Howie Day @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney and Northern Star, Newcastle – 16 and 17 May 2008

I’m here feeling a little sad and sorry for myself, after taking in three gigs in three days. I’m clearly not as young as I used to be. The first was Chris Murphy. The second two were Howie Day.

You might remember me gushing about this Boston native’s first trip to Australia when it was announced some months ago. In fact, I was so excited by it that I couldn’t restrict myself to just one show.

Firstly, if you’re a Whitley fan reading this review hoping to hear what I thought of the headliner, you’re not going to find it. I had the best of intentions of catching his set. But as I drove to Sydney’s Annandale Hotel for the first show on my own, I figured I was better off leaving once Howie was done and seeing it the following night. My husband made the journey to Newcastle’s Northern Star with me, and we were shocked to find Howie wasn’t playing until 10:30 or so. The way I felt after his set was another glaring reminder that I’m just not as young as I used to be, so we ended up leaving to catch some sleep. I’m sure he was brilliant nonetheless.

But he was perhaps not as brilliant as Howie, although I’m completely aware that I’m biased. Howie Day is the kind of guy who can inspire me to drag my butt to a pub and stand for hours in a throng of largely obnoxious people. These aren’t the kind of gigs I like at all. But once that man took the stage I managed to (mostly) block out the people pushing me and the folks talking too loudly and just focus on the music.

As a support act his set was short, but he made sure to cram as much in for the fans who’d eagerly awaited his first Aussie shows. Both nights began with a slowed down version of “Sorry So Sorry.” This paired down acoustic arrangement was markedly different to the version which appeared on his debut album Australia, and it brought a new resonance to the lyrics.

It was that album that made me fall in love with Howie, so I was thrilled to hear two of my favourites, “Ghost” and “She Says” make the sets both nights. “Ghost” was a real highlight, with a frenetic guitar jam created by Howie’s trademark loops. I was also thrilled to hear “Collide” on both occasions, especially in Sydney where the crowd surprised me by launching into an enthusiastic sing-along. I’d clearly underestimated Howie’s popularity here, as most people I meet have never heard of him. We were also treated to some new songs which I hope to see on an album soon.

I was so excited the first time I saw Howie Day on a holiday the United States, I wasn’t sure whether these Aussie shows could possibly live up those memories. They did. I can’t wait to see him back in Australia really soon.

Image source: own photo

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