Madness Tour

Last updated

Madness
Tour by Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian 2, 2012.jpg
Guy Sebastian
Associated album Madness
Start date12 February 2015 (2015-02-12)
End date28 February 2015 (2015-02-28)
Legs1
No. of shows6 Arena venues in Australia
6 Total
Guy Sebastian concert chronology

Madness Tour is the eleventh concert tour by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The tour supported his seventh studio album Madness . This is Sebastian's first national full-scale production arena tour similar to international acts touring Australia. [1] Sebastian said winning the Best Live Act at the 2014 ARIAs last year for his sold out 53-date Get Along Tour supporting his Armageddon album helped him decide it was time to play the big stages. He joins an elite club of local acts who have undertaken arenas tours, including AC/DC, Keith Urban, John Farnham, Delta Goodrem, Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes. [1]

Contents

Background and synopsis

In an interview with Max Olijnyk from The Sydney Morning Herald Sebastian said that on his last tour he had done over 50 shows in various sized venues and had to continuously change production based on capacity. He found this frustrating. He said that as this album is dynamic with big horns and drums an arena tour would enable him to replicate the album on a huge stage. [2] The tour included six dates, comprising concerts in five mainland capital cities and the NSW regional city of Wollongong. [1] Sebastian also performed two warm up shows in Dubbo. [3]

Fatai, a semi-finalist on the first The Voice series, was the support act. She returned to the stage to sing "Lightening" with Sebastian, a song she is the featured singer for on the Madness album. [4] Sebastian performed with an eight piece band, and he played guitar and piano on some of the songs. [5] Carmen Smith, Gary Pinto and Vince Harder were the backing vocalists, and also performed as backup dancers. The staging included large screens and LED lighting. [5] [6] The concert was structured in two parts and an encore. The first half was mainly dedicated to performing the album tracks from Madness, with Sebastian taking time to explain the meaning behind some of the songs. [6] During this part of the show Sebastian also sang the single "Like a Drum", and two singles from previous albums, "Who's That Girl" and "Get Along". In the second half of the concert Sebastian took the audience on a musical journey of his career to date. He started with a re-enactment of his Australian Idol win, and sang his first single "Angels Brought Me Here", and moved through a number of his early songs, including "All I Need Is You", "Out With My Baby", "Elevator Love" and "Like It Like That". [7] Nostalgic videos played on the screens during these songs. [6] Some of the songs lost verses, and some included mashups of covers such as "Uptown Funk" and "All Of Me". Sebastian also sang "Linger" and "Battle Scars", performing Lupe Fiasco's rap himself. He ended the concert with "Mama Ain't Proud" and "Gold". [7]

Critical reception

The Madness Tour received mixed but generally positive reviews. Craig L. Thomson from Tom Magazine wrote that the concert showed how far Sebastian had progressed as a singer, songwriter and performer, saying "his voice is just gold and he is one of those vocalists that could sing almost anything". He observed that "a cross section of kids and teenagers, both alone and with parents in tow, are in abundance. A very healthy number of adults, who I suspect have grown with Sebastian since his career started on Australian Idol in 2003, also make up the audience tonight". He said Sebastian "put on an excellent show, and with a fan base that transcends age brackets that is no simple task". [5] A reviewer for music site Trendio said his voice sounded "flawless in each song" and wrote "It’s been 12 years since the now 33 year old Guy Sebastian won Australian Idol and his popularity continues to grow. After seeing him live for myself I can see why and I hope he continues to share his talent with us for many years to come". [8]

Joel Meares from The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the combination of Sebastian's early pop songs with the "darker R&B that has come to define him recently" felt jarring. He also said with the stage so bare, production scant and no camera to project his image to the back of the arena that Sebastian got lost. But he noted that "the voice, it must be said, is incredible: Sebastian tickles his high notes and grinds into the lows" and that during "Get Along" it was "shatteringly strong". He said the show's big plus, along with Sebastian's voice, was the band, particularly the horns. [9] Brad Szmerling from auspOp, who had seen Sebastian in concert in 2004 soon after his Idol win said there were noticeable differences from his early years. "There was an added confidence and a clarity in his singing that was incredible to witness. Even though we have no personal stake in his career, there was a sense of pride at Guy's ability to command an audience". Szmerling said his vocal delivery during "Get Along" could only be described as "epic". He wrote that the first half of the concert was a bit slow as although the Madness songs sounded as strong live as the recorded versions there were too many non-singles in a row. He felt that the second part of the show "was where things really got good". He concluded, "In terms of running an arena-scale show, Guy certainly gave it his all. He incorporated choreography and video effects, but not to an extent where it felt forced or beyond his dancing ability.[...] The show wasn't perfect but he sold a lot of seats and made a great impression". [7]

