
29 July 2023 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words and pictures by Justin Gittins
It was the day before the gig and some tracks from an old Hottest 100 album start playing on my car stereo.
“There is a scratch only you could itch….” Sings Tim Rogers. Is my car stereo taunting me with You Am I’s ‘Purple Sneakers’? To be perfectly honest, that is what I want You Am I to be playing, as well as classics such as ‘Heavy Heart’, ‘Rumble’ and ‘Cathy’s Clown’.
I still hadn’t got my head around the concept of the show. It was based on an album from 1969. What was that all about? (Spoiler Alert! – Tim lets us know at the end of the night)
The Who’s album Tommy was released in May 1969. At this stage Tim Rogers was just a small bump in his mother’s tummy. (He would be born four months later) It was a double album and told the story of Tommy Walker and has been described as a rock opera.
The last time I had seen You Am I was at some random music festival in a year that didn’t start with a “2”. The vibe tonight was totally different as I looked down from the mezzanine to the assigned seating on the main floor area. It certainly was a very formal affair with ushers and regular announcements about the pending start of the show. As the room slowly filled with what appeared to be a sea of grey hair it became apparent that the lack of ‘Purple Sneakers’ would not be an issue. Having said that, You Am I needed to nail their version of Tommy to keep these punters happy.



You Am I – Tommy – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Justin Gittins
Tim Rogers was out the front for You Am I. David Lane was on lead guitar. Andy Kent on bass guitar. Russell Hopkinson was on drums.
Helping them out on vocals were two awesome female artists. Sarah McLeod from Superjesus and singer-songwriter Hayley Mary from The Jezabels.
‘Overture’ kicked off and the crowd settled for the story of young Tommy. Tim Rogers took on the vocals as the stage was lit by a variety of colours giving that psychedelic rock concert effect. As the album progressed, we were treated to Sarah McLeod on vocals as she brought her amazing energy to the stage.




You Am I – Tommy – Fortitude Music Hall – photos by Justin Gittins
We were told of an ‘Amazing Journey’ and ‘Christmas’ and ‘The Acid Queen’ with Hayley Mary joining in on the vocals. The crowd was treated to different outfits adorned in sequins, feathers and leather.
You Am I showed their musical prowess as they finished up the first half of the evening with a ten-minute instrumental rendition of ‘Underture’.
After a short intermission there was not long to ‘Fiddle About’ before the highly familiar lyrics told us of Tommy’s secret skills.
“Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve played the silver ball….” announced the start of ‘Pinball Wizard’. The crowd were treated to Sarah McLeod joining the band on stage for an awesome rendition of this classic song.
I watched the rest of the album from the mezzanine. Chairs had been provided but the performance had many of the patrons out of their seats. They were singing and dancing as one familiar song after another was played. Each time either Sarah or Hayley grabbed the mike, the crowd was energised. The addition of the two female vocalists took the show to a whole other level.
After an awesome hour and a half of music, ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ wrapped up the story of Tommy.
So why pick Tommy for a show?
Tim Rogers tells the audience “Why the F@#k wouldn’t you….we wanted to share some joy with you.”
Sarah McLeod also lets us know “It’s a f@#cking weird album but a cool show.”
As an encore, the crowd were treated to a few more classics from The Who.
Davy Lane jumps on the microphone for ‘I Can’t Explain’. Sarah gets the crowd revved up with her awesome vocals joining Tim for ‘Substitute’ and ‘My Generation’.
The psychedelic ‘Baba O’Riley’ wraps up the show. Hayley Mary tells us all about “teenage wasteland” and You Am I bring concert to an end with an awesome instrumental section that showcases their talent.
I turn to the bloke standing next to me. He is proudly wearing a shirt from his favourite band The Who and has been dancing and singing along. A tear has formed in his eye, and he is yelling “Thank you! Thank you!” For me this is the answer to the question of why You Am I chose Tommy.
It was an awesome show and an amazing tribute to a band that has been such a huge influence on those who followed.