Returning to Australia for the 6th time and his latest world tour since 2022, contemporary R&B singer Leon Bridges took the stage at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to perform a slew of hits from his rich discography to a near-sold out Melbourne crowd.
The Texan-born Grammy Award winner has had an incredible rise to fame in Australia, graduating from intimate venues to large scale stages with just a small number of albums in his repertoire. Debuting in 2015 with Coming Home, Bridges established himself as an old soul, borrowing from the sounds of 50s and 60s Motown, carving out a unique place for himself among the artists of the time.
His sophomore album, 2018’s Good Thing marked a new era for the singer, sharpening his sword for a stab at mainstream accessibility. The results were noticeable, with the album ranking 8th on the Aria Charts and the single ‘Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand’ earning him his Grammy win. As Bridges continued to develop his sound, he released two collaborations with Houston-based band Khruangbin, the single ‘Texas Sun’ and EP Texas Moon, before releasing his solo follow up albums Gold-Diggers Sound and the self-titled Leon.
Opening the evening with ‘When a Man Cries’ and ‘Panther City’ from his latest album, Leon Bridges stood centre stage surrounded by his band on gradually elevated platforms. Behind them, gold curtains draped in columns were lit up with spotlights. It felt like something akin to the set of Soul Train sprinkled in country flavour with sunset tones, tasselled suede, cowboy hats and a sense of a bygone era.
Immediately, the crowd stood in their seats, grooving to Bridges’ easy beats and smooth vocals. As he transitioned into performing ‘Better Man’ from his debut album, the stage lit up red, mirroring the colour of the album cover to create an effective transition between genres and time.
Leon Bridges has often been compared to greats like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, the way he sits in this pocket of soul music that incorporates 1960s rhythm and blues, marking him as wholly unique among his present-day peers. His voice is husky yet smooth, running over the air like velvet. The acoustics of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl venue suited Bridges brilliantly, carrying every note up and over the green without diminishing its inherently rich quality.
A true showman, Leon Bridges moved about the stage constantly in neat little 2-steps, grooving along to the beat and often taking up his guitar to lead his band. This was especially powerful when he performed ‘River’, a gospel song that speaks of a man weighed down by sin and looking for salvation. With stripped back instrumentals, Bridges led the crowd through the song on a solo guitar before his band quietly joined in at the climax; the whole experience felt otherworldly, the closest I’ve ever come to understanding how the religious feel when they attend church.
As I listened to Bridges croon “Take me to your river / I wanna go”, I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me, feeling nourished by his voice. This, and the moment he performed ‘Mariella’ from Texas Moon, were the biggest highlights. When the slow twang of the guitar announced the beginning of ‘Mariella’, the spotlights went a stunning shade of purple, embodying the calm and mystifying quality of one of my favourite songs.
When the end of the show came near, Leon Bridges took the time to introduce every member of his band individually, showing a deep appreciation for the role each of them plays in this tour. For the encore, he closed out with ‘Lisa Sawyer’, a song about his mother that caused the whole venue to go silent as his voice danced on delicate chords before they picked back up again to sing along to ‘Beyond’.
Given his blooming popularity, it will be no surprise to see Leon Bridges’ next tour land him in even bigger venues. While the environment of Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl suited his aura, unfortunately there was obstruction for many patrons, as the venue’s stalls were really not designed for people to stand in for the entirety of the show. Yet, Bridges did what he set out to do – put on an incredible performance.
Leon Bridges performed The Leon Tour, proudly presented by Frontier Touring, in Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Thursday the 23rd of January as the final show of the tour’s Australian leg.
For more information, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/leonbridges
https://www.leonbridges.com
https://www.instagram.com/leonbridges
Photography by Lachlan Douglas.
