Who: Joe Cocker, George Thorogood and the Destroyers
Where: Dunedin Town Hall
When: Friday, January 21
Reviewed by: Dene Mackenzie
Cocker Happy? Yes they were. There cannot be anyone who does raw emotion like the lad from Sheffield - Joe Cocker.
On his 14th or 15th visit to New Zealand (one disappeared somewhere,he said) Cocker showed the drive and energy that has kept him in the forefront of the music world.
The phrasing in some songs may have been different from the past, but
that simply added to the journey. When he sung of his neck being dirty and gritty, you wanted to have a shower.
In Come Together, we could all feel his disease. This was a masterful performance which, although slow to start, should keep Cocker fans happy for another few years.
No one should have been left wondering last night in the packed Dunedin Town Hall whether or not Cocker left any of his performance in the warm-up room. He gave it all.
Cocker walked on stage dressed in a suit, looking more like a businessman than a rocker. The jacket came off after the first song, the sweat started to pour, the air guitar, and sometimes air piano, started and the music hit another gear.
The older songs proved to be top billing with the audience, some of whom were Cocker sceptics at the start.
It was billed as a "dream pairing" of Cocker and George Thorogood and
the Destroyers but it was an odd coupling.
More than half of the audience seemed to know the words of every Thorogood song and were slow to warm to Cocker.
But Cocker took it all in his stride and converted them all, with a
little help from his friends - The Letter, Leave Your Hat On, Unchain My Heart and You Are So Beautiful.
Few songs from his new Hard Knocks album were performed.
Thorogood and the Destroyers played at a blistering pace for 60 minutes with Bad to the Bone getting prolonged applause. Who Do You Love had some in the audience dancing within minutes of the show starting.
It was three hours of great music.
Joe Cocker, George Thorogood and the Destroyers on tour
Nelson, Trafalgar Centre, Sunday January 23
Wellington, TSB Bank Arena, Tuesday January 25
Auckland, Vector Arena, Thursday January 27
New Plymouth, Bowl of Brooklands, Friday January 28
