Cold Chisel Christened Bankwest Stadium Last Night - So What's The Verdict

Knocking off early, grabbing a cold one and heading to Parramatta for some live Cold Chisel - that sounds too good to be true for many, but it was the reality on a steamy Friday night in what was the first concert of its type at Parramatta's Bankwest Stadium.

The rectangular football stadium is set to host many more such fixtures and with the hallowed turf covered up with plastic white chairs, it looked the part. The seats were mostly empty, however, as Busby Marou started their set at a time when most people hadn't even progressed halfway down the sausage roll queue. Their bluesy vibe, including the aptly named Sound Of Summer, was a nice arrival soundtrack.

"The rectangular football stadium... looked the part."

Birds Of Tokyo were a band created to play stadiums. Singer Ian Kenny, excited they were the second-ever band to play at the new venue, sang strongly at the front of the group but they looked tired, lacked any real energy and Kenny barely moved. They churned through their hits, Empire, Plans, Anchor and Wild At Heart with little fanfare or much personality.

Before they could finish Brace, the kick-drum pedal decided to give up the ghost, but it was repaired in time to round out the largely uninspired set with new song Two Of Us before Lanterns prompted the biggest singalong of the set.

Birds Of Tokyo @ Bankwest Stadium. Photo by Brendan Delavere.

Hoodoo Gurus, celebrating almost 40 years as a band, showcased their energy immediately. Although they started with the mellow Bittersweet they flipped straight into their frenetic '90s hit The Right Time and the set continued in that vein, showcasing the range of the iconic band. A couple of new tracks - including Answered Prayers which prompted frontman Dave Faulkner to say, “I think politicians need to start answering questions, maybe not so many prayers” - proved that the quartet are still able to write an eclectic rock song.

"There's a whole lot of different sides to our personality," declared Faulkner, as they dove into their classic What's My Scene? before the set culminated in a trio of their biggest jams. With Faulkner's charisma and vocal ability and Brad Shepherd's guitar chops and passion, one of Australia's most-loved rock bands proved they still have it.

Hoodoo Gurus @ Bankwest Stadium. Photo by Brendan Delavere.

Cold Chisel have a catalogue of songs that have wound their way into the psyche of a country. The band, who evoke vivid memories and moments of Australian history, are still playing live in 2020 with a new album, their ninth and reason behind the Blood Moon tour, proving there's still something left in their seemingly bottomless tank.

"Good evening, how the fuck are ya?" Jimmy Barnes, the force of nature, opened with. Halfway through the opening track, Standing On The Outside, he was already bright red and screaming hard. Bearing in mind the band is mid-tour and with vocal cords that are 63 years old, it's a medical miracle that Barnes can still talk, let alone scream-sing like he does.

The opening hour of the show included a few new and arguably more obscure tracks, including All For You, Drive and Four Walls, but it didn't take long before the crowd stood from their seats and got vocal for the ones they knew - Cheap Wine, Saturday Night and You Got Nothing I Want in particular.

Don Walker quietly and seamlessly worked the keys, driving the band, but it was Ian Moss, with his legendary guitar skills, who honestly stole the show with his corybantic playing.

Cold Chisel @ Bankwest Stadium. Photo by Brendan Delavere.

There was a real sense of giving from the audience who were just as keen to belt out the lyrics to a Chisel classic as they were to donate to Foodbank. With 2,500 members of the NSW RFS in attendance, the appreciation extended from those on the stage to those who have had a hell of a summer so far.

"The stadium, already proven to be a superior arena for sport, showcased its flexibility."

The first encore of When The War Is Over and Flame Trees (with a seriously outstanding harmonica and guitar duel introduction) had the crowd swooning, hugging and swaying, but the choice of Letter To Alan seemed to dull the crowd's enthusiasm. Mind you, at this point, the bars running dry and the steady rain could have contributed to the cooling off.

The stadium, already proven to be a superior arena for sport, showcased its flexibility, not only allowing easy ingress and exit, but with fast food queues, an abundance of bars and security staff who weren't too strict (or game enough) to enforce open aisles. People stood and danced with abandon and the sound was even and audible in every corner of the arena. It bodes well for a positive future for the stadium as a live music venue.

Bankwest Stadium. Photo by Brendan Delavere.

A rarely played cover, Georgia (on My Mind), with Moss cutting sick on his Strat, was a surprising and welcome addition to the third encore before the complete jam that is Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye), with sax, harmonica and backing singers, rounded out an over-two-hour set.

Cold Chisel still put on an epic rock show. There is no denying their influence on Australian culture and when you have a man like Jimmy Barnes still able to belt out alternative Australian anthems, there will always be multitudes of people smiling and singing Khe Sanh as they walk out into the warm Parramatta night.