Live Nation are bringing iconic Canadian band The Tea Party back to Australia next month (February), bringing a unique live experience to our shores with the Elements Tour, celebrating the 35th anniversary of the band.
Performing five shows in Australia, The Tea Party explore a new live musical theme around Elements, with Symphony shows in Melbourne and Sydney aligned to wind, and rock shows in Thirroul, Brisbane and Adelaide aligned to fire. In both formats, The Tea Party will be playing a set that features their greatest hits.
The Fire shows will feature the three-piece tour de force fans are very familiar with, while the Wind show will bring a new dynamic to the live shows with The Tea Party accompanied by a fifty-piece Orchestra. Conducted by Sarah-Grace Williams, Hamer Hall in Melbourne will play host to The Tea Party with Orchestra Victoria, while the iconic Opera House in Sydney will feature a performance with The Metropolitan Orchestra and mark the rock outfit's first performance at the famed Opera House.
HEAVY sat down with frontman Jeff Martin to discuss the intricacies of the tour, starting with a breakdown on the two differing shows.
"Well, the fire part is basically…" he measured. "There's going to be three standalone rock shows where it's just the three of us on stage doing what we do best. If you've ever seen the Tea Party live, it's a very, very powerful experience. It's very emotional because the roller coaster that we take the audience on. It can be some of the heaviest music and then some of the most romantic, gentle moments as well.
So it really travels the whole kaleidoscope of the emotional spectrum. But then there's the wind elements of the tour as well. We are going to be playing one of the seven wonders of the world, the Sydney Opera House, with the symphony. And we're also doing the home of classical music here in Australia at Hamer Hall in Melbourne with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. We've done symphonies before, and it's always been a great success, but it's an honour to play one of the most iconic iconic buildings in the world."
In the full interview, Jeff talks more about the opposing musical forces of nature with the Wind and Fire elements of the tour, taking us deeper into the mechanics of playing with an orchestra and the level of commitment required to make it work and how different the set lists will be between elements.
He highlighted the different emotions he gets from playing a full rock show as opposed to an orchestral performance, 35 years of The Tea Party and his personal journey, future plans and more.
Tickets for all shows: https://www.livenation.com.au/
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