Best concerts in SA — according to Natho
From Russian protest punk to world-class stadium shows, hip hop heroes and Kiss on a boat, it’s been a great year for live music. Nathan Davies took a look back over 2019 and found 10 of his favourite gigs. Did he get it right? VOTE NOW.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From Russian protest punk to world-class stadium shows, hip hop heroes and Kiss on a boat, it’s been a great year for live music. Nathan Davies took a look back over 2019 and found 10 of his favourite Adelaide gigs.
10 — Kiss, on a boat, November 18
“Air BnB!” screamed Gene Simmons before playing a sponsored show for a tiny group of KISS fans (and everyone in Port Lincoln with a boat).
No sharks showed up as hoped, but the US glam band did manage to pull of what must go down as one of the strangest gigs in rock history.
Five songs, some daytime pyrotechnics and off they flew into the wild blue yonder.
9 — Pussy Riot, RCC Fringe, February 27
Was it a punk rock concert? A spoken word show? Some kind of bizarre cabaret?
I’m still not sure, and neither was anyone else who’d crammed in to the old Adelaide Uni Bar to witness the famous agitprop Russian feminist collective.
Whatever it was it was exciting and cathartic, as all good gigs should be.
When you’ve spent time in a modern-day gulag for your art then your punk credentials are impeccible.
8 — Slayer, with ANTHRAX, AEC THEATRE, March 13
Thrash metal legends Slayer said goodbye to their incredibly devoted fans by putting on one heck of shred-fest, complete with flames whose heat could be felt from the back of the theatre.
The fact that fellow Big Four member Anthrax opened the show was a total bonus.
The heartfelt outpouring of love between Slayer and the fans at the end was genuinely moving.
7 — Adrian Eagle, Womadelaide, March 10
A new-soul sensation straight outta Pasadena, Adrian Eagle had the kids onside with his positively-charged songs of redemption and reconciliation at South Australia’s - indeed one Australia’s – best music festivals.
Eagle shone bright in a quality line-up featuring big names like Angelique Kidjo, Tkay Maidza and The Bamboos.
6 — Hilltop Hoods, AEC, August 17
There was a true feeling of celebration at this packed-out Hoods show.
The Adelaide trio showcased the best of their critically-acclaimed number one record The Great Expanse, as well as a stack of old classics, by bringing some of their favourite acts on stage with them, including Timberwolf, Nyassa and Ecca Vandal.
5 — Tropical F… Storm, The Gov, October 24
When Gareth Liddiard disbanded indie legends The Drones to put together a largely female band with a name that almost guarantees they’ll never get played on the radio, many were left scratching their heads.
It turned out to be a masterstroke, and TFS are genuinely one of the great Australian live acts. Visceral stuff.
4 — Kylie Minogue, AEC, March 11
Stripped back (by Kylie standards at least), the Golden Tour was intimate, music-focused and, most importantly, fun.
Ms Minogue took the crowd on a tour through her 30-year plus musical career and delighted even diehard pop fans with her new country-tinged tracks. Ageless entertainment.
3 — The Mark of Cain, The Gov, October 30
Adelaide rock royalty, TMOC don’t play a lot of live shows these days so when it was announced that they were touring to celebrate the 30th anniversary of debut album Battlesick, people got excited.
And they stayed excited as the three-piece tore through two nights at The Gov, showing they’re as tight and brutal as ever.
They’ve promised to return next year to mark the 25th birthday of their biggest record, the Henry Rollins-produced Ill At Ease. Grab a ticket as soon as they go on sale.
2 — U2, Adelaide Oval, November 19
How do you make a stadium show for tens of thousands of fans seem so intimate?
Somehow U2 managed to do exactly that as they played through classic record The Joshua Tree and followed up with a set of favourites old and new.
The incredible screen – basically the world’s the biggest hi-def TV – was a wonder to behold, especially when it was hosting Anton Corbijn’s wonderful images.
Ably supported by Noel Gallagher, or as he’s now known after brother Liam’s Barossa Valley show, the Better Gallagher.
1 — Elton John, Botanic Park, December 4
Not one to do things by halves, Sir Elton bid farewell to his Adelaide fans with two three-hour-long outdoor concerts featuring a rambling setlist that worked in literally dozens of hits.
Honestly, the songs that Sir Elton left off his setlist could have been a best of show for most other performers, and the sometimes grumpy performer (just ask the security guards in Perth) was in a particularly effusive mood in Adelaide.
Throw in an incredible band of veteran musos, one of the biggest stages in the world, a breathtaking video show and the lush surrounds of Botanic Park and you have one heck of a night out (provided you didn’t end up seated behind a tree or ended up stranded at the gate after buying a ticket through Viagogo).