topbanner
fbtwitter
Nav bar

Troobie Travels Down Under

Tasha Elliot - Oz

But first, a bit of background.

A long time ago on a rainy winter's day in 1991, my older (cooler) cousin, played me a song he'd taped off the radio that he thought I might like. The offending tune was none other than the smash hit Everything I Do, I Do It For You - which subsequently spurred a terminal condition I like to call "Concert Junkie". After much begging and pleading of my parents (I was only 13 after all), they consented to taking me to go to my first REAL gig.

So on the night of Feb 11, 1992 - my best friend from school, Kristie (you'll hear more about her later) and I piled into my dad's car and drove the 2 hours from Newcastle to the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Despite our distance from the stage (the guys looked about an inch tall from where we were sitting) and the lack of enthusiasm of the surrounding audience members (dad fell asleep!!!!) our love of the music and "The Guys" could not be contained and we spent the entire show on our feet clapping, singing and dancing. With our teenage obsession firmly entrenched, Kristie & I anxiously awaited the return of the Dudes of Leisure along with some bloke called Bryan Adams. Admittedly at this point in time, we were still all-enthralled by BA.oh how short-sighted we were!!

Fast forward to the tour of 2000 and our multiple-gigging days were now well and truly established due to our own sources of income. We arrived at the Sydney Entertainment Centre for our 2nd show of that tour and beside us in the front row was a lovely newlywed couple - Mark and Di.

The following night at the Newcastle gig, we again ran into Mark & Di and after the show, spent a long time chatting to them around the back whilst waiting and hoping for the guys to come out and sign a few autographs. Our waiting was rewarded with a signing and a few photos being taken and we waved the guys off with our best wishes. Little did we know, the night had only just begun!!

Our new friends were staying at a lovely hotel on the beach (which has sadly since been ripped down) and upon learning this news, Kristie and I looked at each other and screamed! "That's where they're staying" we said in sync.at which point we all dashed off to our cars and raced through the back streets of Newcastle to the Esplanade!

Kristie and I sat in the lobby with another of our gigging buddies from high school and when asked by the staff what we were doing, our response was simply "Waiting for our friends". We waited and waited and waited. Being from Newcastle ourselves and knowing that Mark & Di were from out of town, there was no way we thought they could have arrived before us! So we waited some more. Finally, after what seemed like hours (but must have only been 10 mins) we approached the closed door to the bar area. A not-so-friendly staff member greeted us with the phrase "I'm sorry, but this is a private party".whereupon Mark appeared promptly behind her and said "Oh that's ok, they're with us".and entry was granted.

Once inside, we surveyed the area and, recognising only Bryan and Keith in the crowd, we took a seat at the end of the table where Keith was sitting - where we would be entertained for the next couple of hours, our sides nearly splitting at times and scarcely being able to draw breath for the next outburst of laughter! Finally, we were all kicked out by the inconsiderate staff who wanted to go home, rather than continue to serve us drinks. Shame on them! This was the night where the K-man redeemed himself from an earlier incident in 1994 which he knows all about (something to do with leaning too far back into the crowd, eh?) and completed our transformation into 'troobies for life'.

Mark & Di have also become true friends and we continue to gig together - the 4 of us being consistent faces in the front rows of at least 3 gigs per tour as our budgets will allow!

This brings us to 2005.

The guys announced they were coming back - a year earlier than anticipated and leaving us entirely financially unprepared!! The girls and I got together to plan how many gigs we'd be able to attend and came up with the magic number 3. It was decided that we would each buy the tickets for one show through the internet pre-sale. Bosses were notified and colleagues were warned - God help that brave soul who dared disturb us during that crucial moment when tickets went on sale - and I'm afraid to say, more than one colleague suffered abuse trying to enter our offices on THAT morning!

Once tickets were received, outfits needed to be planned, travel arrangements needed to be made and time off work needed to be booked! We kept things fairly local this time (Sydney, Hunter Valley & Wollongong - all within a couple of hours driving distance of each other in our home state of New South Wales), which did make planning slightly easier.

