FEATURE: Mission concert returns to people-friendly roots

ROGER MORONEY
Okay, so who could have picked this one?
Olivia Newton-John (who many figured was going to front up to join Cliff Richard when he arrived in town for the 2004 Mission Estate Winery Concert) and Chris de Burgh, who, to be kind, really only has one song in his back catalogue that most people remember.
It was the song that Diana, Prince of Hearts, at one time confessed to be her favourite.
The Lady in Red.
Mind you, that was somewhat latish in a career which had been simmering reasonably successfully for him, but mainly in Europe.
What the announcement of the Mission Estate Winery Concert headline act tells us is that the days of over-amplification are effectively over.
This is an inoffensive and people-friendly concert, which goes back to the roots of the original ideal, if you like. To when the backing musicians were more of the orchestral variety than banks of amplifiers.
Although having said that, there will, of course, be amplifiers stacked up, although not in the number Rod's band arrived with last year, or the veritable speaker expo the Doobie Brothers piled up.
Olivia Newton-John, in the news recently through a tour of the US, but also her well-publicised anguish over the maritime disappearance of her partner, is bringing a band with her. She will also bring an impressive back catalogue of hits.
Not sure about Chris de Burgh, though. He is more likely to utilise his piano, and the Vector Wellington Orchestra, and then maybe draft in some of Olivia's plugged-in backers to rock the 2006 concert off to bed.
De Burgh will close the show, which, to me, is a mistake ... the same sort of mistake which saw the karaoke champions of 2000, The Hollies (or the Hollie to be precise, given that only Tony Hicks was there from the original line-up) go on after the wonderful, ebullient (and original) Lulu.
I'll be honest here. When I saw the line-up for the 2006 concert I sat quite still for a moment. Then I leaned forward a little, to make sure I hadn't mis-read the spelling of Paul Simon, or The Eagles, of Stevie Nicks, or Paul McCartney, or Barry Gibb. I could go on.
But there it was. Olivia Newton-John and Chris de Burgh, and the Vector Wellington Orchestra.
Okay, I figured. We've clearly left the hard side of the track and gone back to the middle of the road, and that's fine, I suppose.
For while neither artist is my particular cup of chilled lager, I am prepared to nod in agreement with SEL's Garry Craft, who said it was a shift toward getting back more to the core of what the Mission concerts were meant to be about.
The ambience of a vineyard in summer. An open amphitheatre where fine wines can be sipped whilst pleasant music is delivered through the night.
Fair enough, but by jingo, trendsetters, I didn't half enjoy getting wretchedly silly to the sounds of the Beach Boys back when I could wear shorts without terrifying children.
Alright, let's cut to the chase.
What do we need to know about the artists who will require a minimum of $95 for you to see, given there are still a few tickets left?