Miguel Ramirez
I found myself sitting right in the middle of an enormous crowd. The concert hall I was in was clearly special; the spectacular stage, stunning lights, smiles all around. Everything’s perfect. I hear my favorite track kicking in, played by one of the world’s greatest acts. I’m having the time of my life and the music is bringing me into a state like no other.
With its sails swirling with colour for Vivid Festival, Above & Beyond delivered a triumphant show at the prestigious Sydney Opera House on Monday 6th June, 2016.
The world-famous venue was a fitting home for the trio’s career-spanning set as they utilised the space with their incredible acoustic sound and shared the stage with some of the most incredibly talented vocalists and musicians.
Before Above & Beyond even played a note, they walked out on stage to a thunderous applause. They were greeted by hundreds of Aussie fans, which notably were well-dressed for the special event.
The show kicked off on a soothing note as the remarkable, harmonic sound of the singing bowl filled the concert hall, setting the perfect tone for the night.
The only Australian shows of their world tour featured a career-spanning acoustic set crammed into an expertly-paced two-hour performance.
Some of the trio’s most loved songs (“Sun & Moon,” “Thing Called Love,” “We’re All We Need,” “Alone Tonight”) rubbed shoulders with classic OceanLab numbers like “On A Good Day” and “Satellite” (from 2008’s Sirens of the Sea).
Justine Suissa embraced her OceanLab days and mesmerised fans with her beautiful voice. Fans reveled in watching her sing a rare take on “On A Good Day”. Following the last note in that performance, the audience gave an enthusiastic roar in appreciation of the beautifully performed track.
Other highlights include Cobi’s powerful live performance of “All Over The World”; Natalie Holmes’ magnificent take on “Counting Down The Days / Liquid Love”, Zoë Johnston’s unique vocals on “We’re All We Need” and the musicians were outstanding – Jono, Paavo and Tony even took turns playing the piano, xylophone, acoustic and rock guitars.
As good as the music was, much of the night’s magic was in the connections. Above & Beyond met with fellow fans at the after party, finding out where they travelled from, a bit of what their lives are like, how long ago they saw their first Above & Beyond show, salutations and high-fives – there was an incredible energy that night.
Above & Beyond took us on a musical journey like no other and we’ll never forget it.
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