In a review for The Advertiser Amelia Broadstock wrote it didn't take long for Sebastian "to have the packed crowd on its feet" and "within the first five minutes, his impressive vocals were on show and so were his dance moves". She stated "Sebastian’s show proved why he is one of the best Australian artists in the industry – and we’re proud to call him SA's own". [4] Jenny Ringland from Perth Now wrote "although critics have questioned the 33-year-old’s ability to pull such a spectacle off, there was no doubt among his Perth fans". She said "Sebastian is infectious, with a voice that sounds so perfect you almost take it for granted. He plays the guitar, gets his groove on, connects with the audience and generally has a good time. What’s not to love?" [10]

Tour credits

Sebastian performed at Rod Laver Arena in February 2015 Rod Laver Arena Feb 2015.jpg
Sebastian performed at Rod Laver Arena in February 2015

Support act – Fatai

Crew

Production supplied by

Promoters

Animators

Mark Dickson, Ben Hurt, Bruce Ramus, Emma Valente, Eneti Waretini, Michael Mascarenas, Bailey Sharp, Paul Rhodes

Management – 6 Degrees Management

Agency – The Harbour Agency

PR – Flourish PR

Special Thanks

James Waldron – Sennheiser Australia, Fremantle, Channel 7, Ticketek, and George Antoni for his concert photography

Set List

The following set list is representative of the show on 21 February 2015 at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. It may not be representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Madness"
  2. "Animal in Me"
  3. "Like a Drum"
  4. "Who's That Girl"
  5. "Lightning"
  6. "Elephant"
  7. "Light and Shade"
  8. "Get Along"
  9. "One of Us"
  10. "Imagine the Sunrise"
  11. "The Pause"
  12. "Angels Brought Me Here"/"All I Need Is You"
  13. "Out With My Baby"/"Uptown Funk"
  14. "Oh Oh"
  15. "Elevator Love"
  16. "Attention"
  17. "All to Myself"/"All Of Me"/"Art of Love"
  18. "Like It Like That"
  19. "Linger"
  20. "Battle Scars"
  21. "Mama Ain't Proud"
  22. "Gold"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
12 February 2015 Wollongong Australia WIN Entertainment Centre
14 February 2015 Brisbane Brisbane Entertainment Centre
18 February 2015 Sydney Qantas Credit Union Arena
21 February 2015 Melbourne Rod Laver Arena
25 February 2015 Adelaide Adelaide Entertainment Centre
28 February 2015 Perth Perth Arena

Related Research Articles

<i>Australian Idol</i> Australian singing competition TV series

Australian Idol is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller. Australian Idol was televised on Network Ten for its first seven series and was broadcast on the Southern Cross Austereo Radio Network between 2005 and 2007. The series returned in 2023 after Seven Network announced they would be picking up the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Sebastian</span> Australian singer (born 1981)

Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of Australian Idol, in 2003. Sebastian has since released ten top ten albums, including three number ones. The first seven all gained either platinum or multi-platinum certification. He has also achieved twenty three top twenty singles, with fourteen of them, reaching the top ten, including six number ones. He is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number one singles, and places third overall for all Australian acts. Ten of his singles have been certified multi-platinum, including the 13× platinum "Battle Scars". His debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling song in Australia in the decade 2000 to 2009. With 69 platinum and seven gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over five million in Australia, he has the highest certifications and sales of any Australian Idol contestant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Callea</span> Musical artist

Anthony Cosmo Callea is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of Australian Idol. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's song "The Prayer", is the fastest-selling single by an Australian artist; it held the number-one spot on the ARIA Singles Chart for five weeks, a record for the debut single of an Australian Idol contestant, and was the second-highest-selling Australian single of the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angels Brought Me Here</span> 2003 single by Guy Sebastian

"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in Australia on 24 November 2003 as the lead single from his debut album, Just as I Am (2003). The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for Network Ten's TV talent competition, Australian Idol's inaugural season. Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG. On 22 November the promotional video had premiered on the same network's Video Hits – produced by Australian Idol's Stephen Tate and directed by its musical director, John Foreman.

