Fradam

For the past few days, I’ve had this song stuck in my head. I’ve been trying to work out why. Something about the beat, something about the chorus line… it just drew me in. Hypnotic.

now i’m looking for a reason why
you even set my world into motion

OK, so the proverbial ‘what is the meaning of life’ question is there, but even that.. I’m not sure is what really pulls me into this song. Everyone goes through stages of questioning their own existence/purpose; so it’d be a little too cheesy for it simply to be that.

It occurs to me that the song only really got stuck in my head on the drive home from Victoria. An awesome road trip it was, and I have many a fond memory of my time there writ in my mind. The weekend was in a somewhat quieter part of Vic; one not crowded by vast quantities of man-made light. Something that really struck me on the first night was that the night is actually.. quite dark.

Dark and beautiful.

I’ve not seen so many stars in my life, and was a sight I wish I was able to capture. I’m almost ashamed to acknowledge just how much of a city slicker I am, having always had my view of the night sky so dominated by unnatural hues. This was different however, the conception of the infinite did not stray far from my thoughts, as for the first time, I could feel the reaches of the universe going far beyond my comprehension. The sky was a lot bigger of a place than I had imagined, and not all the Isaac Asimov books in the world could reveal that truth any better than my eyes had just conveyed. There were just so many stars up there… I’m almost overwhelmed contemplating what could lie beyond them, how they got there, what systems orbit them… I suddenly have a newfound appreciation for star gazing, so surreal an experience this was.

So it was after this whole visual epiphany began to settle inside my psyche (and it gaining a few minutes of airplay on one of the 3 stations till Canberra), did Black and Gold end up in my head. I suspect the probing nature of the lyrics are actually what appeal the most. It’s hauntingly acute in its perception, touching on a pondersome thought:

’cause if you’re not really here
then the stars don’t even matter

All those stars, that vast endless reaching sky… What is the point of this whole world if God ain’t in it?

i looked up into the grey sky
and see a thousand eyes staring back
and all around these golden beacons
i see nothing but black

i feel a way of something beyond them
i don’t see what i can feel
if vision is the only validation
then most of my life isn’t real

The chorus line keeps repeating “black and gold”, constantly challenging that the stars can’t be just lights (gold) in the sky (black). Is there something beyond the stars? You betcha. It’s no wonder the song got stuck in my head..

So, summer has finally drawn to a close: I refused to wear more than a t-shirt yesterday as my own little element of defiance against the elements. Apparently La Nina is to blame for:

- the wettest summer in over 5 years
- the coolest summer on average in over 10 years
- the least amount of daily sunshine in over 15 years
- not a single day over 31 degrees (first time in over 50 years)

Well… and the destruction of many a roof in many parts of Sydney. On the plus side, the dams are up over 65%, which is incredible too, and we’re finally off El Nino’s back.

Somehow in the midst of all this rain, I went to 3 big concerts. Rather than come on here and gush after each concert “THIS WAS THE BEST CONCERT EVER!!”, I decided to wait till I had seen them all, and then at least I could compare between them.

So, first up was Lionel Richie - 7th December 2007 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Charlotte and I got to the Entertainment Centre in time to catch half of Marcia Hines opening for him. She was incredible; I’d not heard her sing before, and I’m a big believer that judges of talent reality shows should still be able to do what they judge… she certainly did. It mostly consisted of covers, but her voice did not disappoint. She was an appropriate opening act, being a contemporary who sang in the same style and passion - acknowledged by the crowd of 7146 with much support.

There was a roar when Lionel took the stage. He’s not quite 60, but could easily pass for 30. I mean, he really did look good. Stylish, slick, and moved so well too!

His rapport with the crowd was amazing - I think he was surprised that there were this many fans here in Sydney! But he gave us all quite the show. He received an ovation after nearly every song, and welcomed it with what I’ve now discovered is a signature hand flourish (ask me to demonstrate the next time you see me). I sometimes forget just how… smooth he is. In singing Endless Love (a song traditionally done with Diana Ross.. I secretly hoped he’d bring Marcia back on for it), he serenaded the mostly female audience and had most of the crowd swooning. Afterwards, he consolidated his position with the male minority - “Guys… you know.. I’m not fighting with you guys - I’m just warming them up for you. You’re the one taking them home!”, which naturally elicited much mirth.

