50 YEARS OF LIVE MUSIC
Just some of the artists I’ve seen over a lifetime of going to see live music……
I first started going to live music gigs as a teenager in my home town of Goulburn, NSW, Australia in the mid 70’s. The venue was almost always the Goulburn Lilac Time Hall, a Googie Modernist structure, that I’d had the misfortune of having to perform in myself, as a young, budding pianist in the local Eisteddfod. This annual competition was held each August, in the depths of a Goulburn winter, with no adequate heating to warm the hands of the players or the hearts of the audience. Thankfully, when rock ‘n’ roll came to town the bands provided the warmth. I saw most of the leading Australian acts of the era - Sherbet, Skyhooks, ACDC, Ted Mulry Gang, Hush and more - all staples from Countdown, the music show we’d been brought up on.
The first major international show I saw was Queen, at Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion, in April 1976. I was 16 years old and my memoir, Life’s A Gamble, goes into the detail about attending this life changing show. After I moved to Sydney at 18 and joined the Radiators, I had a front row seat for countless bands that we supported or supported us. Many of these have disappeared into the annuls of history or faded into complete obscurity. Some were past the glory days of hit making, but their talent, experience and professionalism oozed from them every night they performed - Jon English, Russell Morris, Brian Cadd and others spring to mind. Then there were the up and comers that supported the Rads, only to overtake us and find even bigger audiences - INXS, The Church, Flowers (Icehouse).
Overall I’ve documented almost 300 known recording bands that I can remember seeing. I know that there’s probably just as many that I’ve forgotten about and just as many again that never ‘made it’. I was fortunate enough to not have to buy my tickets in many cases (most?), but that rarely lessens my appreciation for what they delivered. I’ve listed them all at the bottom of this article but I want to pick out some for special mention.
All Class
Some acts just oozed class, no matter what the setting, what stage in their career they were at or whether they were playing to 50 people or 50,000. Some of the finest examples that I saw included Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Joe Jackson, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Paul Simon, Tom Petty, The Pretenders, Renee Geyer, Split Enz, Ray Charles, Randy Newman and Steve Marriott.
Setting The Standard
Beyond just class, there are those that set the standard. Some of these I saw multiple times, and every time they were a cut above everyone else, across every aspect of their show - performance, musicianship, production, originality and emotional impact. David Bowie sits at the top of this tree for me, for his pure artistry and charisma, closely followed by David Byrne (Talking Heads) for the showstopping ingenuity of his recent concerts, resetting the standard for what a rock music performance can be. Others include Crowded House (oh those harmonies), Elton John (another story from my book), Robert Plant (charm and swagger), Iggy Pop (intensity), Peter Gabriel (joyous and moving) and John Fogarty (still superb and powerful, well into his 70’s). These are the shows that you never forget, the shows that you knew, either during or immediately after, that you were seeing something truly special.
The Disappointments
No, that’s not the name of a band (though it should be and probably is somewhere). We all have certain expectations when we go to see artists as to what they will deliver for us. Sometimes they’re just not up to that task. Other times circumstances conspire against them - technical issues, illness, distractions. It’s probably unfair of us to judge the quality of a performer on one show, but then often that’s the only show we’ll get to see. That’s the one we paid for (or didn’t). Many of these are legacy artists that were probably once electrifying, but the passing of time has diminished their powers. But they were choosing to still perform and unfortunately, the ticket prices often reflected their status, rather than what they actually delivered. My list sadly includes bands that I truly respected - Blondie (pedestrian), The B52’s (shambolic), Bon Jovi (his voice was shot), Crosby, Stills and Nash (ugh, those harmonies), Oasis (90 minutes of attitude), Stevie Nicks (too much talking, not enough singing), ELO (post Jeff Lynne), Steve Miller Band (another shot voice) and U2, who broke the golden rule of performance by telling us all over and again about the technical problems they were having, instead of powering on in the knowledge that 90% of the audience wouldn’t even notice. This was around 1984, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, so they were not a fading superstar, but a band still heading to their prime. Lastly, Elvis Costello, who really wasn’t that bad, but my expectations were so over the top, and he was cruelled by awful front of house sound at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.
