Melbourne, Australia, March 9, 2005 Grade: B+ Time: 125 Minutes Format: 2 DVD
Set List:
Room Service
Open Road
18 Til I Die
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Let's Make a Night to Remember
Kids Wanna Rock
Back To You
Summer Of '69
Everything I Do
One Night Love Affair
Cuts Like A Knife
When You're Gone
Nowhere Fast
Heaven
I'm Ready (with Brian McFadden)
Somebody
The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
The Best of Me
Cloud Number Nine
Run To You
Please Forgive Me (with Shannon Noll)
Flying
All For Love
Straight From The Heart
Room Service (acoustic)

Sample photo taken from the DVD:

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The Show:
After a two year absence from Australia, BA and band are there for a month of dates (ever notice that they ALWAYS tour Australia in the first part of the year when its summertime there?). This tour features eight shows including some outdoor shows and a co-headlining gig with Rod Stewart. This show in Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena was the last of the Australian tour and BA definitely finished it off in style.

While sticking mostly with the "same-old" Room Service set list for the Aussie dates, BA opens up the catalogue a little bit and brings back some rarities as well as performing two, yes - two, guest singers (not including the standard When You're Gone Duet).

BA comments on his history in Australia and remembers supporting The Police in 1983 and road-testing some material that would be released in 1984 on the Reckless album.

Not often does BA share the stage with other singers during his shows, but for this one, he invited two friends to the stage: Former Westlife singer Brian McFadden guests with the band on I'm Ready and support act and big BA fan (plus Australian Idol winner) Shannon Noll, performs Please Forgive Me with BA near the end of the show.

All in all, by far the strongest of the Australian shows and with the two duets, one of the better shows of the Room Service tour and what BA says is the highlight of the Australian tour.

The Songs:
Standouts for this show include One Night Love Affair which was performed in 1983 a year before the recorded version was released on Reckless. For the guest singers, Brian McFadden and Shannon Noll, I'm Ready and Please Forgive Me are performed as a rare treat. McFadden takes the lead for the entire song and does a magnificent job as BA plays guitar and harmonica during the solo. BA fan Shannon Noll comes out mid-way through Please Forgive Me to nail the second verse and chorus as the band plays along. Seeing that it's the final night of Noll's tour as support for BA, you can see that he's thrilled and touched to be on stage with the Badman himself. It is one of the few times that Please Forgive Me is performed on the Room Service tour.

The Recording:
Pretty solid recording and the first of any audience-filmed to come out of Australia. Recording is not quite as sharp as the Tokyo 2005 shows, but this is still very good quality. Footage is facing the stage from the other end of the arena between BA and Keith. Perfect vantage point and good use of panning in/out to capture just BA or the entire band.