Review: Sir Dave Dobbyn at Auckland Town Hall - far more than a slice of musical heaven from Kiwi icon

Sir Dave Dobbyn performed a one-off show at Auckland's Town Hall on Wednesday, supported by Delaney Davidson and special guest Tami Neilson. Photo / Tom Grut

Of all the shouts from the Auckland Town Hall balcony, there was one that will likely stick with me for a long time to come.

As the ever-graceful Sir Dave Dobbyn caught his breath to thank his family who were supporting him in the crowd, a lone male burst out with genuine heart: “We are your family Dave!”

“I guess you are,” the 68-year-old Kiwi music legend said, with a smile.

In reality, it felt like the whole of New Zealand was putting their love behind Dobbyn in the room as he delivered his doting Auckland audience a slice of musical heaven.

Sir Dave Dobbyn was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022. When he announced his show at the Auckland Town Hall he said it would be 'business and usual'. Photo / Tom Grut

From deep cuts to festival anthems and protest songs, no matter your age, gender, or economic background, Dobbyn’s uplifting and emotional musical catalogue soaked up every crevice of the Town Hall’s remarkable acoustic forum.

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022, Sir Dave said this special performance would be “business and usual”, and that it was and more.

While the seasoned musician admitted he needed to “catch his breath” a few times (the Town Hall was sweltering) and cracked a joke about cardio (“I’ll just check my Fitbit. Heart rate: 250, steps: 1″) his voice was as perfect as it was on that old Welcome Home CD we would play on family road trips to the Coromandel.

Earlier in the night, opening act Delaney Davidson wowed the crowd with his unique bluegrass tunes and vocal acrobatics. Like a Kiwi Chris Isaak, the Lyttelton crooner whooped and hollered his way through love songs, country ballads, and even a heartfelt duet with AMA Award Winner Tami Neilson, dedicated to his late father.

Delaney Davidson and Tami Neilson performed at Auckland Town Hall, supporting Sir Dave Dobbyn. Photo / Tom Grut

When Sir Dave and his extraordinarily talented band took the stage, no one quite knew what to expect. Would we get festival hits like Bliss right off the bat or would we start slower with Loyal?

Neither song made it into the setlist, but Dobbyn, in fine form, opened with the haunting repetition of 1993’s Belltower. By that point, we knew we were in for a night of pure musicianship, as the singer jumped from piano to guitar to piano with ease.

Kingdom Come also kept the audience transfixed on the singer, who took every chance to stare down and engage the hooked audience as he told his musical tales at a somewhat slower pace near the start.

Dobbyn: Feeling good?

Audience: Yes!

Dobbyn: Thank god for that!

An emotional rendition of It Dawned on Me was dedicated to Dobbyn’s long-time manager Lorraine Barry, who was “very ill” and with his music we held her in our best wishes.

Deeper cut Blindman’s Bend took audiences out to the beaches of West Auckland where Dobbyn said a lot of his songs were written.

The first major singalong of the night came in the form of Bic Runga/Tim Finn collab Just Add Water, which ironically made me forget about the miserable weather outside and think of splashing into a pool on a hot summer’s day.

From that point on, the hits came thick and fast. You Oughta Be in Love saw lovers draped in each other’s arms, and singles put on their best karaoke voices for that belter of a chorus. Protest-tinged Maybe the Rain got everyone up and alert, stomping their feet and rocking their heads in unison to the beat.

But the moment we’d all been waiting for was the emotional whirlwind you rightly expected it to be.

Neilson and Davidson were invited back on stage to sing Kiwi anthem Welcome Home with rousing intensity and heart, made even more powerful by the fact every single person in the audience knew it word for word.

Of course, Slice of Heaven made it into the encore, with too many da da da’s to count and some funky guitar riffs from the maestro in a great extended outro. How people could leave the show unhappy would be beyond my comprehension.

The world would be a worse place without Dobbyn and his music. His self-deprecating charm, humble demeanour, and marvellous musicianship cement him as a Kiwi icon.

Sir Dave Dobbyn performed a one-off show at Auckland's Town Hall on Wednesday June 4, supported by Delaney Davidson and special guest Tami Neilson. Photo / Tom Grut

This one-off show proved that, even when the going gets tough, there’s no stopping the healing power of music.

An all-ages audience was left singing, celebrating, and smiling, while thankful it’s still “business as usual” for Dobbyn and hopeful for many more years of extraordinary performances.

Ending with Th’ Dudes’ Be Mine Tonight was a slam dunk that brought the house down, but as my friend joked, surely it would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Dobbyn to end with the DD Smash hit Outlook for Thursday for this Wednesday night gig.

Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.