Rufus Wainwright

After an afternoon of catching up with Will and Helen at Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy (they are in town from the UK), I headed into the city to see Rufus Wainwright play at Hamer Hall. Despite being a fan of Rufus since his debut album, this was the first time I had seen him perform live. I had a seat up in the balcony with a great view of the whole stage. Rufus has a full band with him for most of this Australian tour, and they were excellent and very versatile musicians. The setlist:
- Release The Stars
- Going To A Town
- Sanssouci
- Rules And Regulations
- Matinee Idol
- The Art Teacher
- Tiergarten
- Leaving For Paris
- Between My Legs
(Intermission)
- The Consort
- Do I Disappoint You
- Foggy Day
- If Love Were All
- Beautiful Child
- Not Ready To Love
- Slideshow
- Macushlah
- 14th Street
********
- I Don't Know What It Is
- Poses
********
- Get Happy
- Gay Messiah

The sound in Hamer Hall was absolutely fantastic- the best I have ever heard at a concert. My favorite songs of the night were "Going To A Town," "Slideshow," and "Poses." The lighting and staging really enhanced a lot of the songs and Rufus performed material from all his albums. We even got a few Judy Garland numbers- complete with Rufus in drag for the encore. It was an amazing concert and I am so glad I went.