Our first gig was Sydney and what a night!!

Why any of us even bothered going in to work that day, I'll never know! Who can concentrate on 'work' when you' re going to a gig? We spent all day emailing each other about what time to meet, what we were wearing, where we were sitting, and what we'd do when we got there! We met at the usual spot at the McDonalds outside the entertainment centre, which is as much a tradition as going to the gig itself! Once the doors opened, we raced in to survey our seats. It was the only gig for which we didn't have front row seats. We sat down to concoct a plan to get to the barrier.when we all did a double-take and realised.there was a barrier!!!!!!

Now, this might not seem so strange to you overseas giggers, but to Aussie fans this was new and certainly NOT part of our plan! In all our gigging history, we were used to being jammed right up against the stage - usually suffering bruised arms and ribs etc after each show from people pushing as hard as they could to reac the K-man (or was it BA?) from behind.

For a moment, our minds went blank and all we could do was look at each other and say "There's a barrier.why is there a barrier?" "Get a grip girls," I said, "we can deal with this!" Our seats were right on the aisle in Row 3, so it was a mere 4 steps to the front. Numerous unsuccessful attempts were made with the result always being the same. "I'm sorry," said the friendly security guard "But you have to return to your seats". I decided to pluck up the courage to ask when this 'barrier policy' had been implemented - only to be informed that everything had been set up exactly to Bryan's request. As she turned to walk away, she smiled and said "If you go up there 5 minutes before the lights go down, I'm not going to stop you."

We immediately derived a plan for Kristie & Di (being the shortest) to step up first, followed by me then Mark. 'Stepping up' certainly is made a whol e lot easier with a 6ft Mark behind you to block any copycats!! We waited nervously for the security guard to tell us to take our seats again but the warning never came. The lights went down and the show began!

The guys were in fine form and have developed musically since the last tour - Kristie really enjoyed the piano (or was it Gary?). Back to You and Heaven were particular highlights.Interestingly, the barrier, which we'd first believed to be a negative, made our vantage point better than standing right against the stage and copping all the sweat and spit that we normally associate with gigging! It again proved to be a bonus later in the show when BA came down off the stage during The Best Of Me.

He must have seen Kristie singing the backing vocals to Back To You (or so she thinks) because he came right over to us, holding the mike sideways and sang a whole chorus with her and spent much longer with her than he spent with anyone else. Bryan put his arm around Di's shoulders and as she was only about an inch away from him, (helped by the pushing crowd behind), Di also took the opportunity to kiss BA at this point and when hubby Mark bragged about it at work the next day he was met with a stunned "Where were you while she was kissing another man?" only to reply with "Taking photos, where do you think?" It was, without a doubt, the best Sydney concert we have been to, with much joking around and interaction with the crowd as opposed to the usual slick "show" that is required in the unofficial capital of Australia that is Sydney. It was all about fun and enjoying what they were doing this time round and it really showed!!!

After the gig, we went around to the back to wait and see if they would come out and sign any autographs. We waited and waited and waited some more. Finally, we were met with the sound of screaming and lots of people waving from the upper levels of the carpark behind the centre - only to see the tail-lights of his van disappearing before our eyes. "That was Bryan," one of the security guards said. A few in the crowd weren't deterred "Oh, you're probably just saying that so we all go home".moments later, Lance came out and informed everyone that it really was Bryan and the crowd started to dissipate.

