Bantering with himself while tuning his guitar, Rufus Wainwright let out, “I am so gay” with a warm laugh, which was immediately echoed by a receptive audience. In many ways, this small exchange captured the genuine connection that filled the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House last night, as Wainwright delivered his one-night only performance as part of Sydney Festival 2025, before touring to Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane.
The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter delivered an incredible performance. He walked straight in, sat at the piano, unaccompanied and, bang, went straight into ‘Grey Gardens’ (2001). His voice was textured, warm and filled the hall with an almost electric energy.
It was followed by ‘Vibrate’ (2003), with Wainwright holding a single note staggeringly long and strong, as if to say, “I’m here and I’ve still got it”.
‘Got it’ Wainwright certainly has, having come off the back of a productive 2024 with his first West End musical and a Requiem (with Meryl Streep, no less), and lots of songwriting, as he explained, for a soon to be released new album. He played one of the album’s songs without revealing its title.
Its lyrics spoke of early morning madness, early morning sadness and early morning longing – its cycle of words building to a crazed crescendo on the keyboard. It is undeniably his next classic.
Throughout the performance, Wainwright bounced seamlessly between the piano and guitar, captivating audiences with ease – his eyes often closed, bodily at one with his instruments and his emotions, and his voice just carrying on the air to a captivated audience.
That intimacy and relaxed tone of his performance was in sync with his folk traditions, and with storytelling, which sits at the heart of this Sydney Festival. Chatting between songs, he spoke of his mum Kate McGarrigle before singing ‘Beauty Mark’ (1998), and of tensions with his father Loudon Wainwright III, before ‘Dinner at Eight‘ (2003), which he explained was, “written after a huge argument with [his] dad”.
That generational storytelling through music was reiterated in the choice of support act – which turned out to be more than a seat warmer. In a generous and genuine gesture, Wainwright brought the Melbourne group, Folk Bitch Trio, back on stage for a set of four songs – one a Neil Young cover and another, ‘High on a Rocky Ledge’ (1978), by the jazz musician Moondog, a track that, Wainwright delighted in explaining, the trio introduced him to.
The vocal control of Folk Bitch Trio’s soft, slow strength placed them in sync with Wainwright’s folk style, and their stage presence also offered a nicely matched energy. In tandem, they demonstrated the narrative as an enduring and powerful genre in its own time, in its own voice.
A sure highlight of Wainwright’s performance was ‘Going to a Town’ (2007), with its lyrics “I’m so tired of you America” having an apt potency, and ‘Go or Go Ahead’ (2003), which Wainwright sang simply front stage, bathed in a single beam of golden light. For a song that has been so produced and circulated, this simple take brought it back to the very personal aspect of its lyrics, and drug addiction.
Among other favourites on the playlist were ‘The Art Teacher’ (2004), ‘Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk’ (2001), ‘Poses’ (2001), ‘Peaceful Afternoon’ (2020) and the Leonard Cohen cover ‘So Long, Marianne’ (2017) – spanning his 11-album and three-decade career. It is a cracker song list.
The Concert Theatre proved itself a fantastic venue with a feeling of intimacy. The staging was simple – dark and dramatic with, at times, overzealous lighting effects, which Wainwright described as like getting beamed “to another planet”. He was dressed in a black aviator-style ‘onesie’ with a splash of sequins on one shoulder.
Simply, Wainwright’s return to Sydney Opera House lived up to all expectations, and delivered more.
The audience sprang to a standing ovation as Wainwright’s last note was played. And the encore? Well, of course it was ‘Hallelujah’, followed by ‘Complainte De La Butte’ (2001) from Moulin Rouge and sung perfectly in French. Both choices showed Wainwright well aware of the audience – one most loved, and one chosen for its Australian connection, he explained – again underscoring that he was there for his audience.
Rufus Wainwright, Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
Sydney Festival 2025
Supported by Folk Bitch Trio
8 January 2025
Touring to Melbourne Recital Centre (10-11 January), Odeon Theatre Hobart (12 January) and The Tivoli Brisbane (14 January).
