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Colin Hay Setlist
Chris Trapper Setlist
Tour Dates
11/15/2017 Los Angeles, CA Largo
01/31/2018 Fortitude Valley, The Tivoli 02/01/2018 Tweed Heads, Twin Towns Showroom 02/02/2018 Thirroul, Anita's Theatre 02/09/2018 Bendigo, Ulumbarra Theatre 02/10/2018 South Bank, Melbourne Recital Centre Read More
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After forty years of making music, touring the world in a top-selling group, and re-inventing himself as a singing, songwriting, storytelling troubadour, Colin Hay still remains a man at work.
The Scottish/Australian/American (who officially became a US citizen last year) ex-Men at Work vocalist brought his show to the Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis for a captivating two-hour solo set.
The evening was opened by Hay’s friend and Boston singer-songwriter Chris Trapper, best known as the lead singer of ‘90s group, The Push Stars, who entertained, amused, and enthralled the crowd with his own half-hour set.
Opening with ‘Into the Bright Lights’, Trapper then self-deprecatingly told the story of getting two songs into a recent Pierce Brosnan move called Some Kind of Beautiful… only to have it close quickly and disappear into home video. His biggest solo success may be ‘This Time’, from the 2009 movie August Rush… though it was sung by the actor in the movie, so most don’t know it was his song.
Trapper switched to the ukulele (“it takes a big man to play a small guitar”, he joked) for ‘Away We Go’, written for his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and ended his short set with the Push Stars’ ‘Keg on my Coffin’, dedicated to the recently resurrected polka bar Nye’s for his take on a classic Irish drinking song.
After a brief break and in workman-like fashion, Colin Hay emerged on a mostly bare stage, taking off his jacket and dutifully hung it on a neighboring coat rack (the only stage prop), strapping on one of three perched guitars, to begin his headlining set.
The new album is Fierce Mercy (Compass Records) and expands on Hay’s live show, known for its intimate and confessional nature; and in fact, many of the song introduction stories this night, would be longer than the tunes themselves (not that anyone minded).
After the opening ‘The Last to Know’ Hay expounded on his childhood days in Scotland, the influence of his father, the church, and formal school, and his reaction to first hearing Bob Dylan, seguing into his version of ‘Like a Rolling Stone’.
A touching tribute to Prince followed, with Hay playing a bare ‘Little Red Corvette’, saying nothing additional, which showed the best kind of musical respect. “Now, Replacements!” someone shouted out after hearing the two Minnesota covers.
Musing about the benefits of having one name (like Sting), Hay next went into ‘I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You’ from the platinum-selling Garden State soundtrack – (“mine went… mahogany!”, he joked about his 1998 solo album Transcendental Highway, from where the track was first found).
Going back into his catalogue (“to remind you what show you came to”), Hay spoke about the beginnings of Men at Work’s first hit, ‘Who Can It Be Now?’, playing large venues with Fleetwood Mac, and calling the forty minutes it took to write the song, “well spent”.
‘Down Under’ would follow, with Hay recalling first playing the song in Western Australian bars over the noise and corner jukeboxes, and being flown back over to perform it at a recent rugby match.
Once Hay stopped drinking, he found himself with a lot of additional time, finding himself more productive and the appropriately titled ‘Looking for Jack’ was born from his first time meeting actor Jack Nicholson.
The Beatles were Hay’s primary musical influence growing up (watching them on shows like Ready Steady Go) and he played them a fine tribute with a George Harrison cover, mentioning it would all come full circle, later becoming part of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band for several tours.
The new album’s opener, ‘Come Tumblin’ Down’ became an audience choral sing-a-long, ‘Overkill’, perhaps Hay’s favorite song from that era, was played with the same passion as thirty years prior, and the show closed with two of Hay’s most personal and hopeful songs, ‘Waiting for My Real Life to Begin’ and ‘Next Year People’.
Bowing to the crowd and taking his jacket from the coat rack, Colin Hay had finished his musical shift to rave and standing applause and another more than satisfied group of customers for the night, even meeting and signing in the lobby following.
The Man at Work continues his Fierce Mercy tour with one last West Coast show, before returning Down Under in 2018, to re-connect with the audience and land that would eventually bring him worldwide fame.
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Chris Trapper |
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Chris Trapper |
Chris Trapper |
Colin Hay |
Colin Hay |
Colin Hay |
Colin Hay |
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Colin Hay at Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis (04 Nov 2017) |
Thanks for all your songs Colin, especially for
"Waiting For My Real Life To Begin".
I felt your expectations when I first heard it and am elated that your talent has forged forward.
"I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You"
Those two songs speak to my heart as if you are singing about me and have become my personal Mantra and I play them often.
Power to you and I wish you great success in your coming Aussie tour.
Posted by: maggie | 11/14/2017 at 01:23 PM