<i>The Memphis Album</i> 2007 studio album by Guy Sebastian

The Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts, and Lester Snell. The M.G.'s were the Stax studio band who played on many of the original versions of the songs Sebastian recorded on the album. Steve Cropper was also a co-writer of three of the tracks, "In the Midnight Hour", "Knock on Wood" and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". One original song written by Sebastian was included on the album. The Memphis Album debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart, spending eight weeks in the Top 10. It reached double platinum accreditation, and received a nomination for "Highest Selling Album" at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards.

<i>The Memphis Tour</i> 2008 live album by Guy Sebastian

The Memphis Tour is a live DVD/CD by Australian singer Guy Sebastian, released on 3 May 2008 through Sony BMG. The DVD features a live recording of one of Sebastian's concerts from his national tour of the same name. Sebastian's backing band during the tour included Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn and Steve Potts, members of the American soul band the MGs, who recorded The Memphis Album with Sebastian in 2007. The DVD also includes a 20-minute documentary detailing the making of The Memphis Album. The CD features live audio from the same concert.

<i>Like It Like That</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Guy Sebastian

Like It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris and Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer on guitar and backing vocals. It peaked at number six on the ARIA Albums Chart and gained platinum certification. The title track "Like It Like That" was one of the most successful singles of Sebastian's career. It reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, and achieved 4× platinum certification. "Art of Love" was also a top ten single, spending five months in the ARIA top 50 and double platinum certification. In 2010 Sebastian received six ARIA Music Award nominations for the album and two of its singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art of Love (song)</span> 2009 single by Guy Sebastian featuring Jordin Sparks

"Art of Love" was the second single from Australian pop singer Guy Sebastian's fifth album, Like It Like That. The single features the vocals of American R&B/pop singer, Jordin Sparks. "Art of Love" was released on 20 November 2009 and reached number eight on the ARIA singles chart and achieved double platinum certification. It was Sebastian's sixth of 12 top ten singles in Australia. It was also released in New Zealand, peaking at number seven, and was certified gold there. "Art of Love" was used to promote the 2010 season of Australian drama Home and Away. The song was shortlisted for the 2010 APRA Song of the Year and received an ARIA Music Award nomination for Most Popular Australian Single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmen Smith (singer)</span> Australian singer-songwriter (born 1950)

Carmen Smith is an Australian singer-songwriter who rose to prominence after appearing in the first season of The Voice Australia.

<i>Armageddon</i> (Guy Sebastian album) 2012 studio album by Guy Sebastian

Armageddon is the sixth album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in digital and CD format on 12 October 2012. A deluxe edition featuring a DVD of a concert from Sebastian's Armageddon Tour was also available. The album reached number one and double platinum certification in Australia, and number 20 in New Zealand. It was Sebastian's seventh top ten album in Australia, and his second to achieve a number one peak. It was the ninth highest selling album in Australia in 2012, the second highest selling album by an Australian act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get Along Tour</span> 2013 concert tour by Guy Sebastian

Get Along Tour was the tenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The tour supported his sixth studio album Armageddon (2013). The tour visited metro and regional areas in Australia. Sebastian won the 2013 ARIA Award for Best Live Act for the tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armageddon Tour</span> 2012 concert tour by Guy Sebastian

Armageddon Tour was the 9th concert tour by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The tour supported his upcoming sixth studio album Armageddon. The tour visited metropolitan and regional areas in Australia. In 2012, Sebastian announced that the title of his new album was to be Armageddon. Ahead of the album's release, Sebastian wen on a national tour. The tour took in 20 dates across the country in both metropolitan and regional centres, kicking off in Cessnock on 1 June 2012 before finishing up on the Sunshine Coast on 1 July 2012. Sebastian toured in places he has not toured before.

<i>Goin Your Way</i> 2013 live album by Neil Finn and Paul Kelly

Goin' Your Way is a live album collaboration recorded by Neil Finn and Paul Kelly during a performance at the Sydney Opera House on 10 March 2013. It was released on 8 November as a stand-alone 2× CD, Blu-ray or DVD; or in a Limited Edition Deluxe version with all three formats. From 18 February to 18 March, Finn and Kelly undertook a joint tour of Australia, they performed tracks from their respective careers, including re-interpreting each other's work. The CD album peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart while the DVD reached No. 1 on the related Music DVD Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Hopes Tour</span> 2014 concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

The High Hopes Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with special guest guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The tour was seen as a continuation of his previous tour and was in support of eighteenth studio album, High Hopes, which was released in January 2014.

