Rodriguez @ Birmingham Symphony Hall – Tuesday 11th March 2014
You would be forgiven if you said you were unfamilar with Sixto Rodriguez or his music as his shortlived career fizzled out in the early 1970s when his first two albums didn’t achieve the commercial success that his backers in his hometown of Detroit had hoped for.
However this career was resurrected in the 1990s when some ardent South African fans of Rodriguez were intrigued to find out what had happened to the enigmatic singer who was rumoured to have died. They eventually tracked him down via his children and brought him back for a sell out tour of South Africa; where at one time, unbeknownst to Sixto, his records outsold Elvis Presley. This quest became the subject of the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary Searching For Sugarman. This film brought Rodriguez’s music to yet another new audience and here we are in 2014, at a sold out show at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.
72 year old Rodriguez was welcomed with a standing ovation from the crowd as he was helped into position on stage by family members as his eye sight is now very poor. However, his unmistakeable voice is still very much in working order. A backing band provided accompaniment which at times I didn’t think was necessary; personally I would’ve preferred to hear just Rodriguez’s guitar and lyrics.
The performance obviously meant a lot to the fans and he often muttered words of love and appreciation between songs. Most of which received a great reception and people were out of their seats and dancing during favourites I Wonder and Sugarman. After the hits Rodriguez segued into a medley of covers including some Elvis Presley tracks and Unchained Melody, this section of the show left a little to be desired and I felt the song choices were rather odd. Rodriguez then returned to the stage for a short encore and again the crowd showed their immense appreciation. Nevertheless it was an entertaining show enjoyed by fans old and new, a great opportunity to see a legend perform while he’s still able to enjoy it.
Review – Eleanor Lawton
Photos – Steve Roche