(Barry Thomson)
Electrifying and exhilarating party of hard rock music. (Review by Keith
Millar)
Five Decades of Rock, currently on at
the Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest, is
a rambunctious, intense and very exciting celebration of some of the best hard
rock music ever produced.
For close on two hours, with only a short interval to catch your breath,
hard rock hits of the past five decades are hammered out. It is a relentless,
passionate and extreme performance, and in the end you feel as if you have been
pounded into submission. It is a bit like being on a giant roller coaster. All
adrenalin and excitement which, when it is finished, leaves you feeling
exhilarated, exhausted, and a little weak at the knees.
The Reals, enhanced for this
show by the inclusion Ross Tapson on electric guitar and vocals and the
impressive Jerryn Fosteras on vocals, were on the top of their form and prove
to be absolute masters of this genre music.
Musical Director, and on keyboards, is the one and only Dawn Selby. Her
leadership is evident in the professional and skillful performance of the band.
She also performed a duet with Fosteras of South African Band Seether’s
beautiful song, Broken. It was a
moving and emotional performance.
Barry Thompson was his usual brilliant self on guitar and vocals and is
joined on this occasion by the talented Ross Tapson. Their guitar duos were
thrilling and breath taking. Nowhere more so than in Thin Lizzie’s Emerald.
The engine-room of the group consists of Mali Sewell on drums and Jason
Andrew on bass and their performances were flawless. The second half of the
show starts with a thumping drum solo by Sewell which showed why he is known as
The God of Thunder.
Star of the show is young singer Jerryn Fosteras. I first saw him as a
young and nervous, albeit talented, performer in the Heritage Theatre Christmas
production last year. He has made amazing progress since then. Now a confident
and accomplished performer he growled, rasped, screamed and wailed his way
through all his songs, never missing a note, in what is quite a stunning
performance. This young man has serious talent.
The programme kicks off with The Kinks’ You Really Got Me and moves swiftly through the decades. It
includes music from various genres of hard rock music, as well as bands from
several different countries. Amongst others we heard songs from The Who (My Generation), Pearl Jam (Alive), The Foo Fighters (Learn To Fly), Def Leppard (Rock of Ages), Deep Purple (Black Night), Nickleback (How You Remind Me), Aerosmith (Walk This Way), Green Day (American Idiot), Guns and Roses (Sweet Child Of Mine), AC/DC’s (Back In Black), and Van Halen (Jump). A line up to excite any hard rock
music fan.
In contrast to the fireworks of the show is the
usual very elegant two course meal which is provided at the Heritage Theatre. We
started with Chorizo and Blue Cheese Au Gratin. The spicy sausage was perfectly
complimented by the strong blue cheese flavour. Other starters available were a
Soup of the Day and a Roasted Veggie salad. For Main Course, I chose the Oven
Baked Fish Fillet. The fish was cooked to perfection and covered with a very
tasty and creamy Chenin Blanc and Shrimp sauce. My wife chose the Cajun
Blackened Chicken fillet which she really enjoyed while our friend had a cheesy
Veggie Enchilada with Guacamole and Sour Cream. All were very satisfying meals.
Five
Rock Decades of is an outstanding show and will be enjoyed by rockers of all ages. Be
prepared for an electrifying and exhilarating party of hard rock music!
The show is on until the November 17. Tickets R195
pp Wednesday to Saturdays (R65 pp Tuesday evenings and Sunday lunch time). There
is a show only option at R120 pp. Prices include a delicious two-course meal. Meals are served from 19h00
and the show starts at 20h30. Bookings can be made by phoning 031 765 4197 or
online at www.strictlytickets.com
– Keith Millar
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