Anastacia’s resurrection a hard sell
CONCERT
Anastacia
Perth Concert Hall
May 10
REVIEWROSS McRAE
3 stars
here was a year or two in the early 2000s when you could not avoid hearing an Anastacia anthem on FM radio.
The Chicago-born pop-rock singer seemed well on her way to superstar status when she was struck by breast cancer in the mid-2000s, which took her out of the spotlight. More than a decade later, and following a second bout of cancer and a double mastectomy, the now 46-year-old is on the comeback trail with the aptly titled new album, Resurrection, and her first Australian tour.
A decade ago Anastacia might have packed the Perth Arena with a fan base akin to Pink’s, but in 2015 it was the Perth Concert Hall that was moderately filled on Sunday night with a lukewarm crowd.
The audience’s lack of interaction until the end of the show didn’t seem to faze the feisty singer with the mega pipes as she strutted out with two backing singers to 2004’s Left Outside Alone.
The lighting rig and musicality felt like an arena rock show but the intimacy of the Perth Concert Hall seemed odd for such an event and the fans seemingly didn’t know how to respond.
That was until Anastacia played back-to-back tracks from It’s a Man's World, her 2012 covers album of male rock anthems, which she said helped her find her voice again after her health battle.
There is almost no better voice in a live setting than Anastacia — she can rock the high notes of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine, strip things back on her own Stay or do R&B girl-group pop on Defeated.
Where the show was meant to peak during the encore with her biggest hits, One Day in Your Life and debut smash I’m Outta Love, Anastacia bizarrely decided to run into the crowd, climbing over seats to take selfies with fans.
While that might have been a blast for those in the first five rows, it killed any momentum and was a disappointing end to a gig that had shown such promise.
CONCERT
Anastacia
Perth Concert Hall
May 10
REVIEWROSS McRAE
