On the forecourt of the Opera House, Paul Kelly, Australia's favourite troubadour, explores the linear concept of time during his Tide and Time series.
Memories, yearning, nostalgia and the ebs and flows of life, love and loss are constant themes throughout Kelly's songwriting career, which is perhaps why folks from every walk of life have showed up in droves on a chilly winter night to see one of our greatest storytellers perform. The first of a four-show residency opened with a cover of Bob Dylan's politically-charged 'The Times They Are A-Changing', with thinly veiled digs at the changing of government which filled the crowd with glee. Such is Kelly's brand; evolution across an emotional and political landscape with all the joy and sorrow that comes with it.
A camp song about the tumulous tides of the coastal Northern Territory, written by Kelly alongside Vika and Linda Bull during a recent trip, inspires the name of the 2022 tour, Kelly explains. As such, a catalogue of songs from across the songwriter's career make erratic leaps across decades, with monologues injected between songs.
The non-linear timeline serves a purpose, as do the new twists, while respecting that some songs must remain untouched
'Love Never Runs on Time', 'If I Could Start Today Again', a new track of 'Back to The Future' all fit conveniently into theme, while the haunting sorrow of love lost and changing seasons reminds the crowd of the chill during 'Winter Coat'. The quality of the sound not hindered at all by the outdoor setting, the water lapping, and the crowds of Vivid's opening night. It illustrates a mastery of the craft that can only be garnered after 10, 20, even 30 years performing alongside a talented band. Whether that be to a dozen drunks at the Strawberry Hills Hotel in 1974, or to the hundreds of adoring fans lucky enough to bare witness in 2022.
The non-linear timeline serves a purpose, as do the new twists, while respecting that some songs must remain untouched. As Kelly explained as he introduced 'To Her Door', parts such as the guitar lines Steve Connelly laid down over 30 years ago, allow them “to carry our friends with us”. Scattered throughout the show and songs are sources from across more than just the four decades we've been singing along, with prose from Shakespeare, Donald Bradman, the Bible and bluegrass bending the ages.
The show's crescendo comes, fittingly, with 'From Little Things, Big Things Grow' where Kelly, his band, and special guests Thelma Plum and Ziggy Ramo take an already powerful song about land rights, genocide, and of course, the eight long years that Vincent Lingiari waited, and held it up as a mirror to the very long way that we have to go before amends are made with First Nations people on this land.
A song recorded by Kelly in 1991, about an event in 1966, that is just as relevant in 2022 as it was all those years ago. A gig coming full circle with protest songs probably says as much as it needs to about the state of our nation, as it does our national treasure, Paul Kelly.
Paul Kelly and his band will be performing four shows from Saturday, May 28 - Tuesday, May 31. Tickets start from $129 plus booking fee and can be snapped up here.