Tina Arena’s velvet voice had the crowd spellbound from the moment she opened the Sydney leg of her Innocence To Understanding tour with her sensational rendition of Macarthur Park.
Australia is being reminded all over again what exceptional talent the songstress has and in turn the rapturous applause from the crowd at Darling Harbour’s ICC Theatre left her in no doubt how much they truly love her.
She delighted the audience by performing her greatest hits including Chains and Wasn’t It Good from her top-selling Don’t Ask album to her more recent and brilliant songs such as Symphony of Life, Only Lonely and You Set Fire to My Life.
In a show of if you’ve got it, flaunt it; the consummate performer had five outfit changes from an elegant white jumpsuit worn at the start to a sexy short sequinned outfit and long black see through dress with her her trade mark smokey-eyed makeup and brunette shoulder length locks worn in loose barrel curls.
Comfortable in her own skin, she enjoyed multiple humorous exchanges with the audience and talked movingly about her journey and proud moments in her illustrious 40 year career in the music industry.
If Tina wasn’t a natural born singer, she could have equally made her mark as a stand up comic such is her droll sense of humour and natural affinity she has with her audience. But perhaps that’s just it. This is her audience – one she’s grown up with ever since at the innocent age eight she first rose to fame as a child star on Young Talent Time in 1976.
Tina says it as it is – and earned the right to do so. If she wants to take a swipe at singer US Singer Christina Aguilera for being unfriendly and not saying ‘hello’, she will. And well, she did. If she wants to bemoan people ‘driven’ by US reality star Kim Kardashian, she will. And she did.
And when she declared, “I am fifty and f***ing fab.” She had the audience screaming with delight.
“I’m taking risks, I’m living, and I’m travelling and enjoying different cultures,” added the 2015 ARIA Hall Of Fame winner. “It’s important to keep questioning one’s self and never getting too comfortable. I recently released a new perfume called Renaissance and I’m really proud of it.
Then with the spotlight shining brightly on the star, Tina belted out the final song in her 20-song setlist with a spine tingling rendition of You Set Fire To My Life. It was magical from start to finish and now we’re all waiting for Tina’s next performance in the upcoming musical Evita.
For stories about Tina Arena on why women above forty need to be heard, click here:
Tina Arena’s tour is continuing around Hobart, Adelaide and Perth and will wrap up on October 6.
The Carousel would like to thank Michael Theodoridis from Cyclone Imaging Photography for his photographs.
TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER | PRINCESS THEATRE, LAUNCESTON, TAS
www.theatrenorth.com.au
27 SEPTEMBER | THEATRE ROYAL, HOBART, TAS **LIMITED TIX AVAIL**
www.theatreroyal.com.au
5 OCTOBER | THEBARTON THEATRE, ADELAIDE, SA
www.ticketmaster.com.au
6 OCTOBER | CROWN THEATRE, PERTH, BURSWOOD, WA
www.ticketmaster.com.au
