Darren Hayes + Richard Walters @ Symphony Hall 26th March, 2023
Well its been a long, long time since I last saw Darren Hayes live and I’m sure I’ll be in the company of many others thinking the same tonight. This tour aptly named….Do you remember? Celebrating 25 years of Savage Garden, solo hits and more….that’s a tag line that promises a lot.
I’m wondering as I write this do I need to do the history bit and tell you that Darren, along with Daniel Jones were Savage Garden. An Australian duo with massive multi million selling albums in the late 90s-2000’s and that Darren then went on to create a strong solo identity with set of 4 albums up to 2011. After which he took a break from music for over a decade, before returning last year with the release of new album “Homosexual”.
On my journey in, I’m thinking about when I saw Savage Garden play and the last time I saw Darren as a solo performer in Birmingham…and what I liked. What I clearly recall about those gigs is that Darren was an exceptional vocalist and a gifted performer. He had a voice that makes you smile as you listen, in an uplifting way, this was coupled with the boy next door looks and charm that made him so popular. When he popped up on the lockdown crooner sessions with Gary Barlow I was delighted to see him back and hear him sound so good. The millions of hits that got on YouTube show I wasn’t the only one.
The Symphony Hall is packed when I arrive and the atmosphere of anticipation is clear. First up the support, singer/songwriter Richard Walters. A really sweet guy with a guitar, gentle in his approach he quickly gets the audience on side. His songs are beautiful, as his his voice, but he doesn’t tell us the song titles. For me Unconditional is the standout moment but his cover of This Woman’s Work is special too. He is definitely someone to see and being early is worthwhile.
The stage is draped with long fabric dividers, over a set of steps, with singers front left and the band to the right. When Darren Hayes hits the stage there is a touch of theatricality (shadow dancing) before the reveal that leads into a full on dance routine and for the first few numbers I’m unsure how he catches a breath. Chained to You, Affirmation, The Animal Song then Insatiable are a strong opening to the performance and the crowd are joining in from the start.
Later on when Darren stops and takes a seat for a chat, he forms the intimacy of a one on one moment with each member of the audience…. A skill when there are a few thousand people. The retrospective insight he gives into certain songs and times in his life are both interesting and touching. His saucy sense of humour makes him a delightful raconteur.
This part of the set with 2 Beds and a Coffee Machine followed by I Don’t Know You Anymore showcase his vocal ability and emotional connection with his audience perfectly. Darren front and centre is what makes this show special.
He manages to tuck a few new songs into the set to three of which are Do You Remember?, Homosexual and Let’s Try Being In Love which are fronted by a short playful intro about fitting new music in. His enthusiasm is infectious so the audience go along with this.
There are many standout moments in this set which lasts over two hours. For me the segue of Madonna’s True Blue into I Knew I Loved You was the perfectly executed highpoint, for others the classic Truly Madly Deeply, To the Moon and Back and I Want You were the ones. When an artiste understands how important those songs are to his audience, as Darren obviously does, those moments are going to memorable and he ensured that happened.
At the end of the show came the promise that he won’t leave it so long (over 12 years) before he returns. Judging by the sold out shows and audience response I’ve seen tonight – he will be firmly held to that promise!
Review and Images: Stephanie Colledge
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