Of special note was a Commodores medley he performed in the middle Three Times a Lady, Easy and a few others - and as a special treat, it turned out that one of the other original Commodores was in the stadium! So Lionel got him up on stage - I think it was Ronald La Pread - and they played a few songs together. So unexpected!

Most of the songs were cast in the same style as their album counterparts - so on a pure sound level, the songs were mostly the same. Having said that, feeling his passion exude from the stage definitely made a difference in the songs - the emotion of some of the particularly stirring songs like Hello for example, was quite moving.

The concert closed with his biggest hit, All Night Long, and it was on that note did we leave the Entertainment Centre, heading to Manly for a birthday night out and proceeded to party all night long, wearing our Lionel shirts, and proudly basking in the afterglow of the experience that was Lionel.

Recently, Kellie and I visited the latest venue to be graced by Guy Sebastian’s musical talents, one of the places where all performers can be humbled: the Sydney Opera House. It was very much a case of ‘returning to the scene of the crime’, as this was where it all started, where Guy was crowned the first Australian Idol. Being at the Opera House demanded a bit of fancyness, and upon arrival, it was clear that the audience at this concert was far older than the usual Guy fanfare, almost on par with the Elton crowd!

The seats we had were awesome (hats off to Kellie! ). Dead set centre and one level up; it afforded a view of the entire stage, and the choir behind. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. To top it off, it was quite a way through the concert that people even sat in front of us, so the view was mostly uninterrupted. Looking around, there really wasn’t a position in the entire hall that I’d have preferred… except maybe right on stage

The first half of the concert was Guy’s music, ‘remixed orchestral style’… I mean, the tunes were largely untouched, but hearing these tunes created by about 15 violins was pretty amazing! Song selection basically consisted of most of his singles, and a few of his personal favourites that were suited towards his backing. Hearing “Climb Every Mountain” was always going to be a powerful one to experience, this time with a full orchestra behind him… whilst he’s never been able to hit that final note the way he did in Idol, it was still intense and elicited a standing ovation.

What really impressed me during this entire section was the control of the conductor. I’ve honestly never seen much orchestral music, save for school bands, but keeping a tight rein on 30 or so people spread across that area can never be easy. Keeping in mind that Guy’s usual band is a group of like-minded individuals who are very flexible and can work around his constant adlibbing of lyrics and trills, and therein lies the potential for chaos; or at least, a restriction on how much leeway Guy really had. Or so I thought. It didn’t stop Guy from being his usual self with his music, and the power the conductor wielded as he kept the entire orchestra in time with Guy with his song changes was amazing! It was almost like improv classical as all the music paused with an instant’s notice, and then quickly rejoining the fray as Guy returned back to song. Just amazing.

Following the intermission, Guy took up a few of the Beatles’ classics - throwing the gauntlet across time and space at Shannon, he performed a wonderful rendition of Hey Jude that garnered much praise from the audience. He moved onto Elvis and whilst I don’t know Elvis’ music that well, he definitely had some good choices there that suited both his voice and the orchestra behind him. Guy then made a tribute to his dad, and belted out some genuine classics - old blue eyes with ‘The way you look tonight’ (possibly my favourite Sinatra song ever!), and Nat King Cole too!

In a strong move, he also chose to perform a few gospel songs — all quite strong ones, and even a few that I knew! :p So quickly however, it seemed to come to an end, an exhilirating ride that brought an amazing evening to a close. All in all, an awesome concert To witness such talent, in such an inspiring locale… well, you kinda wonder if you can ever get there too!

I discovered that the experience had renewed the vigor for my Australian Idol campaign (remember, vote 1 Fradam!)… somewhat sadly, it appears I’m not the only one.

Idol 2007 has already seen 30,000 singers try out for the show, the same as last year, and thousands tried their luck at Sydney’s Australian Technology Park over the weekend.

