Womadelaide – The Final Day

The Heat Is On

The final day of Womadelaide closed with a set from Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings that was as scorching as the weather. If you ever wondered why Jones had been tagged the ‘female James Brown’ then the answer was solidly given last night as she hopped, shimmied, shook and strutted across the stage in a performance that was almost as exhausting to watch.

Jones was shifted to the prime closing spot on the main stage after Cesaria Evora was forced to cancel due to a minor stroke (her band performed an instrumental tribute early in the evening). Still, the diminutive, dynamic and hardworking Jones more than compensated. In fact, she left the crowd on a high and yelling for more.

The eight-piece Dap Kings, fronted by the MC Binky (also on guitar) have to be one of the tightest outfits anywhere. Close your eyes and you could swear you were listening to a studio recording. There is never a note out of place or a beat missed as they power along, providing an extraordinary musical backdrop to Jones soulful and impressive voice.

Apart from highlighting some of the songs from her latest album, 100 Days 100 Nights, Jones pulled a few tricks out of the hat. There was an incredibly frenetic recounting of her ancestry complete with illustrative dances. Then a young male spectator was dragged from the side of stage and instructed on some romantic dance moves (leading to my conclusion that white men should definitely not dance!).

While Jones worked amazingly hard to win over the crowd, the only sour note came when a recalcitrant lighting refused to turn off purple spotlights despite repeated requests from Jones, who soldiered on. Still, this battle would have been imperceptible to most.

MC Annette Shun Wah had the unenviable task of bringing proceedings to close above the din of thousands shouting for an encore. Eventually, a few brief official speeches closed what had been a record-breaking weekend – financially and meteorologically.

By the time Jones and her band took the stage Womadelaide the day had turned from scorching forty degrees-plus heat into a warmly pleasant evening. Earlier, the trick had been to move from shady spot to shady spot under the marvellous canopy of trees. Only a few braved the sun by standing in front of the stages. By the third day of this hot spell most seemed to have adjusted to the unseasonably hot weather and numerous free drinking water stations and the misting tent certainly helped to ease the discomfort.

The early afternoon saw sets from the Idan Raichel Project, while Victor Valdes & The Real Mariachi Band offered some lovely Mexican fare at the Moreton Bay Stage. Bob Evans did a tremendous version of Lucinda Williams’ ‘Car Wheels On A Gravel Road’ – so good that you could imagine Lucinda wanting to sing along in approval.

Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra has a different feel during the day without the colourful light show but was no less inspiring than the previous evening. Their performances came high on most people’s list of highlights.

The Billy Cobham Septet, with Frank Gambale on guitar, was the perfect complement to a hot afternoon with some stunning jazz rhythms that moved from the sublime to the fiery. Later, at Speakers’ Corner, Cobham chatted for an hour to the Sydney Morning Herald’s Bruce Elder, who coaxed some fascinating stories from the legendary drummer. Just to hear him talk at length about his time with Miles Davis was a treat in itself. Elder had joked that all he would have to do was ask Cobham whom he had worked with and the hour would be taken up! The measure of Cobham is the graciousness with which he gave up his time. He also has a remarkable memory and was even prepared to be polite to zealous fan who got his facts wrong but almost refuse to accept this. ‘You stand corrected,’ laughed Cobham. For me, shaking the hand of the man who had played on some of the greatest albums of all time was perhaps the crowning memory of the festival.

The All Star Gala, co-ordinated by Don McGlashan, is somewhat of a hiatus between afternoon and evening. It featured an array of festival artists and closed with a rousing all-in version of ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me.’

After Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings closed the show and people started to straggle out or see the several remaining acts one started to hear comments from audience members expressing reluctance to leave. Perhaps the best tribute came from one young man nearby who said simply, ‘That was a life changing experience!’ Womadelaide can do that to you.

In fairness, I have to mention that the only blot on an otherwise superb festival was that by late Sunday afternoon it had been transformed into a dustbowl with many people coughing and others wearing handkerchiefs as facemasks. It was uncomfortable and the following morning I am still battling with a stuffed nose and an annoying cough.

The same problem afflicted Austin City Limits a few years back and the solution there was to encourage rampant grass growth in the months leading up to the following year’s event. Then not even 75,000 people a day could trample the undergrowth into submission. Let’s hope that the drought breaks and there is enough water to do the same for Adelaide’s wonderful Botanic Park.

On the other hand I witnessed the security staff deal with a half dozen or so young men who had broken through the fence near the Frome Road entrance. Three staff quickly rounded them up and without laying a hand on them herded them back out the gap in the fence and sealed it. That to me summed up the good feeling of the festival. Anywhere else those same offenders might be frog-marched to the police or have even worse things happen. I reckon next year they’ll buy tickets.