Taking the stage of the Canberra Theatre for the final concert of her whirl-wind farewell tour of Australia, before heading off to New Zealand, leaving a trail of sold-out concerts in her wake, Dionne Warwick made her entrance in a blaze of purple sequins to be greeted with a standing ovation from an adoring audience thrilled to be in the same room as this bonafide music legend for just one last time.
Acknowledging the ovation with a dazzling ear-to-ear grin, Ms Warwick settled herself on a stool beside the grand piano and proceeded to delight that audience with a succession of songs that she had made chart-topping hits in a career that has spanned over 60 years.
A smiled signal to her accompanist, Andre Chez Lewis, heralded the familiar strains of her 1963 hit, Walk On By. A string of Burt Bacharach and Hal David songs followed, Anyone Who Had A Heart, You’ll Never Get to Heaven If You Break My Heart, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again and Message to Michael, just for starters.
Acknowledged as the supreme interpreter of the songs of Bacharach and David, Ms Warwick must have sung these songs a thousand times before, yet she appeared to enjoy sharing them with this audience as if for the first time.
Although the voice has aged, and the breathing a little less free, nobody expected otherwise from the 84-year-old singer whose stellar 60-year career is crowded with accolades.
But despite the blemishes of age, her unique vocal timbre and phrasing remain intact, as does the artistry of her presentation evident in her ability to hold her audience spellbound for the entire 80 minutes of her performance.
No gimmicks, no padding with long reminiscences about past glories, just 80 minutes of her hit songs, with revised musical arrangements that allowed her more freedom for spontaneous vocalisations with which she playfully teased her audience, while luxuriating in the inspired accompaniments of her superb quartet which in addition to Chez Lewis on Piano included Jeffery Lewis on Drums, Renato Brasa on percussion and Danny DeMorales on bass.
Brilliant lighting and sound enhanced the mood and ambiance of the performance to the extent that by the time Ms Warwick had worked her way through This Girl’s in Love With You, I Say a little Prayer, Alfie, Do You know the Way to San Jose? and I’ll Never Love This Way Again and the audience sensed she was moving towards her finale with 99 Miles From LA, What the World Needs Now is Love and of course That’s What Friends Are For, no one wanted to break the mood or the show to end.
But being the consummate professional she is, and despite another extended, vociferous standing ovation, Ms Warwick gracefully exited the stage, leaving behind a memory of a remarkable concert which no one who experienced it is likely to forget.
Dionne Warwick – One Last Time
Canberra Theatre – Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, Canberra
Performance: Sunday 19 January 2025
Image: Dionne Warwick with Andre Chez Lewis on piano – photo by Sheldon Ang
Review: Bill Stephens OAM