The Pleasant Surprises
They say that happiness is low expectation, and sometimes you go to a show expecting very little and getting so much more. This is particularly true when you get free tickets and are perhaps just there out of curiosity. Aerosmith was one of these for me. It was in the mid 80’s during their career revival, and they were one of the biggest acts in the world at the time. But I wan’t prepared for the onslaught I got. Great playing and singing, superb sound and a relentlessly powerful show. Others include Pink, whose talent was way beyond my limited appreciation of her, Kylie Minogue who utilised every trick at her disposal to deliver pure entertainment, Courtney Love (who I had seen previously with Hole) and Howard Jones, who I saw do a brilliant 3 piece acoustic show (piano, guitar and double bass) at Seattle’s Benaroya Concert Hall.
Hit After Hit After Hit
Some artists have the benefit of having a massive catalogue of hits and favourites to pull from. Of course some artists rail against this, growing tired of playing the same songs or even annoyed by the focus and expectation around certain hit songs. But when bands just reel off song after song, in some sort of high volume sing along, it can create special moments. I watched Status Quo from side of stage at Bluesfest in Byron Bay and just marvelled at how I knew almost every song in their set, despite never being a real fan. Queen is another who have this in their armoury, particularly the second time I saw them in 2018, with the superb Adam Lambert out front. Cold Chisel, only last year, reminded everyone how much they’ve contributed to the Great Australian Songbook, aided and abetted by excellent musicianship and powerful, rich vocals from Jim and Ian. I saw Squeeze in Seattle and they are so much more than just Cool For Cats, and I recall catching Irish power pop band Ash at an early Big Day Out, where they reeled off all of their chart toppers, one after the other.
Nostalgia
Some shows I’ve just loved for the nostalgia, whether the band was brilliant or not. I saw the Doors play the Bataclan Theatre, Paris, on the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrisons death. Stifingly hot, seriously jet lagged but a moment to savour. Whether it’s Fleetwood Mac in the Hunter Valley, Jethro Tull at the State Theatre Sydney, the Rolling Stones at Moore Park, Morrissey at the Opera House, the Who in The Hunter Valley or Yes at the State Theatre, these bands provided much of the soundtrack of my youth and it was just an honour and a pleasure to see them just once in my lifetime (though I have seen Tull twice).
The Joyous, Heartwarming and Downright Fun
Some artists perform with such pure heart that it permeates an audience. The most memorable of these for me was the late, great Irishman Glen Hansard, who I saw one year at Bluesfest. He exuded so much joy that it became instantly infectious. Others in this category for me were The Proclaimers, Bic Runga, Hawksley Workman and Wilco. Others tap into what live music, for many, is all about - fun. This is a long list - Beastie Boys, Ben Folds, Bloodhound Gang, Devo, The Grates, Madness, Mac DeMarco, Regurgitator, Seasick Steve and Skyhooks. In the case of George Michael at the Sydney Football Stadium in 2010, it wasn’t so much the fun coming from the stage but from the seats around me. The free tickets I was given had me sitting in one of the private boxes, right next to George Michaels dad ‘Jack’ and surrounded by all of his Australian based aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. It was like we’d been invited into a private family event. Other shows have been just as memorable for the after party as the show itself. Myself and some of the other Rads boys saw Powerstation in Los Angeles in 1984 and scored a ticket to the exclusive Hollywood after party. At one point I was dancing with Heather Locklear and as we left, got hit by a thousand paparazzi flashes, only to realise that a very drunk Emilio Estevez was right behind me. On NYE 2019, my son Kirin hosted and played a show with The Strokes at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. He’s good friends with the band, and particularly singer Julian Casablancas, who he has produced songs for (The Voidz). My wife, daughter and some friends all found ourselves back at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn seeing in the new year with the who’s who of the New York scene.
Undisputed Royalty
There are a small number of artists that sit across any number of the best of these categories. Artists that reel off a seemingly endless catalogue of hit songs, superbly delivered, with heart, class and nostalgic value. I’ve reserved this spot for only two artists, though to be fair, David Bowie, Queen, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen could easily fall into this category. But somehow, Paul McCartney and Prince sit above all for me.
I saw Prince at the height of his powers in 1992. I’d been driving around Europe for 2 months with my wife and two kids, aged 6 and 4 at the time. We only had one CD in the car - Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls - and every time we arrived in a new city we learnt that Prince had either just played there, or was about to in the coming days. We never actually crossed paths directly. Then, when we arrived back in Sydney, we discovered he was playing a sold out Entertainment Centre the following night. Then, later that day, some friends called to say welcome home and that they had bought us two tickets to Prince because they ‘knew we would want to go”.
McCartney was much later in life (2017, Sydney), but he still had ‘it’ and what a repertoire! Enough said.
