Donny Osmond is one hell of a nice guy. From the moment his pearly whites flashed on stage, to the moment he exited to the thundering screams of middle-aged women, this 48-year-old grandfather could not have been more charming.
Anyone willing to lean down and kiss a woman from a
speaker stack, only to fall into her palpitating arms, is obviously no diva. And anyone who says, "You want to touch the Don, okay you can touch the Don ... " is aware of how hilarious he is.
Even the Logan Campbell's barn-like atmosphere couldn't dampen the oestrogen fervour that Osmond commands. His show isn't so much about the music, as it is his personality and connection with the mostly female audience. And so when he leapt among the 45ish-year-old mosh pit and chair-surfed around the stalls, many a mum fell in love all over again.
Donny's in town to promote his 54th album, What I Meant to Say, which is his first attempt at a mostly self-penned release. And while the Don's voice is as stunning as it ever was, if you dip into his new album looking for originality, then you are looking in the wrong place.
Donny knows exactly what his audience wants and he delivered it in spades. The scream of recognition for old-time hits Puppy Love and The Twelfth of Never raised the roof and when he sang an ill-conceived medley of cover songs including George Michael's Faith and Prince's Kiss, woman left their suffering husbands and surged to the stage.
With hilarious footage of his early career playing on the big screens, his fans sang along to covers of Don't Dream It's Over and Any Dream Will Do, and squealed when he and his cheesy band (complete with sunglasses at night) bopped along together in a high camp rock version of Soldier of Love, which he sang in an All Black's jersey.
"I've been waiting 30 years for this!" one woman screamed, and she wasn't disappointed.
