I was fortunate to be able to see the new GOOD LOVIN' show twice in just over a
week, the premiere in Sydney and a smoother show in Canberra eight days later.

The show opens with a punch from the drum and bass heavy "1-2-3" and moves into
"Jackie Wilson Said", the increasingly pleasing "Baby, Now That I've Found You"
and the jazzy but amusingly cheesy "Yeh Yeh". In Sydney Bob Downe (aka Mark
Trevorrow) joined David on stage at the State Theatre to add to the kitsch value
of this song. They brought the house down.

The show then slows for a brilliant version of "You've Lost That Lovin'
Feelin'". Back up singers Mahalia Barnes and Juanita Tippins sopport David
brilliantly in this song. And the band is terrific.

The band deserves a word. It's a different line-up from the Swing Sessions
team, though Joe Acaria (musical director, drums) stays. Marty Hsiley,
apparently a Canberra boy, performs consistently impressively on lead guitar.
Brass and woodwind are Steve Fitzmaurice, Msrk Taylor and another player not
billed. Piano is Lindsay Page and, for the rockier work, Nik Pringadi who
otherwise is on electric keyboards. Ben Cripps plays awesome bass. Efforts
have been made to give the band more prominence this time around. There is an
epic version of "Lazy River" in which a duel takes place between David and the
brass with the brass players moving around the stage in a stylised chase
routine. It works really well.

"Lovin' Feelin'" was followed by "How Can I Be Sure" (with some fine flute).
The pace picked up with a scorcher in "Keep On Running".

Then a delightful surprise when David sang "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" accompanied
only by Lindsay Page at the piano. Introduced as a song they couldn't fit on
the CD, it seemed a loss that such a fine performance of so great a song missed
the cut. However, it will be on the DVD released on 24 April and I guess
appears on the download of the Sydney show available on the bandit.fm website.
This performance was reminiscent of David's job on "Cry" and "Save The Last
Dance For Me" on the SHOUT! cast recording.

There then followed the Swing Sessions segment made up of "Perhaps, Perhaps,
Perhaps", "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", "Up A Lazy River" and the
singalong "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Revisiting this material was like
meeting old friends. The different band did a great job with this material.

After an intermission the second half opened with David doing "Sing! (And Tell
the Blues So Long)" from SHOUT! accompanied only by himself on guitar. The band
then joined David down stage seated in a semi-circle for a very pleasing soft
rock group of songs - like the jam session in the ELVIS 1968 COMEBACK SPECIAL or
any of a number of Chris Isaak performances. The songs were "Runaround Sue"
(which well deserves a recording), "Good Lovin'" and "She's My Baby".

Back in full stage mode we then had "Mr Bojangles", "You've Made Me So Very
Happy" and "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody". The rock tempo took over with
"Suspicious Minds" and a fantastic "Devil In A Blue Dress" (with great work from
Mahalia and Juanita), "What'd I Say?" and a "Shout!" encore.

The show is a worthy development from last year's Swing Sessions shows. More
thought and work has gone into the look and staging of this show without the
loss of fun. The audiences in both Sydney and Melbourne were demonstrative in
the extreme and, as with 2008, all age groups were well represented.

They say now in introducing David on television shows that he's the hardest
working performer in Australia and often he's introduced as "Mr Showbusiness".
He certainly gives his all and the audience really appreciates it. It's
salutary to think how far David has come since some of the lean times a decade
or so ago and in the few years after SHOUT!

This rundown has been delayed because I've been working hard in the last few
weeks with lots of weekends away from home.

Michael S
Canberra