A Groovy Night at The Coliseum (rather than Museum) with The One and Only Macy Gray begins with a long train ride from the CBD for those opting to get there by public transport [1]. As the westbound train covers distances, a desolate Rooty Hill finally materialises on the horizon; a destination seemingly in the middle of nowhere. At dusk the area takes on a life of its own.
The prior long distances between platforms dotted across a vast landscape are ‘problematically matched’ by obscure signposting to an ambitious multi-entry venue that proudly swallows audiences of more than 2,000 people and has three main foyers.
It’s too labyrinthian for its own good and on arrival patrons struggle to find their way in – leading to a Wild West sensation of an organised chaos as we painstakingly manage to enter this “technically brilliant” and “world-class” [2] Alcatraz of an architectural maize. It is a far cry from its Roman homophonic namesake.
Once inside, however, a completely different world opens up; one that is wild and weird and surreal and oddly appealing – even enchanting in its mix of concertgoers of different shapes and colours, including females eclectically dressed for the occasion.
And the occasional Victorians having ventured to Sydney post Arts Centre Melbourne/Hamer Hall union strike and the sudden cancellation of Gray’s initial Melbourne performance [3] counted themselves lucky to have scored a ticket for the corresponding event in this rival city far away yet so close.
The show must go on. In the Harbour Emerald City of Sydney basking in the lingering heat of a magical 24 September night, dedicados and aficionados streamed into an all-engulfing venue whose seating configuration flexibly and organically adapts to the needs of audiences and occasions. It’s informal and happening and it’s a living, breathing social space – part concert hall, part spectacle. [4]
It is, in other words, the perfect place for a soulfully raw Macy Gray. She is preceded by supporting act Emi Secrest who takes to the stage with skilful and charismatic aplomb; the voluptuous Memphian is a star in her own right who importantly remembers to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin as the soul icon and jazzy predecessor of all predecessors.
Secrest, in turn, was preceded by a more unassuming yet riveting Ricky Nifo playing one Elvis Presley cover after the other by the bar (a fitting choice given how much Gray’s late stepdad admired the King of Rock’n’Roll). Nifo is a promising artist who belongs to the stage like any other.
A Queen who kept us waiting, when MACY GRAY finally arrives to blow us away with words that make a difference – and all mind, heart, soul and intellect – she appears on stage inconspicuously, unobtrusively and without theatrics from the back (her exit is equally understated; she gracefully steps aside to let Secrest be the one to leave us on a final musical note).
May’s wholly male ensemble initially symbolically herald her main act by donning voluminous wigs of epic proportions; three superb musicians who performatively pay tribute to an unforgettable ‘aMACYng GRAYce’. At 59 Macy Gray is as stunning, cool and alluring, audacious yet wistfully enigmatic as ever. She gives but she also suggests.
This super star knows how to command our full attention through her flowy yet intense presence and fluidly blends performativity with come as you are. Unfazed and bold yet humble (she smiles whenever a woman and kindred spirit in the audience cries out, “I love you, Macy!”). And incredibly gracious: “You put a smile on my face – thank you very much”.
We are spellbound; black and white, Māori and Pakeha, Pacific Islanders, Anglos and Gringos – all of us 100% present. Gray, flamboyantly moving between [two] outfits, teaches us life as we (did not) know it – or How Life Is. And where she once tried (I Try) she demonstrates through lyrics that resonate and bring depth how resilience is forged in setbacks and adversity.
Apt pupils, we hang on to every word, gesture and move. We are alive and kicking; jumpstarted into feeling and action and we soon find ourselves dancing to the beat of the drums, to the soothing rhythm of songs that deliver larger truths and to the sound of our own heart. “Do your groove thing; I wanna groove, I think I wanna groove, groove… Let us all groove!”
The real highlight of this highly immersive, sensorial evening is not ‘simply’ Gray’s uniquely intoxicating voice or her repertoire of hit after hit, but her immediate rapport with the crowd through words of understanding, warmth and respect. Recognizing the journey she has made from Los Angeles to join us here in Sydney, she seems genuinely grateful to be there.
