Live Review: Sinéad O’Connor

Iconoclast extraordinaire Sinéad O’Connor wrestled with mic issues to belt out a great performance in the final show of her I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss Australian tour. While the audience never flinched during vocal smudges and forgotten lyrics, O’Connor never looked totally comfortable. The singer still managed to unleash some thunder during several powerful moments; her ability to stop hearts with her unique voice remains undiminished.

The set started with John Grant cover Queen Of Denmark, a triumphant song that builds on its initial impression and gave us the full range of O’Connor’s vocal talent. It began with a husky pleading tone that eventually burst open into a roaring martial chorus. It was a good start. During Take Me To Church, number one fan in the front row jumped up and came to life, pissing all over the austerity of the venue with flailing arms, shameless lip-syncing and white wine guzzling. It was actually quite disarming to see exuberance thrown at the stage like that in a place totally unfamiliar to such things.

The sombre droning of Harbour became a magnificent set-piece of crashing percussion and swirling guitars, with O’Connor’s voice soaring over the top like a banner in war. It was exhilarating. The harmonies of In This Heart sounded exquisite and for several minutes time stopped.

The Emperor’s New Clothes made a good impression, despite her voice struggling to be heard over the band. She felled two political birds with one stone by singing the Irish national anthem (trading the words for the 1916 Proclamation), and then dedicating it to Indigenous Australians. The set finished with The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance, which sounded great, but then fizzed out a bit with an encore of Streetcars and a religious piece that failed to connect. 

Alas, if you’re wondering, we weren’t deemed worthy of that song, despite the setting. 

It wasn’t a perfect show, but there were times when it was abundantly clear this woman will never be replicated, and the tempestuous alchemy of her songwriting and delivery was rewarding and rich.