best arena show

[Kenny]

Come on fess up - which pop/rock biggies have floated your boat?

My care factor is getting less and less, but for a while there, as it was work-related, I was able to exercise my curiosity at no cost (something I never took for granted. Man I'd hate to have to pay those sorts of prices. But then again it's hard to feel sorry for people for whom live music never means anything more than a $200 ticket twice a year in a city teeming with music for free or there abouts.).

There were plenty of earlier arena shows in my life, in other places, but they're getting a bit blurry as time goes by. So here's what I recall of the Melbourne ones ...

*Van Morrison (Swimming Pool): Pathetic.
*Reba McEntire/Kenny Rogers (Rod Laver Arena): Love Reba, not so hot on Kenny.
*Neil Diamond (RLA): Pretty good, but he didn't do I'm Believer and he didn't do A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You and his shirt was horrid. *(My dad was prez of the NZ ND Fan Club at the time.)
*Michael Jackson (MCG): In the eighth row, with a workmate either side of me. My comment about 6 tunes in: "Yeah real close so I can see how lame he is. Sod this, I'm off to the Corner to see the Black Sorrows (with whom Rob Burke and Ian Chaplin were playing at the time)."
*Rolling Stones (MCG): 10th row, but still a bit disappointing.
*Babs (Telstra Dome): Treacly, gimmicky, freaking awesome - a real surprise. (Lew Soloff was in the band, not that you could tell or anything ...)
*John Fogarty (RLA): I was drinking in the River so almost blew this one away, but made the treak - and was blown away. Never been a Creedence fan, and the guy's between-song routine made him seem like a prize dweeb, but man those songs - an amazing show.
*The Eagles (RLA): First time around. OK, but geez I HATE Hotel California. Not dislike. HATE.
*Bob Dylan/Patti Smith (RLA): Crap sound. Very average.

[vickihb2]

To publicly humiliate myself I shall only mention the big stadium stuff in Australia

Blood Sweat and Tears in 1974 (I think) they were great.

I was at Sunbury too at 13. Egads.

Joe Cocker @ FH (v. good) (won the tickets from 3XY)

Rod Stewart and the Faces South Melbourne FC. My girlfriend Jenny jumped on stage and broke Rod's mike stand (true). I still have the ticket stub - don't ask me why.

David Bowie in 1977. So so.


David Essex @ FH. We only went cos Split Enz were the warm up band, DE was crap.


Queen @ FH (I thought they were really boring)


Frank Zappa (fantastic) 197?? He did four or five encores.

Lou Reed 1976 I think (enoyed Lou at the time but HATED the warm up band, AC/DC. I thought Angus must have been late for the gig cos he was in a school uniform (honestly).

Jethro Tull (boring)

Status Quo @ FH loved them but hey they were cute.

Roxy Music at Festival on April 17th 1975 (I think) I LOVED them. I was 16 and rebelling against a lifetime of Eroll Garner, John Coltrane and Frank Sinatra.

Shaggy at FH (can't believe that place was still there) in 1997. I love Shaggy.

I saw Spearhead somewhere in Melb., they were dissapointing compared to the recorded stuff.

[Kenny]

VickiHB said:

David Essex @ FH. We only went cos Split Enz were the warm up band.

Yeah right!

My boss is very fond of pointing out the overwelming difference between pics of the otherwise similar aftermaths of Sunbury and Woodstock: Beer bottles and cans as far as the eye can see in the Oz version and virtually none in the US! Hippy wusses ...

[vickihb2]

I did so kennyweir . It is so true, I'd get my friend who went with me to vouch but she is in a Psych ward (true) somwhere.

We were the ultimate Slit Enz fans, so we had to go (they were booed by the audience that night I recall) and you then you couldn't hear David Essex anyway cos there was so much screaming.

I was a hippy chic too. I looked great in my see through kaftan at Sunbury. I was so gorgeous thirty years ago. Time is a cruel mistress .

[Kenny]

It's little known here, but subsequent to the various Sunburys it was NZ that ruled the roost in terms of rock festivals - all through the '80s if I recall correctly (extremely doubtful given my pharmaceutical habits at the time).

Brown Trout was all local, and nearer to Wellington.

Then there was a more brown rice sort of affair with a Maori name I can't quite recall. Only went to one of those - but, incredibly, saw Charlie Daniels and Dizzy Gillespie.

Then there was the big, commercial one - Sweetwater. Went to a bunch of these, seeing Talking Heads, Elvis Krall, and a whole lot more. Best by far was John Martyn - what a freaking hero. With Alan Thompson on electric bass. One of the few people who can imbue that instrument with the same soulful warmth of the acoustic instrument.

[bud]

Cher

[happy]

didn't see cher but saw it on telly and she put on one hell of a show, also tina turner how the fuck old is she now charging round the stage for hours on two foot heels.

I think the last one of those gigs I actually saw was James Brown (96?) in the old tennis centre or whereverit was. Worst live sound I have ever heard, best thing all night was the band's greatest hits medley before JB even came out!

[Kenny]

I saw JB at the Metro on his first tour way, way back. Didn't like it much, but truth be told I've never really got it. Particularly as compared to other faves such as Solomon and so.