Sound Relief

I knew it would be a wet day when the sky went black at 10:30 am and the heavens opened up. Thankfully I had a poncho which was the fashion choice of the day amongst the crowd at the Sound Relief Bushfire benefit concert at the MCG yesterday. I arrived as Jet was midway through their set. Once they finished Tash and I located each other in the front arena section as we waited for Melbourne teen Gabriella Cilmi to start. She sang her hit "Sweet About Me" as well as a cover of "Whole Lotta Love." Next on the bill was the first big act of the day, Kings of Leon. The crowd noticeably swelled just as the rain began to fall. Due to the fact they were playing a show later on that evening, they had a short set of four songs and didn't play their biggest here "Sex on Fire" which led to some mumbling in the crowd after they finished.

Next was Melbourne's own songwriting legend Paul Kelly. There were big crowd sing alongs for "Dumb Things," "To Her Door," and the song that mentions the MCG "Leaps and Bounds." Augie March's set started off a bit slow, but picked up at the end with the barnstormer "This Train will be Taking no Passengers" and their bit hit "One Crowded Hour." As the dark clouds came over the arena Tash and I decided to take a food break during Bliss N Eso which was smart because a torrential downpour happened while we were undercover and the stage lost power for a bit. However the rain eased up and the boys were joined by Paris Wells for a song at the end of their energetic hip-hop set.

During breaks between acts we were shown video from the artists performing at the Sydney concert. We got to see snippets from Coldplay (including their collaboration with John Farnham on "You're the Voice"), Hoodoo Gurus, Little Birdy, Josh Pyke, Eskimo Joe, Architecture in Helsinki, You Am I, Icehouse, and The Presets. There were also videos in tribute to the CFA firefighters and of the devastation from the bushfires.

Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson performed a similar set to the one we saw at Homebake and had Troy Cassar-Daley join them for "The House that Never Was." Then is was time for Liam Finn and friends. Liam and EJ Barnes came out and performed "Second Chance" and "Lead Balloon" before calling out the family band- Elroy Finn, Unkle Nick (Seymour) and N-Dog (Neil Finn) for some songs. When "Don't Dream It's Over" started the crowd erupted in cheers and quickly filled the arena for a big sing along. Tim Finn came out to sing "Weather With You" and then Neil finished up with a song dedicated to the firefighters "Better Be Home Soon." It was one of the highlights of the day.

The crowd stuck around for a mellow set by Jack Johnson during which we watched the dark clouds start to come over the stadium again. After he finished the downpour began with much colder rain this time. It continued as Wolfmother took to the stage in front of an excited crowd. I found the set a bit uninspired as Andrew Stockdale is playing the exact same songs from 3 1/2 years ago except with all new band members. I was expecting at least some new material out of them. When they finished there was a joint live feed with the Sydney concert where a video message from Princes William and Harry was aired and a minute of silence held for the victims. Kylie Minogue then appeared on the Melbourne stage and lead everyone in singing "I Still Call Australia Home."

Next it was time for the first big reunion of the night, Hunters & Collectors, who hadn't played together in 11 years. They started their set with "When the River Runs Dry," and played their hits "Do You See What I See?", "Holy Grail," and "Throw Your Arms Around Me" among others. They finished with an encore of one of their earliest songs "The Slab." After the Finn family set in the afternoon Neil and Tim were back on stage with Split Enz. Opening with "Shark Attack" the highlights of the set were "I Got You," "Six Months in a Leaky Boat," "History Never Repeats," and "I See Red."

The final and most anticipated act of the evening was a reunited Midnight Oil featuring current Federal Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett. They began with "Redneck Wonderland" and played their hits "Dreamworld," "Blue Sky Mine," "Beds are Burning," "One Country," "King of the Mountain," "The Dead Heart," "The Power and the Passion," and finished up with "Sometimes." It was an amazing and powerful set to top off a fantastic day of music (despite the weather) and I was proud to be part of the historic 80,000 crowd there at the MCG.

Big Day Out

Yesterday was the Melbourne stop for Big Day Out. Big Day Out is an annual concert festival that travels the country, and was originally inspired by Lollapalooza. There is a mix of international and local acts on the bill and it's just one big day of music. I met up with Will and Helen along Sydney Road and we took the tram for a quick ride down to Princes Park South in North Carlton, where the show was happening this year. Thankfully the line moved quickly and we were inside around noon.

