Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre in association with Mario Maiolo
Reviewed 20 June 2014
With 50 years of performing under her belt and credits in the film Lethal Weapon, the Broadway versions of Hairspray and Grease, and now an Oscar wining film, 20 Feet From Stardom, Darlene Love is one of the most accomplished singers of the “classics” that there is (can’t call them “oldies”!).
Love has been singing since the sixties, as a back-up vocalist for The Blossoms, Tom Jones, Marvin Gaye and even Elvis Presley, but couldn’t be left out of the main spotlight for long. She soon took centre stage and has been wowing audience ever since.
Her performance for Adelaide’s Cabaret Festival was one full of positive energy, nostalgia and joy as she sung hits such as “Da Doo Ron Ron”, “Killing Me Softly” and “Ain’t That Peculiar”. From the moment she walked out on stage you could sense the excitement in the crowd, and by the time she let fly with “He’s A Rebel” the whole audience was on their feet.
Love is one hell of a character, that’s for sure. She commanded the stage and gave a lot of love to the audience. She spent the majority of the performance singing wonderfully, but also regaled the crowd with tales from the sixties, of how she was given chances (by the now infamous Phil Spector), and how she earned her right to be entered in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s great to see and hear these classic songs still being performed, and with such gusto, as they seem to be slowly fading from our culture. Even if it’s from before your time, you have to appreciate songs like He’s A Rebel and the vocal skill that goes into performing them well. As Love says, while remarking on the invention and widespread use of “Auto-tune”, she “was born in a time when you had to be a singer, and a good one” if you wanted to make it.
An incredibly talented, if not slightly overwhelming band supported Darlene. Milton Vann acted as a back-up vocalist and partner in duets and proved he had the pipes to keep up with Love. What was a shame though was that the sound balance was a little off, leaving him struggling to be heard over the band.
Love and her back-ups were all animated and obviously happy to be performing, which definitely rubbed off on the crowd. The joy of music is infectious and so there was much clapping and dancing along as she rattled off hit after hit.
Darlene confessed to loving Australian winters because they remind her of the American springtime. Hopefully that’s a sign that she’s looking to return soon to grace us with another foot stomping, hand clapping, soulful performance.
Reviewed by James Rudd
Venue: Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William St
Season: season ended
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs 6 – 21 June 2014
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