We called Lance over to ask the all-important question "What about Keith??" and was told that yes indeed, the K-man was still there. He promised he would go inside and let him know there were people waiting to see him. A few other Aussie troobies gathered around and we were entertained with funny stories from Lance about life on the road. Eventually, we were rewarded with Keith making his appearance! He was very generous with his time and stopped to sign albums and programs - chatting casually with the crowd.Well, that was.until we asked about the kids! That 'doting dad' gleam suddenly appeared in his eyes and he whipped out a laptop that he had 'stolen' from his sister (hope she doesn't need it anytime soon) and the remaining small group crowded around to see the latest slide show that Paula had sent through. It must have been a very strange sight to onlookers.10-15 people trying to get a view of the laptop through the monkey bars and gushing "Oh, they are so gorgeous.oh, look at that one of the two of them together.", and Keith joking that he felt like he was running for office! What a proud dad!!

Hunter Valley was the next stop on our leg of the tour and our very first time at an outdoor gig! The setting was beautiful - in the gorgeous wine country of the Hunter, just north-west of Sydney by about 2 hours, surrounded by vineyards, golf courses and resorts.

Well, it would have been beautiful if it were sunny. Early Saturday afternoon, with the gates due to open at 4pm, the rain started. Not pouring, just drizzling enough to be uncomfortable and to force us to pull out our very attractive wet weather gear. We all looked extremely sexy in our plastic ponchos (courtesy of Mark & Di's trip to Vietnam) and our super-size garbage bags! The wind made the plastic billow out to full capacity and caused us pose the question "Does my bum look big in this?" We were less conscious of how we looked later on when the rain started to clear and we took up our familiar seats in the front row.

Hunter Valley was the next stop on our leg of the tour and our very first time at an outdoor gig! The setting was beautiful - in the gorgeous wine country of the Hunter, just north-west of Sydney by about 2 hours, surrounded by vineyards, golf courses and resorts.

Well, it would have been beautiful if it were sunny. Early Saturday afternoon, with the gates due to open at 4pm, the rain started. Not pouring, just drizzling enough to be uncomfortable and to force us to pull out our very attractive wet weather gear. We all looked extremely sexy in our plastic ponchos (courtesy of Mark & Di's trip to Vietnam) and our super-size garbage bags! The wind made the plastic billow out to full capacity and caused us pose the question "Does my bum look big in this?" We were less conscious of how we looked later on when the rain started to clear and we took up our familiar seats in the front row.

Due to the weather and time commitments, the first support act, Casey Barnes, was not able to make his debut performance, but Vanessa Amorosi (of "Absolutely Everybody" fame and who opened the Sydney 2000 Olympics, performing "Heroes Live Forever") played on schedule and entertained us while we waited for the boys! She actually sang It's Only Love the next night in Mudgee with BA which would have been fantastic to see but we were glad we didn't drive all that way after hearing that the show was cut short because of the drunk and disorderly conduct of the crowd.

The outdoor 'experience' was, er, interesting and very different.and not always in a good way. The crowd was pushier - possibly because they'd been drinking since lunchtime - and during the part where BA came down off the stage during The Best Of Me (and again stopped in front of us), arms started appearing from everywhere trying to reach him. Mark had to pull several eager people's hands off Di's throat as they tried to pull her back to get closer to BA. Not something we want to repeat any time soon!

Overall though, we were very glad we went. Wet weather and all! We began to get a very small understanding of what people must go through in Europe for the outdoor gigs! Sadly, the guys had to head straight back to Sydney after the show, so no autographs or pictures that night.

Our final stop on the 2005 tour was Wollongong - a small coastal town about an hour and a half south of Sydney, with just over 250,000 people. It's a big student town, with one of Australia's most respected universities located there.

Having stayed at Mark and Di's place the night before, we got up and drove down bright and early. We took a walk down by the beach (it was a gorgeous sun-shiny day) and then headed back to our hotel room to get ready. Mark drove down after work and met us at the hotel and we all drove to the venue together.

When we arrived, Di went down to the front of the stage to say a quick hi to a friend and a snotty security guard took an immediate dislike to her. He ordered her to return to her seat and as she made her way back along the front row and stopped at her seat in the centre, he approached and demanded to see her ticket. When she produced it, he stormed off, muttering under his breath. Gotta love security guards on a power trip!