So, whether a show is built on superb musicianship (Deep Purple, The Police, Santana), raw power (The Angels, Midnight Oil, Audioslave, Rose Tattoo), that voice and charm (John Farnham, Mavis Staples), boundless energy (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Madness), spectacular visuals (Tame Impala), the horde of screaming girls (Duran Duran) or was just downright boring (Bob Dylan), I’m glad I made the effort to get out and see them. Check out the list and see how many of them you’ve caught somewhere, some time, either in their hey day or more recently.
The Full List - or as least as many as I can remember……..
1927 - AU
10CC - UK
AEROSMITH - USA
ALABAMA SHAKES - USA
ALEX CAMERON - AU
ALLNITERS - AU
ANDRE FARRISS - AU
ANGELIQUE KIDJO - EU
ANGUS AND JULIA STONE - AU
ARCTIC MONKEYS - UK
ASH - IRE
AUDIOSLAVE - USA
AUGIE MARCH - AU
AUSTRALIAN CRAWL - AU
AVION - AU
AXIS OF AWESOME - AU
BABY ANIMALS - AU*
BEASTIE BOYS - USA
BECK - USA
BEN FOLDS - USA
BEN LEE - AU
BIC RUNGA - NZ
BILLY BRAGG - UK
BLONDIE - USA
BLOODHOUND GANG - USA
BO DIDDLEY - USA
BOB DYLAN - USA
BON JOVI - USA
BOOM CRASH OPERA - AU
BOOMTOWN RATS - IRE
BOYS NEXT DOOR - AU
BRIAN CADD - AU
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - USA
BRYAN ADAMS - CAN
BUFFALO - AU
CHAD MORGAN - AU
CHOIRBOYS - AU*
CHRIS BAILEY (SAINTS) - AU
CHRIS ISAAK - USA
CIVIC - AU
CLIENT LIASON - AU
COLD CHISEL - AU*
COLIN HAY - AU
COURTNEY LOVE - USA
CROSBY, STILLS and NASH - USA/UK
CROWDED HOUSE - AU/NZ*
CURTIS STIGERS - USA
CUSTARD - AU
C.W STONEKING - AU
DALLIMORE - AU*
DAN SULTAN - AU*
DAVE GRANEY - AU
DAVE WARNER - AU
DAVID BOWIE - UK*
DAVID BYRNE - USA
DD SMASH - NZ*
DEE MINOR and the DISCHORDS - AU
DEEP PURPLE - UK
DEF LEPPARD - UK
DEVO - USA
DIESEL - AU*
DIG (Directions in Groove) - AU
DIRE STRAITS - UK
DIVINYLS - AU*
DOUG PARKINSON - AU
DRAGON - NZ*
DROPBEARS - AU
DURAN DURAN - UK
DWEEZIL ZAPPA - USA
EARTH, WIND and FIRE - USA
EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING -AU
EELS - USA
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - UK
ELECTRIC PANDAS - AU*
ELTON JOHN - UK*
ELVIS COSTELLO - UK*
ERYKA BADU - USA
ESKIMO JOE - AU
EUROGLIDERS - AU
EURYTHMICS - UK
FASTBALL - USA
FILTH IS ETERNAL - USA
FLEETWOOD MAC - UK/USA
FRENZAL RHOMB - AU
GANGGAJANG - AU*
GEISHA - AU
GENESIS OWUSU - AU*
GEORGE MICHAEL - UK
GLEN HANSARD - IRE
GOANNA - AU
GRINSPOON - AU*
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN - CAN
HEAVEN - AU
HENRY WAGONS - AU
HILLTOP HOODS - AU
HOLE - USA
HOLIDAY SIDEWINDER - AU
denotes multiple viewings
HOODOO GURUS - AU*
HOWARD JONES - UK*
HOZIER - IRE
HUNTERS and COLLECTORS - AU
HUSH - AU
ICEHOUSE / FLOWERS - AU
IGGY POP - USA
INXS - AU*
JACK JONES - AU
JACK LADDER + DREAMLANDERS - AU*
JEFF ST JOHN - AU
JETHRO TULL - UK*
JIMMY and the BOYS - AU*
JIMMY BARNES - AU
JOAN ARMATRADING - UK
JOE COCKER - UK
JOE JACKSON - UK
