Fortune Impresses With INXS At MuchMoreMusic

One had to only look at the audience members at MuchMoreMusic's Live With INXS special on November 25 to know who most of them were there to see.

Given that the crowd was mostly made up of women between the ages of 18 and 35 — with a few bewildered older men (no doubt the remnants of the band's original fanbase) scattered here and there — it was more or less expected that they would shriek rabidly at any mention of the band's new lead singer, Oakville's J.D. Fortune. And shriek rabidly they did, right from the moment that Fortune arrived in the MMM environment along with three of the five original members of INXS. (Guitarist Tim Farriss and bassist Gary Beers were conspicuously absent.)

The show, hosted by the gratingly perky Traci Melchor, started with a grooving performance of the INXS classic, "Mystify." This is most likely the point at which the naysayers quieted, at least a little bit. It was very clear that Fortune fit in seamlessly with the band, even if he's 20 years younger than the rest of the members. The little gestures of closeness that Fortune shared with the other guys continued on throughout both the commercial breaks and the interview portions, and one got the sense that it wasn't staged. Who'd have thought that this could come from a reality television show?

Fortune's awe at the band's reception also seemed sincere. He greeted old neighbours in the crowd and commented that he "used to sleep on the streets three blocks from here." Fortune's fortune certainly has changed, and the tears in his eyes showed that he was well aware of it. He may have played the enfant terrible on the TV show, but damn if it isn't hard to not be endeared to the guy.

As for the band members whom the young girls weren't swooning over, INXS seemed fine with letting Fortune take the spotlight during the performances (including a decent rendition of "Never Tear Us Apart" and a finale of the new hit "Pretty Vegas," complete with sequined megaphone), but handled the microphone during the interview segments. After paying proper tribute to deceased frontman Michael Hutchence (the eight-year anniversary of his suicide was November 22), guitarist Kirk Pengilly admitted that the Rock Star: INXS show was his idea. All seemed satisfied that it worked out for the best, especially in the band's Australian homeland, where it became the top-rated cable show ever.

Having a young hotshot as a new singer has been a bit of a trip for the old boys, as Jon Farriss tossed out a cute double-entendre about how they needed to teach Fortune how to say "no" like an Australian — or, rather, to just say "no" in general.

One thing that Fortune doesn't need to learn is charm with the opposite sex. The "golden boy" swept Melchor off her feet and planted a kiss on her lips, showing that the newbie already knows how to win over female interviewers. With that sort of confidence, Fortune's well on his way to starting a new legacy for INXS and beginning one for himself as one of Canada's rock star ambassadors.