Red Bull Symphonic - Lisi & The Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Co-authored by Ryan Crolla and Gabi Rankine
A symphony orchestra and a dabbling in cocktails is just what you'd expect on a night out at Queensland’s oldest standing heritage listed theatre, The Princess Theatre. The gold trimmed arched pillars of the stage, lunette windows, royal red velvet curtaining, and spacious mezzanine area all add up to be the perfect scene for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. It’s when you add Gold-accredited and internationally recognised rapper, Lisi, to the mix that things start getting really interesting. A recent partnership with Red Bull Symphonic and New-Zealand born Samoan hip hop up and comer, Lisi, gave Something Different Project VIP access to one of the best events we’ve seen this year. A night to never forget. Here’s how it went:
After days of anticipation following an exclusive interview with the star of the show, there we were… out the front of The Princess Theatre, ready to witness something truly very different. And what a masterpiece of an idea it was! Blending rap with orchestral backing has certainly grown in popularity over the last decade, but to see it live and in person with an entire symphony orchestra is a first for most. The night began with the bar set so high and it just kept rising. Welcomed by a plethora of red carpets, we cavorted on and were escorted to an upstairs lounge. Red and blue lights painted the walls - it was a Red Bull event, that was for sure! The following hour or two was filled with curated Red Bull cocktails and canapés until your heart’s content. But most importantly, we were treated to an exclusive performance from the SELAH Samoan Gospel Choir- a foreshadowing of what was to come. The 11-piece talent - that was later to accompany Lisi on stage - performed a 3 song a cappella set before disappearing leaving us to bask in their afterglow.
Before we knew it, we were in our seats amongst the packed auditorium of eager fans and family members singing along to hip hop hits from the ‘90s and 2000s, following a bilingual Welcome to Country from a Yuggera representative; pointing out the ever-importance of collective reconciliation. As the music swelled in parallels with the excitement in the air - crowds screaming - orchestral conductor, Nicholas Buc, raised his arms to signal the orchestra, and in a display of humble power, Lisi entered the stage, dressed as formal as ever sporting a traditional lavalava. Out of the abyss of whistles and screams comes a harp echoing glissandos of glory throughout the concert hall before breaking out into a full drum and bass-orchestral amalgamation. Swinging straight into action, Lisi and the crowd ignite into a back and forth of rap; chanting hard hitting lyrics about representation, identity and postcodes, and singing from the heart. Linked by a mutual agreement of the love of family, the connection between Lisi and the audience only grew.
As the night continued, the orchestra gave more and more. With the fragrant flair of the strings and the trumpets in full swing, Lisi’s story and lyrics came to life. The coexistence of orchestral mastery and ultimate prowess from Lisi was exhilarating. The arrangement from Nicholas Buc made you feel so much more emotional, whilst Lisi’s fierce energy reminded you just how innovative the performance was- the collaboration you didn’t know you needed or wanted. Whilst a first for both Lisi, Buc, the orchestra, and the audience, the vibe was there, and it wasn’t going anywhere.
Chants of “4300” filled the minimal silence between each song and it quickly became hard to not smile at the audience’s shared love for Goodna and its surrounding suburbs in the west-side of Brisbane. And to keep up the intensity, Lisi calls out to the crowd, “I had to bring my boys!”. The orchestra kicked back into action whilst we were impatiently waiting for said boys to appear on stage. Much to our surprise, members from Lisi’s rap group, TH4 W3ST, jumped out of the packed standing area behind us, clad in matching all-white Nike jumpsuits with their microphones in hand- close enough to hear their voices over the speakers. Filing down the aisles between the seating, they staunched up to the stage with the support of the crowd. It was a high octane performance that never stopped gaining momentum.
Lisi kept the crowd pumped with refreshing collaborations from the SELAH Samoan Gospel Choir and NOKZ. The onstage chemistry between Lisi and his supports was nothing shy of family-like, and the energy NOKZ and Lisi shared was fiery. Orchestra members were bouncing in their seats and dancing along to the music, whilst the boys took ownership of the stage- it felt like a war-song with the timpani and strings staccato-ing to the beat of Lisi’s pomp and circumstance-ing. The SELAH Choir’s collaboration with Lisi was honest and open, later breaking down into a full tribute of his Samoan heritage sporting a segment of traditional drum and chant. With the embrace of the orchestra, their collective power crescendoed into a euphoric chorus of honesty. Not only was the song a display of his Samoan pride, but also a respect for his upbringing and the love of his parents; speaking on how hard they worked for him and how much they loved him back. An invitation into some of the deepest parts of his life.
Absolutely starstruck by the talent in the room, Gabi and I couldn’t imagine the possibility of more. I even noted at one point Gabi saying, “I don’t know how many more surprise guests I can take”. Just when we thought the collaborations had ended, Lisi hit us with a surprise visit from Faith Sosene, a singer with staggering vocals- who starred on the most recent season of The Voice. Performing Lisi’s multi-million streamed song, ‘Baby We On' (feat. EJ), they poured their heart and soul out; and it poured out across the entire venue. Shortly after, much to our sadness, the set came to an end.
After Lisi and Nicholas said their thank you’s and had exited the stage, the orchestra remained seated. “Wow! What ever is to come?”, we sarcastically thought to ourselves. The crowd went quiet in the darkness of the stage. But eventually out of that silence broke a voice from backstage (a voice that sounded suspiciously like Lisi) … “one more song…one more song… one more song”. Slowly the crowd got involved and quickly escalated into yelling, leaving Lisi with absolutely no choice but to come and play another song. Joining him back on stage for an encore, the SELAH choir and orchestra went straight back into full swing to finish with a bang- playing Lisi’s breakout debut song, and most popular release, ‘Say Less’. The crowd were brought to their feet and became one, and cameras panned the room capturing what was the last song of the night- some even live-streaming on Facebook and Instagram to those who couldn’t make it. Concluding the night, Lisi’s family heartwarmingly began singing in unison in Samoan, leaving me wishing I could speak Samoan for the first time in my life. From the moment we stepped inside, it felt like you were at a massive family event. Everyone’s interest was solely for the support of Lisi and the career he has created. And that last 20 seconds really topped it off.
Just like that, the music was over. We actually didn’t know what to do. It was the first instance we had to stop and think about how baffled we were. Never before has anyone expected to be at The Princess Theatre watching the Queensland Symphony Orchestra whilst 808s shake you in your seat and crowds rap along to lyrics about “holding it down for my city”. Not only that, but the culmination of hip hop and classical was truly cinematic- words we kept hearing as we left the venue. All in all, it was the perfect event to highlight such a heartwarming story. A story of identity and growth. A story of relatability and support. But most importantly, a story of honesty and pride.
