Live Review: Guy Sebastian T.R.U.T.H National Tour 2022
Words by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
The choir hums in harmony with the angelical expulsion from the saintly cords, seemingly in cadence with the search lights that swept across the arena. Fans are hypnotised by the heavenly caress of an oral blitz, narrating the journey of solidarity, love, honesty, and other spiritual commandments. Rumours has it that his vocal cords were also touched by God. Of course, that would be sacrilegious – after all, that comparison is reserved, locked, stocked and barrelled for the late Pavarotti. But tonight, the voice belongs to Guy Sebastian.
The fact is the multiple ARIA award winning artist has been sparring with himself in a pandemic cage since the release of his latest and ninth album T.R.U.T.H., which debut at number one in October of 2020. To be on the receiving end of his visceral percolation of vocal explosion was divinely insane given the percolated frustration.
As the title may suggests, the album highlights a chapter of Sebastian’s life about the realisation on the power of truth. The spark of the album came from his split with his management of whom he trusted, a personal affair which became very public, enshrouded by betrayal. Those were his words.
But the album is not all about doom, gloom and the malice of deception. T.R.U.T.H. also dwells on triumph, strength, hope, and inspiration with the common denominator being truth…and tonight we witnessed the visceral interpretation beaming from his sumptuous performance, spraying a dose of emotional congeniality for so many in light of the current times.
So at eight o’clock sharp, Guy graced the stage with Before I Go, an ironic title for a first song in the list. But this song dwells on strength, redemption and self-belief despite life’s obstacles. He strode on the back platform with the je ne sais qua of a lone ranger, oozing more soul than a 90’s RnB foursome…while on low register – the kind of teaser that would be felt by a passenger in a Ferrari that’s about hit zero to hundred in three seconds. As he slammed the afterburners to the high register, the Arena transformed into house of a million goosebumps under the saintly stage lighting, casting a celestial range over the awed patrons through an effortless gusto – which is the trademark of Guy’s live performance.
By the third track, Guy removed the trench coat, and reminding the patrons that the world was once a party central with clubbing favourite Who’s that Girl of 2010. Guy danced mellifluously, owning traces from his Memphis sleepovers, as he gyrated in synch with his three backup vocalists including Perth local, CBD legend and Guy’s Best Man Gary Pinto.
The interchange between genres was mellifluous; dance, funk, pop, RnB and ballads of the broken hearts including with 2021 The Voice winner Bella Taylor Smith (the night’s opener), performing The Prayer. The fans reconvened to a standstill, as shenanigans turned into a subdued obedience, grounded by the angelical performance of the master and apprentice, oozing and sifting the interweaving bond between man and woman through the vocal delivery par excellence.
And that effort goes with every of Guy’s performance. The number one rule of great writing is to “show, don’t tell”. In showbiz, this tenet is particularly true with Guy, where he excruciatingly enshrouded the fans with his emotional craft in the poignant Standing With You. On piano, Guy awed the crowd with every note and verse, reaching the astronomical highs and blowing the roofs of the Arena with the chorus, bringing tears to the broken souls, dreamers and melancholics.
Guy also paid homage to The Australian Idol of 2003, usurping the nostalgic melodies and the winner’s single Angel Brought Me Here (also performed on the American Idol), sparking a mobile phone festival of lights. In a way, the pitch perfect performance of the (almost) 7-time Platinum single also narrated the journey of Guy before a capacity crowd of 9200 – the most in the T.R.U.T.H tour in a single night. And there were the honourable mentions of Like it Like That, followed by Gold and like a Drum before the encore Choir – where the arena became the largest compilation of backup vocals through the conductorship of Guy Sebastian.
If critiques think Guy showcases his versatility in the album T.R.U.T.H, his performance of vocal crisp and malleable vocals is an unforgettable chapter of our live performance experience. Put simply, the boy from Klang, Malaysia is one the best vocalists on the planet.
Afternote:
Guy Sebastian runs a foundation for the kids, so far raising $700K of a target $1 million. “This program is so important…open parachute is a peer-to-peer mental youth program so kids can watch other kids their own age on issues of depression, anxiety, harm. This program is developed by clinical psychologist Dr Haley Dobson. It only cost $30 child for the entire year…that’s a lot of kids for a million…so far we’ve helped eighteen thousand kids…if you go to the www.theSebastianfoudation.org, and if you think is a good thing then check it out…and thank you for being part of that journey with me”
About the Author/Photographer: Since the pandemic, Sheldon Ang has written and photographed over 40 concert review and interviewed over 40 artists (including with members of Guns N Roses, KISS, Bon Jovi, INXS, Mortley Crue, etc), and was the Chief Photographer and Principal Writer of a premium media platform (which has, unfortunately been deleted from cyberspace!). He is also an Senior Engineer by day, working on some of the state’s biggest project.
