Ends world tour with shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane
Having entertainedvirtual fans from hisbedroom in Bangalore for two yearsduring the Covidlockdown, Goan singer CarltonBraganza enthralled audiences during his recent three-weektour in Australia.Carlton Braganza arrived inAustralia after successful showsin the US, Latin America, Europe(including Portugal), where hewas able to connect in personwith his fans and music lovers.
The three-city tour in Australia began with his first show inMelbourne, followed by Sydneyand Brisbane.He did not disappoint the packed audiences in all threecities and sang froma rich repertoire ofmusic from the 1970sand 1980s.
During his threehour concert in Brisbane, Carlton hadalmost everyone ontheir feet as theydanced, cheeredand had a fantastic time. Besidesthe popular tunesof yesteryears like‘Top of the world’,‘Rivers of Babylon’, and ‘CountryRoads’, Carlton alsothrew some Konkani songs which wentdown very well withthe predominantlyKonkani-speakingcrowd.
“The decisionto leave the Brisbane show as aBYO (Bring YourOwn) food anddrinks added tothe homely feelfor the eveningturning the WavellHeights Community hall into a picnic paradise,”recalled Ruth De Barros, oneof the organisers in Brisbanealong with Fatima Pinto, JaneD’Silva and Alzira D’Souza.
“In a short span of time, itwas almost like everyone kneweveryone. Food kept gettingshared and toasts were raisedevident from the clinking ofglasses around the hall. AndCarlton kept leaving the comfortof the stage to join the crowds onthe dance floor and sang withthem and to them.”
Joining Carlton on stage wasAustralia country music royaltyJohn McSweeney, who provedthat age is no barrier to music.Singing a couple of populartracks, they duo had the crowdcheering and singing along.
To the uninitiated, CarltonBraganza gave them everythingthey needed to make it a memorable evening. And to those thathave heard him before, it was anabsolute pleasure to be entertained by the star himself.In Melbourne, the Goan OzzieAssociation of Melbourne invited local band ‘Codamix’, DJ Benalong with guest artistes fromSydney ‘The Warrens’ to sharestage with Carlton Braganza,who has established the musicclub ‘Opus’ in Bangalore and‘Jukebox’ jammies.
In Sydney, the event was puttogether by the Bandra friends,Lucia and Marianne, and it wasat Madison function centre inDural. About 100 people were inattendance and some came fromas far as Darwin and Auckland.Plenty of spot prizes were given out and there was a jive competition as well.
Carlton kepteveryone on the dance floor forthree hours, with all kinds of requests that came in.To make the event memorable, there was plenty of talent tojoin Carlton.Marianne and the Saldanhafamily put together a choircalled ‘Gun and Roses’ anddid a three-song set of oldswing jazz favourites. Chloeand Chevonne joined Carltonwith a song.There was plenty of interaction, meeting of fans, selfies,dance music and a fun night toremember for a long time.
The renowned Australian countrymusic singer John McSweeney, whojammed up with Carlton Braganza atthe show in Brisbane, was full of praise forthe Goan singer.In a recorded video message, John,said: “My wife, Kay, and I were invited to a concert here in Brisbane, put onby Carlton Braganza, an Indian singer that I had never heard of. It was justa great night. Carlton has a great voiceand he sings all types of songs and I justcouldn’t believe the range of songs thathe sang, from old country and moderncountry, to rock n roll.”
“His voice is just so strong and powerful. He should bring out his music album,because I’m sure it would sell whereverhe goes,” said John, who has performedthroughout Australia and also in Nashville USA.
John said he was fortunate that Carltonhad asked him to come up on stage andsing a couple of songs.“He joined in with me and we did aboutthree songs. I’m sure Carlton could go anywhere and work anywhere, no matter whatthe audience could be. His personality wasgreat, he got down on the dance floor andwas singing while people were dancing. Itwas a wonderful night.”
“I would encourage people to go and seeCarlton Braganza, if he were to perform intheir area, as it would be well worth it. Ihave been in the entertainment businessfor 58 years and have worked with lots andlots of singers. Carlton is definitely rightup there with them, because of the rangeof songs he sings and his powerful voice,”added John.
