The day started out cold and windy but things heated up nicely for the outdoor show at Auckland’s Villa Maria Winery that brought 80s stalwarts Icehouse and Hall & Oates to town, along with the recently reunited Goodshirt.
Goodshirt started the afternoon off in fine fashion, the crowd up front even tried to get them back for an encore…not bad for third on the bill.
Next came Icehouse. I’ve never been a fan of the Australian synth-rockers and they didn’t do anything to change my mind. Frontman Iva Davies and his crew made their fans happy with hits like Great Southern Land and Electric Blue, but their 90 minute set seemed too long. But, as I said, their fans enjoyed themselves, so they did their job.
Daryl Hall and John Oates came on a half hour later and played one hit after another. Although the duo has been around since the early 1970s, this was their first Auckland show and so they gave the crowd what they wanted to hear.
They began with two singles from their 1982 album H2O, Maneater and Family Man and stayed with the early 80s hits until they played Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song), from 1973’s Abandoned Luncheonette album. They followed that with the album’s hit, She’s Gone and then 1975’s Sara Smile.
The regular set, which seemed short compared to Icehouse, ended with an extended version of I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) that gave long-time sax man Charles “Mr. Casual” DeChant as chance to show the appreciative crowd his stuff.
For encores they served up more hits…Rich Girl, You Make My Dreams, Kiss On My List and Private Eyes.
Both men are in their 60s now, but they looked and sounded in top form. Oates sang lead on one song, How Does It Feel To Be Back, from Voices, and played quite a bit of lead guitar. The six-piece band, not counting Hall & Oates was tight and funky and the lighting and visuals enhanced the whole experience.
Although both men have solo albums out at the moment, they concentrated on their past glories, which, judging by the crowd reaction, was exactly what was called for.
Marty Duda
Click here to listen to Hall & Oates perform You Make My Dreams:
Set list:
- Maneater
- Family Man
- Out Of Touch
- How Does It Feel To Be Back
- Say It Isn’t So
- Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)
- She’s Gone
- Sara Smile
- I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)
- Rich Girl
- You Make My Dreams
- Kiss On My List
- Private Eyes
Click here to view a gallery of photos from the show shot by Michael Flynn:
Ice House rocked! I would love to hear them again and would surely go to see them play again. Thank you Iva for the music.
I have just seen Hall And Oates and Icehouse at The Plenary in Melbourne. I tend to gree with everything you say. Icehouse were great but played forever. Had i Been a fan of Icehouse i think i would have loved them and i did meet peoplewho were there purely for Icehouse. So i amnot knocking Icehouse and i have. Great respect for Iva Davies and let’s ace it Icehouse play hit afte hit.
I had been waiting to see Hall nd Oates for years, i had been a fan for years & i used to play one of their acoustic songs when i played in UK in late 70′s/ealy 80s so I was expecting a great performance. They didn’t disappoint. The band played a short set came back for 2 encores including 5 songs. The band focusses on their 80 period and there is little from the rock era (eg beauty on the back streets, red ledge etc). I expected they would concentrate on their hits and the audience barely reacted to the start of “she’s gone” which to me is their masterpiece. Overall the concert was fantastic and from a musical standpoint you cannot even compare icehouse with H&O.
“RD” – It is simply fatuous to say “from a musical standpoint you cannot even compare icehouse (sic) with H&O.” If that were the case why did the promoter double bill them? You are, of course, entitled to your opinion of the relative merits of both groups – as are the many who I observed left the Auckland concert during Hall & Oats gig. Many who stayed (including me) looked like they wanted to. Here’s a possible reason: Hall & Oats might deliver flawless, clinical renditions of their (sometimes) iconic, very Northern Hemisphere sounding songs. Iva Davies on the other hand still breaths passion into songs that apparently have more abiding resonance with us folk who prefer substance to form. Of course taste is always a moot point, But here’s a fact: Iva Davies has a bigger fan club than you.
I thought Hall and Oates were a bit of a let down – half of what they played were unknown to me. People were leaving early as they obviously weren’t enjoying Hall & Oates either. Icehouse rocked!
Hmmm,
I’m a huge Icehouse fan and was blown away when I saw they were playing. Hall and Oates? Ho hum. I attended the Napier concert the night before. It was clear by the audience that the bulk were there to see Icehouse. They rocked! Hall and Oates were good and polished, but Icehouse were fantastic and should have been the main act! The reviewer’s comments really surprise and it was the same at Napier – people were leaving after Icehouse. Icehouse – Yeah! Hope they come to NZ again, I’ll definitely go again.
Sam
Icehouse were the band of the night. A fantasticly played performance with every song sounding exactly right. They had better interaction with the audience and didn’t leave the stage to come back and do a silly encore after only playing a few songs like H & O did. H & O played more of a jam session IMHO with louder, noiser sounds. Icehouse did what the fans expected and more. The signing afterwards was a very popular bonus.
What drugs were you on that night, Ice House rocked, friends that came to see Hall and Oates where breath taken by Ice House and their Flawless performance. They much preferred Ice House. Oh by the way it is ‘Great Southern Land’ not man.
I think you are a bit harsh on Icehouse. So be it if you are not a fan, which you clearly aren’t. You obviously didn’t notice a steady stream of people leaving after Hall & Oates started. Icehouse were solid and the musicianship was superb. What other band comes off stage and immediately does a signing (for which over a 100 people queued). I have never been a Hall & Oates fan but accept they are deservedly music legends. I thought they were a bit flat and lacking in “crowd appeal” or interaction with a great turnout to see them. As always, Villa Maria is a fantastic venue for a show like this on a superb summer evening.
Yes, a wonderful venue, good weather, great ambiance…. and the rest is history! ♥ u DH
Awesome pics Michael!
Good on you for posting all this so quickly, the mainstream press coverage has been pathetic