Tina Arena’s Love Saves

I was super excited about Tina Arena’s new album Love Save. More so than any of her previous albums, because with the release of this album (which had signed copies available), a world tour was announced. Anyone who read my post back in 2015 about her album Eleven, knows that seeing Tina in concert has been a dream of mine for almost thirty years but I didn’t have much hope. November that dream will become a reality when I finally get to see her at City Winery in New York City.

The day presale tickets went on sale, I had the day off, so I was poised (sweaty and shaky…but still poised) to buy my tickets at 10AM. I counted down the minutes, clicking the refresh button even before the clock ticked over. 10AM came and went, as my pointer finger began to cramp but the tickets never dropped. As sweat (maybe tears) stung my eyes and swears escaped my lips, I searched for information online only to find that presale was bumped a day when I was scheduled to work. My partner was working from home and offered to buy the tickets which was very nice of him…or stupid, knowing that when it comes to concert tickets, I can be a little intense…to put it mildly. My partner followed the diagram and game plan given to him to a T and got me the seats I wanted, lucky for me…and him, or he would have to listen to me complain of missed opportunities for the next thirty years.

In my gay opinion, the album may be called Love Saves but love puts you through a lot before it can rescue you and that’s what these songs represent. Tina’s sound is very ballad-heavy, theatrical and like musical poetry. Each song leaves you lost in one of Tina’s emotional and brooding dreams. The music lulls you as the lyrics, that she helped cowrite, mold to your mood so only you can interpret them. The outcome isn’t always a happy one but these songs only make you stronger. It’s all about getting through the struggle, following your heart and finding your own bliss.

Now that the countdown to buy the tickets and waiting for the album to drop are over, I’m eagerly awaiting the concert itself. It’s been thirty years, what’s another three months, two weeks and six days…but who’s counting. Until then, I’ll have Love Saves to keep me company.