March 3, 2019

Concert Review: Rufus Wainwright – Auckland Town Hall March 2, 2019

Celebrating 20 years of music-making, Rufus Wainwright brought his “All These Poses Tour” to Auckland’s Town Hall last night.

I’ve seen Rufus several times over those twenty years and found that his live shows can vary tremendously, from being outrageously entertaining, to being downright boring. But its been a while and I was looking forward to reacquainting myself with the, now 45-year-old, singer-songwriter.

Rufus, of course, is the son of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle and brother of Martha Wainwright, so it seemed almost pre-ordained that he would follow a career in music when he released his self-titled debut album in 1998.

Proving to be something more than your average folkie, Rufus teamed up with producer Jon Brion to make an album of surprisingly intricate chamber-pop. It was a record that raised eyebrows 20 years ago and, fortunately, Rufus’s crack touring band was up to the task of recreating that sound on stage.

The band consists of former Jeff Buckley drummer Matt Johnson, keyboard player and vocalist Rachel Eckroth, who also provided a brief opening set, bass player Paul Bryan, plus keyboard player Devon Brooning and former David Bowie guitarist and musical director Gerry Leonard.

But the centre-piece of the night’s concert was Wainwright’s incredible voice. It is a thing of beauty and he showed it off exquisitely, particularly while singing a jaw-dropping version of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, accompanied only by acoustic piano. That performance earned the first standing ovation of the evening.

The show was divided into two sets, the first featuring songs from the first album, though not necessarily in the order they appeared on the record, along with Both Sides Now and finishing with a new song, The Sword Of Damocles, written in reaction to “the whole Trump thing”.

The second hour was devoted to Rufus’ 2001 album, Poses, which was, indeed performed in total, from beginning to end.

Rufus wowed the crowd at the beginning of the second set by making a grand entrance wearing an outrageously gaudy cape. He performed a couple songs wearing the garment, then a roadie came along to relieve him of it, replacing it with another glittery cape. The first one was then put in a place of honour on the stage, almost becoming an additional member of the band.

More people did take the stage during the encore when twenty or so audience members appeared carrying candles to help sing closing number Across The Universe. It was that kind of night.

Along the way Rufus told charming stories about his mother, his relationship with Leonard Cohen (Rufus had a child with Cohen’s daughter) and taking part in Joni Mitchell’s 75^th birthday celebration a few weeks ago.

And one thing that came to mind during the show…given the power and range of his voice, Rufus Wainwright could easily put on a Harry Nilsson tribute concert…that’s something I’d like to hear.

Its been a wild twenty years, and, as this retrospective tour proves, Rufus Wainwright is one of the past two decades’ musical gems.

Marty Duda

Rufus Wainwright Set 1