I went to a Colin Hay concert Sunday night and a comedy routine broke out.
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Before he even picked up a guitar, Hay began telling funny stories and cracking jokes to a sold-out crowd at SPACE. A handful of times the former Men At Work frontman turned as if he was about to grab a guitar, but then faced the microphone again to continue his comedic commentary. This was went for a full 15 minutes before Hay strummed his first note.
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The unique start to the show set the tone for a long night of storytelling, some of it even accompanied by music. Hay told stories about Little Richard, man crushes, odd encounters and his dad, did impressions of Russell Crowe, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Paul McCartney, and engaged various audience members who shouted various comments. The crowd banter at times got to be too much, but the vibe established early in the night created an atmosphere for it.
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For the most part, the emphasis on comedy worked because, well, Hay was funny. His stories were amusing, his wit quick and his humor sharp. Sometimes he didn't have to say anything. A mere facial reaction to an audience comment caused people to laugh. The room was filled with laughter for much of the night. The comedy may have been too much for some depending on personal taste, but it worked for the most part because of Hay's good natured approach. He was self deprecating and was quick to make clear he was in on the joke.
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Because of the lengthy storytelling interludes between many songs, the show didn't contain many peaks and valleys as much as it seemed like a relaxing performance being given in your living room. Toward the end of the night, some people were becoming too comfortable. An ill-advised, poorly-timed comment referencing an earlier heartfelt, funny story about his late dad caused Hay to temporarily snap. "If you're going to say something, say something funny or shut the fuck up," he said. Then somebody else said something. "You can shut the fuck up, too," Hay responded. Then a third person made a comment. "I think I'll just play the song," said Hay, who forced a smile and then belted out a passionate "Down Under" from deep inside him. Suddenly, he and the rest of the room were lost in the music.
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The highlight of the show came next in "I'm Waiting For My Real Life To Begin." It's a beautiful song that trumps any of his Men At Work hits. I teared up listening to it and I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the room to do so. "That was amazing," a fan standing in the back of the room said loudly when it was over. "Thank you, thank you," Hay said sincerely. "Maybe I should quit now." It was indeed hard to follow that performance, but a smart request soon brought "Hold Onto My Hand," another lovely song.
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Between the personal humor shared and the 17 songs played during a show that stretched nearly two-and-a-half hours, Hay poured a lot of his soul into the performance. As he pointed out, Hay once led a band that created hits and reached the Grammys and here he was playing a small club in suburban Chicago on a Sunday night. On this night, it wasn't such a bad place to be.
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The setlist:
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Prison Time I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You Norwegian Wood (The Beatles) Dream On (In The Night) There's Water Over You Maggie Down By The Sea Who Can It Be Now? Company of Strangers Going Somewhere Beautiful World Are You Lookin' At Me? Down Under Waiting For My Real Life To Begin Looking For Jack Hold Onto My Hand Overkill
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Start: 8:12 p.m./Finish: 10:33 p.m. Totals: 17 songs, two hours and 21 minutes
