To be in the room with Dionne Warwick is to be in the room with greatness. For almost half of the 20th century Dionne Warwick was the poster girl for American soul and gospel with arguably only Aretha Franklin coming close to her talent.
Those decades of songs gave the world a stunning amount of hits as Dionne built up a catalogue starting in 1963. You could say that her partnership as the voice of many a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song accelerated her career and you would be right. But there is way more to Dionne than just lucking out at the right time with right songwriters. Her pedigree is talent with aunt Cissy Houston before her, sister Dee Dee Warwick and cousin Whitney Houston alongside here and now son David Elliott and granddaughter Cheyenne Elliott continuing the family tradition.
For the Australian tour David is her drummer and Cheyenne is being introduced to the southern hemisphere audience for the first time joining her grandmother for the finale of this show.
Dionne was last in Australia in 2007 and before that 1997. Her visiting in the last 20 years have been rare and it was well worth seeing this living legend for maybe the last time.
Her health is frail, her voice has lost its fullness but these songs are eternal and they all came from her. It was incredible that everyone in the audience knew every word of the first nine songs and she was just getting started.
Dionne’s band is her orchestra. Conductor John Rob Shrock is Burt Bacharach’s longtime musical director, son David Elliott on drums, Danny Demorales on bass, keyboards from William Hunter (Stevie Wonder’s band) and Renato Pereira on percussion.
The Dionne Warwick setlist is a walk on by through history.
Dionne Warwick setlist 4 November 2018 Melbourne
Walk On By (from Presenting Dionne Warwick, 1963)
Anyone Who Had a Heart (from Anyone Who had A Heart, 1964)
You’ll Never Get Heaven (from Make Way For Dionne Warwick, 1964)
I’ll Never Fall In Love Again (from I’ll Never Fall In Live Again, 1970)
Message to Michael (from Dionne Warwick in Paris, 1966)
This Girls In Love With You (from Promises, Promises, 1968)
I Say a Little Prayer (from The Windows of the World, 1967)
Alfie (from Here’s Where The There Is Love, 1966)
Heartbreaker (from Heartbreaker, 1982)
Promises, Promises (from Promises, Promises, 1969)
Aquarela do Brasil (from Aquarela do Brasil, 1994)
Do You Know The Way To San Jose (from Dionne Warwick in Valley of the Dolls, 1968)
Love’s Is Still The Answer (from Now, 2012)
99 miles from LA (from Now, 2012)
I’ll Never Love This Way Again (from Dionne, 1979)
Love Will Find a Way (with Cheyenne Elliott) (from My Friends and Me, 2006)
Let There Be Love (with Cheyenne Elliott) (from Feels So Good, 2014)
What The World Needs Now Is Love (with Cheyenne Elliott) (from Here’s Where The There Is Love, 1966)
That’s What Friends Are For (with Cheyenne Elliott) (from That’s What Friends Are For, 1985)
Dionne Warwick is touring Australia for Frontier Touring.
Remaining dates:
Australia:
8 November, Sydney, Star Event Centre
9 November, Gold Coast, The Star
New Zealand:
10 November, Christchurch, Isaac Theatre Royal
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