Kate Ceberano delivered the greatest line of the year in concert last weekend in Melbourne. “Jon Stevens is the best root I never had,” she gushed in her set before Jon’s in their double header tour.
Placing Stevens and Ceberano together on one ticket gave the audience a winning combination. With Kate and Jon’s hits combined, this was a stadium sized show in an intimate club room.
Kate and Jon kicked off their national tour at Melbourne’s Palms At Crown on Friday July 14. Kate’s set was short but potent, with four of her major hits and a couple of covers.
Now at 50+ years of age, even Kate admitted her 1989 hit ‘Young Boys Are My Weakness’ sounds a bit creepy … but she did it anyway.
That Stevens line came just before another of her biggest hits ‘Bedroom Eyes’.
Kate’s ‘Brave’ album was massive in its days, selling over 200,000 copies and going triple platinum in Australia.
When Kate and Jon did Jesus Christ Superstar together in 1992 the tour that was meant to be eight shows and went for months was also covered in the show with Kate performing ‘I Don’t Know How To Love Him’ as part of her set and Jon and Kate teaming up in the encore for ‘Everything’s Alright’.
Stevens’ also delivered a stunning ‘Heaven On Their Minds’ from JC Superstar for the first time in 25 years.
Jon showcased his new album ‘Starlight’ mostly in his set falling back occasionally on a Noiseworks song or two. ‘Starlight’, produced in LA with Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) is his strongest solo album to date. With a set heavy on new music, mostly unheard by the audience before the night, ‘Starlight’ stood up alongside the classics ‘Touch’, ‘No Lies’, ‘Take Me Back’ and ‘Hot Chili Woman’.
Stevens’ has long performed INXS ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ in his set but this time upped the volume with the more powerful ‘Kick’.
Jon Stevens had a 12 piece band with a full brass section, backing singers and note perfect keyboard player Tony Featherstone who has been with Jon on and off for years.
The brass lifted new song ‘Hold On’ early in the set but hey, since he was paying for them by the night, not the hour, ‘Kick’ sounded incredible with the brass.
Jon Stevens is on tour around Australia until August 18, 2017.
Kate Ceberano setlist
Brave (from Brave, 1989)
Pash (from Pash, 1998)
Young Boys Are My Weakness (from Brave, 1989)
I Don’t Know How To Love Him (from Jesus Chris Superstar, 1992)
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (from Nine Lime Avenue, 2007)
Bedroom Eyes (from Brave, 1989)
Jon Stevens setlist
Devil In My Heart (from Starlight, 2017)
Hold On (from Starlight, 2017)
Shine
Oh Lord (from Starlight, 2017)
Miles and Miles (from Noiseworks, Love Verses Money, 1991)
Feel Like Letting Go (from Starlight, 2017)
What Makes You Happy (from Starlight, 2017)
Touch (from Noiseworks, Touch, 1989)
Starlight (from Starlight, 2017)
Take Me Back (from Noiseworks, Noiseworks, 1987)
No Lies (from Noiseworks, Noiseworks, 1987)
Kick (INXS cover)
Hot Chili Woman (from Noiseworks, Love Verses Money, 1991)
ENCORE (Jon and Kate):
Heaven On Their Minds (from Jesus Christ Superstar, 1992)
Everythings Alright (from Jesus Christ Superstar, 1992)
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Diana Ross cover)
Higher & Higher (Jackie Wilson cover)
Proud Mary (CCR cover)
