PopUp

Debbie spied a notification saying last minute popup concert for Queenscliff.  Five minutes later we are registered on their website and are going to the Jessica "wowboy" Mauboy show.  We have no idea what this is but there are three stages being erected at different times on the day. She was sent an email on the morning of the popup with more info. We got to town for lunch at the Esplanade Hotel, featuring steak and pies. Now that is a hotel lunch, not to forget two bottles of champagne.  We missed two of the staged areas but did wander along to the ferry terminal in time to see the stage set up outside.  So here we are standing on a sand dune with music on one side and the Rip behind us.  Now that is something different.

dune tunes

Rock Show

 These concerts are a long haul but worth it in the end.  We were not even sure who was playing as we worked our way into the venue.  It is a great spot in front of the mansion to set up your chairs in full view of the stage.  We went to a Day on the Green about 12 yar back and that was a 35° day set in a dirt paddock with no shade. It is hard not to compare. This was an ideal day, with a slight breeze and 23°.  The lawn was manicured and most people cleaned up as they went.  The crowd was older, not many people under 40.  The playlist might influence that, with Boom Crash Opera, Hunters & Collectors, Daryl Braithwaite, INXS and Icehouse. I would recommend this show over the Day on the Green. Here they have an all access Mosh, where you can come and go as you please. The songs just kept coming and they were our vintage.  Some of the band members were bemoaning the digital age and have a point.  They say the newer brigade prefer to hear their music by the push of a button rather than go to a live show.  The organisation of some groups cannot be believed.  Trays and trays of food coming out of eskies for 20 people. Parents with babies that need headphone protection.  All in all a good dayout and Laura arranged the tickets as Debbie's birthday present.  

Queen

In the words of Adam Lambert  "There can only be one Rock God"  but Adam Lambert is the perfect match for Queen or the two of them that are left.  Freddie made a few appearances on screen and it brought a tear to the eye of a lot of the crowd. Brian May was playing and did a song with Freddie superimposed on the screen.  Most of the iconic tunes were there, although Flash Gordon missed out. This would have to be one of the best concerts I have been to and well worth the $700 we paid although there was a huge extra fee from the Viagogo resale web site.  Don't use this web site.  Moral: if you can't get it via Ticketek then fly to Sydney and see them there. 

Opening scene

There was a fat bottomed girl sitting next to me - she flowed onto my seat!

Brian May all the way

I want to ride my bicycle

Cruise day Food day

For some people if you are on board all day and all night then food will fill the time available. The game of deck chairs is always fun.  We use the Solarium pool always, unless there is no more room.  Beds do free up, however I observed a new development I had never seen before. A group of two or three were using more beds than they could sit on, perhaps up to five beds.  Their scheme involved two locations, beds in the sun and beds in the shade. They were alternating between sun, shade and Spa pool so you couldn't really see them all in one location.  There are also secret reserved places where deck chair wars are not required. The holiest of holy, Concierge Club and Diamond Club.  One thousand days cruising gets you into the Diamond Room opened by digital code only.
The best show of the cruise was on last night, The Bohemians and they have studied Queen for every nuance. No one can do Bohemian Rhapsody like Queen but they gave it a good try.

Last of the Bohemians

True Colours

They might be in their 70's but Debra Harry and Cyndi Lauper and can still belt it out.  I think the Lauper show came out ahead of the Blondie show.  The volume seemed to be getting steadily louder by the end of the night. Or am I showing my retirement age.  The restaurant we used last time is completely demolished as part of an upgrade.  That didn't start us off to well as we only had the venue's crappy chips for tea.  In the end the Cyndi original songs won the day over the distorted Blondie offerings.  We had good seats compared to the Sting concert.

Girls just having Fun

Whole lotta Rosie Music

We got a dose of the Hives at 7:30pm then the main party started around 8:30 and ended at 10:30 with no encore.  I would estimate the crowd at between 60,000 and 70,000. That translates to around $10 million and that is not including beers, t-shirts and horns. The actual stage is huge with giant screens at the back.  These were used to great effect for cameras , graphics, karaoke etc.  The Angus Young solo was a bit long otherwise an Aussie band although with only one original member.

Angus not so Young

High Voltage

Hell's Bells

This time we took the No 75 tram back to Etihad but I still have not used my free Myki because we were in the free tram zone.  It was 4:30 pm and every pub was already full and going off.  We decided to have room service at the Travelodge for a meal to save us looking for a pub.  We were over dressed as everyone was wearing ACDC shirts and horns.  As soon as we got inside we got some horns. There were many bars with lots of space so getting a drink was ok. 
This is only the 2nd time I have been to Etihad. The inside was totally transformed and the sound was loud. Very Loud.  Overall an amazing assault on the senses. A tad disappointing when some famous songs like Jail Break and Long way to the Top were not played.

Debbie the Horned

ThunderStruck

Hakuna Matata

I never saw the Lion King when it first came to town 12 yar ago but I did check out the matinee version today.  I think these guys were doing the puppet approach before the "Warhorse" show which I also saw a couple of years back. This was a good show that I would recommend. Not sure how many kids skipped school but it was at least one quarter of the Regent theatre. Don't forget to save up for the extras. Like the new world record we spent on parking at $70 for 3.5 hrs. Then there is the $25 book and the $41 spent on three drinks. Oh well Hakuna Matata.

I still think "Shere Khan" is a better lion name than "Mufasa" or "Simba". "Scar" is not bad though.

 

 

Old Rockers never Die

Went to Paul Simon and Sting on stage together last night. Sting can still belt it out however Paul Simon's voice is starting to show some wear.  He can still get your toes tapping though. These two are probably equal in stature as far as rock and rollers go, so I wasn't sure how the show would be structured. Turns out they combined at the start and the end of the show and did their own thing in between.  A lot of the old faves where sung during the 2 hrs 15 mins. Sting looked a little unfamiliar singing some of Simon's stuff but overall I would recommend these shows as all the classics and more were on display. 
We timed it to perfection with dinner in the restaurant next door and pre-booked parking just down the road. Throw in a balmy night and the usher slipping us some much better tickets where we had an excellent view and all is well.

With Diamonds on the Soles of their Shoes