Live Review: Cold Chisel - Festival Hall

En route to the House Of Stoush, middle-aged punters are spied swigging tinnies in passenger seats. Stubbies are hastily polished off on street corners and a crew of fans wander past sporting matching black “RIP Steve” t-shirts to commemorate Cold Chisel's late drummer. Entering the hall, there's an impressive amount of authentic, rock'n'roll riffage emanating from the stage. Two-piece King Of The North comprises frontman Andrew Higgs (who sings as if he should have long, shaggy hair) and drummer Danny Leo (who has as much beard as hair on his head). Higgs apologises toward set's end: “Sorry, I can't even believe I've made it this far. I've had a cold all week.” Why do performers 'fess up to illnesses they've successfully masked all show? Their closing track sees the crowd getting involved with a “Get back on your horse and ride” sing-along to further accompany the wailing fretwork of Higgs.

Punters materialise to secure prime real estate as soon as the duo leaves the stage and there's a distinct pong that combines alcohol, sweat and BO with the stale stench of cigarette smoke-infused clothes. Tonight's show was rescheduled from last Thursday when guitarist Ian Moss sustained a finger injury after being bitten by the family cat (and was hilariously quoted as saying, “Sorry to be a pussy, I look forward to making amends next week”). Something tells me not many ticketholders sought refunds; such is the fanaticism of Cold Chisel's following.

After the band's rapturously received best-of arena shows of last year, this one's billed as the No Plans Tour, which adequately warns us they will include songs off their new album of the same name. Killer opener Standing On The Outside sets the tone, and we're glad we're inside experiencing this mass karaoke and fist pumping. Jimmy Barnes looks a bit frail in his black leather pants these days, but his raspy vocals still pack a punch, suggesting much Cheap Wine has stripped throat lining over the years. The aforementioned song reveals my plus-one's misheard lyrics as she erroneously belts out, “Cheap wine and a freelance soul”. Where's the “three day growth”? “Good evening and how the fuck are ya?” Barnsey barks before a couple of newies get a run – the album's title track and HQ454 Monroe (during which Holdens doing burnouts grace the big screens). This early on in the set, it's two too many in terms of presenting less familiar material. Saturday Night to the rescue. The intro goes on for a bit too long, but Ian Moss's soulful voice is in top nick – the perfect counterpoint to Barnsey's. Andy Bickers brings sax appeal and the key changes in this song are epic. Another new track, Everybody's got some risqué lyrics: “Everybody wants complete fidelity/From two or three lovers simultaneously.”

Mossy has a distinct knack for composing guitar lines that are at once funky and plaintive while also proving irresistible to sing along with (example: My Baby). Rising Sun coaxes a midfield chick up on shoulders and she shimmies enthusiastically. Momentum flags once more during Summer Moon and two yawns from different crowd members are clocked through this fresh cut. Choir Girl showcases Chisel as dab hands at composing ballads (When The War Is Over is further evidence of this in the encore). You Got Nothing I Want is vitriolic perfection and then we're flung back on the Merry Go Round of classic hits. Nothing could prepare us for the winning trifecta that takes us on a journey past Flame Trees, via Khe Sanh and then “back in Bow River again”.  

For the encore, drummer Charley Drayton arrives on stage sporting a t-shirt that simply reads “Prestwich”. “One for Steve,” Barnes stresses. There seems to be a competitive edge to Barnsey's belting out of “hEEEEEAAAArt awAAAAAY”, which completely swamps Mossy rather than creating a harmonious chorus. They finish with the screeching Goodbye, a fitting conclusion given that it's believed this is Cold Chisel's last Australian show for quite some time. Six songs out of the 13 tracklisted on No Plans are played in a set of 22. Fractionally, that's about one in four (and, yes, we were counting). Cold Chisel further substantiate their instinctive live proficiency at Festival Hall, but no mention is made of Greg Ham's sad passing earlier in the day. And this seems a glaring omission.