Midnight Oil Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, USA JUNE 7, 2022

Midnight Oil Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Midnight Oil played the Hollywood Palladium last night as part of their farewell tour.

2022 marks Midnight Oil’s 50th anniversary, however the group was originally called Farm from 1972-1976. The group was formed in Sydney, Australia and was together until 2002. Over the next 14 years the group only played a few one off performances (2005 and 2009) before reuniting again in 2016.The band still consists of Peter Garrett (Lead Vocals), Rob Hirst (Drums), Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey (Guitar). Bones Hillman who had the longest tenure in the group as bassist passed away in 2020 and Adam Ventoura became the bassist. The touring band which is all new members also includes saxophonist Andy Bickers and backing vocalists Leah Flanagan who was the opener and Liz Stringer. Midnight Oil released albums consistently between 1978 and 2002 but did not release another album until 2020, four years after reuniting. Midnight Oil released another album this year titled Resist. A few bands influenced by Midnight Oil are The Cranberries, Green Day, Garbage, Pearl Jam, and R.E.M.

The nearly two-hour show began with “Nobody’s Child” from the new album. In total there were four songs off the new album including the live debut of “We Are Not Afraid.” The set included hits like “Beds Are Burning,” Forgotten Years,” and “Blue Sky Mine.” The three song encore consisted of “Whoa,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Hercules.”

Alex Kluft Photography