Bic Runga
2nd November 2017
The Civic, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Bridget Herlihy. Photography by Doug Peters.
The mere fact that it has been twenty years since Bic Runga released her debut album Drive is testament in itself to how fast time flies by. The highest selling album from a New Zealand artist, it spawned a staggering seven singles, was named Album of the Year in 1998, reached seven-times platinum status, and garnered Runga the Silver Scroll Award in 1997 for debut single Sway. To mark the auspicious occasion, Drive has been rereleased with additional material, with Runga playing three shows in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington to play the album in its entirety. Last night was Auckland’s turn, with the show taking place at the iconic Civic theatre; the perfect setting for what was to be a magical performance.
The evening’s proceedings were neatly split into two sets; the first a collection of songs from the last twenty years, and the second Drive from beginning to end. As the house lights dimmed, a kapa haka group made their way on stage, performing a spine-tingling waiata to welcome the audience and the musicians. Runga, who was dressed in a resplendent black sequinned mesh bodysuit (courtesy of Miss Crabb), picked up her acoustic guitar and wasted no time by launching straight into a stunning rendition of Close Your Eyes, the title track from her fifth album, released in 2016, followed by Get Some Sleep from 2002’s Beautiful Collision. From the moment she walked onstage the stunning Runga had the audience captivated, and quite rightly so. She effortlessly commands the stage, performing faithful renditions of some of her most adored tracks spanning the duration of her career. Hearing a diverse selection of tracks served as a timely reminder of breadth of Runga’s talent as a songwriter and her penchant for poetic storytelling.
It was a verifiable who’s who in New Zealand music, with Runga joined onstage with Tiny Ruins members Tom Healy and Cass Basil on guitar and bass respectively, while her partner Kody Neilson manned the drums. With spotlights shining down from the ceiling, the minimalist yet beautiful light added to the atmosphere of the evening, as Runga was bathed in light, giving her an angelic glow. After a flawless performance of Listening For The Weather, Runga shifted from acoustic guitar to take a seat at her keyboard for Precious Things, showcasing her enviable musicianship by simultaneously playing both keys and the harmonica, all seemingly with ease.
Special guests had been promised for the evening, with the first being the superb Shayne Carter of Straightjacket Fits and Dimmer fame, who had travelled up from Dunedin to join in the celebrations, joining Runga and band on acoustic guitar and providing backing vocals for Morning Dew. No sooner had he left the stage than the next guest, NZ’s queen of r&b and soul Aaradhna was introduced to the stage. Here Bic has her own fan-girl moment, as she laughed about having “stalked” Aaradhna on social media to ask her to perform on the tour, and proclaiming Aaradhna’s to be Brown Girl not only one if the best NZ songs ever written, but “one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life”. Aarahdna seemed just as spellbound to be performing with Runga, and the ensuing duet between the two chanteuses of the beautiful If You Really Do, from 2012’s Belle, was “one ticked off the bucket list” according to Runga. The first set concluded with another of the hit singles from Beautiful Collision, the hopeful Something Good, and Dream A Dream from Close Your Eyes.
To say that the second set was something very special would be an understatement. It was nothing short of magical, while being hard to fathom that it has been twenty years since Drive was released, which Runga herself at times seemed to be equally surprised by. What truly resonated from this performance, however, was the timeless quality of these tracks. They truly came alive, and continue to resonate and remain as fresh and relevant now as they did two decades ago. The opening bars of Drive, followed by Sway, were met with rapturous applause, and dozens of mobile phones appearing to record the moment. The more angst-ridden tracks of the second side of the album (which will always remain so for those of us whom purchased Drive on cassette, and subsequently wore it out) well and truly came to life being played live. Shayne Carter returned for the brooding Hey, one of the highlights of the set, along with an electric performance of Swim, a “teen angst meets Generation X” track, which Runga admitted to not having played since 1997. Sorry and Delight, complete with lyrics comprised of “fifth form poetry” really came alive, and resulted in a case of goosebumps with Runga’s raw energy and soaring vocals. Graciously thanking the audience for the longevity of their support and appreciation of her work, the set concluded with the beautiful “bummer of a song” Without You, with Runga giving a final wave and leaving the stage. Yet luckily the rapturous applause beckoned the band out once more for an encore of the haunting Birds and Gravity, ending the evening on a very high note, cementing Runga’s status as own of NZ’s finest and most revered musicians. Here’s to another 20 years!
Were you there at The Civic for this beautiful concert? Or have you seen Bic Runga perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist One:
- Close Your Eyes
- Get Some Sleep
- And More Again
- Listening for the Weather
- Precious Things
- Beautiful Collision
- Morning Dew (with Shayne Carter)
- If You Really Do (with Aaradhna)
- Something Good
- Dream A Dream
Setlist Two:
- Drive
- Sway
- Hey (with Shayne Carter)
- Bursting Through
- Swim
- Roll Into One
- Suddenly Strange
- Sorry
- Heal
- Delight
- Without You
- Birds [encore]
- Gravity [encore]
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