Live Review: Rodriguez, Archie Roach

Tonight would be entertaining for musicians and patrons alike.

It felt appropriate that a support act as esteemed and compassionate as Archie Roach performed to a fairly packed State Theatre, entering and exiting to low drones of a didgeridoo. Pivotal to his set were the stories interwoven into each song, varying from heartbreaking tales of foster care and lung cancer to lighter family anecdotes that evoked choruses of laughter.

Forty-six years on from his debut album, Rodriguez's well-documented and painstaking journey to success has failed to diminish his creative spirit. Escorted on and off stage (due to an ongoing battle with glaucoma), the 74-year-old's fragility was deceptive as, when it came to performing, he showed no signs of dotage. Treating attendants to popular track I Wonder early in the set worked to his favour, finishing off with his signature tagline "I wonder but I really don't want to know," to a second round of rapturous applause.

The crowd's reactions ranged from hilarious professions of love (one lady claiming to have waited 42 years for this concert), to being outright rude, with Rodriguez being interrupted by drunken drivel.

The mythic legend's preference for working with nationally-based stage bands showed its problematic nature tonight in subtle-but-noticeable intervals. The disruptions in fluency, owing partly to the glaucoma, required recurring lines of vocal exchange between the musicians, not dissimilar to Chinese whispers. Before the band members were all informed, Rodriguez would already begin the next song, causing them to jolt into action.

Playful banter gave way to anxious song requests as the night wrapped up. No stranger to covers, Rodriguez utilised his encore to surprise the good-humoured baby boomers with a brilliant rendition of The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. He finished off the night with a Spanish-flavoured take on Frank Sinatra's I Only Have Eyes For You, rightfully earning him a standing ovation.