Jason Donovan takes his debut album Ten Good Reasons on tour for the first time
27 years after the release of Ten Good Reasons, Jason Donovan takes his debut album on tour for the first time.
The Australian pop-star first shot to fame in the soap opera Neighbours before embarking on a music career in 1988, selling over 3 million records in the UK including four UK No. 1 singles. The Ten Good Reasons and Greatest Hits Tour is the first time Donovan has ever toured his debut five-time platinum selling album, the biggest-selling album in the UK in 1989.
Bounding onto stage with his four-piece band, Donovan looks sharp in his all-black shirt, tie and sparkly blazer as he belts out hits from his Between The Lines and All Around The World albums. The 90-minute set opens with his 1989 duet with former Neighbours co-star Kylie Minogue All I Wanna Do Is Make You Mine, followed by upbeat pop hits such as RSVP, When You Come Back to Me and Happy Together.
Between numbers, Donovan chats to the audience about how his kids won’t come to the show because they are embarrassed that their Dad was a 80s heart throb and how he hasn’t toured since 2008 because he’s been busy working on Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The pace then slows as Donovan picks up the guitar for an acoustic version of Rhythm of the Rain and Any Dream Will Do, his 1991 hit from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
The second half of the set sees Donovan return to the stage dressed in white to play Ten Good Reasons in its entirety. The 1989 album yielded two solo No. 1 singles including Too Many Broken Hearts and Sealed with a Kiss as well as fan favourite Nothing Can Divide Us, all of which go down a treat with the audience. Donovan performs the tracks back-to-back in their original order before closing with an extended version of his famous 1988 duet with Kylie Minogue Especially for You.
While Donovan has worked hard to put on a great set for his fans, the show isn’t without its flaws. A number of sound issues mean it is difficult to hear the solo artist over his band. Despite his 28 years in the music industry, Donovan also looks a little uncomfortable on stage at times, awkwardly waving to the audience and fumbling his way through a story about how he once farted during a radio broadcast, playing the clip three times in attempt to get a laugh.
That said, the 80s heart throb certainly hasn’t lost his voice or his appeal. With almost every seat taken in the venue, Donovan is clearly as popular as ever, demonstrating – as Donovan says himself – that “nothing freezes time like music”.
Reviewed on 12 March 2016 | Image: Contributed
Donna is the Founder and Editor of Frankly, My Dear UK. By day, she works as a digital marketing specialist, by night she reviews film, theatre and music for a wide range of publications including WhatsonStage and The Reviews Hub. Loves Formula 1, prosecco and life.
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