"Take your clothes off!" shouted a ssexy, sweating Michael hutchence to the CNE Grandstand audience of 24,500 last night before he led funky rocking sensation INXS into a powerful version of "The One Thing."
Well into its third world tour, the Aussie sextet put on an electrifying and intense performance. It was obvious by the screaming, squeals and roars that crowd came to see Hutchence strut his stuff. He teased and tempted -- jumping, running, dancing and shaking his mane of blonde-streaked curls up. Simply put, he kicking up a sensual storm!
The closely-knit group around him -- the Farriss brothers (guitarist Tim, Keyboard-player Andrew and drummer Jon) bassist Garry Gary Beers and guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly -- rolledin mainly funk-pop groove (with some hard rock) delivering an intoxicating mix of material from -- "What You Need," "Guns in the Sky" (the anti-war show-stopper, where Hutchence rolled into a fetal position and then sprawled on the stage), "Mystify," "Original Sin," "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain," "This Time,"and "New Sensation".

Mid-concert the sultry Hutchence, perched on a stool beside Pengilly,announced a "hippy" song and proceeded with an intimate offering of "Shine Like it Does." When the video screens on either side of the stage showed a close-up of the singer breakinginto a particular seductive smile, it was more than some woman could take.

The group partied hard with "Calling all Nations," which brought the audience to its feet. When Hutchence removed his white shirt to reveal his muscular bronzed chest and swung into "Devil Inside," the female element let loose with accentuated shrieks.

Far from the Sydney beaches, and surf clubs where it rocked in the early '80s, INXS demonastrated last night that it has truely arrived on the big-scale pop circuit. The emormous sea of appreciative bopping bodies at yesterday's show more than proved the point.

Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers provided a stimulating warm-up to INXS dealing out choice raggae cuts from their latest LP Conscious Party. Especially infectious were New Love, Tumbin' down and Lee and Molly.