LRB: The Old Magic Is Back
Author: Peter Staples
Publication: Sunday Tasmanian
Date: August 14, 1988

THE Little River Band and Leo Sayer provided entertainment plus at Wrest Point Hotel-Casino Entertainment Centre last week.

Sayer wowed his audience with many of his old hits and songs from his latest album, Return To Paradise.

He showed he is back, bigger and better than ever, with a slightly different vocal style and more solid arrangement of his old hits, which carries through to his latest repertoire.

Two songs from his latest album, Wonder World and One Step At A Time, exposed the brilliance of Sayer's new vocal style and it seems certain he will again reach the top on the international recording scene .

However, Sayer's great performance paled into insignificance compared with the Little River Band concert the following night.

LRB showed it still has the brilliance which made it a hit overseas eight years ago.

The return of Glenn Shorrock as lead vocalist with LRB has given the band the vocal balance which gave it international acclaim in its heyday.

The show was further enhanced by the presence of former member of The Eagles, Glenn Frey.

Frey regards LRB as the best vocal band he has ever worked with, including The Eagles, and going on Tuesday night's show nobody could disagree.

The vocal blend of Graeme Goble, Wayne Nelson and Shorrock sets LRB apart from any other band I have heard.

When Frey performed some of his solo hits and Eagles classics, it seemed to lift the show into a vocal spectacular.

When Frey took the spotlight to do Desparados, there was a hush over the audience, as if it was spellbound.

Then Goble and Nelson joined in with superb harmonies and it sent a shiver up my spine and no doubt everyone else in the packed auditorium felt the same.

More than 1,500 people attended the LRB concert, which is incredible, considering the organisers only had five days to promote the show.

LRB was only scheduled to perform one concert in Tasmania at Launceston's Velodrome on Wednesday night, but a last-minute change of plan resulted in the additional show at Wrest Point's Entertainment Centre

Solo Tour Index :: Little River Band Tour Index :: Hobart 1988