Having had the December performance cancelled at the last minute, on the 14th July, we finally got to the Opera House to see the legend that is Burt Bacharach. First off, we had dinner at Guileeme at Beneelong (the restaurant in the Opera House & winner of 3 hats in this year’s good food guide), complete with a great view to the Circular Quay on one side & Lady Macquarie's Point on the other. Did have a bit of a goldfish effect though, with passers by gawking in! Fantastic food (I had tuna infused with basil followed by beef tenderloin, whilst Lucy had smoked salmon roulade followed by kingfish) & wine meant the place lived up to it’s reputation (the service was patchy – but the sommelier was great) and really set the store for a great night. Entering the concert hall for the first time my first impression was “Wow, that’s a lot of pine”!! And my second thought was “What are those weird things hanging from the ceiling?”. However, it worked & the whole place is designed very well, not a bad view in the house & the acoustics are superb. To be fair, age has definitely dimmed Burt’s voice, but the singers he brought with him were very good and his musical talent shone as he played with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Burt also followed in the foot-steps of Pink, criticising George Bush on stage (he certainly deserves it) and as all good entertainers should he left the audience wanting more! Most surprising aspect of the night was that fact that Lucy & I were not the only young people there…. In fact there was quite a few!
Burt (I feel that I’m on first name terms with him now) went through all of the old classics, with “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head” seeming a particular crowd favourite…. And the rousing rendition of “What the World Needs Now” brought in the whole orchestra and provided a suitable finale. All worth waiting for!
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