The concert was to raise money for Jennifer Mackenzie’s tour of Europe, but really the show was more of a celebration and showed that the arts community of Glen Innes just want to jam and have some fun.

Jennifer Mackenzie sang and danced her heart out at tonight’s show and showed what a talent she is. Her voice has grown stronger in the year that I have been listening to her sing and she now possesses a rich tone that suits her song choices. Her take on a song in the Pilipino language displayed her gifts perfectly and her original song shows she could develop into a very good songwriter.

Luke Oppenheimer’s ability as a guitar player is clear for all to hear at tonight’s show, skilfully providing accompaniment for Mackenzie and bluesy chanteuse Caitlyn Turner over multiple sets.

Caitlyn Turner’s mature soulful, bluesy voice would not sound out of place on a much bigger stage, but it perfectly suits the intimate Chapel Theatre tonight. She is the type of singer that could sing the phone book and make it sound good, Turner’s voice swoops and soars with majesty but also growls and resonates when she goes into her deeper register. Miss Turner’s voice drips with emotion and her performance is one of the highlights of the evening.

The Abbeys are superb, tight as a snare rhythmically and spot on vocally. Their vocal harmonies are amongst the best this reviewer has heard, and I have heard the best sing live from Nashville, to New York, and here in Australia. The Abbeys are truly world class. They play cover songs tonight, but give them a fresh take, if they have original songs in their repertoire they should release them and try and conquer the world, they are that good and are the musical highlight of the evening.

Shane Teinaki, plays a selection of up-tempo country and older rock n roll covers and his big deep voice and sense of fun get the crowd’s feet tapping, clearly the audience enjoy his performance. Teinaki is a seasoned performer and even a broken guitar string doesn’t put him off giving his all, it actually ads to the fun of his performance. Teinaki has the perfect voice for the songs he chooses to sing and he hits the big notes as well as the little ones.

Kathryn Luxford and Jamaica Sparks show how well their voices blend with their short set on the night. Sparks’ lower husky tones perfectly blend with the powerful higher voice of Luxford. The duo leave the stage almost as quickly as they enter and I would have liked to have heard more from them.

The musical acts are interspersed with multiple routines from the Glen Innes High School dancers. As always they are dazzling and entertaining, their Ballroom Blitz performance is their best on the night.

It is measure of the good standing that Jennifer Mackenzie has in the community that so many talented people gave their time freely to help her out tonight. Glen Innes’s musical artists should be rightly proud of themselves, as Glen Innes should be of them.