like to take a moment to list the songs Tina performed during the concert - The songs she performed are listed in the Concert Program, but they're not listed in the same order as she had performed them Live, and I don't remember the 'exact' order in which the songs were performed, but I'll try to list them as my memory might serve ( in no particular order ) :
Songs of Love and Loss - The Concert : The Songs :
[ First Half : ]
Instrumental Prelude.
The Look Of Love
I Just Don't Know What To Do With MySelf
Sorrento Moon
I Only Want To Be With You
Do You Know ( Theme from ' Mahoganny ' )
Windmills of Your Mind
The Man With The Child In His Eyes
Chains
[ Half-Way Intermission : 10 - 15 minutes ]
( During this time, Tina changes her Dress/Outfit for the second half of the show )
[ Second Half : ]
Wasn't It Good
Burn
Les Trois Cloches
Woman
So Far Away
To Sir With Love
Now I Can Dance
Everybody Hurts
( Somewhere at this point in time, Tina thanks the prouction crew and other important personnel involved for making the Live show possible and successful. )
[ Encore : ]
Maybe This Time ( From ' Cabaret ' )
( Tina Introduces the Band, other Stage-Personnel, and the orchestra )
Symphony Of Life
From the new album Songs of Love and Loss, only two tracks ' Love Hangover ', and ' Until ' were omitted from the Live show performance.
The sound is really great at this show. The sound, the music, and the atmosphere really draws you in and makes you feel like you're completely immersed in it all, and fully embraced by it. As a whole, it really feels like a " complete " experience, fully mesmurizing your senses of audio-visual and music. It's almost 'electric'.; There's insufficient words in the English language to accurately describe the true experience of this concert - you'd have to have been there in person and experienced it for yourself to know what it was really llke !
At the conclusion of the show, Tina and her main stage-personnel line-up at the front of the stage and take the traditional bow to the audience, and the audience responds with a loud clapping standing ovation, as Tina and company wave goodbye and make thier way off the stage. Then, the orchestral musicians start making thier way off the stage in an orderly manner.; The auditorium lights come back on, and everyone starts making thier way out of the auditorium and out onto the street.
While the Friday night show was sold out, the Saturday night show, however, was not. Turning around and looking back ( and up ) from where I was sitting, it looked like the auditorium was approximately 80% occupied - about half the seats ( the back half ) in the outer-dress-circle were not filled.
I had recently been reading a thread on the Official Tina Arena Forum regarding the suggestive possibility of a DVD Recording of one of the current Live shows here in Australia. Apparently, there were No filming cameras at either of the Melbourne shows, and from my perspective, I concur - I didn't notice any filming cameras at the show I was at. It seems the Australian fans are hoping that one of the current Sydney shows will be filmed and published on DVD. It also seems ( from fan comments on the Official Tina Arena Forum ) that we all agree that it would be a mistake Not to have one of the current Australian shows recorded and published to DVD. I for one, would love to see a DVD recording of one of the current live shows Tina is performing here in Australia, and I would definitely buy it if it eventually came to fruition.
Final Verdict : This is one of the Best concerts I've been to in the last 6 or 7 months.; Overall, I would give this Concert virtually a Perfect Score ! My Rating : 10 out of 10.
Tina is still scheduled to play the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, New South Wales, in early January, 2008 :
Sydney ( New South Wales ) ( 3 Nights ) :
* Wednesday 2nd January, 2008, 8:00 PM : Sydney Opera House.
* Thursday 3rd January, 2008, 8:00 PM : Sydney Opera House.
* Saturday 5th January, 2008, 8:00 PM : Sydney Opera House.
Related Articles :
* Tina Arena - ' Songs Of Love and Loss ' - New Album and Tour !.
Related Links :
* Tina Arena Live in Concert in Melbourne, 2007 Discussion Thread
_.( at the Official Tina Arena Forum ).
* ' Songs Of Love and Loss ' Album Track-Listing
__Track-By-Track Description ( On Tina Arena's Official Web Site ).
* Listen to Sample Audio Clips On Tina Arena's Official Web Site.
* Tina Arena's Official Web Site.
[ Please Note : I may be making further editing and/or additions to this article at a later date if any new information comes to memory... ]
posted by Richard NG @ 3:00 pm____
2 comments
Earlier in the year, I wrote an article about little 6-year old finalist of UK-iTV1's " Britain's Got Talent " - Connie Talbot, whose heartly-captivating performances at the ' Britain's Got Talent ' show won the hearts of not only millions of consumer viewers across the UK, but also of the judges on the judging-panel of the show, even the usually-hard-to-please Simon Cowell. I also wrote that so impressed with Connie Talbot's performance was Simon Cowell, that Simon signed her up with his record label Sony BMG, and took her into the Sony BMG Recording Studio to start recording her very first ' recording ' ( though at the time, I didn't know whether that would have been in the format of a single, EP, or full album... ). 