Shannon Noll was the support act for all the indoor venues. He was the runner-up in the first Australian Idol and one of his hits, "Drive", was penned by BA. He was very excited to be supporting BA on the tour as he has said many times that BA is one of his idols. They even performed "Room Service" together at the inaugural Australian MTV Awards the week earlier. The Wollongong crowd loved him and really got into his performance, singing and dancing. Despite the fact that we weren't Shannon Noll fans, he did a great job and really enjoyed what he was doing.and we could appreciate that!

Wollongong was the smallest venue we had been to (5,500 seating capacity) and not many international acts play there - so the crowd was very excited as the guys hadn't been there in 5 years. The stage was quite a bit smaller than some of the other venues, which made for great photos of other band members (Gary, Mickey etc). 100 photos might have been a bit of overkill but we got some great shots!

During the show, the same obnoxious security guard from the beginning of the night tried to stop a fellow gigger from taking photos of BA. Well, we all know how he feels about that. He scolded the security guard cheekily and said that people were allowed to take as many photos as they like - and joked that he was a little more concerned what they did with them afterwards! He then invited people to come down from the back to get a closer picture if they wanted to. A couple of people decided to take him up on this offer and less than a few minutes later, mid introduction to Summer of '69, he stopped. "Excuse me, Mr Security Guard" he said teasingly "Didn't I tell you that people could come down and take pictures if they wanted? Why are you trying to send these people away? How about you just go and take a seat over there and let people enjoy the show." Ouch!!

The set list stayed fairly consistent throughout the gigs with the only change being the switch of Somebody to It's Only Love. We liked It's Only Love better because it gave Keith a chance to show off - BA describing him as his 'secret weapon' (ain't that the truth in more ways than one)! The guys obviously enjoyed themselves with Keith earning himself a new nickname; Kangaroo-man, thanks to his oh-so-accurate impression of a kangaroo when he went to take a bow! Regrettably no photo on that LThe list stayed fairly consistent throughout the gigs with the only change being the switch of Somebody to Its Only TLove. We liked Its Only Love better because it gave Keith a chance to show off - been to (5,500 seating capacity) and not many international acts play there - so the crowd was very excited as the guys hadn't been there in 5 years. The stage was quite a bit smaller than some of the other venues, which made for great photos of other band members (Gary, Mickey etc). 100 photos might have been a bit of overkill but we got some great shots!

During the show, the same obnoxious security guard from the beginning of the night tried to stop a fellow gigger from taking photos of BA. Well, we all know how he feels about that. He scolded the security guard cheekily and said that people were allowed to take as many photos as they like - and joked that he was a little more concerned what they did with them afterwards! He then invited people to come down from the back to get a closer picture if they wanted to. A couple of people decided to take him up on this offer and less than a few minutes later, mid introduction to Summer of '69, he stopped. "Excuse me, Mr Security Guard" he said teasingly "Didn't I tell you that people could come down and take pictures if they wanted? Why are you trying to send these people away? How about you just go and take a seat over there and let people enjoy the show." Ouch!!

The set list stayed fairly consistent throughout the gigs with the only change being the switch of Somebody to It's Only Love. We liked It's Only Love better because it gave Keith a chance to show off - BA describing him as his 'secret weapon' (ain't that the truth in more ways than one)! The guys obviously enjoyed themselves with Keith earning himself a new nickname; Kangaroo-man, thanks to his oh-so-accurate impression of a kangaroo when he went to take a bow! Regrettably no photo on that L

I must say Wollongong was the highlight for us - with Keith again taking some time to talk to us even though he was on a tight schedule as he was heading straight back to Sydney. We really appreciated his generosity and wanted to say a HUGE thank you for everything - the gigs, the good times and the memories!

Thanks, Kangaroo-man, for all of it! Mark, Di, Kristie & I will see you again soon! Perhaps you can come back next year? Just kidding !! We won't have nearly enough money saved up