Legendary Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly returned to Perth on December 7 for the opening night of his Making Gravy tour, bringing along a stellar cast of support acts from either side of the Tasman Sea.

Like the song that gave the tour its name, there was a festive atmosphere buzzing in Stadium Park. Christmas songs played over the PA and the banners flying in the air bore hollies and other Christmas symbols. Also, there was an inflatable Paul Kelly-branded bottle of tomato sauce (for sweetness and that extra tang, I assume).

New Zealand’s Marlon Williams was the first act on stage. He played a set built largely on new material, including one in his native Māori language. His expressive baritone breezed over the late-afternoon audience, and his song-writing chops stood up with what followed. Next up was Kate Miller-Heidke. I will admit I knew little about her work beforehand, but as the set progressed, I found myself saying “Oh, I know this one!” frequently. Her operatic voice quickly won me over, as she hit notes so high at times it left me breathless. Her harmonies with band-member Jess Hitchcock was the cherry on top of a powerful set. Finally, Melbourne’s beloved Courtney Barnett capped off the opening acts with trademark Kelly-esque storytelling and witticisms and impressive guitar skills, backed by a tight rhythm section that added swagger to her set. This is the second time I have had the pleasure witnessing her live, and I was still caught off guard with how strong a live performer she is. As the sun began to set behind the stage, there was nowhere else I would rather be than in her presence.

And then Paul Kelly took to stage. Despite a brief false start during the tear-jerking opener ‘They Thought I Was Asleep’ in which his harmonica holder broke and the occasional sound issues, Kelly and his band were in their stride. His timeless back catalogue has never sounded so glorious as he danced his way back and forward in time, proving why he has earnt his place in Australian culture. Not many artists can play a 25-song-long set and 3-song-long encore and still leave out a string of classics.

Some of the less ubiquitous tracks proved to be some of the most stirring, in particular, ‘Death Shall Have No Dominion’, which was preceded with a short monologue on grief. Such short monologues were a feature of Kelly’s set, as was the occasional change of lyrics to deliver an unexpected punchline. ‘Every Day My Mother’s Voice’, written for the Adam Goodes documentary The Final Quarter, was another powerful moment. The element that most built the joyous atmosphere was the constant cycling of guests on stage. Each opening act returned on stage to join Kelly for a song or two, such as Miller-Heidke filling in for Kasey Chambers on ‘When We’re Both Old and Mad’, with other special guests contributing throughout.

Of course, the big hits were the real highlights. ‘Before Too Long’, which arrived three songs in, was met with a strong reception, while the one-two-punch of ‘Leaps and Bounds’ and ‘Dumb Things’ that arrived later in the evening got the crowd off their deckchairs and rugs and up on their feet. The biggest sing-along was reserved for ‘How to Make Gravy’, with the crowd cheerfully shouting and dancing despite the pouring rain. Following this, Kelly brought back all the opening acts to close his main set with a cover of ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’. Not done yet, Kelly graciously received an encore, capped off my personal highlight — the powerful acapella song ‘Meet Me in the Middle of the Air’. This was a concert for everyone in the generation-spanning audience to remember; you might even say it was one ‘For the Ages’.