Yesterday afternoon, after some browsing on the internet for Music of Connie Talbot, I found out that it is all indeed True ! Connie Talbot has recorded her very first debut album, called " Over The Rainbow " ( pictured ), supposedly named after the title-track of her heart-winning performance that got her this far in the first place - " Somewhere Over The Rainbow " - the song that got her to the final of UK-iTV1's " Britain's Got Talent " show. The New Debut album " Over The Rainbow " is scheduled to be released on sale on 26/27th November, 2007, making it available in good time for Christmas 2007.
Where Do I Start ? Here's somethng relatively new for the fans of the Cross-Over music genre. If you already have this album in your collection, then for you I guess she needs no introduction. You will have already experienced for yourself first hand what she's like, and will have already formulated your own impressions of her as an artist, before I've even begun here. If you're already a fan of Hayley Westenra or Andrea Ross, then you're in for a great treat.
It's the perfect opportunity to make mention of home-grown Australian music for once, and I thought I'd throw in the good old traditional Aussie Flag for good measure on this particular occassion. Following up on her previous album ' Mistaken Identity ', Australia's Beauty Pop-Princess Delta Goodrem is back in 2007 with her third studio album, titled just simply ' DELTA ', featuring the new single ' In This Life '.; The brand new album ' DELTA ' comes in two distinct editions : the regular Standard Edition, and the special ' Limited Edition ' [ quoted from Australia's Sanity on-line ] : The Limited Edition version features an 8 Panel wallet - 2 pockets for CD and 20pp booklet( 12pp + 8pp centre gatefold). Printed on silver reflecta Kote board and includes pop up poster + 2 picture cards ! { End quote }. I bought the special Limited Edition this afternoon at the JB-Hi-Fi store at Southland Shopping Centre, Cheltenham. [ I am listening to the album as I am typing this up... ]. At JB-Hi-Fi, the regular Standard Edition costs approximately AUD $ 19.00, and the special Limited Edition costs approximately AUD $ 21.00. The special Limited Edition comes in a thinner packaging than the regular Standard Edition, however track-listings on Both editions are identical.
By now, she needs no introduction. Hayley Westenra's ' Prayer ' album technically 'isn't' a new album. The ' Prayer ' album is primarily a Japanese release, and is depicted as a collection of tracks previously un-released in Japan, a bit like an album of un-released B-Side tracks. This particular release would be a significant addition to any good Hayley Westenra CD collection.; I've managed to source the album's track-listing from an Australian on-line music-retail site called 'Chaos.com'. 
The Beautiful voice of New Zealand Soprano, Hayley Westenra, is featured on the soundtrack recording for a new British movie called " FLOOD ". 
It's the 50th anniversary year of the ever-popular musical " West Side Story ", originally conducted by Leonard Bernstein. On this 50th anniversary, with the authorisation of the Bernstein foundation in New York, UCJ has assembled some of the biggest classical crossover stars, including the Soprano voice of New Zealand, Hayley Westenra, to record a brand new glitzy version of the musical. In this special edition, Hayley Westenra stars as the character of Maria, pairing up with Italian tenor, Vittorio Grigolo, who plays the character of Tony. Quoting from Hayley Westenra's Official Web Site : " Other stars include Connie Fisher [ who just recently featured at The Concert for Diana, singing 'Memory' from 'Cats', accompanied by Andrea Ross ] and Melanie Marshall ( currently playing the lead in Porgy and Bess ). With a bright young cast (the singers' ages on this new UCJ recording also more closely resemble the youth of both Romeo and Juliet and Maria and Tony) and timeless tunes, this is set to become the recording of choice for the 21st Century West Side Story lover. "
This Just In ! I just recieved an Email from the forum administrator of the Andrea Ross Official Forum just shortly ago, announcing that Andrea Ross will be making an appearance at the " Concert for Diana " scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium, on Sunday, 1st July, 2007.; You'll have to check your own local TV Guide to see when the Concert will be broadcast on television in your home town, wherever you may be.; For Metropolitan Victorians living in Melbourne, Australia, the Concert will be broadcast on Channel Nine, commencing at 8:30 PM, on Monday 2nd July, 2007. The duration of this broadcast will be 3 hours, and concludes at 11:30 PM.; Andrea Ross's producer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is also slated to make an appearance at the event.; 
It happens in the movies, it happens in dreams, but it never happens in real life. Teenage girls simply don't sing a couple of songs over a tinny karaoke tape, get plucked from the slush pile and get signed up by the most successful composer of musicals alive. ... Unless, you're Andrea Ross ...
Andrea Ross recently participated in a UK Charity program, from which a CD Album Recording was made, called " Over the Rainbow " ( pictured Left ). ' Over the Rainbow ' was recorded in conjunction with a UK television show called " Challenge Anneka ", and was put together by Welsh television presenter ' Anneka Rice '. ' Over the Rainbow ' is a charity album produced to raise money for Childrens Hospices around the UK. The album was released on 4th June, 2007, and the television program was broadcast on 6th June, 2007, 9:00 PM, on UK television station 'ITV1'.
Following on from her two earlier studio albums ' Pure ' and ' Odyssey ', Beautiful New Zealand Soprano Hayley Westenra ( pictured Left ) is back in 2007 with a third studio production titled " Treasure " in the UK, and " Celtic Treasure " Internationally.
Melbourne, Australia.
Content / Calm
