One of Australia’s most prized musicians – Jimmy Barnes, graced the beautiful scenery of Sutton Grange winery early this November. With a stellar lineup including Taxiride, Richard Clapton, Jon Stevens and Noiseworks, there was no shortage of premium Aussie rock legends to keep the crowd entertained throughout the day and night.
I could not pick a better location for such a show. Sutton Grange Winery was beautiful and spacious, with a lush green slope overlooking the stage. There was plenty of room for people to make themselves comfortable and soon enough, the green field was filled with picnic blankets and deck chairs as everyone found their spots and prepared to rock!
Starting the lineup, we had well-known Aussie rockers Taxiride, who did not disappoint the anticipating crowd. Lead singer Jason Singh was a personality that kept the crowd engaged, constantly interacting with the crowd in-between songs. Even when the queue for drinks was long, he offered to take a bottle of beer to an audience member, much to the crowds’ delight.
Shortly after Taxiride had finished their set, it was none other than the legendary Richard Clapton up on stage. At over 60 years of age, Richard still knows how to bring the enthusiasm and energy that rock demands of him and he does it oh so well. Bringing well-known tunes such as ‘Girls on the Avenue’ to the stage, Richard maintained attention from the audience throughout his set with his quick wit and laid-back attitude toward performing in front of a large crowd.
As the night progressed on and the clear blue skies turned dark, the much-anticipated Jon Stevens and Noiseworks made an entrance to the stage, a well-received entrance at that. Jon Stevens was the perfect lead up to the main attraction, bringing instrument heavy, loud passionate rock to the stage. The energy they brought was a perfect build up for the very vocal Jimmy Barnes.
Nearing the end of the night, the warmth was gone and it had gotten quite chilly, which may have discouraged some, but knowing that Jimmy was up next was more than enough encouragement for most, if not all. As Jimmy hit the stage, he was met with loud cheers throughout the winery – the moment people had been waiting for had arrived. Like Jon Stevens and Noiseworks, he delivered a high-octane energy driven set that not even the cold could quiet. Throughout the set there were many highlights, but most would agree that seeing Jimmy invite Jon Stevens to sing with him was the pinnacle of their night.
I did wonder to myself how much longer Jimmy could go performing the way he does, extruding passion and energy like he does at this stage of his career is an achievement to say the least.
All in all, the night was an absolute success, a packed-out concert of some of the best rock Australia has to offer. The fans got given the rock they desired and the rockers got to rock like they always should.
Where: Sutton Grange Winery
When: Saturday November 4 2017
Reviewed by Alex Lynch