Upon its announcement, The Melbourne Zoo Twilights 2014 program received an enthusiastic response from music lovers of all ages, with three shows immediately selling out even before the season began. Among the three was the Northern Territory’s Jessica Mauboy, whose concert I had the pleasure of attending this past Saturday.
A concert at the Zoo? Indeed! Melbourne Zoo Twilights blends music with wildlife exhibits – open exclusively for Zoo Twilights guests – and gourmet delights, all in the glorious setting of Australia’s oldest Zoo. The proceeds help Zoos Victoria fight wildlife extinction, via the They’re Calling on You campaign to help save the Gorillas.
Back in November 2014, the Zoo saw the birth of a new baby elephant. Before entertaining the thousands of fans who came to see her, Jessica Mauboy started her day at the wildlife park by introducing herself to the new infant pachyderm.
Jessica’s opening act was Ms Murphy, the fiery and sultry stage persona of Karen Andrews, best known from The Voice. Ms Murphy covered the 2011 indie hit from Swedish outfit, Little Dragon, a song by Nina Simone, and some of her own original pieces from her new album ‘Ritual Union.’
To be in the presence of Ms Murphy was like sitting in a lush New York City blues lounge, sipping on a delicious cocktail as she seduced the listeners’ ears with her sultry and velvety voice. Alas – in my humble opinion – Ms Murphy was appreciated by a mere few in the crowd, as it was mostly composed of little ones and their preteen siblings who were eagerly awaiting Jessica’s performance.
After a short intermission, Jessica Mauboy blasted onto the stage brimming with energy and a smile as big as Australia. The kids went wild! I wondered about the animals in their enclosures: did they get a jolt from all the noise?
Wearing silver lamé shorts, a cropped jacket and high-heel sneakers, Jessica was like a bright silver sparkle on stage. All eyes were on her and it seemed everyone knew the lyrics by heart, singing along with her, as she belted out ‘Gotcha,’ ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Pop a Bottle’, and other crowd favourites.
After a lightning-fast costume change into a black sequence pantsuit and an emerald green bolero jacket, Jessica switched gears a bit and sang a few slower ballads accompanied by acoustic guitar. Following which she rolled into the rip roaring R&B classics from the film, The Sapphires, in which she co-starred in 2012, to great acclaim.
The lovely Jessica Mauboy, with her infectious laugh and a voice to be reckoned with, was a delight to watch and hear. In her song, ‘Gotcha‘ Jessica states: ‘Gotcha gotcha gotcha, In my pocket where I want you to be’… she did get us! She had us all in her proverbial pocket, and we were happy to be there.
Jessica projected so great a positive vibe while on stage, that both young and old left her concert thoroughly happy.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Jessica Mauboy
1 February
Zoo Twilights, Melbourne Zoo
www.zoo.org.au
Mixed events 24 January – 8 March
