The Long Way To The Top tour is officially open for business and with thanks to technology, 10 years down the track, the late Billy Thorpe got to be part of the show he started.
Ian Moss, Long Way To The Top: Photo Ros O'Gorman
The producer’s of Long Way To The Top used the hologram technology to include Billy Thorpe as part of this show. He performed his posthumous ‘Girls Of Summer’ in part one and returned in part two for ‘Most People I Know Thing That I’m Crazy’ (with Ian Moss).
Moss performed the tribute to Thorpe including one of Billy’s live favourites ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ with Doug Parkinson. Parkinson said he wasn’t on the original tour because he was doing theatre at the time but jumped at the chance to be on the 10th Anniversary tour. He also performed his Beatles cover ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘I’ll Be Around’.
The anniversary shows also update the line-up with Mi-Sex, Dragon and Noiseworks.
Long Way To The Top starts at the very beginning of Australian rock and roll with legend Col Joye performing a set of his biggest hits followed Little Pattie, Lucky Starr and Dinah Lee performing their hits from the very birth of Aussie rock and roll. It was a rare chance to see the founders of the Australian music world together on one stage.
Glenn Shorrock represents the three iconic band he played with, The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band and music legend and one-time Axiom member Brian Cadd joined Glenn for ‘A Little Ray Of Sunshine’ as well as his own classic ‘Gingerman’.
Mike Rudd and Bill Putt from Spectrum and Matt Taylor and Phil Manning from Chain represented the time of pub rock. Spectrum performed ‘Esmeralda’ and ‘I’ll Be Gone’, Chain, the very first Mushroom Records single ‘I Remember When I Was Young’ and ‘Black and Blue’.
The era when Australian pop came of age was marked with performances from Marcia Hines and John Paul Young but I have to say the performance by Russell Morris was a real highlight of the show.
Russell has given Australian music some of its greatest hits and performed ‘Wings Of An Eagle’, ‘Sweet Sweet Love’ and ‘The Real Thing’, three songs that will be forever engrained into the history of Australian music.
The finale was the entire cast performing the AC/DC classic ‘Long Way To The Top’.
Long Way To The Top heads to Sydney tonight then Brisbane and Newcastle.
Remaining dates are:
October 6, Sydney, Entertainment Centre
October 9, Newcastle, Entertainment Centre
October 12, Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
The setlist was:
Fanfare – Turn Up Your Radio
Col Joye – Clementine, Bye Bye Love, Oh Yeah, Be Bop A Lula
Little Pattie – Stompy Wompy Surfer Boy, Stompin’ At Maroubra
Lucky Starr – I’ve Been Everywhere, Shout
Dinah Lee – Yokomo, Reet Petite
Glenn Shorrock – Whats Wrong With The Way I Live, Needle In A Haystack
Spectrum – Esmeralda, I’ll Be Gone
Chain – I Remember When I Was Young, Black and Blue, Somebody Stole My Hair
Doug Parkinson – Dear Prudence, I’ll Be Around
Col Joye – Rock and Roll Heaven
Billy Thorpe (hologram) – Girls of Summer
Jim Keays – Turn Up Your Radio
Mi-Sex – Computer Games
Glenn Shorrock – Help Is On Its Way
Axiom (Shorrock and Cadd) – A Little Ray Of Sunshine
Brian Cadd – Gingerman
John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air, I Hate The Music, Yesterday’s Hero, Friday On My Mind
Dragon – Rain, April Sun In Cuba, Are You Old Enough
Marcia Hines – You, Fire and Rain, Your Love Still Brings Me To My Knees
Russell Morris – Wings Of An Eagles, Sweet Sweet Love, The Real Thing
Noiseworks – No Lies, Take Me Back, Touch
Ian Moss – Since You’ve Been Gone, Somewhere Over The Rainbow (with Doug Parkinson), Most People I Know Think That I’m Crazy (with Thorpe hologram)
Encore:
Cast – It’s a Long Way To The Top If You Want To Rock And Roll
Watch the Noise11.com interview with Long Way To The Top producer Amanda Pelman and Brian Cadd.
