Come Together Big Bash 2024 – Civic Theatre, 6 February 2024: Review & Photo Gallery

I don’t know why they haven’t done this before. Instead of focusing on one album and one artist, Come Together should just do a Greatest Hits. Should happen more often. No-one’s making those records anymore, so let’s keep it live.

And so it comes to pass that New Zealand’s good (us), great (the artists) and creepy (some of us) assemble at the Civic at Christmas time to celebrate the best rock songs ever.

According to?… Us of course, and some of the creepy, who manage to get on the electoral roll and vote.

I mean, who let Donald Trump in there with Immigrant Song? I guess all elections are rigged, especially with the Russians around.

The Come Together Supergroup are by now well known to the faithful.  Julia, Dianne, Milan, Brett, Mike, Alastair, Matthias, directed by Jol, and no horns in sight (out of Sympathy).

And two newcomers, Devilskin’s Jenny Skulander, and the Sea Mouse himself, Seamus Johnson.

Well, not so new, because both Jenny and Seamus featured in the last show back in July, honouring Zep, and a gig I unfortunately missed.

And maybe the most recent has influenced the vote, as you scan through the setlist and find it dominated by Led Zeppelin, and I’m fine with that. I’m fine with only one Bowie, one Beatles, one Clapton, one Petty, one Young. Or maybe I’m not. But no one gives a far cough about me. I’ll just have to wait for the next one.

The enemy of good enough with a band like this can only be the originals, and so good enough is arguably the highest praise possible, even if all we notice in this aural splendour are the one or two (rare) moments when it just doesn’t seem quite right.

Besides, it can’t get any better than the originals, can it?… Can it?

Well, maybe it just can, because we’ll never hear most of these songs played live by the original artists ever again. There aren’t enough superlatives in any language to describe how good these local singers and musicians are.

Look at Brett Adams. How good is he? Better question, why is he so good? I’d venture it’s because he’s in love with everything he plays, and recreating those riffs and scales to perfection is an expression of his authentic self. Call it self-actualization, the pinnacle of the Maslow hierarchy.

And Milan Borich. To interpret someone else’s songs is one thing, but to recreate those songs you must be those people. You have to subjugate self in order to honour the original.

While Milan’s Bruce is better than his Bono, and his Mick is a smidgen closer than his Gilmour, he’s smart enough to make his Eric his own. Because Clapton was way too fucked up when he did Layla that you just don’t want to be that version of him.

And as for Robert Plant, it takes two of New Zealand’s most exciting vocalists to pay homage to just how great he was and is. No-one does Robert like Robert, but Jenny and Seamus come dangerously close. (Even Robert can’t do Robert anymore, Editor).

Highlights…

Seamus as Robert in Whole Lotta Love, and Axl in Child of Mine. Seamus must be Robert’s son fathered by Axl.

The three guitar Piano Exit on Layla (Brett, Jol, Seamus, remembering that this was not only one of Eric’s finest moments, it’s also arguably the finest moment for Duane Allman)

Jenny Skulander on Since I’ve Been Loving You and Barracuda.

Milan Borich as mentioned above.

The three-acoustic combo on Wish You Were Here.

Seamus and Jenny’s vocal histrionics.

Alastair’s drumming is just amazing throughout. He must be the best drummer in the land.

Brett as Jimmy, Eric, and specifically Peter Green. Oh Well Part 1 shows a very astute voting cohort. The first Fleetwood Mac were light years better than the poppy version which emerged through the haze in 1975.

Dianne as Patti, because the night. Because The Night is also one of the Boss’ best songs. And Dianne as Petty, petty little Refugee.

Milan and Julia on Gimme Shelter.

Julia and the band on Kashmir.

Matthias and Jol being Matthias and Jol.

Mike being Mike.

The video background splicing and spleening the stage into a kaleidoscope of colour and fractured faces.

Lowlights…

It finished way too early….it could have gone on forever. Come Together forever.

Roger Bowie

Photography by Leonie Moreland

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 Setlist:

1. U2: Where the Streets have No Name (Milan)
2. Led Zeppelin: Immigrant Song (Jenny)
3. Springsteen: Born to Run (Milan)
4. Tom Petty: Refugee (Dianne)
5. Heart: Barracuda (Jenny)
6. Led Zeppelin: Heartbreaker (Seamus)
7. Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well, Part One (Brett)
8. Bowie: Moonage Daydream (Julia)
9. Patti Smith: Because the Night (Dianne)
10. Led Zeppelin: Since I’ve Been Loving You (Jenny)
11. Beatles: Helter Skelter (Julia)
12. Stones: Paint It Black (Jenny)
13. Stones: Gimme Shelter (Milan and Julia)
14. Derek & The Dominoes: Layla (Milan)
15. Guns ‘N Roses: Sweet Child of Mine (Seamus)
16. Stones: Sympathy for The Devil (Milan)
17. Neil Young: Like A Hurricane (Brett)
18. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (Seamus)
19. Led Zeppelin: Kashmir (Julia)
20. Fleetwood Mac: The Chain (Everyone)
21. Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb (Milan)
22. Led Zeppelin: Stairway To Heaven (Jenny)

Encores:

23. Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Dianne)
24. Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Love (Seamus)