An impressively long queue of cheerful fans of Passenger (aka Mike Rosenberg) waited patiently for the doors to open for his show at Perth’s Astor Theatre, testament to the artist’s well-earned current popularity.
After mellow folk sets from Stu Larsen and Georgia to get the audience in the mood, Passenger unassumingly took the Astor’s stage like it was a Fremantle street corner.
Just one man and a guitar, the humble Englishman had the audience immediately captivated with his stories of the world as seen through the eyes of the well-travelled street musician. The only thing missing was an open guitar case to collect spare change.
A silent theatre listened in awe as he told stories of travelling and performing throughout Europe. Some tragic, some hilarious, but all in his beautiful vocal style and accompanied by pleasant finger-picked melodies.
Rosenberg recounted an emotional tale of a drunk he met in Denmark, which lead directly into a completely unplugged rendition of the song “David”. The raw acoustic guitar pierced through the darkness, transporting everyone in the packed theatre to the lonely street corner in Copenhagen where the song was penned.
He then played a stunning cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” telling a hilarious story of the time he once claimed the song as his own to a naïve 16-year-old fan after a tough gig.
His comfortable joking and conversation with the audience throughout the set provided for a very intimate evening. Without doubt, there was a lot of love in the Astor for the bearded troubadour.
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Hit song “Let Her Go” enticed everyone to sing and sway. Rosenberg finger picked the melody for the intro to the song then paused, building tension, before reaching for his guitar pick and strumming his way through the rest of the song.
Rosenberg’s combination of finger-style guitar, thoughtful lyrics, and slightly unusual but pleasing vocals, had the audience hanging on every word. There was a real beauty in the simplicity and openness.
His entire performance flowing and natural, presumably polished through years of performing on the streets of the world, Rosenberg has clearly completed his apprenticeship to become a master of his trade.
Passenger put his heart and soul into every song, and expressed gratitude to the audience for every ounce of support, just for listening. It was a wonderfully engaging performance and one sure to be remembered by his fans.
