★★★★½
The music of Billy Joel has a funny way of making you feel like you’ve lived several lives you absolutely haven’t. Suddenly you’re heartbroken in New York, drunk in an Italian restaurant, yelling about history, or convinced you could play piano in a smoky bar despite having the musical ability of a confused possum.
That’s the magic of the catalogue. It’s familiar, theatrical, a little chaotic, and absolutely built for a performer who knows how to grab it by the collar. Thankfully, Bradley McCaw is exactly that performer.
Performed inside the Augathella Spiegeltent as part of the Wynnum Fringe Festival, McCaw’s show took audiences through the music of Billy Joel in two parts. The first half covered everything up until 1979, while the second half picked up the rest of the catalogue from there.
It’s a simple structure, but a smart one, especially when dealing with an artist whose career has more hits than most musicians could dream of.
Now, I should probably admit something. At 34 years old, I’m far too young to have seen Billy Joel live in his prime. I haven’t had that Piano Man pilgrimage moment. I haven’t stood in an arena while the real deal worked his way through the songbook. But I grew up with Billy Joel’s music, and I’m still fairly certain my brother, Joel, was at least partially named after him.
So while I might not know the live stage presence, I know the music. And as far as I’m concerned, Bradley McCaw does it better.
That might sound like sacrilege to some, but honestly, McCaw is electric. He doesn’t just sing Billy Joel songs; he attacks them, charms them, wrestles them into submission, then grins at the audience like he’s having the time of his life.
His voice is unmatched in this space, his showmanship is next level, and he was bouncing around the stage like that caffeinated squirrel from Over The Hedge. Add to that the fact he’s also a ridiculous piano player, and you’re left with one of the most dynamic performers I’ve seen in a very long time.
Part one opened with Prelude / Angry Young Man, which is a fairly bold way to start if your fingers aren’t up to the task. Thankfully, McCaw’s absolutely were. That rapid-fire piano introduction is the kind of thing that looks like it should require a medical waiver, but he flew through it with ease.
From there, the early catalogue came alive. New York State of Mind was smooth and rich, Stiletto had bite, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant was one of the clear highlights of the afternoon.
By the time he rolled into Only the Good Die Young, Piano Man and Big Shot as the part one closer and encore, the tent had well and truly been converted. We were no longer in Wynnum. We were somewhere between Madison Square Garden and a very sweaty bayside fever dream.
Part two moved into an era that is probably less my personal Billy Joel wheelhouse, but it didn’t matter. Such a showman is McCaw that even when I wasn’t singing every lyric in my head, I was completely hooked.
Allentown, Vienna, An Innocent Man and River of Dreams all had their moment, but of course the big punches came with We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl and You May Be Right. The latter, in particular, felt like McCaw’s natural habitat. Big energy, big personality and just the right amount of madness.
And let’s be clear, it wasn’t exactly easy work. On a 15 degree, overcast, lightly raining day, the Augathella Spiegeltent somehow turned into a sauna with a soundtrack. Poor McCaw was constantly battling sweat dripping into his eyes, but not once did he let it slow him down.
He just kept playing, kept singing, kept smiling and kept having a bloody good time. If anything, it only added to the whole thing. You can’t fake that kind of commitment, charisma and energy.
Credit also needs to go to his band of Jack Loa, Jeremy Stafford, Steve Francis, Pat Farrell, Ben Byrne and Dave Cox, who were superb throughout and so much more than just a backing band. They helped build the atmosphere, drive the energy and give the show its full, rocking heartbeat.
Bradley McCaw is a true showman. His Music of Billy Joel season at Wynnum Fringe may have finished, but this is not a performer you should let drift past you like a river of dreams.
Follow him. See him. Support him. He’s charming, wildly talented, a little unhinged in the best possible way, and truly one of the best performers I’ve ever seen.
Billy Joel may have written the songs, but Bradley McCaw absolutely owns them.
Bradley McCaw: The Music of Billy Joel Parts 1 & 2 ran on 27 and 28 June as part of Wynnum Fringe. Augathella Spiegeltent, 166 Bay Terrace, Wynnum QLD 4178.
The season has now ended.
Website: https://wynnumfringe.com/bradley-mccaw-1/ and https://www.bradleymccawofficial.com/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/wynnumfringe/ and https://www.instagram.com/bradleymccawofficial/
Hero image: JHAC Images
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