If you don’t believe in magic,you will after seeing Xavier Rudd perform. Filled with passion, his performance at Melbourne’s Palace Theatre gracefully transitioned between his beautiful slow tunes and his more intense beats.
German instrumentalist and songwriter Yeshe opened the night, casting a beautiful shadow on the room whilst performing songs from his new album Roots and Wings.
Performing in several different languages and with several bizarre instruments, Yeshe’s performance was slightly repetitive although his talent for transitioning between a range of languages and the fact that he introduced the crowd to new instruments was great.
Appearing in front of a glowing desert sunset which was projected onto the stage, the barefooted Xavier Rudd bowed to the audience before launching straight into ‘Lioness Eye’ while the sound of kookaburras filled the theatre.
It was an eerie feeling but the audience members who knew they were in for something special provided Rudd with a warm response and thoroughly enjoyed songs such as ‘This Is My Fortune’ – with his guitar resonating with the crowd so much that even Rudd’s guitar technician was seen standing in awe for ‘Follow The Sun’ – Rudd’s most successful single to date.
Watching the headliner perform is nothing short of mesmerising. His rendition of ‘3 Roads’ was intense, with Rudd hitting the snare drum so hard that it eventually fell off the platform. It was a highlight of the evening, as the one-man band that is the talented Rudd was on full display, although it was nice to see him joined by Yeshe for a faster rendition of ‘Let Me Be’.
Social commentary and environmentalism was a constant theme throughout the night, even right down to the stage, which saw the several indigenous and Sea Shepard flags hanging above the performer and penultimate song saw Rudd changing the lyrics of Bob Marley’s ‘Buffalo Soldier’.
With the crowd helping him chant the chorus “I love my country/ and I respect our history/ save Australia and respect our country”, Rudd launched straight into ‘Culture Bleeding’ .
Returning to the stage during ‘Prosper’ for an encore, Rudd played the crowd favourite ‘Bow Down’ before finishing the night with a beautiful acoustic performance of ‘Spirit Bird’ – the title track off his latest album. A beautiful ending to the night’s performance, as the sounds of cockatoos echoed eerily throughout the theatre and the crowd stood in awe.
Whether it is in the recording studio or in a theatre, Rudd’s music encapsulates the Australian spirit and he is one performer everyone should see at least once in their life – if not twice!
– Eva Dent