Cosima De Vito, also known as Cosima, is an Australian pop and R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, she is best known for her cover of the classic Australian hit "When the War Is Over" (2004) which reached No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Her passion and love for the music industry stemmed from her influential grandfather, who was a gifted Italian tenor. From a young age, Cosima has performed, winning her first talent quest at the young age of 9. In 2003 Cosima appeared on the first season of Australian Idol. After reaching the semi-finals, Cosima had to withdraw from the series due to throat nodules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Elusive Chanteuse Show</span> 2014 concert tour by Mariah Carey

The Elusive Chanteuse Show was the eighth headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was launched in support of her fourteenth studio album, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014). The tour began in Tokyo, Japan on October 4, 2014 and concluded in Brisbane, Australia on November 16, 2014.

<i>Madness</i> (Guy Sebastian album) 2014 studio album by Guy Sebastian

Madness is the seventh album from Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. The album was released on 21 November 2014. It debuted at number six on the ARIA Charts, Sebastian's eighth top ten album in Australia, and has been certified gold. Four top 20 singles have been released from the album: "Like a Drum", "Come Home with Me", "Mama Ain't Proud" featuring 2 Chainz and "Linger" which features Lupe Fiasco. Sebastian was nominated for two ARIA Music Awards in 2014, Best Male Artist for "Come Home with Me" and Song of the Year for "Like a Drum".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adele Live 2016</span> 2016–17 concert tour by Adele

Adele Live 2016 was the third concert tour by English singer-songwriter Adele in support of her third studio album, 25. It began on 29 February 2016, in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the SSE Arena, continued throughout Western Europe, North America and Oceania. It was originally scheduled to conclude on 2 July 2017, in London, England, at Wembley Stadium, however on 30 June Adele announced via social media that she had regretfully cancelled her final two performances upon medical advice due to vocal injuries.

"The Neverending World Tour" was the umbrella name used to describe a series of concert tours by Swedish pop duo Roxette. The name was derived from the title of the duo's debut single, 1986's "Neverending Love". Their sixth and final concert tour, it took place from 23 October 2009 until 8 February 2016, and consisted of 17 separate legs which saw the duo performing a total of 256 concerts in Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Australasia and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret World Tour</span> 1993–94 concert tour by Peter Gabriel

Secret World Tour was a 1993–94 concert tour mounted by British singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel to promote his 1992 album Us. The stage show was designed by French-Canadian Robert Lepage, expressing the themes of tension and union between male and female forces, as represented by two stages linked by moving walkway. Three tour legs with elaborate staging were interspersed with two legs of much simpler WOMAD festival dates. Many of the same songs were performed by Gabriel, and he felt that all of his large-scale performances during these two years were part of the same tour. Secret World was Gabriel's first major solo outing since his tour of 1986–87 to support the album So. Afterward, he waited for almost a decade before embarking on the next tour, Growing Up, in 2002.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guy Sebastian to play Australian arenas on Madness tour 2015. news.com.au. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Olijnyk, Max (14 December 2014).Six burning questions for ... Guy Sebastian. The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Guy Sebastian Madness Tour 2015 – Warm-up Shows 3 & 4 February. dubbotourism.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 Broadstock, Amelia (26 February 2015).Guy Sebastian Madness tour review: Adelaide. The Advertiser . Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Thomson, Craig (17 February 2015).Guy Sebastian Madness Tour- Sat 14th Feb BEC. Tom Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Hassan, Darren (27 February 2015).Review: Guy Sebastian’s Madness Homecoming.Glam Adelaide. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Szmerling, Brad (26 February 2015).Live review: Guy Sebastian. auspOp. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Trendio Reviews: Guy Sebastian – Madness Tour in Melbourne. Trendio. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Meares, Joel (19 February 2015).Guy Sebastian review: A tale of two Guys, one big arena. The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Ringland, Jenny (1 March February 2015).Guy Sebastian ends Madness tour with upbeat show at Perth Arena. Perth Now. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.