Live Review: Macy Gray

17 September 2012 | 3:15 pm | Liz Giuffre

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From the minute Macy Gray descended the stairs of the concert hall choir loft, she commanded the room. With an amazing band including some incredible musicians (a remarkable standing percussionist and a backing singer who was a star in her own right), Gray opened with Kissed It (her single originally with Velvet Revolver) – a clear mood setter and perhaps unusual ice-breaker for those who bought tickets based on classic pop radio play alone. Although she'd made us wait half an hour longer than the strictly warned “8pm sharp start”, with this song and choice of entrance point alone, we were on board. Her courting of the crowd was complete when it finished, as she proclaimed, “We've come all the way from LA just to hear you scream”, waiting for – and encouraging – loud responses for the rest of the night.

Indeed, Gray's playful but positive musical message was both infectious and all empowering tonight, particularly as the woman perhaps best known for songs about heartbreak made a point of dressing flash, dancing warmly and addressing us partly as a preacher, partly as a sweet school teacher. “We Googled, 'What will I do today?' and that's how we decided to come to Sydney after twelve years away,” she said with her trademark Cookie-Monster drawl and such subtle twists were icing on the cake of a musical bill that proved once and for all her love of making – and sharing – diverse music.

Of course her own tunes got a good going over (highlights included Sexual Revolution, Relating To A Psychopath, Do Something and, of course, her biggest hit I Try to end), but she also got to show off her chops with other people's songs by presenting her new covers album. Telling us that we were very welcome to sing along, her sassy version of Eurythmics' Here Comes The Rain Again positively sizzled, while Metallica's Nothing Else Matters had just a small swing on it that brought it back from the brink of cliché and towards soul. Radiohead's Creep was a big, nerdy singalong and The Toyes' Smoke Two Joints was just a joy. After a couple of costume changes the encore was taken first with a crowd delivered version of Give Peace A Chance (with Gray's fantastic percussionist not spelling out, but getting apparently quite emotional about the relative lack of peace in town of late) and then her bass player kept the embers burning, with a solo that gradually built back into Gray's back catalogue with Sweet Baby, followed by Happiness and When I See You.

While it all ended without even a bow from the lady herself (one too many costume changes may have meant she was just desperate to get her heels off and have a bevy), there was nothing left wanting here.

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