Words and Photos @killer.solo.music
A room full of INXS fans, one electric frontman and an Adelaide crowd determined to drown out the band.
There’s a reason I love The Gov. I’ve been there more times than I can count, and it never seems to lose that feeling. Cold drinks, familiar faces, great music and a room that somehow manages to feel like home, no matter who’s on stage.
Tuesday night was JD Fortune’s turn, and judging by the crowd, Adelaide had been waiting for this one.
Opening the night was Jason from Nakatomi Plaza, armed with an acoustic guitar, a bunch of pub classics and a bloody good sense of humour.
He had the crowd singing from the very first song. No fancy production, no bullshit. Just a bloke with a guitar having a laugh and getting everyone involved. He was funny, quick on his feet and knew exactly how to work the room.
Honestly, you couldn’t have asked for a better opening act.
Then JD Fortune hit the stage.
Fuck me. What a performer.
I’ve seen plenty of great frontmen over the years, and JD is right up there. The bloke has that rare ability to walk onto a stage and immediately own it. He doesn’t have to try to look like a rock star. He just is one.
The voice was incredible, the energy never dropped, and the connection he had with the audience was something else.
And the band? Tight as hell.
Those INXS songs have a particular groove to them that’s not as easy to pull off as people might think. There’s a lot going on beneath those seemingly simple riffs, and the band absolutely nailed it. They had the swagger, the feel and, most importantly, they knew when to let the songs breathe.
But Adelaide wasn’t about to sit quietly and appreciate the musicianship.
Oh, fuck no.
They came to sing.
And sing they did.
Every bloody word.
From New Sensation and Devil Inside through to Need You Tonight, Mystify, Beautiful Girl, Never Tear Us Apart and Don’t Change, the crowd gave absolutely everything they had.
Pretty Vegas was in there too, and hearing JD perform the song that helped introduce him to the world felt particularly special.
There were moments when I could barely hear JD over the audience. Not because the sound was bad, but because hundreds of South Australians had collectively decided they were going to be the lead singer for the evening.
And I fucking loved it.
After the show, a few of the musicians mentioned that Adelaide had been one of the loudest and most enthusiastic crowds of the tour.
I believe them.
Standing there watching it all unfold, you could see how much JD was feeding off that energy. He’d give the crowd a line, they’d throw it straight back at him, and the grin on his face said everything.
That’s the sort of thing you can’t manufacture.
What impressed me most, though, was JD himself.
There’s a difference between someone who can sing rock songs and someone who genuinely belongs on a rock stage. JD has that natural charisma, that little bit of danger, that confidence and attitude that makes it impossible to take your eyes off him.
He’s a proper fucking rock star.
And I don’t throw that around lightly.
I also had the pleasure of meeting him, and I have to say, away from the lights and the noise, he’s an absolute gentleman. Generous with his time, genuinely warm and just a lovely human being.
I always appreciate that. Especially when someone who’s spent years in the spotlight turns out to be every bit as decent as you’d hoped.
By the end of the night, I was standing there with a massive grin on my face.
Jason had been the perfect warm-up. The band was outstanding. JD had delivered one hell of a performance, and the Adelaide crowd had practically sung itself hoarse.
And The Gov?
Well, The Gov was The Gov.
Still one of my favourite places to watch live music, and nights like this are exactly why.
I’ve loved these songs for decades. Hearing them performed that well, in a room full of people who clearly love them just as much, was pretty fucking special.
What a night.
What a band.
And what a fucking frontman.
This is the gospel.
I bite crowd surfers.
– Killer.