The show leaves us wrapped as Gray narrates her story musically and lyrically through shared fragments of her imagination and life experiences all rolled into one. She makes us distinguish the light at the end of the tunnel and suggests we stay calm, find our way back to sexiness, that we stay alive and enamoured [with life] no matter what. And for us to keep hopeful and sane when love itself drives us insane (“I may appear to be free, but I’m just a prisoner of your love”).
To keep loving, against all odds. In her distinctively husky voice and freewheeling in style [and with her music likewise famously transcending the screen], May shares observations and transforms individual stories into universal questions – through her musical sensibilities and her informal stage banter that gives food for thought.
Her values in the right place and a true humanitarian, Macy Gray is a breath of fresh air at a time of American political idiocy and damning complacency [5] – where she constitutes a counterpoint (“That Mr Trump, he’s an entertaining guy. But let’s face it, really is he qualified? [6]).
A singularly neo-soul raspy Californian star who “has maintained her position … on the fringes of popular music, perpetually shifting while [kaleidoscopically] remaining fundamentally herself” [7], she has steadily built a legacy on par with the legendary Grace Jones and, dare I say, the late Leonard Cohen (both Gray and Cohen are forever poets of the heart).
A performer through and through and an Ohio native [8] proudly professing to be Californian, Gray is angry and frustrated and pleading [9] and driven, joyful and tongue-in-cheek, loving and sexy, driven by heart and soul and ache and compassion. Macy Gray for president! In anything she writers and delivers her humanity shines through – and in going her own way, she leads the way. [10]
“The Unbearable Lightness of Being”. The Beauty in the World and The Trouble with Being [ourselves]. The shifting colours of love and love in all shapes and forms, the perfectly imperfect need to be “perfectly fine with being crazy”, heartache, nostalgia, longing [11], belonging, Sexual Revolutions and the meaning of it all. By the end of this all-encompassing show, we celebrate what connects and unites us and our shared humanity. And our own agency: Do Something. That is The only Way.
Macy Gray – mindblowing studio albums:
- On How Life Is (1999) [12]
- The Id (2001)
- The Trouble with Being Myself (2003)
- Big (2007)
- The Sellout (2010)
- Covered (2012)
- The Way (2014)
- Stripped (2016)
- Ruby (2018)
- The Reset (2023)
Upcoming album: The Trouble with the Truth (2026)
Macy Gray Live: The Encore Tour
Coliseum Theatre, 33 Railway Street, Rooty Hill (Western Sydney)
Performance: Thursday 24 September 2026
Words: Dr Jytte Holmqvist
Images: Macy Gray Live – photos by Dr Jytte Holmqvist
Footnotes:
[1] It is more readily accessible by car, with The Coliseum located “5 minutes from the apex of the M7 and M4”: www.sydneysymphony.com
[2] www.coliseumtheatre.com.au
[3] As I write up this piece, Gray’s second and last Sydney concert has already kicked off at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown. Her opening show at the Melbourne Arts Centre came to a grinding halt due to union strikes: “We’re sorry to advise that your upcoming event Macy Gray: Live has been cancelled due to planned lawful protected industrial action by unionised Arts Centre Melbourne employees. Some employees have advised that they intend to stop work on Friday 11 September, and as a result the event cannot proceed as scheduled.” Note that this show has been postponed and rescheduled for 13 October.
[4] www.coliseumtheatre.com.au
[5] “Get on the dance floor and shake it with me, Well shut your mouth – stop all that complaining, About the world and all the suffering, We are so sick of all your opinions, Ain’t what you say; it’s what you do with your guns” (Everybody – lyrics)
[8] “Hey white man I am not my grandmother, I’m from the city Canton Ohio, I’m just a lady but I think like a man” (White Man – lyrics)
[10] When asked if she has a particular audience in mind, Gray responds (in a 2019 interview with Jamila Woods – women enthused by her music and lyrics and intrigued by her charisma): “I want everybody to love it. I think my fans are mostly women, and a lot of them grew up with me. A lot of my fans are moms. Women, educated, they all have jobs, went to school. You tend to identify with people who look like you, and are talking about what you come from.” Ibid.