Live Review: Dennis Locorriere Presents Dr Hook

Presumably a ticketing error left the first four rows vacant, and as soon as two punters dared claim front row seats, people from all around the theatre began a mad scramble to try their luck.

A nice upgrade for some, and the man of the hour, the voice of Dr Hook, Dennis Locorriere, made his way to center stage dressed with timeless dance moves to Walk Right In.

He traded in his harmonica for an acoustic guitar and kicked into I Don't Want To Be Alone Tonight. Its mellow nature was perhaps a little too much of a juxtaposition from the opener, but things were redeemed quickly with Sharing The Night Together, a song with infectious, dancing guitar and bass lines saw people itching to get up and mimick the moves of Locorriere. 

Although his solo show - one that punters were treated to in 2014 - is a special kind of intimate, songs such as that '70s hit proved to have far more impact with a full band.

If I Had A Nickel was a tune from Locorriere's first solo record that he admitted would have been a Dr Hook track had the band not ended.

It was More Like The Movies and A Couple More Years, songs penned by the late Shel Silverstein, that gave intricate and sparkling guitar lines a chance to dance their way around a sharp piano structure, with lyrics that told stories through clever word play.

The stage lights turned blood red for Body Talking and the song's climax proved the singer's vocal range was just as strong as the day the 1980 tune was penned.

Homage was paid to Australia through The Wild Colonial Boy, which was delivered in an acoustic and intimate manner with only acoustics and lush harmonies before another familiar tune and Dr Hook staple, Sylvia’s Mother, had the entire room singing along, blending perfectly with the band's four-part harmonies. And it didn't stop down there.

The most "Tweeted" song, Cover Of The Rolling Stone, kept the party rolling, things turned disco for Sexy Eyes and the hit machine continued to deliver the good by producing When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman, The Ballad Of Lucy Jordon and more.

A playful disclaimer was produced at the set's beginning that some unknown songs would surface from time to time, but not one tune was delivered without an enthusiastic response, proving Dr Hook's back catalogue is indeed timeless, as their most recently best of compilation suggests.