Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party held at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre is a true celebration from start to finish. Crowe certainly keeps himself busy during the performance, sometimes playing the role of lengthy raconteur and, at other times, the suave showman swiftly introducing guests before retreating for a quick break. The performance featuring his group, The Gentlemen Barbers, and rising star Lorraine O’Reilly, is more than merely another concert on the block. While Crowe’s fame might encourage audiences to purchase tickets, one must not overlook the musicians who are more than typical session members, or O’Reilly’s bright potential, as she hails from Co Cavan. It’s interesting to speculate how many attendees were drawn in by the Academy Award-winning actor himself, versus those interested in the music fronted by Crowe’s band offering a mix of rock, blues, and soul. It is also ambiguous as to how many are familiar with his long-standing musical origins, as he aimed for a singing career a few years before his acting talents were recognised in the early 1990s.
Greeting his audience, he playfully refers to his concert as a “Taylor Swift alternative gig,” as he takes centre stage with his troupe of musicians, O’Reilly and a trio of female backing vocalists. They all sport matching black attire, suggesting that Crowe is committed to offering more than just a show. His performance extends over two hours, with a combination of original tracks and covers, spicing it up with captivating stories that bewitch the audience.
Within the tales Russell Crowe shares, some are amusing (like when Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci snubbed him after the Italian football team’s defeat), some are bizarre (like the patience-testing tarantula bite story), some have an emotional touch (like a note from Johnny Cash), some are moving (such as his narrative about owning an Australian ‘bush’ house with a room full of ‘shimmery items’ implying his success as an actor), and some are extraordinarily captivating (the profound bond with Rome and hearing Danny Boy, his father’s funeral song, played shockingly by the Swiss Guard Band in the Vatican after his father’s passing).
Held in the Gaiety, Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party was a blend of diverse elements that created a festive mood on a typical Monday evening. Crowe, with no pretence, swears excessively and narrates the stories, winning over the spectators. He’s charming and sincere, particularly when he’s serious or philosophically reflective. You can’t criticise the musicians, even though the original pieces aren’t much different from what a seasoned pub band might play. Occasionally, you find the ‘garden party’ concept being overemphasized – for instance when one of the special guests was his oldest son Charlie, whose singing lacked earnestness.
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However, any concerns were addressed as the show concluded with a trio of songs that got the crowd extremely engaged: a merry Pogues-like tune ‘Testify’, a powerful soul/rock track, and an unexpectedly impressive cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’. This was followed by Crowe singing a well-received rendition of Dire Strait’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and defying the curfew with Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues’.
Despite an uneven performance with some mediocre tunes, Crowe undeniably entertained the audience.