Chris de Burgh is celebrating 50 years in the music business, with a career spanning multiple generations of fans and musical styles. As part of his world tour, he has been travelling around Australia, with two dates at the State Theatre and the Opera House to mark his time in Sydney. 

De Burgh very much covered the breadth of his discography through his 2.5 hour set, with everything from his earliest numbers to his newest hits. What stands out about de Burgh’s music is the quality of the songwriting, with clear and crisp writing permeating through the setlist. Particularly notable is that many of de Burgh’s newer songs retain the same quality of prose as his older work, with “Be My Valentine” being one of the highlights of the light. With over 30 songs on the setlist, the audience at the State Theatre got to see a wide range of de Burgh’s music, which was very much appreciated by the passionate crowd in attendance. 

De Burgh was at his best when he was at the piano, with some of his early songs in the setlist like “The Hands of Man” and “Missing You” coming across very well, with the piano accentuating the beauty of de Burgh’s lyrics. He had the whole crowd singing along to “Sailing Away” before moving into a cover of the Beatles “Let It Be”. 

The set was perhaps less effective when de Burgh was away from his piano or his guitar and singing along to a backing track. A live band would have enhanced the concert greatly, as it would have allowed the beauty of the lyrics to shine even further. However, this meant that when de Burgh was playing his own instruments, the songs had more impact, especially given many of de Burgh’s best numbers on the night were piano ballads in any case. 

The crowd in attendance was engaged and enthusiastic, singing along to the words of the vast majority of the songs in the lengthy setlist. De Burgh seemed genuinely touched by the level of interaction that he had with his fans, thanking them on many occasions for their support. 

“It is thanks to you that I can still come out here and perform,” he said. 

As the night drew to a close, de Burgh teased the song that everyone had been waiting for. “The Lady in Red” is a song that transcends generations and when de Burgh performed it, everyone in the room felt some emotion, be it nostalgia, love, heartbreak or loss. De Burgh performed the song well, giving plenty of space for the audience to feel their emotions, performing with tenderness and sincerity. After the song, he invited the crowd up to the front of the stage for a cover of Toto’s “Africa”, which was a fitting end to the night. 

Ultimately, Chris de Burgh is a legend of the music industry and it was great to see him perform some of his biggest hits in person. While the addition of a live band would have definitely strengthened the concert, the classic songs still stood up very well and left everyone in the audience with a smile on their face at the end of the night. 

Rating: ★★★★

Chris de Burgh – State Theatre – 7^th May 2025

All photo credits: Valerie Lee