It was a case of yesterday once more as Eurovision 2016 runner-up Dami Im brought down the house on Friday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Im’s 35 date Yesterday Once More tour showcases a range of Carpenters covers from her 2016 full length release Classic Carpenters, as well as hits of her own, including Gladiator and Sound of Silence.
The Club Sapphire show in the heart of Merimbula was the first of the tour to sell out, and Im was impressed with what she saw.
“You know how to party, Merimbula,” she told the crowd after they stood up from their seats at one point to dance the night away.
The Dami Army, that now has members from across the globe, were out in force on the night as fans of all ages enjoyed Im’s vocal talents and her faultless seven-piece band.
Im’s mild and endearing awkwardness between songs is forgotten when her angelic singing voice is let loose.
Her vocal control brought new life to the music of Karen and Richard Carpenter to the delight of the older members of the crowd, while Im’s more modern pop tunes brought the younger fans to the front of the stage as they recited every lyric.
It was a dynamic performance with costume changes, Im’s beautiful piano work, solos from each member of her band and a surprise crowd selfie taken by her husband Noah.
Im spoke between songs of her love of Karen Carpenter’s music, telling the tragic story of her death from heart failure in 1983 at the age of 32, caused by her long term suffering from anorexia nervosa.
Im does not just want you to listen to her music but understand the concepts behind each note and each lyric, a rare thing in the pop world.
It may be due to her academic study of music which drove her to participate in the 2013 season of The X-Factor Australia in order to find a life in music outside a university atmosphere.
So enamored were the Merimbula crowd she played half an hour over time, finishing with an encore performance of her Eurovision entry, Sound of Silence.
The line to meet the star after the performance stretched to the back of the room, as excited teenagers and older fans waited excitedly for a rare opportunity to meet one of their idols right here in the Bega Valley.
