Wednesday, August 30, 2000

Savage Passion

This Aussie Garden has grown since last time around

CALGARY -- It's been two years since Savage Garden's Darren Hayes last danced and pranced across the stage in Calgary.

 Well, there was lots of dancing, prancing, singing and swaying again at the Saddledome Concert Bowl, where the saucy Aussies played to an enthusiastic crowd of about 7,000 last night.

 Hayes and his quiet but equally exuberant partner, Daniel Jones, were met with boisterous cheers when they played two of their biggest hits, Break Me, Shake Me and To the Moon and Back early in the 90-minute set.

 With two albums under their flashy, studded belts, Savage Garden were able to pick and choose their best songs more readily than last time, without having to resort to filler tunes.

 Hayes obviously takes his cues from such colourful frontmen as Bono and Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, and enjoys hamming it up while keeping his focus on the material.

 For all his energetic bravado, Hayes is a very talented singer and songwriter, and can create lush beauty from something as simple as a sparse piano-and-vocals duet.

 Savage Garden's show teeters on the brink of cheesiness at points. Hayes overdoes the sexy poses and pouty facial expressions, but he doesn't seem a bit embarrassed by it, jumping full-tilt into the glitz and glamour of the stage show.

 The group's heartfelt ballads are their meal ticket. It's when Hayes, Jones and the backing band really come together and reach out to touch their largely female audience.

 The crowd was more diverse this time around, however. Yes, there were the screaming teenage girls with glowsticks, but parents and boyfriends came along this time to enjoy the ride.

 I didn't think anyone could do it, but Hayes actually did a very tight and impressive version of John Lennon's Imagine. One of the loudest cheers of the night went to the upbeat, life-affirming The Animal Song, from their latest CD, Affirmation, and Truly Madly Deeply, from their debut CD. Their phenomenal set and colourful lighting design harkened back to the grand pop shows of the 1980s.

 Savage Garden may be a bit sugary and retro for some tastes, but everyone in the audience had to admit their show was something to behold.

 R&B-tinged pop-rock songstress Kina opened the show with a dazzling set that showcased her atomic-powered vocals and well-crafted, guitar-driven tunes.

 The Detroit-born performer has an electrifying and engaging stage presence, and she strutted around confidently in what little stage space she was given (about a third of the room Savage Garden took up).

 Kina made her points clear with her unusual but funky dance moves, which mostly involved stomping her foot down and punching the air.

 Her first single, Girl From the Gutter, came across even more dramatically live than it does on her debut self-titled CD.

 In fact, she could have been lip-synching the entire show, as there were so few flaws in her vocal performance, the performance of her four-piece band and the two backup singers.

 To steal a line from Girl From the Gutter, things are looking up for Kina now.

Savage Garden in Edmonton