2CΞLLOS
4th December 2022
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Fleming. Photography by Doug Peters.
There is often something rather melancholic about a Sunday evening, for most the last night of the weekend, the troubles and woes of the working week lurking just around the corner.
However, in the arms of Tamaki Makaurau’s Spark Arena, the impending darkness took on more of a bittersweet flavour as crowds gathered to not only celebrate the music of the Croatian cellist duo known as 2CΞLLOS, but to say goodbye as well. Auckland, New Zealand being their last ever show on this, their final world tour.
2CΞLLOS, consisting of Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, have been impressing audiences since 2011, their effortless genre blending covers of popular rock and pop songs performed masterfully on cellos embraced by millions across the world.
And last night was no different.
Promptly beginning at 8pm the entrance of Šulić and Hauser was met with raptured applause, a cloak of silence swiftly falling over the audience as suddenly there appeared a galaxy of stars across the stage, a singular spotlight falling on Šulić and then Hauser as the opening notes of Karl Jenkins mesmerizing ‘Benedictus’ filled the room.
Dressed in simple black t shirts and jeans and armed with their Yamaha Silent (electric) Cellos, the Croatian duo serenaded their New Zealand fans, the cameras that panned over their faces and hands as they played, beautifully capturing the synchronized duality of the two performers while simultaneously illustrating how different their personalities are as well.
Šulić is often lost in the moment, eyes closed, head down, he is at one with the music, the notes of each piece engulfing him, while his partner in crime, the ever so animated Hauser is always watching the audience, playfully smiling at them as he performs.
Hauser is very much so the ringleader, never one to shy away from the microphone, his deadpan introduction to their ‘first show ever’ is met with peals of laughter, and a few ‘I Love Yous’ from the fairer sex. Playful banter however is kept to a minimum as this is a show about sight and sound, and 2Cellos were about to take all in attendance on the ride of a lifetime.
Black and white visuals of a long winding road ushered in the first of the big tracks of the night, U2’s ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ kicking off a run of several pop hits, 2CΞLLOS delivering both Ed Sheeran and Muse before returning to U2’s ‘With or Without You’. The pair serenading the audience with aplomb before seamlessly shapeshifting into the beautiful 1995 Andrea Bocelli ‘Conte Partirò, better known as ‘Time to Say Goodbye’, which needless to say was the first of many tracks to bring a tear to one’s eye.
Classically trained and performing live across the world for almost a decade, 2CΞLLOS can certainly hold their own on stage, their performances completely intoxicating. However, the duo were about to crank it up, the introduction of long-time touring drummer Dušan Kranjic to the stage seeing the fans bristle with sheer excitement and for good reason.
Moving from a humorous performance of ‘Human Nature’ by Michael Jackson, Hauser using the time to play up to any and everyone he could; ‘Smooth Criminal’ saw the fans start to relax a little and boogie in their seats.
But it was the opening notes of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ complete with flashes of lightning across the back of the stage that let everyone know that now was the time to buckle in, because 2CΞLLOS were about to take you on a rollercoaster of melody.
Displaying his absolute prowess with double kick drums and a pair of sticks wielded like battle axes, Kranjic was the personification of the very word written in bold white letters across his black singlet ‘Animal’. Complete with pyrotechnics, balls of flame shooting up into the air, the song left everyone breathless, a full moment’s silence almost passing before the crowd burst into applause.
This was just to be the first of many rock tracks that would be bestowed upon the audience from the outstanding trio of musicians.
‘Seven Nation Army’ complete with psychedelic red, black and white visuals rained down from the rafters, before the sounds of the jungle prowled through the shadows for Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo People’. Heads soon started to nod more vigorously throughout the audience as Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ entered the room before a triple threat hit of AC/DC classics saw Hauser at one point take his cello for a walk through the audience before throwing out pairs of devil horns to those lucky enough to be able to catch one.
The slightest of lulls occurred as a cover of The Rolling Stones ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ prompted Hauser to get everyone to sing a long to the chorus line, but this was soon ushered quickly away by the dramatic opening bass notes of Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’, the first track of a six part encore that saw Guns ‘n Roses meld into Gioachino Rossini’s William Tell Overture mash-up with Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ which had to be one of the stand out performances of the night; the cellists fingers moving so swiftly across the strings that it was almost inconceivable that they were eliciting such sounds from their instruments, the intensity of their performance breathtaking.
But it was indeed their cover of Nine Inch Nails ‘Hurt’ that stopped time. With Kranjic having taken leave of the stage, the pyrotechnics and cinematic visuals were put to bed, allowing the pair to lay out bare before one and all their craft. The mournful notes hung in the air, the crescendo of a finish causing an ache within one’s soul.
Saying their goodbyes, Hauser cracked one liners about a reunion tour being just around the corner, while Šulić sincerely thanked all of their crew who have spent years away from their families travelling the world with them, New Zealand undoubtedly always holding a special place in Šulićs’ heart as it is where he proposed to the mother of his three children Tamara six years ago.
Their final track was of course the incomparable Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ the arena lit up with cell phone lights as the audience sang the chorus together in reverent solidarity.
Taking a bow, the men hugged on stage, the realisation that it was now all over displayed on their faces and mirrored by the audience. An overwhelming feeling of joy and sorrow.
But down the back, tucked behind the barrier, one of their youngest fans Hadlee, continued to cheer on his heroes, the pair having signed his own little cello earlier in the evening. For him there was no despondency, only jubilation.
And that is the gift that 2CΞLLOS have bestowed upon the world of music, the ability to embrace it and be open to the genre-blending of the different forms. To be willing to explore, to experiment, to be one with it.
What a legacy to leave.
Were you there at Spark Arena for this classical rock gig? Or have you seen 2CΞLLOS perform somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Benedictus [Karl Jenkins Cover]
- Where The Streets Have No Name [U2 Cover]
- Castle On The Hill [Ed Sheeran Cover]
- Resistance [Muse Cover]
- With Or Without You [U2 Cover] [With A Time To Say Goodbye – Andrea Bocelli Cover]
- Human Nature [Michael Jackson Cover]
- Smooth Criminal [Michael Jackson Cover]
- Thunderstruck [AC/DC Cover]
- Seven Nation Army [The White Stripes Cover]
- Voodoo People [The Prodigy Cover]
- Smells Like Teen Spirit [Nirvana Cover]
- Back In Black [AC/DC Cover]
- You Shook Me All Night Long [AC/DC Cover]
- Highway To Hell [AC/DC Cover]
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction [The Rolling Stones Cover]
- Livin On A Prayer [Bon Jovi Cover]
- Sweet Child O Mine [Guns ‘n Roses Cover]
- The Trooper [Iron Maiden Cover] [with William Tell Overture opening]
- Wake Me Up [Avicii Cover]
- Hurt [Nine Inch Nails Cover]
- Hallelujah [Leonard Cohen Cover]
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