Yes, last night was the big night when I ventured to see the much talked about Powderfinger and Silverchair concert.
If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know how much I love Powderfinger's music (and the fact that my son was in their recent video!) but Silverchair was a bit of an unknown quantity. I had bought their latest cd and I'm afraid to say that my listens to it were few and far between.
The night started having a few drinkies with friends (you know who you are! Waving at ya!) so we missed the support act.
We ventured to our really fantastic side-view seats about ten minutes before Silverchair were supposed to come on stage and waited...and waited! Apparently, they delayed the start as there was an accident on the nearby Gateway Arterial Road. This was supposed to give ticket holders a chance to see the start of the concert although I did see quite a few people sneaking in after Silverchair had started.
Now, while I don't want to offend Silverchair fans, I must admit that after watching them, they are just not my cup of tea. I did hear and see some people comment about how delighted they were in their performance, but they are just not to my tastes. Firstly, I had trouble hearing Daniel John's voice over the music. Secondly, there were songs that they performed that I just sat there and watched. They didn't move me to want to get up and dance and I don't think I was alone as most people in the seating area were like me....just sitting and watching. In fact, at one stage, I went to the toilet...something I'd never contemplate doing if I was truly into the performance. That said, I loved Reflections of a Sound and Straight Lines and Greatest View. Those performances really had the crowd going and me singing along!
Powderfinger didn't come on stage until 10 due to the traffic delay. From the moment they got on stage, the whole room erupted. They played songs from their Dream Days album as well and some fantastic past hits. Already Gone was just brilliant live as was My Happiness and I Don't Remember. Bernard Fanning sang a beautiful performance of the controversial Black Tears which was amazing to see. Ian, DZ and Bernard did an acoustic of Sunsets which was absolutely beautiful. And the highlight for me was the final number of These Days....my all time favourite song of theirs.
Bernard interacted with the audience well, at one stage telling of his memories of being an audience member at the Entertainment Centre (and pointing to the approximate spot where he sat) back in 1986 to see John Cougar Mellancamp in concert. He then told the audience that most of them wouldn't have even remembered that time as they were too young. Well Bernard, I remember it....in fact, I was at the same concert! Sad to think I'm getting old!
There were many highlights of the Powderfinger performance. The telling factor for me though was that almost every person in my sitting area was up dancing and having a great time. In the end everyone rose and gave them a standing ovation! Well done to the Brissie boys.
Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the auditorium (although I did spot some people snapping...grrrrr!) so I had to use my little phone cam. Carp pics but you get the idea.
