Cocker salute

By Kath Gannaway
SIR Joe Cocker OBE took his hat off to the thousands of fans who held on to their tickets for his rescheduled Day on the Green at Rochford on Sunday.
The original concert on Saturday 5 February was washed out, disappointing the sold-out crowd, some of whom had waited 30 years to see the enigmatic Cocker in person.
“You’ve been having a rough time … thank you for making it the second time around,” he said after flying in from Perth with American rocker George Thorogood for the final gig of their Australian concert tour.
The Dingoes and Diesel set the scene for the “bad-to-the-bone” Thorogood, and his band the Destroyers, who had the crowd on their feet for with You Talk Too Much, Get A Haircut and the image-maker, Bad To The Bone.
Cocker’s trademark, gravelly voice didn’t disappoint as the Sheffield-born singer, who has been a favourite with Australian audiences for almost four decades, performed songs from his new Hard Knocks album as well as favourites including Unchain My Heart, You Are So Beautiful, Up Where We Belong and the undisputed crowd pleaser, You Can Leave Your Hat On.