Stu Larsen & Passenger
The Tivoli, Brisbane 06-12-13
From busker to the bright lights- Mike Rosenberg aka Passenger is an old-school master craftsman of song, attracting people of all walks of life. Arriving at The Tivoli to what seemed a never-ending line of concert-goers began the nights journey; as with any great journey, there were ups, downs, sights, sounds and moments of breathtaking beauty.
Strolling onto the stage, fellow busker, best friend and touring buddy, Stu Larsen, immediately warmed the atmosphere of a completely packed out Tivoli. With a superb knack for songwriting, Stu enchanted my ears through stories and songs with “Seaforth Mackenzie”, “San Francisco”, “The Mile”, newie “King Street” and favourite “The Train,” admitting that it could get awkward if his harmonica gets stuck in his trademark hair/beard… it’s happened before! Teasing the audience with covering One Direction, (the first One Direction joke of the night) then apologising to “those who legitimately got excited”, Stu went on to silence the crowd with a stunning rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You” instead. Armed with his guitar, stories of travel, his electrifying falsetto and his heart on his flannelette sleeve, Stu wormed his way into the ears and hearts of a surprisingly quiet audience, perfectly setting the mood for the night.
Gone are the days of sitting amongst an audience of 20; Mike Rosenberg waltzed on stage to unwavering claps and cheers, not to mention several proclamations of love from audience members. Capturing the attention of the audience from the very get go and setting the whimsical nature of the evening all in one, Passenger apologised for playing “really f***ing depressing music,” before launching into “Fairytales & Firesides??.” Quite the crowd warmer and an extremely witty fellow, his between song banter was more than entertaining, leaving the crowd undoubtedly clinging to every detail. An obedient audience at The Tivoli is hard to come by, but Rosenberg had the audience in the palm of his hand; if he asked for silence, he got it, clapping, he got it, shouting, he got it, and singing- you guessed it, he got it! Barr the two intoxicated ladies proudly and loudly from Bundaberg,(anyone at the gig will know what I’m talking about!!) I swear at times you could have heard a pin drop, especially during “Blind Love” where he made the most of the Tivoli’s acoustics and unplugged. Flitting between “I Hate”, “The Wrong Direction”, “Life’s For The Living” and “Holes”; all of which I swear most of the audience knew the lyrics too, it’s clear that Rosenberg’s stories really hit home. Joking that he wasn’t going to play his hit song “Let Her Go”, reassuring us with “of course I’m going to play it, it’s my only f***ing hit song!”, then throwing in Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Simon & Garfunkels “Sound Of Silence” (ironic considering the stillness of the room)- Passenger really took us all on one memorable journey! Quoted by the man of the hour, there were “no laptops, loop pedals or One Direction”, just a witty Englishman with an unmistakable voice, guitar and an audience under his spell.
– Charlotte Boumford
