One Carnival Too Many?
When the Seekers re-formed for their extended tour in the early 1990s, I was busy working in France and had no hope of getting home to Blighty to see Jude and the boys. I was gutted (to use an unpleasant sounding but very useful British expression.) It's so unfair, I wailed in the manner of a three year old kid denied his ice lolly. Of course, once the tour had finished and I returned to the UK I picked up the live CD and video, but brilliant though they were, it was nothing like I hoped the real thing would have been.
So, having missed what I thought would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see The Seekers live, imagine how delighted I was to learn that the year 2000 would see them hitting the UK's larger venues for the last time! At last, I would be able to experience what so many other fans had enjoyed during the original reunion tour and if the early 90s CD was anything to go by, I was in for a treat. I hurriedly booked seats for the London show and (after some persuasion from young Rick) for the final show at Manchester's MEN.
Now that I have seen both shows, I can only say that I am more disappointed than ever at not having seen The Seekers on their original reunion tour.
The London show was marred by some of the worst acoustics I've ever encountered. There was an appalling echo and a harsh quality to the sound that really didn't do wonders for The Seekers folksy output. This, of course, is not the fault of The Seekers. Mercifully, the sound at the MEN was faultless, but that only highlighted certain problems rather than gloss over them.
For both shows, Jude and the boys looked tired. Bruce appeared to be hating every moment of it, grinning down at the audience like a man who didn't want to appear as if he were longing to be home. Keith arrived on stage, switched on his smile and then stared into space for the rest of the evening. Athol seemed in fine spirits and brought some much needed enthusiasm to the show. And then there was the BIG worry...
Jude seemed nervous, especially at the London show. What is more surprising, the London show clearly demonstrated that her voice needed a rest. Being the utter professional that she is, no notes were missed and nothing went off key, but the tiredness in her voice was unmistakable. During the interval, I was approached by a member of the Surfin' Seekers who said "what's wrong with them? They look and sound like they're ill!"
The Manchester show was an improvement. Bruce and Keith perked up a little in the second half and Athol was on top form. Jude's voice was tight to begin with, but warmed up nicely in time for the second half of the show But this was (supposedly) their last ever public appearance and yet there was little sense of occasion. The show was almost identical to that at the London Arena, albeit with a new gag from Athol about the break up between Liz Hurley and Hugh Grant ("There'll never be another Hugh", chuckled Athol!) and this, I believe, is the part of problem.
I don't believe that Jude and the lads have lost their skills, nor do I believe that age is catching up with them. I feel they were over-rehearsed, tired and bored.
The over rehearsing is most obvious in the supposedly spontaneous whoops and cries of "let's raise the roof!" which appeared in both shows and also on the 25 Year video. The songs were being sung for the what must have seemed like the millionth time, having lost all meaning to the performers themselves. (It's notable that the one really stunning performance in both shows was of the newer song The Bush Girl. New material that hadn't been flogged to death.)
The tiredness is understandable if you take even a casual glance at the itinerary. The Seekers covered Britain in a matter of days, zipping from one end of the country to the other, playing a two hour show each night and promoting the tour on TV and radio during the day. That's enough to exhaust a group containing members half the age of Jude and the lads. No wonder we were treated to glazed expressions, wobbly voices and weary bonhomie.
I earnestly hope that this doesn't prove to be The Seekers' last goodbye. With luck, in a year or two's time, they'll realise what they should have done in the first place. They'll perform one show only, a true end to The Carnival - it'll be in a huge open air venue, with a full orchestra, a sound system worthy of the talent on stage and they'll end the show with a rousing singalong of Waltzing Matilda as the night sky fills with fireworks and the words "Goodbye from The Seekers" are flashed across the stage by laser beams.
That is the finale they deserve. It's also the finale that WE deserve.
Saul Hazan - London, September 2000
(I am aware that these are rather controversial views and that many Seekers' fans will disagree with me. However, I also know that there are some who will share my opinions. If you want to bawl at someone because you disapprove of the above, please don't do so to Patrick but send your comments to me at
saul@hammel.demon.co.uk)