Live Review: Stardust: The Songs Of Willie Nelson

Linda Bull has had a lengthy career in the Australian music industry, gaining fame as a duo with sister Vika Bull. While first coming to our attention in Joe Camilleri’s The Black Sorrows and more recently in Paul Kelly’s touring and recording band, she has rarely sought the spotlight in her own right. Tonight’s show was a celebration of one of her favourite artists and the album that clearly had a big impact on her youth.

Willie Nelson’s 1978 album, Stardust, may have passed many of us by, but for Bull, it brings back a flood of memories – of listening to the record with her father, flipping the vinyl for him and pouring the whiskey: “Hey, it was the 1970s”. The album itself was a collection of covers that Nelson recorded supposedly when his record company wanted him to keep writing mega-hits of his own.

A tribute show to a tribute album…What a brilliant concept.

As Bull took to the Spiegeltent stage she was accompanied by some familiar faces, namely Peter Luscombe on drums, Cameron Bruce on keyboards and guitar, and Bill McDonald on bass (all from Paul Kelly’s band), as well as singer-guitarist Sime Nugent (from The Wilson Pickers) and blues guitarist Matt Walker. A winning combination? You bet.

The show itself featured a diverse mix of styles, from the jazzy title track and Moonlight In Vermont, to the album’s biggest hits, Blue Skies and Georgia On My Mind. A cross section of material from other albums was well received, including the classics Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, On The Road Again and You Are Always On My Mind.

While Bull was certainly passionate about the material and clearly a very seasoned performer, it was co-vocalist Nugent who had the perfect voice and presence for such a show. His performance on songs such as Night Life stole the show and his stories of seeing Nelson perform live had the audience captivated.