Whether the magic is starting to fade, or this reviewer is just being fussy, you have to admit that Jimmy Barnes is a legend and will go down in history as one of Australia’s great rock icons.
Well they say the family that plays together, stays together, and it was definitely a Barnes family affair at the Enmore Theatre. There were more Barnes' on the stage than you could keep tabs on for Jimmy Barnes' Welcome To The Pleasure House tour's Sydney show.
Barnes' second eldest daughter Eliza-Jane (EJ) kicked off the show with her musical partner Ceci, warming up the crowd as Evil J & Saint Cecilia with their unique, at times haunting, and always eclectic musical prowess.
Next up to rock the stage was a trim, toned and terrific Mahalia Barnes along with her band The Soul Mates, playing songs from her latest album, Volume 2. Flaunting a significantly slimmer physique since her time on The Voice, the Weight Watchers ambassador proudly announced that since starting on her Weight Watchers journey, she'd lost an amazing 21kgs.
The apple certainly hasn't fallen far from the tree with Mahalia as she tore down the house, belting out some massive tunes including Counting On You and The Hard Way alongside her fellow The Voice contestant and best friend Prinnie Stevens.
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The stand-out moment was when Mahalia was joined on stage by her Dad (Jimmy), Mum (Jane), Sister (Elly) and Prinnie Stevens for an epic performance of Proud Mary, which was in fact her audition song on The Voice and had the crowd on their feet and dancing.
The rock legend himself opened his set with Rhythm On The Highway, and although he still has the vocal ability to hit those glass-shattering high notes that would send dogs into a wild frenzy, the question did beg whether perhaps he has lost a little bit of the magic he once had on stage. It seemed as though he was taking direction from a plastic folder of music sheets in front of him, but most of the crowd seemed not to notice as they were singing along, beating their hearts and dancing wild and fancy free in the isles.
It was impossible not to join the madness, jump up and dance when Barnes closed the show with two of his biggest hits, Chisel's Khe Sahn and Working Class Man. Whether the magic is starting to fade, or this reviewer is just being fussy, you have to admit that Jimmy Barnes is a legend and will go down in history as one of Australia's great rock icons.