So many acts are scheduled on the eight stages throughout the day that you have to plan out who you want to see. Inevitably, there are conflicts and hard choices to make. There is no down time on the main stages because once one band finishes, the next band plays on the adjoining stage. This gives the crews time to set up for the next act. The main area on site was the Orange and Blue Stages. The other big place to see acts was the Green Stage and Converse Essential Stage, which were side by side under a tent.

We wandered around the grounds, caught a bit of Gerling's set on the Orange Stage, and then went to see Sarah Blasko on the Green Stage. Next was Cut Copy, who were very entertaining with their mix of pop and dance music. At 3:00 p.m. is was time for Wolfmother on the Blue Stage. Wolfmother are the Aussie band of the moment with their 70s inspired classic rock and extended jams. One of my favorite lines of the day was when lead singer Andrew Stockdale asked the crowd, "Are you ready to go to a new dimension?" They closed with their big hit "Mind's Eye" and if you are in the States, they are doing some shows in February, so go check them out. The next band we went to see was The Go! Team from the UK. They were another dance/pop band and had the crowd going at the Green Stage.

After taking a little break and eating some food, it was time to settle into place at the Blue and Orange Stages for the rest of the evening. We chose the Orange Stage side because the big screen allowed us to see what was going on much better. First big act of the evening was The Living End, and they rocked as usual. Chris played "Waltzing Matilda" on the guitar and the crowd sang along. Next up was Franz Ferdinand, who were excellent. Helen and I had a good dance to all their hits, and it was great to finally see them live. I love the whole look and attitude of the band, and their videos are never dull and have a great sense of humor to them.

Then is was time for Iggy and the Stooges. The Stooges are the godfathers of punk rock, having put out records in the late 60s and early 70s. Iggy Pop has been releasing solo albums since then, but the Stooges have reformed in the last couple years and have been touring. Their set was relentless and insane. Iggy is amazing to watch. Half way through the set he invited people to come up on stage from the crowd and sing and dance along. Iggy also went down to the barricades and almost surfed the crowd a couple of times. Henry Rollins was watching it all from side of stage and loving every minute.

The final act of the night was The White Stripes, another band I love that I had never seen live before. It was a ripping set of songs taken from the last few albums, as well as their cover of "Jolene." Jack White was amazing to watch as he went from guitar to piano and sung into the multiple microphones placed around the stage. Meg White even sang a couple of songs too, which was great. There's a definite intensity watching the two of them perform together as they communicate with each other through the music. Jack is also such a fantastic musician. I love that their crew is required to dress in suits and hats- it's a well dressed entourage.

After The White Stripes finished Helen and I headed over to meet Will, who was dancing to 2manydjs in the Boiler Room. We stayed outside because it was so hot in the tent. Helen ran into her brother, and around 11 p.m. we headed for home. Despite the sunburn, (and I did have on a lot of sunblock) it was a magical day of music and worth every penny.

Homebake

Today was the Homebake Festival at the Domain in Sydney. After a night of thunderstorms, thankfully the weather held today. It was warm with periodic cloud cover, which provided some time out of the sun. The show was sold out (20,000 tickets) and the lines to get in were huge when the gates opened at 11:00 am. Once I entered I had a wander around the grounds. Along with the stages there were merchandise and food tents scattered about. The food was pretty good considering it was a festival show, and not overpriced.

As you can see from the timetable, there were four stages going at the same time. I spent most of the afternoon at the Dome Stage and caught sets by Expatriate, Architecture in Helsinki, The Go Betweens, and Sarah Blasko. I then headed toward the Main Stage for the end of Wolfmother's set, and stayed there for the rest of the evening. I got a nice spot by the sound board along a front barricade, so I could lean against something as well as watch the big screen. Ben Lee was his usual optimistic self and threw flowers to the crowd when he came out. The Living End rocked and the place went nuts, which wasn't that surprising considering how drunk a lot of people were. I got to hear a couple more new songs from their upcoming album, which was cool. The evening ended with the Finn Brothers, and I made my way up to the front of the stage to get as close as I could. Their set was pretty similar to what they did at The Enmore Theatre on Thursday night. The crowd sang along to the Crowded House and Split Enz numbers, but didn't seem to know the latest material. They played for an hour and a half and then the show ended at 11 p.m. because of curfew. It was an amazing day of music, and I was exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel.