Ben Abraham’s Christmas shows have become a staple of the Australian festive season over recent years. With a bevy of special guests taking the stage to join him in the Christmas spirit, there was a feeling of joy that very much came through the air as Abraham hit the stage for his show. 

Promising and delivering on a 2.5 hour show, Abraham began with a short set of some of his own hits. Abraham has a gorgeous voice, filled with lyricism and warmth and this very much shone through on the first set, where he was primarily accompanied by his guitarist of 18 years, Dave Tweedie. 

While Abraham performed most of his biggest hits in the concise first set, one of the most poignant moments was the closing number, “Requiem” for which Abraham enlisted the help of the crowd to conjure up a soundscape, with the audience humming along. The richness of the acoustics in the Metro Theatre meant that the sound emanated through the venue, creating a transcendental effect. This was a musically informed crowd and this was one of the moments which made this abundantly clear. 

After a short break, Abraham moved into the Christmas part of his set, where he brought a number of guests out. First, he brought out Lucy Sugerman, with whom he sung “Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” Both Abraham and Sugerman have a lightness and sensitivity to their voices which meant they blended well together, leading to a strong performance. Sugerman then performed an original song, which perhaps did not have the same force in the lyrics as some of Abraham’s songs in the preceding set but still had enough beauty in the music to draw a strong reaction from the audience. 

Despite being a Christmas set, not all songs performed were Christmas songs which meant that there was still a great degree of balance to the show. Abraham performed “Still Choose You”, which he co-wrote with Julia Stone, which was beautiful in its fragility and vulnerability. This was followed up by a duet of “Both Sides Now”, which provided a contrast to some of the more upbeat and joyous songs. 

Abraham’s Christmas song choices were certainly esoteric, with only a few carols interspersed within the lengthy set. While this provided the perfect opportunity to explore the depths of Abraham’s artistry, there could have been some more accessible moments in the set, especially given its length.

Abraham was generous in the stories that he shared with the audience, taking them through the context of most of his original numbers and very much capturing the mood of the crowd in his spiels. They responded in turn, for which Abraham was clearly quite genuinely chuffed.

“This has absolutely been the best Sydney Christmas special ever,” he said. 

Overall, this was an uplifting set, which showed off the beauty in Abraham’s voice and the variety that the special guests provided meant that the show remained entertaining for the lengthy duration. While some more carols may have been appreciated by the audience, this was still the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit and will hopefully continue to be in years to come. 

Rating: ★★★★

Ben Abraham – Metro Theatre – 18^th December 2024