Russell Crowe is not only a talented actor, but also a passionate musician. The 59-year-old star, who won an Academy Award for his role in Gladiator, has been playing in a band for more than 40 years. This summer, he will take his music to Europe with his Indoor Garden Party tour, featuring The Gentleman Barbers and Lorraine O’Reilly.
The tour will kick off on July 1 in Dublin, Ireland, and will visit several cities in the UK, France, and Italy, before wrapping up on August 4 in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Crowe and his band will perform in a variety of venues, ranging from the historic Colosseum in Rome and the ancient amphitheatre in Pompeii, to the cozy Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and the elegant La Cigale in Paris.
Russell Crowe announced the tour in an exclusive video message to PEOPLE, where he expressed his excitement and enthusiasm for the upcoming shows. “Prepping for a show is very similar to prepping for a role,” he said. “You’ve got to give yourself the time focused on it so the details seep into your bones. The older I get, the more important it has become to prep my voice too. The shows tend to be 20-plus songs, so it’s a big sing as they say.”
Russell Crowe’s musical journey with stories and songs
Russell Crowes band, which he started in the late 1970s, has gone through several name changes over the years, from Roman Antix to 30 Odd Foot of Grunts to The Ordinary Fear of God. The current incarnation, Indoor Garden Party, reflects the intimate and relaxed atmosphere that Crowe and his bandmates create on stage, inviting the audience to join them in a musical journey with stories and songs.
The band’s repertoire includes original compositions by Russell Crowe and his collaborators, as well as covers of songs by artists such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Sinéad O’Connor. Crowe’s music is influenced by various genres, such as rock, folk, country, and blues, and showcases his versatile and expressive voice.
The band also features The Gentleman Barbers, a trio of musicians who have worked with Crowe on several film projects, such as Robin Hood, Les Misérables, and The Water Diviner. They are Scott Grimes, an American actor and singer who played Will Scarlet in Robin Hood and Marius in Les Misérables; Kevin Durand, a Canadian actor who played Little John in Robin Hood and The Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine; and Alan Doyle, a Canadian singer-songwriter and the lead singer of the folk-rock band Great Big Sea.
The fourth member of the band is Lorraine O’Reilly, an Irish singer who met Crowe when she auditioned for a role in The Water Diviner, a film that Crowe directed and starred in. She impressed him with her voice and joined his band shortly after. She also appeared in Crowe’s latest film, True History of the Kelly Gang, where she played the role of Ellen Kelly, the mother of the notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.
A family affair with special guests
Russell Crowe’s tour will also be a family affair, as he hopes that his two sons, Charlie, 20, and Tennyson, 17, will join him on stage at some point. “He got up with us a few times last year, and I’m hoping that he does that again,” Crowe said of Charlie, who is also a singer and songwriter. “He has a great voice. So much musicality and control. Way more than his old man at the same age. He is a fine songwriter, a real craftsman.”
Crowe added that he would love to have Tennyson with him as well, but he understands that his youngest son has other priorities. “But it’s his last year of high school and he’s got some big exams coming up,” he said.
In addition to his sons, Crowe may also surprise his fans with some special guests during the tour. In the past, he has invited celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Sting, and Ed Sheeran to join him on stage. He has also performed with legendary musicians such as Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Patti Smith.
Crowe said that he is looking forward to playing in all the venues, but he is especially excited about Dublin, London, Leeds, and the ancient sites in Italy. “What a privilege to get to play at these ancient sites,” he said. “I’m looking forward to Rome, Pompeii, Siena, Varese, Piacenza, the festival in Diamante… It’s going to be absolutely fantastic.”
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