Seeing a gig with your parents is always a very different experience to seeing one with a friend. For one, the type of gig is usually very different. Obviously it is a band my parents enjoy, so there have been things like Spandau Ballet and Tears for Fears last April, Cat Stevens last June, lots and lots of Ed Kuepper gigs, and tribute nights such as the awful, AWFUL David Bowie one in December. Apart from that disaster, they have all been good performances however.
Secondly, it's a very different vibe. Although my parents are quite up with the times and for the most part enjoyable to spend time with, it has never ever been considered cool to hang with your parents, and on occasion, it can also be frustrating.
Being a little more worn than my youthful self, they prefer to hang back rather than get prime spots, they tend to whine about the heat and crowd during the most pleasant of experiences, and I always end up inexplicably drunk by the end of the night, which is really my fault for attempting to keep up with them... but have you ever experienced sobriety while trying to deal with a bunch of sloshed 50+ year olds who know absolutely everything about you? It's only entertaining for a little while until it becomes embarrassing.
Tonight was a little different as mum had managed to bag us most excellent seats quite close to the front, while sill a comfortable distance back from GA (and still very iPhone camera unfriendly.)
The Riverstage at the QUT/Botanic Gardens was pretty well organised tonight, with few issues getting in and finding our seats, well set up merch tent (I couldn't resist the Love is the Drug tote bag) and reasonably well managed drinks tent. I like the Riverstage during single events most. It's quite relaxed, casual, and you're guaranteed to have a good night whether you're right up front or lounging picnic-style on the grass, thanks to the stage being at the bottom of a large hill.
It was a much earlier show than I'm used to, which is usually a good thing, but it also meant I had to miss my Tuesday flamenco class, which I was feeling kinda guilty about. That, plus a stressful day at work, had not put me in the best mood for the show, and I found myself trying to gee myself up with excitement once the band hit the stage.
The stage was epically set up, as if the band had decided no spot of it could be empty, and set about filling it as much as possible. AND SYMMETRICALLY as well! Back up singers were set up on far left and right, and dancers stood on podiums at the back of the stage, with the visuals accompanying the music being projected on them ad the screen. They (mostly) kept in sync with each other despite being miles away from each other.
And there at the forefront was Bryan Ferry, looking very suave and fit for his age, who launched into a HUGE set. I must admit, only being a casual Roxy Music listener, there was a lot I didn't know (but apparently I was not the only one, friends of parents), and based on the unfamiliar ones I heard, I am so very keen to listen to more. Bryan belted out killer tune after another, voice still superb, all groovy, funky, sexy pieces of song. The band threw in a few subtler, slow, more experimental tunes, which I had to admit, in my exhausted state, I was glad to hear the end of. After the end of a particularly long one, "My Only Love", the band cranked up the energy levels with "Virginia Plain", and powered through to "Love Is The Drug", a fun highlight.
The band did a few of their cover songs, of course being "Jealous Guy" (John Lennon) in all its cheesy glory (bringing a sigh from mum), and "Like A Hurricane" (Neil Young). I hadn't realised they had covered this song, and was pleasantly surprised to hear it, but received a scalding from my parents later when mentioning I enjoyed it better than the original.
"More Than This" was another highlight, introduced slowly and delicately by Bryan solo, then with the band slowly joining in, a beautiful touch. "Avalon" and "Stick Together" are two songs I'm not too fussed on, but they were done well, and the old ladies in the crowd went mad for the latter, breaking out of their stoic gaze to loosen up and dance a little. After an extensive show, the band ended on "For Your Pleasure" and all was over, without an encore. After an hour and a half of solid music, there was really no need.
As we got up off our seats the vibe was definitely "Wow... but..." as I, along with my parents and their friends, were all hoping to hear "Dance Away", which is probably my favourite Roxy/Bryan song. This vibe was penetrated by one of them piping up asking "Why didn't he play "Simply Irresistible"!! That's my favourite!".
I then wondered if it was time I stopped hanging out with oldies who tend to get their pop idols mixed up.
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