Savage Garden Concert Reviews
July 21, 1998: Houston, Texas: Houston Aerial Theater
From: Savage Garden serves fans loads of syrupy pop
By Joey Guerra, Houton Chronicle
Australian import Savage Garden cast its spell over a gleeful, near-capacity crowd Tuesday night at the Aerial Theater with its sparkling pop theatrics and sticky-sweet melodies.
You might expect a band with a name inspired by Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles to display a gothic-rock leaning. But Savage Garden's 80-minute set delivered a brightly colored, shamelessly dramatic pop sound propelled by thundering keyboards and drums.
The sound recalls an '80s New Wave pop revival, and the public has been more than happy to embrace it. Savage Garden's self-titled debut album has sold more than 4 million copies on the power of three hit singles.
Following an overlong intro, the salt-and-pepper pairing of vocalist Darren Hayes and keyboardist-guitarist Daniel Jones descended on a gaggle of teen-age girls, middle-aged women and grumpy boyfriends to the pulsing dance-rock beat of Tears of Pearls. Flashing pink, blue and green lights illuminated the candy-colored cityscape that served as a backdrop.
From the moment he strutted onstage in black sunglasses and hip-hop gear, singer Hayes emanated a sexy, swaggering self-confidence that had the first few rows on their feet for most of the show. He pranced around coyly, flexed his muscles and injected every word with pure pop emotion.
Coupled with the flashy set design, the show resembled a small-scale version of U2's Pop Mart extravaganza, with Hayes holding center court as a Bono-in-training.
The recognizable strains of To the Moon and Back drew plenty of ear-piercing screams. The song, which went nowhere when it was first released as a single months ago, has been re-released and is currently bolting toward the top of the charts. It was aided by shimmering light work and a flamenco-flavored guitar riff.
No such flourishes were able to save a pair of lackluster covers that seemed thrown in for padding. Hayes' reading of Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me as a slick, power-ballad duet with a female backup singer lost all its power, and his overwrought rendition of Joan Osborne's One of Us was equally lackluster.
The set also sampled brief riffs on other hits, including the Four Tops' I Can't Help Myself, Sarah McLachlan's Building a Mystery and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. In contrast to these familiar melodies, the group's own hits sounded virtually interchangeable.
But for all the calculated gyrations and forgettable radio fodder, Savage Garden does display a knack for catchy melodies and thoroughly entertaining a crowd. The band achieved a perfect balance of pop froth and tongue-in-cheek flavor on All Around Me, an irresistible confection accessorized by neon-colored costumes and Hayes' campy stage antics. At one point, he commanded the crowd to "Spice up your life!"
I Want You, the group's breakthrough hit, rocked harder than the album version, and the lush, romantic chords of Truly, Madly, Deeply made for a shimmering pop moment, a nice ending to the glitterball drama.
Chantal Kreviazuk seemed an odd choice as an opening act. By relying more on subtle instrumentation and heartfelt lyrics than flashy stage tricks, her half-hour set suggested a kinder, gentler Paula Cole.
Surrounded was a beautiful, pleading moment, and her cover of the Indigo Girls' Love's Recovery was a sweet homage. Kreviazuk even got the antsy crowd to sing with her on a wistful rendition of John Denver's Leaving on a Jet Plane, which she contributed to the Armageddon soundtrack. It would be wonderful to see what Kreviazuk and her piano could do as headliners.
 
Fan Review
By Stephanie
I went to the concert in Houston, Texas on July 21!! It was the best  concert ever!! Darren is sooo hot and sexy!! They started off with Tears  of Pearls and there was all these lights and smoke which made it really exciting!! Daniel didn't do much, though, but he was still cute playing  his guitar. They sang most of their songs except Violet and A Thousand Words and other songs by Joan Osborne, Sarah McLachlan.... etc. By the time they got to I Want You, the crowd was really hyped up and Darren was hot and sweaty and his shirt was wet and you could see his muscles. (heh-heh):)  The concert was really funny cuz they dressed up really flashy and Darren grabbed his crotch!! (it was soooo cute) The last song was Truly Madly Deeply and everyone was wild and screaming. And when they got to the part "And when the stars are shining brightly....." they added in "Texas sky" which was soooo cute!! I wish it would have lasted forever!! I didn't get front row seats :( but i had a lot of fun and I lost my voice from screaming!! I LOVE SAVAGE GARDEN!!! so if you have a  chance to go to a SG concert, GO!!!!
 

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