Live Review: Rufus Wainwright, Washington, Krystle Warren

A heavy mixture of faces attended Riverside Theatre to catch what was a stellar performance by Canadian singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, promoting his latest critically acclaimed album Out Of The Game. The album itself had seen Wainwright trading operas and orchestral pieces for more glam-inspired music with an emphasis on entertainment and this was exactly what he brought to this performance. First act Krystle Warren delighted the audience with her smooth, bluesy howl. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and a great batch of songs, Warren even threw in a breath-taking cover of Bob Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe to the delight of the audience. Taking to the stage next, Washington performed stripped-back solo piano performances of How To Tame A Lion and The Hardest Part as well as an emotional performance of the Rowland S Howard track Shivers.

After a brief intermission, Rufus Wainwright and his band arrived on stage. Opening with new song Candles followed by Rashida, he displayed his vocal strength and impressive all-white suit covered in reflective material that lit him up like a mirror ball. The 20-song set was heavy with new material as well as great performances of Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk and Going To A Town. It also featured a tribute to his dad Loudon Wainwright II and late mother Kate McGarrigle. Wainwright also jokingly dedicated his cover of the Judy Garland song The Bitch That Got Away to Liza Minnelli, noting some disparaging comments she had made in the press about his Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall album from a few years back.

Wainwright returned to the stage for the encore as “Rufus Apollo”, dressed in a toga, mask and golden wig completely covered in glitter, and flanked by a muscle-bound Cupid and giant panini (I'm not kidding). Getting the audience to their feet, he drove the whole night home with a rousing rendition of Gay Messiah. Say what you want, the man knows how to write a damn good song and put on a great show, which he certainly achieved tonight.