Why Tim Minchin chose to go on stage after his mum died
Tim Minchin has shared why he went ahead with his Sydney concert the day after his mother passed away.
Just weeks ago, Minchin took to the stage at Sydney's State Theatre for his An Unfunny Evening with Tim Minchin and his Piano concert in front of 2,000 fans.
The performance went ahead like any other show, until at the end of the concert, he shared with the audience that his mum had passed away the day before, after a three-year battle with cancer.
The confession left the audience stunned, and many were moved to tears as Minchin asked for help to sing the final song of the night, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
On Wednesday night, Minchin told news.com.au that he wanted to still give his loyal fans an "honest" experience, and performing was his way of working through the devastating news.
“I sort of didn’t know what else to do. I mean, that’s my job," he said.
“I also really care that when I play gigs that people have an experience that feels honest, and it was the day after my mum died, so I thought I’d be honest about it."
“Not because I wanted to manipulate them or get pity, but because everyone goes through those experiences, and that’s our job as artists to go, ‘I’ve experienced this and this is how I unpack it and maybe you’ll get something out of me talking about it and playing songs.”
Minchin said he was proud of the show he put on that night in Sydney, but added, “I must admit, I can barely remember that night because I was just in this slightly otherworldly headspace”.
After the moving performance in Sydney, audience members took to social media after the show, with comments including, “It felt like the audience held you in their arms during the final song, not a dry eye in the house”, and “Singing Hallelujah with 2000 other people … was by far the closest thing to a religious experience that I will ever have”.
While Minchin's fans were all moved by the tribute to his mum, the musician was met with criticism from former government minister Amanda Vanstone, who accused him of "cheapening" the experience by making it public.
However, the public response to Vanstone's comments was swift and overwhelmingly negative.
Image credits: Getty Images