Review: Damien Rice at Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, February 10th, 2019
From the second his tour was announced in November of last year, it was clear that Damien Rice’s long-overdue return to Australia was going to be a big one.
His first headline dates of the country in 12 years, Rice had only released one album in the interim, though his profile and legacy as one of the finest artists around grew.
Following sell-out shows all over the country, one final matinée performance was added for the afternoon of Sunday, February 10th, meaning that dedicated fans were in for quite a day.
However by the time the long-awaited evening show came around, it was clear that this was bound to be one show that audiences wouldn’t soon forget.
Check out Damien Rice’s ‘9 Crimes’:
As countless eager fans made their way into the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre, they were greeted by a rather minimal stage setup, adorned only with one standing light, a handful of guitars, and a piano.
Before long, a lone figure appeared on the stage and took our collective breath away. This figure was BR Dalton, an Irish-born musician who has been based in Fremantle for over a decade.
Armed with just his guitar, Dalton opened his set with gentle plucking which was soon paired by his powerful voice. Clear and direct, his lyrics took centre stage while his trusty guitar provided the emotional accompaniment needed to turn this opening performance into a stunning experience.
Performing a handful of mesmerising tracks, including tunes for his late father, Irish poet John Boyle O’Reilly, and his newborn son, it was clear that Dalton was a truly accomplished musician whose talent is just remarkable.
With a return to Melbourne reportedly on the cards in the near future, it’s rather obvious that many of the evening’s patrons will again find themselves in a BR Dalton audience when the opportunity arises.
Check out BR Dalton’s ‘Rat Race’:
Following a brief intermission, the main hall soon filled to its (almost) capacity, with excited murmurs of what the evening’s show will consist of. As others talked up what the earlier performance’s setlist featured, excitement grew to palpable levels, before a hush fell over the crowd and the hall was bathed in darkness.
Soon, a barely-visible outline appeared in the dark, as Damien Rice’s familiar voice rang out through the venue. Performing without the accompaniment of amplification or lighting, the lyrics of ‘Grey Room’ were the main focus of every audience member, as they hung on every word in absolute awe.
As the lights turned up ever so slightly, the almost reverent nature of the venue was broken by Rice himself, who cracked a joke about latecomers attempting to find their seat in the very front row. “You missed the first song,” he chuckled, “it was great.”
Powering into a truly soulful rendition of ‘Amie’, Rice’s raw talent was on full display, as his delicate guitar playing was paired with his tender yet powerful voice.
The intimate nature of the performance was clear, making it feel as though he was singing personally to each and every one of us, as if we were all old friends he’d not seen in say, 12 years.
Check out Damien Rice’s ‘Amie’:
After fielding a request for ‘Insane’, Damien Rice turned the evening up a couple of notches, moving on from his trademark acoustic folk troubadour style and turning his delicate voice into something of an inhuman howl, accompanied by strobing lights and distorted guitar sounds.
“I used to be a little bit intense,” he quipped as the dust finally settled.
Of course, this was just a taster of things to come, as Rice fielded more requests (“it’s all B-sides and unreleased material tonight”), proving his worth as a talented musician who was more than willing to deliver on anything asked of him.
After a trip to the piano for a heartbreaking rendition of ‘9 Crimes’, Rice again fielded a request, this time performing a uncharacteristically light-hearted version of ‘It Takes A Lot To Know A Man’, thanks in part to his mixing up of the verses.
While more requests came through (‘Accidental Babies’ being a highlight), Damien Rice also took the time to speak openly with his audience, explaining his desire to create a completely carbon-neutral record, while explaining that he was indeed working on new material for the future.
After the intense slow-burner that is ‘I Remember’, the lights and amplification were again turned off, allowing Rice to sing a stunning rendition of fan-favourite ‘The Blower’s Daughter’.
Check out Damien Rice’s ‘The Blower’s Daughter’:
Following a scattered (but deserved) standing ovation, a clearly flattered Damien Rice appeared before us again, musing in regards to his choice of encore songs.
After kicking things off with ‘Stoic’, Rice welcomed his sound engineer and studio collaborator Phil to the stage to perform a track. After getting lost on his way to the stage, Phil indulged Damien’s request, performing an unknown track that sounded like a more light-hearted version of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Your House’.
Taking control of the mic, Rice dialled things back to his days in Juniper, dusting off ‘Jewellery Box’ (better known to fans of his solo era as ‘Cross-Eyed Bear’), before wrapping up the night with 2014’s ‘Trusty And True’.
While this finish was indeed met with another well-deserved standing ovation, the audience was left in awe of what they had witnessed, truly amazed by the quality of such a performer.
Although some complained about the choice of material (the omission of ‘Cannonball’ was a big sticking point for one audience member), Rice had indeed noted his desire not to repeat any material from the earlier performance from the day, making each show just as unique as he himself is.
While Damien Rice did assure us that he would endeavour to come back sooner rather than later, it was abundantly clear that each and every future performance would be met with the same levels of eagerness and adoration from his fans.
Here’s hoping we won’t be waiting another 12 years for an experience like this.
Check out Damien Rice’s ‘Trusty And True’:
Damien Rice @ Melbourne Recital Centre 10/2/18 Setlist
‘Grey Room’
‘Amie’
‘Insane’
‘The Rat Within The Grain’
‘9 Crimes’
‘It Takes A Lot To Know A Man’
‘Cheers Darlin”
‘Accidental Babies’
‘The Box’
‘I Remember’
‘The Blower’s Daughter’
Encore:
‘Stoic’
‘Cross-Eyed Bear’
‘Trusty And True’
