Music News Australia: Cliff Richard performs at State Theatre; Sydney, Australia

Friday, 8 February 2013

Cliff Richard performs at State Theatre; Sydney, Australia

Cliff Richard performs at State Theatre; Sydney, Australia...

Tonight British performing artist legend, Cliff Richard, performed to a full house at Sydney's iconic State Theatre.

The 72-year-old singer strutted his way around the stage like a much younger man. Not quite The Rolling Stones pace, but maybe a step or two faster that if The Beatles were still going.

He did his new stuff...STILL REELIN' AND A-ROCKIN', and to the delight of the masses, went on to play old favorites such as Devil Woman, Some People, and his biggest hit We Don’t Talk Anymore.

His black sequin suit never looked so good... well, you get the idea.

If this is all part of the "Grey Dollar", bring on more of these guys. Not quite ready for the rocking chairs yet. Rock on (in front of all your Aussie fans).

Bio...

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE (born Harry Rodger Webb, 14 October 1940) is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist. He is the third-top-selling singles artist in the United Kingdom's history, with total sales of over 21 million in the UK and has reportedly sold an estimated 250 million records worldwide.

With his backing group The Shadows, Richard, originally positioned as a rebellious rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard and Elvis Presley, dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-Beatles period of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His 1958 hit single "Move It" is often described as Britain's first authentic rock and roll song, and John Lennon once claimed that "before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music." Increased focus on his Christian faith and subsequent softening of his music later led to a more middle of the road pop image, sometimes venturing into gospel music.

Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Richard has become a fixture of the British entertainment world, amassing many gold and platinum discs and awards, including three Brit Awards and two Ivor Novello Awards. He has had more than 130 singles, albums and EPs make the UK Top 20, more than any other artist and holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades (1950s–2000s). He has achieved 14 UK No. 1 singles (or 18, depending on the counting methodology) and is the only singer to have had a No. 1 single in the UK in five consecutive decades: the 1950s through to the 1990s.

Richard has never achieved the same impact in the United States despite eight US Top 40 singles, including the million-selling "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore", the latter becoming the first to reach the Billboard Hot 100's top 40 in the 1980s by a singer who had been in the top 40 in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In Canada, Richard achieved moderate success in the 1980s with several albums reaching platinum status. He has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Europe and Asia, and he retains a following in other countries.

2012...

Cliff celebrated New Year 2012 in Paris with friends. He spent a short spell in NYC in January before his return to his home in Barbados. A holiday cruise in February followed by a few days with friends in Florida, and then back to Barbados. A brief trip to Germany was next, to perform with RTL AllStars at Sixt's 100 year celebrations in Berlin. He returned to Barbados to finish up work in the garden and begin to prepare for his upcoming performances.

In May Cliff visited RHS Chelsea representing BHS Barbados exhibit "Summer Holiday" and enjoying the other gardens on show. He was honoured to be asked by Dionne Warwick to take part in the Hunger Project Charity Gala performance at the Royal Albert Hall in the same week, and then began his rehearsals for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert. Even when rehearsing Cliff managed to fit in a Patron visit to Shooting Star Hospice, Weybridge where he caught up with staff, patients and parents to witness the wonderful care the hospice provides.

The Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace was one highlight in an amazing 2012 for Cliff. Despite the weather he also managed to celebrate the Jubilee Boat Pageant with friends in London, catching a bus to beat waiting in the rain for a taxi amongst the crowds.

A brief trip to Aalborg, Denmark followed to open the "Park of Singing Trees" (Cliff planted the first tree there many years ago). Cliff then managed to take a short Mediterranean cruise with friends before performing at another charity event, for St John's Beaumont School in Windsor raising essential funds for their sister school in Africa.

Cliff was honoured to be asked by Samsung to carry the Olympic Torch in Birmingham and (ever one to combine events) he took the opportunity to visit staff and patients at the Birmingham Women's Hospital Neonatal Unit to see the equipment the Birmingham Fan Club have purchased through their fundraising in Cliff's name. Cliff then joined the bus of fellow torch bearers for a few hours en route to his designated spot in Birmingham for an uplifting and memorable run.

Cliff's annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships visit enabled him to catch up with friends and fellow tennis fanatics before his annual Portuguese summer holiday.

A brief return to the UK from Portugal for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics courtesy of friends, and then he spent an enjoyable month at his Quinta, enjoying the peace and quiet and catching up with local friends.

Cliff performed at a cancer charity event in London in October before heading off to Thailand, Cambodia and Burma for a memorable and educational trip with close friends.

Cliff was delighted to be the guest of honour at a charity Lunch given by The Lady Taverner's at the Dorchester in November, hosted by Judith Chalmers, then a return home to Barbados again to begin preparations for his 2013 Australasian Tour.

Promo...

CLIFF RICHARD RETURNS TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND IN 2013 FOR THE STILL REELIN' AND A-ROCKIN' NATIONAL TOUR...

With global record sales beyond 250 million and a ceaseless performance schedule spanning the 54 years of his career, Cliff is set to return to Australia and New Zealand with a hit-packed national tour STILL REELIN' AND A-ROCKIN'.

The STILL REELIN' AND A-ROCKIN' tour, staged in February 2013, will see Cliff perform at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's new Hamer Hall, the Brisbane Convention Centre, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and will finish with a stunning outdoor concert at the Sandalford Winery in Swan Valley, WA.