27 April 2013 (Day 117) – Gigs and Fate

Most of the time, I attend gigs because I’m a fan of the act.  Occasionally, I’ve gone out of curiosity, most recently a couple of years back to see whether the staging of the U2 360  Degrees Tour could possibly outdo ZooTV (musically, a definite and surprising yes; stagewise, almost but not quite).  Sometimes I’ve gone because I had an inkling the act might be a completely different proposition live compared to on record, which definitely was the case with Extreme.   On rare instances I’ve been persuaded to see an act of which I’d never heard.  Many thanks are due here to my mate Mulder for persuading me to see a “Texan bluesman” on his debut Australian tour who turned out to be Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble.  

But I’ve never really thought about those occasions where I’ve chosen not to see an act I love.  In the years since my marriage the reason has been fairly obvious; I didn’t want to leave “M” alone at home.  She hasn’t exactly told me not to go, but I do feel guilty on the occasions I’ve gone nonetheless.  And yet on the times I have gone, one of the comments I’ve frequently made after getting home was, “You know what, I think you would have liked that.”  Of course, that’s being wise after the event, but I’ve always regretted not taking her to see Randy Newman with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a couple of years back and only God knows why I didn’t take decisive action last year and get tickets for us to see Lyle Lovett.

Before “M” entered my life there were basically only four reasons why I’ve decided not to see an act.  Rising ticket prices only became a factor in the year or two before I met her, and even then not many acts suffered, with the exception of k.d Lang whose shows had been fairly pricey.  Strangely enough, the time I saw her two years back was with “M” lying on the grassed area at the Myer Music Bowl and the ticket price turned out to be cheaper than her previous tours.   As I’ve gotten older, I also started to shy away from midweek shows in pubs as the relatively late starting times were beginning to adversely affect me at work the following day.  And then there have been some acts that I feared might be too sterile live and deliver performances that might not vary much from their recorded versions.  I know that this was my major reason for not seeing Steely Dan and, after years of yearning for them to come, Roxy Music. 

But the major reason has been fate of which there are two manifestations. The first is the dreaded cancellation, such as changing travel plans in Europe to get to the San Siro in Milan to see the Stones in 1998 only to discover the gig had been postponed that morning until months afterwards due to, I think, a Mick Jagger sore throat (or was it the time Keith fell at home returning a book to his library?).  Back home, I've twice held tickets on different tours to Willie Nelson shows that were cancelled and I also had to get a refund on a Camper Van Beethoven gig in 1990 because the band broke up.  (They've since reformed and still haven't made it here.)  And, of course, there has been times when I've  bought tickets and had to cancel due to ill health or other factors including a Beasts Of Bourbon gig at the Punters Club that was recorded, Los Lobos' return to Melbourne a few years back after a 20 year absence and Bob Dylan's fine Rod Laver Arena show in 2001. 

Then there are those terrible instances where an act you love comes and something prevents you from going.  There have been some terrible clashes; the night I attended the aforementioned the sole k.d Lang gig (and a very enjoyable one it was, by the way) clashed with the first Harvest Music Festival with Portishead, Mercury Rev, Mogwai and many more.   In 2006, (I think) I missed a Dylan/Patti Smith double bill, in 1990 a Lonnie Mack gig and, last year, The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary tour with Brian Wilson due to overseas travel.  Almost every one of the acts I've missed due to overseas travel has been overcome with the passage of time and a return tour by the act in question with the exception of Mack and one other act.  (I'm assuming here The Beach Boys tour was a one off and will never be replicated; I have no interest in seeing them without Brian.)

That other exception has been American hard rock icons Aerosmith.  Their first Australian tour was in 1990 in support of the mighty Pump album.  Cruelly, their final night at Rod Laver Arena was whilst I was airborne on route home at the end of a three month backpacking odyssey.   But time did not heal this wound because they never returned.  So you can imagine how I felt earlier this year when an Australian Tour was announced ……. only to find that the Rod Laver Arena date clashed with an engagement I could not cancel.  I thought it was fate, but about 3 weeks ago I received an email at work indicating a presale for a Music Bowl performance on 29 April.  I quickly logged on and got a tenth row seat.  (Naturally fate mocked me a week ago when I received another email with a special offer to get seats at half price but that’s another story.)

And so tonight I’ve off to the footy curious to see if my Doggies could compete with a rampant Geelong.  No one gives us a chance.  They perform bravely but some truly bizarre umpiring decisions and a lack of composure by some youngsters at key points deny us victory.  The night’s stadium playlist is:

1.       Silverchair – Straight Lines (pre game)
2.       MUSE - ?? (pre game)
3.       AC/DC – It’s A Long Way To The Top (pre game)
4.       The Church – The Unguarded Moment (quarter time)
5.       Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Pump It Up (half time)

On the way to and from the ground, I excitedly, ahem,  pump out:

(# 320) Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation (1987)

Very few bands have managed to pull off as spectacular a comeback as Aerosmith.  Although Done With Mirrors came beforehand, this was the album which made everyone stand up and take notice.  It was set up by an opening trio of hard rock gems – Heart’s Done Time (with an intro that gives each member a chance to (re)announce themselves), Magic Touch and Rag Doll.  The since omnipresent Dude (Looks Like A Lady), Girl Keeps Coming Apart, the title track and a killer version of The Beatles I’m Down continued in this vein, Hangman Jury provided a good mid tempo number and Angel was a solid though slightly cheesy ballad.  But, even more importantly, it set the scene for Pump, worldwide domination and, two and half decades later, a gig it turns out I was fated to see after all.