JESS HAS DOUBLE DATE IN DARWIN
TOP End songbird Jessica Mauboy has flown into Darwin for a double date with her home crowd.
The bubbly beauty performed at the Darwin Entertainment Centre last night to a packed audience of family, friends and fans.
When arriving at Darwin Airport yesterday afternoon, the friendly star said she had a diverse live set planned that spanned her career.
‘‘We’ve got two shows to do so we’re gonna smash ’em,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s a few songs (from the new album Beautiful) I’m looking forward to singing, plus all stuff from the first and the second album.’’
Friday night’s show in Sydney was important for Jess — it’s the home of record label execs and other big-wigs.
But last night’s Darwin show was about having fun.
Production manager Adrian Barnard said: ‘‘It’s her home town. She’s got friends and family in the audience. She is really excited about performing in Darwin.’’
The Top End is the only place where Jess will play two concerts, and both were a sellout. The crew arrived about 2pm yesterday, bringing 27 pieces of equipment weighing half a tonne with them on the plane.
And the Darwin audience was one of the most diverse she would play to: from sixyear-olds in princess dresses and glittery shoes to women in their 50 and 60s there for the Motown numbers from The Sapphires.
And the homegrown talent didn’t disappoint.
Jess was front and centre wearing space- age silver shorts and a smile bigger than the stage. She looked tiny up there, but there was nothing tiny about that voice.
By the second song, Burn, the crowd was on its feet. Away from the stage, Mauboy said she would make every opportunity to see loved ones while home in Darwin.
‘‘I’m looking forward to seeing family, that’s my No.1 priority,’’ she said.