Live Review: Kate Ceberano – Symphony the Best
Kate Ceberano – “My Life is a Symphony” Tour, 9 December, Perth Concert Hall.
Review by Erica Lorimer
Photography by Lorimer Images
Bathed in adulation from a passionate following and flourishing ticket sales, Kate Ceberano takes the stage as a masterful artist and national touring treasure. With a celebrated career spanning four decades, this iconic songstress weaves a connection with audiences through her powerful presence on stage and her authentic self off it. Tonight, she takes the spotlight at the Perth Concert Hall. No introduction is necessary. It’s a celebration of her 30th album – aptly named after the tour – as well as a retrospective of a brilliant career.
Adding bling and depth to the occasion, Kate Ceberano is accompanied by the Perth Symphony Orchestra. The musical arrangements by Roscoe Irwin give a new intensity to the power and depth of her musical narrative serving as an additional layer to a rich trifle of beloved classics.
Credited in soul, jazz, and pop with seven Platinum and seven Gold albums, ten Top 10 singles, multiple Aria Awards and a Logie, Kate Ceberano is draped in success. Even more than this, she’s a force of musical nature, blazing a trail of achievement through sheer talent and relentless dedication with a mind-blowing number of stage appearances in the thousands. Little wonder so many of us have grown up with Kate’s music and attended many of her music performances.
Stepping on stage to cheers and whistles, Kate Ceberano lights up the hall with her beautiful smile, looking fabulous in a black dress with puffy sleeves, adorned with a deep cherry red scarf.
“The music is going to start…Just let yourself go…release your thoughts and dreams. I’ll catch them down here in the dark…and the orchestra will be the sound of YOUR life”. She opens the night with a reimagined version of the pop anthem Pash and the title track of her 28th Album Sweet Inspiration featuring an impressive guitar solo by rising star Kathleen Halloran.
Kate Ceberano’s kaleidoscopic creativity is in a league of its own, yet it’s her down-to-earth openness that resonates with audiences – like a cool friend who effortlessly keeps it real. She’s not about putting on airs – just real, relatable, self-deprecating, and refreshingly authentic. On stage, she owns her womanly allure, a seasoned mix of confidence, originality, and a je ne sais quoi that defies age. She’s mastering that vibe – sexy, seasoned, complex and effortlessly cool.
Kate immediately infuses the stage with energy that sparks magic with the Perth Symphony Orchestra musicians. A synchronicity and harmonic interplay with conductor Iain Grandage stands out in the show.
As a prelude to her soulful Earth and Sky she shares a story of her connection with the Perth Concert Hall when she was discovered here by producer Clifford Hocking at the tender age of 15. “He trusted me… and took me seriously. Isn’t that an incredible thing when someone sees you? This back story fits with the lyrics of her 1989 solo debut Brave – a classic to later open the second half of the show : “And I won’t ever walk away, Just be brave instead, Hold me to the Air, And in Your arms I’ll rise up high”.
Kate Ceberano again lays bare her soul as she shares her reflections on past opportunities to leave Australia for fame in England and America, expressing, “My grandmother in particular…I didn’t want to leave the country when she was still in it’. She tells us her song Sympathy serves as a dedication to her influential maternal grandma, encapsulated in the tender lyrics: “How hard it has been to stay away. I can’t let you down but I can’t give in. Your sympathy destroys me.” The lyrical depth rings true with the complex emotions of longing and homesickness felt by those living overseas.
The original song Time to Think, exploring the intricacies of a complicated relationship, stands as further evidence of why Kate Ceberano deserves a place in the Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The audience sighs in collective reverence when they recognise the first few notes of I Don’t Know How to Love Him. This song references Kate’s time in the 1992 production of Jesus Christ Superstar and brings her good friends John Farnham and John English to the top of our minds and hearts.
Next up, the spotlight shifts to Kate’s daughter, Gypsy Rogers, singing backing vocals. With a proud smile and emotion in her voice, she announces Louis’s Song “This is her song, it’s mine, it’s yours, and it’s us”. The stage is a tender space as mother and daughter joined hands – a solid symbol of guaranteed musical legacy.
In her usual style of candour, Kate Ceberano pulls no punches when reflecting on her career saying “It’s a powerful feeling to outlive my own expectations. I have put myself up, I have killed myself off and put myself back up again. I guess I’m back here to stay”. The audience roars in response.
Finally, the lively crowd seizes the dazzling Mirror Ball performance as energy and lights soar spectacularly to the rafters of the full hall. The night concludes with a standing ovation and double encore – tributes to Leonard Cohen’s If it Be Your Will and famous soprano Minnie Riperton’s Les Fleur – both eliciting genuine and generous applause.
Tonight, Kate Ceberano, together with the Perth Symphony Orchestra, treated us to more than a performance but a memorable experience morphing into a celebration of a long-standing love affair with her and her music. She candidly admits, “I really haven’t been back to Perth enough and I really miss it and I apologise. I will be back as often as I can get here”. A promise of more exquisite melodies and shared moments is a pledge that stirs anticipation in the hearts of many.
Kate Ceberano’s next show is at the Sydney Opera House on 3 Jan 2024. Her second book “Unsung: A Compendium of Creativity” is out now.
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Face to Face Touring and Kate Ceberano for the Press Accreditation.
About the Writer and Photographer: Erica Lorimer holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA), majoring in English Literature and Economics, and a Certificate IV in Design. She is also a freelance photographer who loves capturing images of live music and travel photography, sometimes with film from vintage cameras and making prints in a home darkroom.
Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to photograph and review the likes of Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, KISS, Robbie Williams plus more than sixty major live shows, with reviews shared by various artists including UB40, Toni Childs and Delta Goodrem. The founder has also interviewed rockers Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses) and many more.
