Midnight Oil at Webster Hall (May 13, 2017)

Prior to their recent return, it had been 15 years since the last time legendary Australian rockers Midnight Oil embarked on a full out world tour. This included their long-awaited return to New York, for two very small shows for them at Webster Hall.

We caught night one on May 13, featuring a packed room of older fans, many of which were pridefully rocking Midnight Oil shirts, both old and new. The passionate crowd were eager to see Peter Garrett and the rest of Midnight Oil, and rightfully so, they waited nearly two decades to do so again.

The band didn’t disappoint, impressing with a high-energy 22-song setlist that featured all of the bands hits, as well as a cover of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma!” during the first of two encores. It’s the sort of show that reminds you of just how many hits the band has, as the great adrenaline rush of “Blue Sky Mine,” “Beds Are Burning” and “Dreamworld” proved.

It was amazing to see just how much energy that Garrett displayed throughout the performance, running around the stage with more force than most frontmen even half his age (Garrett is now 64). The band were incredibly tight and didn’t miss a beat. If you didn’t know any better, you would have never known that they had stopped playing for as long as they did.

This isn’t just a one off stop, as Midnight Oil have announced that they will return to us this summer for a bigger performance at Terminal 5.

Find photos of both Midnight Oil and Boytoy (who opened the show) posted below, along with the setlist.

Midnight Oil Setlist:

1. Sometimes
2. Bullroarer
3. Don’t Wanna Be the One
4. Bedlam Bridge
5. Stars of Warburton
6. Somebody’s Trying to Tell Me Something
7. Now or Never Land
8. My Country
9. When the Generals Talk
10. Ships of Freedom
11. Luritja Way
12. Arctic World
13. Warakurna
14. Power and the Passion
15. The Dead Heart
16. Blue Sky Mine
17. Beds Are Burning
18. Dreamworld