Project Description
THE DOORS REIMAGINED
with Perth Symphony Orchestra
@ His Majesty’s Theatre
02/08/19
Reviewer: Karen Lowe
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Photo by Richard Jefferson
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Perth Symphony Orchestra is known for tackling music that many orchestras wouldn’t even look at – let alone even consider. Their ‘Re-Imagined’ series is a prime example of what they do. They try and transport you back through time to get you as close as you possibly can to witnessing a live performance of a beloved band/artist. The latest offering in this series being The Doors Re-Imagined with Justin Burford playing Jim Morrison.
Taking on such an iconic artist and band is never going to be an easy thing to do but PSO and Burford put so much time and effort into making sure that they are as accurate as they possibly can be – right down to the outfits, staging and, in this case, handing out a pair of 3D Fireworks glasses to everyone walking in to His Majesty’s Theatre on Friday night – just to give that extra psychedelic effect. “PSO takes no responsibility for any trippy or hallucinogenic effects they may cause.”
It was fabulous to see the whole orchestra dressed in various 60s outfits from the go-go girls to the hippies and everything else in-between. What is also great is that they always have a video playing behind which gives out facts about the artist which helps to build an even greater understanding of the band and events leading up to the demise of the band.
Burford walked out on stage to the crowd cheering and, in an American accent, told the audience that “we’re going on a trip tonight ladies and gentlemen” as they started with Crystal Ship, Hello, I love You and Light My Fire (which Burford walked off stage during the instrumental). With the arrangements for these songs, if you look at them and compare them to the recorded version of the songs, they seem a tad bit too ‘light’ and don’t quite seem to match the memory of how you feel the songs should go. However, compare them to the live versions and you start to develop an understanding of where PSO were taking their interpretations.
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Photo by Richard Jefferson
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They did a medley of People Are Strange and Strange Days. It was so smooth that you didn’t really notice the change between songs. It felt natural to have these two songs together. During LA Woman though, it felt like a few cracks were coming through. Burford appeared to struggle a bit with this one. If you judge it from a recording POV, then this song was the weakest in the set but again, looking at the performance from a live perspective, The Doors’s last show was in December 1970 where Jim Morrison had a break down on stage, sat down and refused to play the rest of the show. In that sense, Burford played the part perfectly (without the tantrum part thankfully).
The one that didn’t quite hit the mark though was Riders in The Storm. Burford sung it perfectly however, the arrangement for this one just didn’t instil the same sense of foreboding that the original song has. With the string instruments, more could have been done to recreate the dark, stormy, brooding nature of this song.
By Break On Through, people were standing and singing along before giving a standing ovation to Burford and the conductor, Jessica Gethin before they walked off stage. Of course, you knew there was only one song that would (or could) officially end the show – The End and they truly saved the best for last. Burford walked back on and looked at the audience. “You haven’t left yet?” He asked. “That means we have more work to do.” The arrangement for this one was perfectly melancholy and sombre – exactly what this song calls for.
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Photo by Richard Jefferson
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Overall, it was a brilliant night and both the PSO and Burford did a fabulous job. After all, not only was Burford singing in a deeper voice than he usually has but he managed to keep up the accent for the whole show and that in itself deserves all the credit.
The only complaints about the night was that they could have done more with the light show (especially having been given the 3D glasses) and a few of the arrangements could have been darker to really set the mood for what people remember about The Doors. However – they are only minor things that distracted one from the brilliant performances that were happening on stage. Once again, PSO manages to turn back to a time in history that should never be forgotten.
Check out Karen Lowe‘s interview with Justin Burford here
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Karen Lowe is a Perth based photographer who has been shooting live music for the last eight years. While she is happy to shoot most music, her favourites include bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Royal Blood and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (who she has had the opportunity to shoot). Karen also loves long walks on the beach and a great sunset. Music has always been her obsession and photography her passion so when it was suggested that she should combine the two, there was no stopping her from there. Karen is also the State Manager for Perth, the National Photography Manager and the Perth Mentor for Amnplify.
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