Australian Idol began in 2003 and sifted through 20,000 hopefuls in capital cities to find its first winner, Guy Sebastian.

Doh… not as much chance, but we can always hope!

A recent visit to glitzy Star City to see Guy Sebastian on tour with Kellie netted quite an amazing evening. First of all, it was a very different concert to previous ones. There appeared to be less flash and bang… definitely less dancing, yet, an overall richer experience.

It began with, as many people immediately labelled, “a kid”, by the name of Tom Jordan. I kid you not however, the guy had an immense talent for a 13 year old. Given the opportunity of a lifetime in being able to tour with a star like Guy didn’t appear to perturb his lyrical waxing, as he sang a few covers and also a few tunes he had written by himself completely! I especially loved the “I’m too young to have a girlfriend, but too old to cry about it!” song

As for Guy… Quirky humour and silly anecdotes filled the gaps between songs — and as always, preceeded by the inevitable “Can I have the houselights up..?”. Kinda funny in a way, at other concerts, the lead singer often tries to talk to the audience, but it is only after a concert like Guy’s do you realise that the people on stage can rarely even see those who aren’t on stage!

I guess that kind of honesty/taking-the-mickey-out-himself is part of what made it a great concert. At one point, he had his guitar swapped for another one, and quipped with something along the lines of, “apparently, all big rock stars just get their guitars swapped for no particular reason…”. Crazy!

A truly amazing thing to witness, was one dedicated fan and her boyfriend being called onto stage. Turned out the boyfriend had a question for her, and soon, he wasn’t just a boyfriend anymore. I think that is the first actual proposal I’ve ever witnessed… which in hindsight doesn’t actually seem that surprising — I mean, how many people follow other lovers and listen to them as one proposes to the other!? So, that was quite a magical moment, and certainly a night neither of them will ever forget. Especially amazing to consider, it all came from the boyfriend-turned-fiancee emailing Guy, earnestly seeking this chance to show how much he cared for the one he loved… How many artists would reply to a person’s email and allow such an opportunity to unravel on stage? I’m sure it’s not unheard of, but wow.

Another truly special part of the evening was a tribute to Australian music. It seemed like something else… almost intimate, hearing classics like Burn for you (Farnsy) coming from Guy and his band. Certainly rewarding however!

Other interesting parts of the night included sitting a few metres behind the “celebrity table”, i.e. Guy’s girlfriend, her friends, and the other names that support Guy — e.g. Mark Furze from Home & Away and Jennifer Hawkins from.. somewhere, not quite sure I remember where She was sneaky though, and didn’t stay too long in the open. Interestingly enough, given the option of kissing her, Guy declined. What a Guy!
So, I think the conclusion of this post is clear: I will need to grow a fro, enter Australian Idol and win. Malaysian Christians have a good chance I hear!

P.S. If you’re reading this, I expect you to vote for me!

Someone wise once said the grass is always greener on the other side, and whilst listening to one of my favourite older songs — Nik Kershaw’s Wouldn’t it be good, it really hit home just how wrong that could be.

The song addresses the idea of wondering what lies over someone else’s fence — Wouldn’t it be good to be in your shoes? The common concept of “wishing you were in someone else’s shoes” is answered emphatically in the negatory. The idea being, whilst surely, there are individuals whom we aspire to share moccasins with, do we really know everything that goes on in their life? How truly can you know the life of another, and fully understand the problems they face?

All we can do is look at how our life would fare, if placed within a certain circumstance. True enough, there is a Simpsons quote to sum up some of this:

Lisa: It’s horrible being young, nobody listens to me.
Grandpa: It’s rotten being old, nobody listens to me.
Homer: I’m an average white male aged 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are!

I remember being younger and wishing I never grew up. However, I also remember many peers wished they could be older so that they could do all the things that adults did — namely, partying, drinking, working etc. Yet just today at work, two of my colleagues referenced their age, citing they wished they were younger for improved fitness and better memory. Does anyone really know what they want? Young people wishing they were older. Older people wishing they were younger.

