Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, September 6th 2025
Reviewed by Jeremy Elwood
For more than 40 years, Paul Kelly has arguably been Australia’s greatest songwriter, penning chronicles of life in that Great Southern Land, from the personal to the profound. Now 70, he’s been playing arenas on what is billed as his biggest ever domestic tour, which includes three smaller, yet equally unmissable, dates in New Zealand this week.
Photo- Michele A’Court
I caught him on what he jokingly referred to as the first night of his “Melbourne residency”, two sold out shows at Rod Laver Arena. There were three reasons for the trip – I was well overdue a visit to that wonderful city, was fascinated to see Kelly play a truly home crowd, and his opening act was the legendary Lucinda Williams (a late change from the originally announced Jason Isbell, who I was excited about, but Lucinda was a stunning replacement). Williams is 74, and suffered a stroke in 2020. She is helped onstage, and is clearly physically frail, but her voice remains as strong, gritty and uncompromising as ever. Backed by a superb four-piece band, she delivered a 45-minute set of country rock which, along with local Fanny Lumsden, set things up brilliantly. Kelly’s opening act in NZ will be Reb Fountain.
Paul Kelly has a powerhouse of a band behind him, as well. The rhythm section of Peter Luscombe (drums) and Bill McDonald (bass) have been Kelly regulars since the turn of the century, Cameron Bruce (keyboards) has been a stalwart since 2007, and guitarist Dan Kelly also happens to be his nephew. Ash Naylor (guitar) and the truly astonishing Jess Hitchcock (vocals and percussion) round things out.
Kelly’s upcoming release Seventy will, incredibly, be his thirtieth studio album, so as you may imagine, the setlist covers some serious ground. The first three songs alone take us from 2024 (Houndstooth Dress) through 2017 (Firewood and Candles) and then all the way back to 1986 (Before Too Long). Before the night is through, we will have rocked along with Dumb Things, swum in Deeper Waters, been given the full tour From St Kilda to Kings Cross and, of course, learnt How To Make Gravy. This last slice-of-life masterpiece even has a brand-new sequel, in Rita Wrote A Letter.
Paul Kelly’s ability to tell a story is unparalleled. Whether it’s the heartbreaking simplicity of To Her Door or the sweeping saga of From Little Things Big Things Grow, he can summarise a life in a couple of lines, or floor you with a devastating turn of phrase. The show uses video projection sparingly, but effectively, particularly on a standout performance of Every Day my Mother’s Voice. This 2019 track, written for a documentary about indigenous Australian Rules footballer Adam Goodes, features a stunning vocal from Jess Hitchcock – her power, clarity and sheer emotion is an absolute highlight.
Paul Kelly’s voice, also, has never sounded better. I mean that literally – he genuinely sounds stronger now than on his early recordings, with more expression and nuance in what are more than just renditions, they’re layered performances.
Beyond the songwriting, Kelly is a consummate actor – he famously writes from various character’s perspectives, but also entirely inhabits each role as he sings. Despite playing town halls here, rather than arena-sized venues, I really hope they have a big screen up for NZ audiences to see him in full flow.
Because despite this being in an arena, it is an incredibly intimate show. There’s something magical about hearing a line like “I’m high on the hill, looking over the bridge to the MCG” knowing that he’s describing the exact view waiting for you as you exit the venue, but at the same time he creates worlds within the gig itself that are just as vivid. By the time he brings things to a close with the whole band in an acapella Meet Me In the Middle of The Air, we’ve taken a truly magical journey through the back catalogue of a uniquely Australian master.