2003 Concerts

Concerts

Over the last few months, I've been gallivanting all over the countryside seeing concerts. I've had a ball!

The Rolling Stones Concert was absolutely fantastic. The experience began in the train en route to the Entertainment Centre - full of Stones fans. As someone remarked: "This is just like the Sydney Olympics or Expo '88 in Brisbane." Having experienced both of these party crowds I totally agreed. The concert started with "jungle drums" which got everyone to their feet with lots of screaming. Mick Jagger certainly didn't disappoint and the punters loved it. The mood was upbeat for the whole concert so everyone was thoroughly entertained.

ROLLING STONES Brisbane Entertainment Centre	The Rolling Stones Concert was absolutely fantastic. The experience began in the train en route to the Entertainment Centre - full of Stones fans. As someone remarked: "This is just like the Sydney Olympics or Expo '88 in Brisbane." Having experienced both of these party crowds I totally agreed. The concert started with "jungle drums" which got everyone to their feet with lots of screaming. Mick Jagger certainly didn't disappoint and the punters loved it. The mood was upbeat for the whole concert so everyone was thoroughly entertained.
JON ENGLISH Bago Vineyards near Wauchope	I first saw Jon English in 1972 in "Jesus Christ - Superstar" at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Since then I have seen most of the shows in which he has appeared. These range from concerts to stage shows to club shows to T.V. series. I have most of his record albums, cassettes and cds. I must be a fan! The Bago concert was quite different. It started in daylight and had such discrete security that I was able to sit on the grass right in front of the stage. And I managed to say hello to Jon English and also get an autograph. The audience comprised a mixture of ages from the local area.
CLIFF RICHARD Lyndeman Estate Winery in the Hunter Valley near Newcastle	Part of a gourmet food and wine festival, this was a big outdoor concert. A very professional show with violins, brass and a big, full sound. Cliff did a history of rock'n'roll singing songs from Elvis, Everley Bros and the Shadows etc. showing that he is a very versatile performer. He is still rocking in his 60s because he picks the best of songs from the past, he is backed by young, energetic performers and he cleverly updated his act with excellent dancers. Two pairs of dancers beautifully complemented the singing with a range of modern dance styles, not one of which even looked like rock'n'roll dancing. An older mainly female audience so it was like a big girls' night out and very enjoyable.
LONG WAY TO THE TOP (if you want to rock and roll) 50s, 60s, 70s Port Panthers Auditorium	Dad & I went along to this concert. He was mainly interested in the 50-60s music and I am a child of the 60s-70s. I was thrilled to see the 50s performers live for the first time and to again see the performers of my youth, especially Billy. There were some really special moments during this concert. The big screens behind the stage showed old pictures of our Oz rock idols and there was a tribute to those who did not survive to the present, the latest addition to that group being Maurice Gibb. I particularly enjoyed Billy, Russell and Brian - magic! From the audience reactions, it seemed that the majority of the people were children of the 70s.

March, 03