Tommy Emmanuel (CGP): Live at the Sydney Opera House

(audience cheering and applauding) TOMMY: Well, hello Sydney Town.

(audience cheering and applauding) Oh, I'm home.

(audience cheering and applauding) Well, thank you.

(audience cheering and applauding) Thank you so very much.

Good evening or afternoon.

(audience cheering and applauding) Oh, here we are.

We're at the... the most incredible venue on the planet.

(audience cheering and applauding) Well, I- I got a little blues coming on here.

I feel something really deep my soul.

Oh yeah.

Let it rain, let it pour Let it rain a whole lot more 'Cause I got them deep river blues Let the rain drive right on Let the waves sweep along I got them deep river blues My old gal, she's a good old pal But she looks like a water fowl If I get them deep river blues Oh yeah, sad.

When there ain't no one to cry for me The fish all go out on a spree When I get them deep river blues I gotta pick ya one now Well give me back my old boat And I'm gonna sail if she'll float 'Cause I got them deep river blues I'm goin' back to Muscle Shoals And times got better there I'm told I got them deep river blues Well, let it rain, let it pour And let it rain a whole lot more I got them deep river blues Going back to Muswellbrook And times got better there, I'm told I got them deep river blues I got them deep river blues I got them deep river Blues Here's "Doc's Guitar."

All right!

(audience cheering and applauding) So when I- I was in my third year at high school and I decided that I needed to come to Sydney and play with the big boys.

So I- I handed my books in and broke my mother's heart and came to Sydney the next day.

And I- I lived up there in- in- in Circular Key area.

And every day, I walked all around the city here based- based in this whole area.

And I was a messenger boy for Angus & Coote.

I wore my school uniform and I had a little school bag.

And in that bag was watches, jewelry, letters, money, all that sort of stuff.

Every time I saw the Opera House, I- I always had that vision that that's where I- I need to get to there.

That- that's my goal, you know?

And I remember the first show I saw at the Opera House.

It was Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass.

And it was mind blowing.

But anyway, it- it was my goal to- to eventually have my own show at the Opera House.

It just took a lifetime of work and dedication and- and keeping at it, you know, to get myself there.

So, you know, here we are today in this amazing city, enjoying it and enjoying the- the privilege of being able to work in such a venue.

So beautiful.

You are, at this very moment, being filmed and recorded.

Because we are, yes, this tonight, this is my new live album.

(audience cheering and applauding) I wanna play a- a song that I wrote.

And this was from a- from a dream I had.

I woke up and I- I was in the city of Milano in- in Italy.

Windows were open in my hotel room and it was pouring raining and it was just so beautiful.

So I wrote this song.

Here it is.

It's called "Song for a Rainy Morning."

(audience applauding) (audience applauding) TOMMY: Any guitar players in the house tonight?

We got a few.

(audience cheering) Oh good.

All right, pay attention.

I may ask questions after this bit.

(audience laughing) Here's a song I first heard Doris Day sing.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Woo!

(audience cheering and applauding) Oh yeah.

Any questions?

(audience cheering and applauding) (audience applauding) (Tommy vocalizing) (audience cheering and applauding) Thank you.

(audience laughing) (Tommy exhales) (audience laughing) Look at the wood in this baby, huh?

Queensland Maple.

(audience cheering) Look at that (whistles).

People are always saying to me when I'm playing in other countries, "Don't you miss Australia?"

I say, "Well, of course, but I open my guitar cases and there's a bit of it."

All my guitars are made here and they're indigenous woods.

(audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) TOMMY: I wanna send my love out to my brother Phil, who was, you know, an amazing brother.

He- he really was.

Forget all the music stuff.

We all know how good that is.

But as a brother, you know, you- you never had a friend like him.

And I wrote this song after he died.

And on his gravestone it says, "Sail on, beautiful soul" at the- at the bottom.

And this is the song I wrote for him.

It's called "Sail On."

(audience applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) Bless you, Sydney.

Thank you so much.

(audience applauding) (audience applauding) TOMMY: Thank you so very much.

Apparently, I've already gone over time, so seeing as I've already gone over time, let me play one more piece.

(audience cheering and applauding) AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's the spirit.

(audience yelling indistinctly) (audience cheering) TOMMY: Hey, it's our show.

We can do what we like, right?

(audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) (audience cheering and applauding) Thank you so much.

What a joy to play for you tonight.

(audience cheering and applauding)