By Ben Nielsen
Billed as a major event of the Adelaide Festival, Van Dyke Parks joined with Kimbra, Daniel Johns and the Adelaide Art Orchestra in a retrospective performance of his career and works.
It’s clear why Parks is one of the most successful composers of his era. There’s a catchiness, and a mesmerising ebb and flow to his work. His compositions possess a typically American nostalgia and patriotism, and also several fleeting but humorous references to other well known tunes.
Harsh, nasal and twangy; it’s hard to say that Parks was enjoyable to listen to. The lyrics and compositional content were the main stars, and far outweighed the quality of singing.
Van Dyke Parks confessed that Kimbra and Daniel Johns were main draw cards; the gateway to a generation unfamiliar with his work. There was something a little unfair about how minimally the two popular artists were featured. Undoubtedly, many of the young attendees left unsatisfied.
The Thebarton Theatre proved to be an incapable host. Besides the inadequacies of the front of house staff and the debacle over GA seating, the sound design was of such poor quality that the fine Adelaide Art Orchestra was a muddy mess, and the vocalists were indistinguishable. Perhaps ‘Adelaide’s favourite concert venue’ should remain a site for comedians and the booming bass of contemporary performances.
Van Dyke Parks with Special Guests certainly attracted a full house, but fell short of the audience’s expectations.
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