Gambler runs out of luck

The Sydney Morning Herald: February 19, 1996

By Bruce Elder

Jeff Buckley, Enmore Theatre, February 15

  THE average rock concert is like an old poker machine in a suburban RSL club. You pay your money, you pull the handle, and God knows what's likely to come out. Every few pulls, you get a reasonable payout and, far too rarely, you amaze yourself when the aces come up and the machine disgorges pure gold.

  When Jeff Buckley toured Australia at the end of last August, he was like "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo." Every night the aces came up. He played both The Metro and the Phoenician Club and audiences staggered away amazed at the concentrated power and intensity of his performance. His voice was a wonder to behold-a great soaring instrument which could roar and whisper and bring tears to the eyes of those who listened. His songs were all so passionate and his guitar playing ranged from wild, fiery chunks of neo-punk agression to a delicacy and sensitivity worthy of his late father.

  So, one wondered about halfway through his rather tedious performance at the Enmore, what's happened in the past six months? Did the gambler run out of luck? You can offer many plausible explanations.

  1. The Enmore is always a crappy venue and not even Buckley could conquer its awful acoustics and its shabby ambience.

  2. Buckley and his band have been touring on the back of their debut Grace which they recorded two years ago and which contained 10 songs, two of which-Hallelujah and Corpus Christi Carol-they never perform live. They are just sick of playing the same old eight songs and throwing in a version of the MC5's Kick Out the Jams for good measure.

  3. They're in the middle of writing new songs for their second album and their collective mind isn't really on the task at hand, playing a halfway decent gig to a bunch of enthusiastic fans.

  4. They average a great performance about one time in five (reasonable odds for a gambler) and Sydney just got lucky last time they visited.

  Whatever the reason, this was not a great concert. There is little doubt that, when the circumstances are right, Jeff Buckley is amazing. At points during this concert, that wonderful voice soared and swirled and dived. At other points, the urgency and intensity was almost palpable.

  Grace was delivered with memorable feeling and there was an almost a capella version of Lilac Wine. But, for most of the night, this was a concert played by numbers. The bass player got to sing a song (who cares?). Buckley talked, or rather mumbled, at the audience a couple of times. In the end this was a performance without focus or commitment. The sub-Sonic Youth encore was a suitably forgettable ending to  a very forgettable night.

  I'll see him next time he comes to town but he better be much better. In the interim, those who can remember will have to live with memories of last August.