As a student, I wished I had graduated so that I didn’t have to do assignments and study for exams, and had the freedom and money to go out and spend time with friends. As a member of the working class, I wish I had the 3 month summer break of a student, and the opportunities to see and meet more people than ever. Do I really know what I want? Wishing I was as free as an employee when busy as a student, wishing I was free as a student when busy as an employee. Interestingly enough, thinking about being a student also helps remind me of the good of the current situation… and in retrospect, thinking about being an employee would have helped me get through as a student, as it would have also reminded me of the good of being in that environment. But, how did we even get this way?

Being discontent with life seems to always lead down this path — the path of looking at another path and wishing it were your own. The logical solution would be to ‘be content’, to find satisfaction with what we have and let that be that. But that squashes dreams, it inhibits ambition and creates a ceiling that can be difficult to pierce. Somehow, a balance between our desire to do great things with our life, and satisfaction with life’s circumstances, must be reached. That way, our dreams can be realised, and at the same time, we aren’t stuck wishing we were in another person’s shoes.

Finding such a line could consume a life, so in the meantime, it may be worthwhile just to remember two things:

1. If you forget what is good about your current situation, just begin thinking about what situation you want to be in. Then… in that thinking… you’ll be discontent with something — something that was good in your original situation. There you have it! Something good about your current circumstance

2. We never really know what is going on in another person’s life. Nik Kershaw describes it in his song as follows:

You must be joking
You don’t know a thing about it
You’ve got no problem
I’d stay right there if it were you
I got it harder
You couldn’t dream how hard it got it
Stay out of my shoes
If you know what’s good for you
The heat is stifling
Burning me up from the inside
The sweat is coming through each and every pore
Don’t wanna be here no more

We just don’t know sometimes. Maybe that wise guy got it wrong… maybe the saying should go, The grass is always greener… on our side. At least we know what is going on in our life

2006 has been a year marked with many big name celebrities visiting Sydney, touting their audio wares in large celebrations of light and sound. U2, delayed by a number of months, Kylie, delayed by a bit longer. Billy Joel and Elton John rounded out the oldies group, and Robbie Williams represented for today’s pop. That’s not even mentioning Coldplay and Live either. For an area that is often musically entrenched in a drought, we’ve done rather well… but have we enjoyed it?

One friend remarked to me that one concert they went to a few months ago had the lead singer high, and lasted a brief 40 minutes. The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran an article on Robbie Williams’ recent sojurn, describing it as “indulgent and selfish”. That seems a pretty harsh criticism, but it does raise a question — what does it take for an artist to be satisfied with their performance? Is it the money? Is it the splendour of the concert? Is it the adoration of the fans?

If my friends are considered a microcosm of society, it seems fans are beginning to respond when their favourite artists aren’t performing for them, and that difference of happiness is resulting in some unhappy people.

I think myself quite lucky. Kellie took me to the Elton John concert a few weeks back for my birthday (thankyou!), and I was amazed by the performance…. sometimes you forget just how many hits someone has. Some of his more poignant ballads were ever more powerful when listening to just him and his piano, watching his aged fingers stroll across a plateau they knew all too well. He finished with ‘Your Song’, dedicating it to Sydney, to a throng of joyous fans. Whilst I know you can’t please everyone, I think he would have come as close as he possibly could have to it. He truly demonstrated what a showman he is, with all the style and flair we expected, and none of the uglyness that the media often portrays him in.

At one point, in the middle of the concert, he stopped to sign every single thing that anyone brought to him. It was clear that some people were disappointed as they were at the stage with nothing to sign — until one clever individual handed his ticket to Elton to sign. And sign it he did. Suddenly, the mass surged forward, tickets extended out to him. He signed them all; every single one of them. This is the same person who has had much publicised scuffles with the media, often reacting quite rudely and harshly to those who take up his time. But for his fans, he had all the time in the world.

Perhaps that is the difference between the old school artists; those who made a melody with a voice and a piano, and today’s pop-driven frenzy: people who made time for their fans, and people who sell to their fans.

Out of curiousity, what have your concert experiences been like? Have they changed over the years?