The Australian - Perth Review
It seemed this show was as important to the thousands of fans gathered in the name of nostalgia as it was to the band that split in a sea of acrimony and law suits nearly two decades ago.
A large group of people was heard singing True in the bar beforehand with such gusto it was obvious just how much Spandau Ballet had meant to them at some point.
And even in this semi-karaoke atmosphere it was obvious songs make their greatness apparent in almost any situation. As a singalong for nearly 10,000 voices a couple of hours later it was practically spine-tingling.
During 1982’s Lifeline the still handsome but now generously girthed lead singer, Tony Hadley, rested one of his bear-like paws on the shoulder of the band’s songwriter Gary Kemp and grinned at him.
After more than a decade of estrangement — with Hadley and other members battling Kemp for a share of the songwriting royalties — they were no longer adversaries but looked like the friends who had grasped their moment in the sun like few others and were happy to travel the world and reflect on their glory days.
Earlier Kemp had announced he was glad they had made up. Rumours abound there are still differences between the members but, if there are, they were kept well out of view of their adoring audience.
The memory lane footage screened during Round And Round helped remind us just how big this band had been. So much of the material was very familiar, even to a casual observer, and the likes of To Cut A Long Story Short, Only When You Leave, Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) and Communication remain in fine shape. Only some of the brash 1980s funk (particularly Instinction, which was played out as a duet between Hadley and backing vocalist Dawn Joseph, and Fight For Ourselves) reminded us how bad the 1980s could be. Much of that decade’s musical excesses were drained from the songs, and the slight adjustment did wonders. The synthesisers were nowhere as dominant and Through the Barricades and Gold were rendered much less bombastic.
The one new song, a power ballad called Once More, was not embarrassed in the company.
If every reformed band could bury the hatchet and deliver hits in this good-natured and slick fashion, such moves would not be greeted with cynicism.
Adelaide Entertainment Centre, tonight; Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Wednesday; Sydney Entertainment Centre Friday and Sunday; Brisbane Entertainment Centre, April 27.
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