Lee Fields with special guests Surprise Chef
27 November 2023
In the Studio
Contemporary MusicOne of R&B’s great survivors, soul scorcher Lee Fields is bringing his fighting-fit band the Expressions back to Australia for their Sydney Opera House debut – on a funky double-bill with Melbourne’s cinematic groovers Surprise Chef.
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Date |
Time |
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Monday 27 November |
8:00pm |
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Ticket |
Price |
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All tickets |
$65 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 19 September
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What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 20 September
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Friday 22 September
Run time
This event runs for 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
All ages. Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
Content
Performance may contain the use of strobe lighting, smoke machines and may be filmed.
The MusicA funk soul brother who has survived the years with a voice that has not diminished with age.
A soul legend makes his Sydney Opera House debut
More than 50 years into his career, legendary soul-man and R&B survivor Lee Fields only gets better with age. Powered by his long-running, impossibly tight band the Expressions, the North Carolina blues belter returns to Australia for his very first performance at the Sydney Opera House, setting the Studio alight for one night only.
Once nicknamed “Little J.B.”, for his uncanny ability to mimic James Brown’s moves and vocals, Fields made his debut in 1969 before catching on in the ’70s with enduring classics like "Let's Talk It Over”, "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away to Somebody (Sometime)” and "The Bull Is Coming”, singles that would later become prized collector’s items for aficionados of vintage soul. Buoyed by the resurgence of interest in classic soul from hip-hop and sampling in the ’90s, Fields returned to recording: 1998’s simmering, old-school funk album Let’s Get A Groove On, 2002’s Daptone-released Problems, and 2009’s My World, his first record with the Expressions, all showed an artist in full flight, scorching vocals and irresistible swagger in tact. His rich catalogue of soul has been sampled by artists including J. Cole, Travis Scott, Slum Village, Rick Ross, and A$AP Rocky.
On the back of his first album in three years, last year’s Sentimental Fool, Lee Fields and the Expressions are set to seduce the Sydney Opera House with every inch of their considerable charm.
Surprise Chef
One of the hottest bands on Melbourne’s buzzy funk scene, Coburg quintet Surprise Chef have attracted a cult-like following across two vividly cinematic albums, 2020’s All News is Good News and 2022’s supremely groovy Daylight Savings, and attracted the attention of taste-making Brooklyn label Big Crown Records, who snapped them up last year. The band’s virtuoso journey through funk, jazz, hip-hop samples and deep grooves makes for a hypnotic live set – the perfect accompaniment to Lee Fields’ vintage R&B mastery.
Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of everyone on site, and we are closely following NSW Health guidelines and advice. The Sydney Opera House is registered as a COVID Safe business with the NSW Government. For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you when visiting, please see our plan your visit page.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
As you move around the Opera House, practise physical distancing (1.5 metres whenever possible) and follow the guidance provided by our staff and signage.
Within venues, always take your allocated seat.
For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
Contact information is required when making a booking with us and upon arrival at the Opera House, as set out in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events and our Customer Privacy Statement.
As the ticket purchaser, you are responsible for recording the contact details of your guests. Contact information will only be used for the purposes of contact tracing, if required, and will be deleted at least 28 days after your event.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House will become a smoke-free site from Saturday 1 January 2022.
By becoming a smoke-free site, the Opera House seeks to reduce exposure to harmful second-hand smoke, as well as minimise the impact of smoking on the environment, including litter and pollution of the surrounding marine environment.
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