My Men at Work fandom goes back to childhood, long before I ever imagined seeing Colin Hay live. I’m pretty sure Business as Usual was a Christmas gift when I was twelve. It was probably the second New Wave album I ever owned after DEVO’s Freedom of Choice. I knew the album was big at the time — I just didn’t realize how big until years later.
Colin Hay has kept the music alive in different forms over the years, from a long solo career to reviving the Men at Work name for touring in the late 2010s. I missed their tour when it came through last year at the Longhorn Ballroom (another great historic venue in Dallas). So, I was glad to see him at The Majestic for a chance to reconnect with the songs that shaped my early musical identity.
So, walking into the Majestic Theatre with my son Colton — my concert buddy — felt like visiting an old friend. I’ve seen OMD and Adam Ant there before, and most recently William Shatner with a Q&A after The Wrath of Khan.
The Majestic remains one of the best concert venues in Dallas. It offers warm acoustics, intimate sightlines, and a layout that makes the artist feel close. It was the perfect setting for finally seeing the voice behind one of the first albums that ever mattered to me.
Colin Hay Takes the Stage
Colin Hay walked onto the Majestic Theatre stage with the kind of ease that comes from decades of performing. No big entrance, no buildup other than his band members cajoling the audience — just a wave, a smile, and straight into the opening number, “Broken Love.” It was a blues‑leaning start that let the band settle in and immediately showed how tight they were going to be all night.
After the opener wrapped, Hay eased into storyteller mode. He joked that if we didn’t hear Men at Work songs right away, not to worry — he’d get to them. Then he glanced up toward the balcony and made a dry comment about it not being a full house. Followed by the punchline that we were obviously the people with the best taste in Dallas. From the floor it looked plenty full, but the line worked. It loosened the room and set up the easy, conversational rhythm he kept returning to throughout the night.
I didn’t realize how good a storyteller he was, and it added a whole other dimension to the night. Some concerts, like Nine Inch Nails, are memorable because of the spectacle. Others — like Colin Hay and OMD — are memorable because the artist shares insight into their world.
Seven Solo Songs Before the Hits — Most of Them New to Me
Hay opened the night with seven solo songs in a row, easing the crowd into his world before touching any Men at Work material. It was a confident choice, and it worked because the songs — and the band — were strong enough to carry the room on their own.
I wasn’t all that familiar with his solo work before this night, so this run of songs felt like discovering a whole other chapter of his music.
What made this stretch work wasn’t just the music, but the stories wrapped around many of the songs — little windows into his life that helped me connect with songs I didn’t know going in and remember them afterward. These songs stood out for me:
“Come Tumbling Down” Before starting, Hay taught the crowd how to sing the chorus — a small, good‑natured moment that made the song land even better. It ended up being my favorite of the solo material, with a bluegrass lift that felt natural and warm.
“Can’t Take This Town” Hay introduced this one with a story about moving to Los Angeles to get away from the drug‑using scene back in Melbourne. He joked about the irony of going to LA to get clean — and as someone who was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Southern California, I couldn’t help but think the same thing. Getting sober in Hollywood feels a little like trying to lose weight at a Golden Corral buffet. Yet somehow, musicians keep doing it. David Bowie tried it. Billy Idol tried it. And Hay’s story fit right into that long tradition of artists heading straight into the belly of the beast to escape the very thing the city is famous for.
“Maggie” Before the last of the solo songs, he told a childhood story about falling in love with an older girl — she was nine, he was eight and a half. It was quick, light, and perfectly timed, the kind of small anecdote that makes his shows feel personal without slowing the pace.
The Men at Work Songs Make Their Entrance — A Colin Hay Live Highlight
Then came one of the most memorable moments of the night: an acoustic reworking of “Who Can It Be Now?” Hay has been performing it this way for years, but hearing it live gave it a different kind of warmth. The arrangement leaned into space and clarity rather than volume, letting the melody breathe in a way the original never did.
The highlight was the sax solo — handled beautifully by Rachel Mazer, who had already proven herself as the band’s secret weapon. She moved from keys to sax with total ease, delivering a solo that felt respectful of the original but still very much her own.
Before “Down By the Sea,” Hay told a story from his childhood in Scotland — before Australia, long before MTV. He talked about finding a nudie magazine on the beach as a kid, delivered with the same grin he uses when he’s about to land a punchline. It made the Majestic feel even smaller, like we were all sitting around a table at a Scottish pub instead of scattered across a theater.
“Overkill” arrived tucked between two more solo songs, and even in that placement — almost casual — it hit with the weight of a classic. Hay’s voice has grown into the song; the years have given it a texture that makes the lyrics feel even more lived‑in.
He then talked about recording two albums during the pandemic, one of them a covers record. That’s where he introduced his version of Del Amitri’s “Driving With the Brakes On,” a nod to his Scottish roots and a reminder that he’s always been a student of songwriting, not just a practitioner.
The Highlight: “Down Under”
Between “It’s a Mistake” and “Down Under,” Hay slipped into a story about the strange afterlife of writing a song that refuses to go away. He said that if someone had told him he’d still be singing “Down Under” 46 years later, he let a long, knowing pause do the work before finally saying, “Yeah, I can picture that.”
Then he shifted into a bit about how he used to get recognized all the time 42 or 43 years ago, but not so much now. “It’s good 98% of the time,” he said, tossing off the number as a joke. But then he described the other moments: standing in a long line at CVS, waiting to pick up his medication, when one of his own songs starts playing over the store speakers. For a split second, he thinks, “Don’t you people realize I’m a Grammy‑winning, multi‑platinum‑selling musician?” The crowd erupted. He followed it with, “But of course, I don’t say that. I just work my way forward slowly, going, ‘Yes… 06/29/1953.’” Then he mimed pulling the comically long CVS receipt and deadpanned, “That’s just for one thing.”
And then the unmistakable opening flute line of “Down Under” floated out — that bright, playful hook that tells everyone in the room exactly what’s coming.
When the band kicked in behind it, the Cuban rhythm section showed its full power. The groove tightened, the energy lifted, and the song snapped into place. The guitarist added a bright, percussive edge, and Rachel Mazer filled the arrangement with flute, keys, and harmony. Hay’s wife softened the chorus with warm backing vocals that gave the song a more communal feel.
What made the performance work wasn’t nostalgia — it was the ease with which Hay delivered it. No reinvention, no dramatics, just a musician playing a song he knows people love, with a band capable of giving it fresh energy. It was one of those Colin Hay live moments where the whole room locks in.
Business As Usual at The Majestic
Walking out of the Majestic, I kept thinking about how good it felt to finally hear these songs, sung by Colin Hay live — not as nostalgia pieces, but as part of a night that still felt alive and present. Sharing it with Colton in a room that intimate made it even better. It was awesome seeing these songs that shaped my love for 80’s music sung live by the original singer. The performance was great and Colin Hay’s stories and humor were the cherry on top.
Some shows try to be big moments. This one didn’t have to. It just was.
