Midnight Oil, Enmore Theatre review: Weirdest thing about going to gigs again

Australia took a monumental step towards normal life with a huge rock band bringing home the goods. But one thing a was little weird.

There was a palpable buzz and sense of optimism in the air as Sydneysiders filtered into the Enmore Theatre for a sold-out show on Thursday night.

Pubs and restaurants surrounding the venue were packed beforehand with excited Midnight Oil fans — affectionately referred to as Oil Freaks — grabbing a feed and a cheeky beer before the all-seated show in the city’s inner-west.

Apart from the QR code check-in, you could have been forgiven for thinking you had taken a trip back to 2019, as excitement grew towards the start of the show.

Considering some parts of the world are still confined to their homes, the rush of seeing a major band like the Oils hit the stage was one to saviour.

It was perhaps very fitting then that they opened with Lucky Country — with frontman Peter Garrett revealing later that they had chosen that song because we felt lucky living in Australia at such a bleak time for the world.

Peter Garrett was dancing like a man possessed. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

The show was a triumphant return to the live circuit for the Aussie rock veterans, who pulled out some blistering numbers from their sizeable back catalogue.

Perhaps the weirdest part about going to a gig of this size again — particularly as the Oils shredded through full-on rock freakouts like Redneck Wonderland and Stand in Line — was not being able to stand up and bop your head like a maniac.

The urge to dance became increasingly difficult as Garrett – at 67 years of age – infectiously spasmed and convulsed across the stage in his infamously esoteric way.

Aside from the rock-outs, you could tell the show – a warm up for a national tour – was particularly poignant for the band.

Garrett sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the stage as he talked about the grief they had endured from the death of their departed bass player Bones Hillman late last year.

He revealed that Hillman had urged them to carry on without them before he died, and it is clear they are doing just that – with an explosive performance that shows they are not retiring any time soon.

The band welcomed a number of Indigenous singers to join them stage. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

Taking charge of the four-string for the first time was Adam Ventoura – the brother of Packed to the Rafters actor Zoe Ventoura – who fitted into the veteran outfit like a natural and was given a huge welcome from the crowd.

The show – as you might expect from Midnight Oil – had a distinctly political message, with Garrett repeatedly calling for constitutional recognition of First Nation peoples between politically charged songs like Truganini, Dreamworld and Jimmy Sharman’s Boxers.

Showcasing songs from their latest Makarrata Project album, the band welcomed Indiginous collaborators, including Leah Flanagan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Dan Sultan, Tasman Keith and Alice Skye, to the stage.

They were all welcomed back in unison for a raucous rendition of the all-time classic Beds are Burning.

Garrett joked he was a “rebel with a cause” as the band went past their allocated timeslot for an encore of Best of Both Worlds, One Country and The Dead Heart that sent the audience into a final frenzy.

Damn, it feels good to go to a gig again.

Midnight Oil continue their ‘Makarrata Live’ tour in March – tickets are on sale now.