Sydney sweetheart Julia Jacklin played for a packed Astor Theatre crowd on Friday 13 March, government warnings be damned.

The local support contingency began with soulful singer-songwriter Jacob Diamond. As the first act on stage he did not have the advantage of a giant captive audience, but those in attendance were treated to some smooth tunes and Diamond’s wholesome stage presence. Next up, Carla Geneve’s emergent status as a local scene heavyweight was on full display, with each song receiving a raucous response. Her already stellar live show was bolstered by an extra guitarist on stage, and she treated the audience to a new song or two.

Julia Jacklin’s set began with a solo rendition of ‘Comfort’, the closing track from Crushing, one of the most impactful albums of last year. The song immediately silenced the sold-out crowd that was buzzing with noise seconds before and received a tremendous reception. This was somewhat a theme for the evening: reverent silence during the songs, followed by ear-splitting cheers immediately after; the notable exceptions being the crowd-pleasing singalongs for ‘Pool Party’, ‘Leadlight’, and main set closer ‘Pressure to Party’. Every song was a highlight, but particular love must be given to personal-highlights ‘Don’t Know How to Keep Loving You’ and the first song of her encore, the tear-inducing ‘Don’t Let the Kids Win’.

Jacklin’s set was split fairly evenly between Crushing and her debut album Don’t Let the Kids Win, and it was hard to tell which album the audience loved more. She also made way for a slightly cheeky cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Memories’ and had a sly smile on her face as she sang, “No, you will not see my naked body!", a sentiment perhaps not too distantly removed from some of her own material.

Every song was warmly received, and Jacklin was a gracious host. It’s fair to say there was a celebratory atmosphere in the air, as everyone knew how lucky we were to be allowed to attend thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic - that old kill-joy! Both opening acts made reverence to ‘the Ron’ (thanks for the name, Carla!), but Jacklin won for the funniest joke about it, introducing ‘Head Alone’ as “a song about not wanting to be touched, which is very appropriate for today.”

This was to be her final show for this album tour as well as what will likely be the final show many of us in the audience will be allowed to attend for a very long time. To mark the occasion, she ended her encore with a song she knew she wanted to end this album tour with (she had a feeling her Adelaide show scheduled for the following evening would be cancelled, and yes, it was). And so it was that we all joined in for a stirring rendition of the Whitney Houston classic ‘I Will Always Love You’, a fitting conclusion for a night full of adoration.