'Everything's Alright' will make its way back into Kate Ceberano's set as she revisits Jesus Christ Superstar with Jon Stevens.
From the hearth of a recently fueled fire Kate Ceberano answers my call. “It’s like experiencing Christmas in July,” she remarks as we relate to the coziness, homeliness and comfort that a roaring fire provides in the depths of the colder months.
The contemplative state that Ceberano feels sitting by a fire is an experience she likens to live music. The fire acts as an appropriate segue into our discussion about her upcoming show with dear friend and longstanding musical collaborator Jon Stevens.
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The duo will grace the Geelong Arts Centre stage for one night only on Friday 25 October at 7:30pm. Performing their greatest hits as individual singer/songwriters, as well as music they have made famous through performing together.
32 years on from the incredible success of the 1992 Australian iteration of Jesus Christ Superstar the night will act as an opportunity to recreate the iconic hits from that production, as well as a special musical tribute to one of Australia’s other superstar singers and musicians John Farnham.
For Kate Ceberano this show will act as a coming together of two friends, who in their respective careers have had major impacts on the Australian music industry, after too many years of waiting for the right time to collaborate on stage together.
“My friend Jon and I are very Polynesian; we’ve known each other for over 40 years. He’s like a brother from another mother, yet we don’t get to sing together as often as we like, so it is going to be a very, very beautiful evening.
“If we were to open the trunk of a tree, our friendship would be emblematic of the black ring you find. But when Jon and I saw each other out in concerts or out working before COVID, we were cavalier about this type of show.
“We’d see each other at gigs and part ways by saying “I’ll see you down the road”. And a year or two passed and we didn’t really connect again, until we got together last year where we were asked to perform some material that we’d done 25 years ago together on stage, which was the Superstar material. And I thought, “Why have we waited so long to do this?””
What subsequently came about is the show Superstars Live that will also go on tour around Australia. A show that Ceberano is immensely proud of, and one that she is extremely excited to share.
“What better performance to have than two Polynesian singers with such big voices. It feels great to be back performing with Jon, it barely needs any amplification.”
Despite the importance placed upon Stevens’ and Kate Ceberano’s musical chemistry and connection, what remains a vital aspect of this show is the experience all can enjoy through being involved in live music.
“Live music is the last bastion of communality. We all agree that once we’re experiencing it, we let ourselves off the hook, we take ourselves off that treadmill for a minute and release into the experience. I’d like to see some AI try to reproduce that. I’m just saying.”
Kate Ceberano plans to lean into this idea with total immersion and conviction, all with the knowledge that the talent supporting the show and the energy that they will bring will make for a spectacle of a show.
“I’m going to immerse myself into the band at times, I’ll also be playing piano and doing backing vocals for Jon. He’ll pick up a guitar and accompany me on other songs, sometimes just sitting and singing. It will be intimate, we, as well as the audience will settle in for the night, and tell stories and sing.
“It certainly won’t be mellow though, as I said, we’re both big singers and we’re bringing a full rock band on tour with us. It’s going to be a beautiful thing. When you’ve got a live performance and you have not only just Jon and I but you have the combined experience of all the band members. I mean there’s hundreds and thousands of hours of talent on that stage. It is going to be very fun.”
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Jesus Christ Superstar as a production itself, and so Superstars Live will act as a celebration woven together by a troop of superstars. This will be a must see concert to remember for at least another 32 years.
Tickets for the Kate Ceberano and Jon Stevens triumph, Superstars Live, are available now and can be purchased here.
