This was a big year for Melbourne. Every other week some massive act* was announcing a tour. Maybe I was just paying more attention this year, but I think it's definitely a sign of artists having to work harder to earn their keep through touring instead of royalties. Growing up in Malaysia, we'd get maybe one headline act every year or so. I don't think I'll ever get over the novelty of living in a country that is regularly included in world tours!
* I've previously mentioned my affinity for 80's pop rock. If you're under 25 (30? 40?), my definition of 'massive act' may not necessarily gel with yours. ;)
So this year, I made the most of not having a full-time job (heh) and attended:
Raggamuffin 2010 @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl, 31 Jan 10
My first music festival. My first reggae music festival. Irie irie! The lineup included
- Sean Kingston - quite disappointing. He spent his time onstage singing over pre-recorded vocals and making sure that we knew that yes, Sean Kington writes music, Sean Kingston wrote this song.
- House of Shem & Blue King Brown - Kiwi & Melbourne acts. Hadn't heard of them before but liked what I heard.
- Julian Marley - does anybody from the Marley family not walk around oozing cool?
- (Ms) Lauryn Hill - made the Sidney Myer music bowl explode. Everybody went ballistic when she came onstage. With all the controversy surrounding her over the past few years, I wasn't sure what to expect. But she brought it, and it was good.
- Shaggy - oh yeah. Lock up your wives and daughters. Nuff said. ;)
Whitney Houston @ Rod Laver Arena, 1 Mar 2010
Expectations were somewhat low going in to see her. She had received so much bad press about her voice prior to the concert. Seriously though, what did people expect? Did they even listen to her latest album before coming to see the show? How could they expect Bodyguard-Whitney to emerge after all she's been through?
The show ended up being really good. Yes, her voice is now raspy and her vocal range is severely limited compared to what it used to be. But she is a class act, she carried herself with dignity and acknowledged her critics openly.
What I really hope she does, is not fade away after this less than perfect tour. I hope she moves away from disco pop and releases a really kickass gospel album. The gospel part of her concert was incredible - she still has the vocal power and there is no mistaking her voice.
George Michael @ Etihad Stadium, 3 Mar 2010
Yes, 2 days after Whitney, we were treated to a fantastic show by 'the best functioning junkie around'. The stage setup consisted 3 massive high-ish definition screens (which was useful for those of us way at the back). What can you really say about George Michael? He was silky smooth and sounded fantastic. The big mystery is how he manages to preserve that voice of his with all those toxins passing through his lungs?
Ok, so he did manage to call the crowd 'Sydney' a few times and mistook the yells for cheers. But that's ok, he's George Michael and he does what he bloody wants. :) Here's footage I took on my HTC - my all time favourite track of his, Father Figure.
Metallica @ Rod Laver Arena, 18 Nov 2010
Alright, so normally I would have treated this concert like mouldy bread. The husband, however, is a massive Metallica fan, and I owe him for having dragged him to more Hanson concerts than he would like to admit/remember. Plus I have an inexplicable crush on Kirk Hammet and his tight pants. ;) So I rocked up for my first metal concert. Yeah baby! \oo/
I was actually dreading the crowd/opening acts more than anything. We managed to get up front though, so had the railings to lean on (highly recommended). The first act, Baronness, was actually not bad. Mostly because he didn't sing much and it was mostly instrumental. Second, Lamb of God. Absolutely awful. Dude, the next time I want to be shown the bird and be called a mother@(%er, I will just piss off a cab driver. Nevermind, everyone else seemed to love them.
Metallica themselves were, I must say, really good. The show was lots of fun. Definitely a class act, and there is a reason why they've been huge for such a long time. I didn't know most of the stuff, but it didn't really matter. It was Kirk's birthday, they pie-faced him, and I got half a high-five from Rob. Yay! Here's our footage (notice the dramatic improvement in video quality? That's the Sony Cybershot at work).
U2 & Jay-z @ Etihad Stadium, 1 Dec 2010
I do like U2 and Jay-Z but have not been a huge fan in the past. Decided to go see them anyway because it was a chance to see both. Early in the year I listened to the Blueprint 3 quite alot, mostly because of Empire State of Mind. A couple of weeks before the concert, I had All That You Can't Leave Behind set pretty much on repeat. There is something about U2's music that is... big. I don't know how to describe it. The sound, the vibe, every song sort of takes you out of where you are and into a little journey into their world. It's a little bit more.
The combination of Jay-Z and U2 was a little strange. Why on earth was Jay-Z opening for U2? Most of the crowd seemed a little bit confused by hip hop. He gave it 100% though, and had an awesome band behind him. He even got us to put our diamonds in the air, yeah yeah what what.
Then U2 came onstage and brought the house down. The giant claw on stage got alot of press, and I must say it was probably the most impressive setup I've ever seen. The big revolving screen was gorgeous, and I literally expected the stage to take off, or explode, or something. I hadn't realised how powerful Bono's voice is, and what a showman he is (is it fair to call him a male diva? In the nicest sense of the word). The concert had all the elements - getting a girl up onstage to dance, having kids come onstage holding candles, etc. The highlight for me was Sunday Bloody Sunday, their tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, and Bono and Jay-Z rapping together. Joy! Even Jay-Z couldn't hide the amusement on his face. Loved it. I think this takes the spot for best concert of the year. Here's some of our footage (this time taken with iPhone 4. Pretty good.)
Bon Jovi @ Etihad Stadium, 11 Dec 2010
Last show of the year for me! Also the first time since David Bowie (2004) that I've attended a concert alone. Was surrounded by overly enthusiastic 40-something women. Still, it was heaps of fun!
Another big mystery is when we are ever going to see the signs of Jon Bon Jovi ageing. His voice sounded record-perfect, and it was pretty exciting hearing it live. It took him awhile to get warmed up, but when he did, he was bouncing off the walls. If you've never seen him dance, please go YouTube it now, it's hilarious. :) It's like a combination of Jazzercise and Tai-bo. Love it. There were enough classic rock anthems to fill the 2.5 hour show and then some (Richie Sambora took the lead on Lay Your Hands On Me). Just as brilliant were his duets with Richie with just the two of them sharing 1 mic (oh what I would have given to be a string on that guitar). ;)
It wasn't just rehashing old 80's hits either. Their new stuff is great. Here's some footage of When We Were Beautiful - my favourite track off their 2009 album The Circle. Note to self, always charge your camera before a show, otherwise the battery might just die 30 seconds into filming something.
And that's it! The two shows I regret missing were Spandau Ballet/Tears for Fears, and Ed Kowalczyk. Nevermind. 2011 is already looking promising starting with Lionel Richie in April.
Wow you've had a big year of concerts! Sadly, I had zero.
ReplyDeleteyay, sounds like awesome concerts. but the best is still to come with die andwoord and rammstein hehehe.. the ticket ballot is still going until 23rd, are you guys keen? We could try to get some tix!
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