July 6, 1998: Seattle, Washington: Seattle Mercer
Arena
From: USA Today review (Savage Garden earned 3
of 4 stars)
By Rickey Wright, USA Today
The crowd responded to one highly emotional vision
of romance after another. Whether it was the flippant sexuality of
'I Want You,' the post-breakup trauma of 'Universe' or the power-ballad
expression of eternal devotion that is the smash 'Truly Madly Deeply,'
the songs were smartly constructed and utterly believable. Savage
Garden, led by Hayes and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Jones, has achieved
massive airplay and sales success via a familiar-sounding blend of '80s
New Wave and '90s Top-40 gloss. Its music moved through many styles,
but stayed focused on unforgettable sing-along choruses and, of course,
the L-word: love.... The band's tunefulness and smart diversity of mood
mark it as a potentially enduring act. If it continues at its current
high level of quality, it should soon be inspiring newcomers just as its
own role models have done.
