Live Review: Passenger
By Sheldon Ang
Photo by Sheldon Ang Photography
Passenger at the Astor Theatre, Mount Lawley (Perth).
—
I used to bask all the time in Perth and Freo, and yeah I travel around Australia and around the world. And it is a funny thing, I never expected to do this…I want to play this song for anybody who’s chasing the dream. There are times you feel so far from it, and some days you feel it is a totally pointless pursue – and there’ll be so many people telling you that; F*ck ‘em, do your thing, please keep believing on what you’re doing, and if anybody can relate to that, this is your song…
In a Blink of An Eye, Michael Rosenberg, aka Passenger has recorded fourteen albums since going solo in 2009. According to the English singer, it hasn’t been smooth sailing, taking six years, a band breakup, and thousands of small gigs (sometimes to less than ten people) and busking before tasting success. “We only have one shot in life…and that is still true,” said Passenger humorously, referring to the global hit Let Her Go which has amassed more than 1.7 Billion streams on Spotify and over 3 billion views on Youtube. Afterall, it is that one song projected by the uber unique vocals that everyone knows, although they may not know who sings it.
Tonight, if you know the lyrics, please sing along.
So, it became a festival of broken hearts, survivors, regrets and empowered souls twirled in a celebratory conquest, captained by a folk artist armed with an acoustic guitar, standing in lonesome on the stage of the Astor Theatre. However, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Passenger is categorised as an indie rock performer; guitar strings smashed with an ardent zest, adding the vitality of the sober genre, and bloomed by the self-appointed backup vocalists amongst the crowd who had propagated the vivacity of the atmosphere throughout the night.
This song is very easy. You just have to sing la, la, la, la, la…
For the casual spectators, it didn’t take long for them to realise that the night wasn’t just about Let Her Go. Fans were miming to the lyrics of tracks from the top of the setlist in Survivor and Life’s for the Living, a performance that were dedicated to the world’s citizens who endured some form of hardship since 2020. The most boisterous fanfare was reserved for the pub-esque festival song in Hate.
Passenger’s show is a combination of singing and comical narration, casting honesty and insecurities through his journey. “On the other side of the festival and on stage at the same time was Brian f*cking Adams…in Canada. It was the worst night of my life, I was playing my folk songs and there he was smashing the likes of Summer of ’69 on the other side…me singing to the back of heads as they were watching him…” He then carried out an acoustic rendition of the 1985 global smash hit Heaven, an ironic heartfelt dedication to the legend.
From one classic to a seminal piece of Passenger’s discography, Let Her Go was performed before the encore. Despite almost 10 years since hitting the airways, it remained as one of the biggest streaming hits, a song that oozes regret, realisation and repercussion through the lyrics and live performance.
The live vocal delivery of Passenger is unique as the recorded version; definitively clean and sharp in every syllable. The performance was seamless, meandering through the songs that are poetic and melancholic, and translated into a sentimental ooze of bewitching tone in unspeakable visceral emotions, enshrouded by a soulful enchantment through an eclectic set of emotions. Put simply, the show brought joy and happiness into our minds, taking fans onto a mirage beyond the realities of life…even those who only knew that song from the night – making Rosenberg as one of the great entertainers in this industry.
SAM would like to thank Astor Theatre and Passenger for the Press Accreditation. Tickets of upcoming show can be found on Passenger’s website.
About the Writer: Sheldon Ang is the founder, photographer and writer of SAM. Since launching the media platform in May 2022, he has photographed and reviewed most of the arena and stadium concerts in Perth, including KISS, The Kid Laroi, Midnight Oil, Gang of Youths, Guy Sebastian and Amy Shark, and UK artists and bands in Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Glass Animals, The Script and Louis Tomlinson (One Direction).