JOHN BUTLER TRIO - AU
JOHN FARNHAM - AU*
JOHN FOGARTY - USA
JOHN MAYER - USA
JOHN MELLENCAMP - USA
JON ANDERSON - UK
JON ENGLISH - AU*
JO JO ZEP + FALCONS - AU*
JUDGE MERCY - AU*
KASEY CHAMBERS - AU
KEVIN BORICH EXPRESS - NZ/AU*
KIDS IN THE KITCHEN - AU
KINGS OF THE SUN - AU*
KIRIN J CALLINAN - AU*
KYLIE MINOGUE - AU*
LARKIN POE - USA
LIAM FINN - NZ
LIME SPIDERS - AU
LISA SIMONE - USA
MAC DeMARCO - CAN
MACHINATIONS - AU
MACHINE GUN FELLATIO - AU
MADNESS - UK
MAGIC DIRT - AU
MARC HUNTER - NZ
MARILYN MANSON - USA
MARK RONSON - UK
MATT FINISH - AU
MATT JOHNSON (THE THE) - UK
MAVIS STAPLES - USA
MAX MERRITT + METEORS - AU
MEN AT WORK - AU
MENTAL AS ANYTHING - AU*
MERCY ARMS - AU*
MI-SEX - NZ*
MICHAEL FRANTI + SPEARHEAD - USA
MIDNIGHT OIL - AU*
MISSY HIGGINS -AU
MODELS - AU*
MONDO ROCK - AU
MORRISSEY - UK
MOVING PICTURES - AU*
NICK BARKER + REPTILES - AU
NOISEWORKS - AU
NORAH JONES - USA
OASIS - UK
OL’55 - AU
OUTLINE - AU*
PAUL KELLY - AU*
PAUL McCARTNEY - UK
PAUL SIMON - USA
PETER GABRIEL - UK
PINK - USA
PIXIES - USA
POND - AU
POWDERFINGER - AU*
POWER STATION - UK/USA
PRESIDENTS OF THE USA - USA
PRETENDERS - UK
PRINCE - USA
PSEUDO ECHO - AU
PULP - UK
QED - NZ/AU*
QUEEN - UK
QUEEN with ADAM LAMBERT - UK/USA
RABBIT - AU
RANDY NEWMAN - USA
RAY CHARLES - USA
REAL LIFE - AU
RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS - USA
REGURGITATOR - AU*
RENEE GEYER - AU
RICHARD CLAPTON - AU*
ROBERT PLANT - UK
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA - MEX
RODRIGUEZ - USA
ROGER HODGSON - UK
ROSE TATTOO - AU*
RUFUS WAINRIGHT III - USA
RUSSELL MORRIS - AU
RUTH MOODY - CAN
SANTANA - MEX
SARAH BLASKO - AU
SCREAMING JETS - AU*
SEASICK STEVE - USA*
SHERBET - AU*
SILVERCHAIR - AU
SIMPLE MINDS - UK
SKYHOOKS - AU*
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR - UK
SPARKADIA - AU
SPIDERBAIT - AU
SPLIT ENZ - NZ
SPY vs SPY - AU*
SQUEEZE - UK
STARS - AU
STATUS QUO - UK
STEVE EARLE - USA
STEVE MARRIOTT - UK
STEVE MILLER BAND - USA
STEVE SMYTH - AU
STEVIE NICKS - USA
STEVIE WRIGHT - AU
STONEFIELD - AU
SUNNYBOYS - AU*
SUPERNAUT - AU*
SWANEE - AU*
SYSTEM of a DOWN - USA
TAME IMPALA - AU
TED MULRY GANG - AU
TENZIN CHOEGYAL - NEPAL/AU*
THE ANGELS - AU*
THE B52’s - USA
THE BADLOVES - AU
THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS - AU
THE BLACK CROWS - USA
THE BLACK SORROWS - AU
THE CAT EMPIRE - AU
THE CHOSEN FEW - AU
THE CHURCH - AU*
THE COCKROACHES - AU*
THE DEAD DAISIES - USA/AU
THE DOORS (less Jim Morrison) - USA
THE DUGITES - AU
THE EXPRESSION - AU*
THE GO BETWEENS - AU
THE GRATES - AU
THE HITMEN - AU*
THE JOHNNYS - AU
THE KNACK - USA
THE MOTELS - USA*
THE NUMBERS - AU*
THE PARTY BOYS - AU*
THE POLICE - UK*
THE PRESETS - AU
THE PROCLAIMERS - UK
THE RADIATORS - AU*
THE REELS - AU*
THE ROLLING STONES - UK
THE SPECIALS - UK
THE SPORTS - AU
THE STEMS - AU
THE STROKES - USA*
THE STYLE COUNCIL - UK
THE SWINGERS - NZ
THE TEMPER TRAP - AU
THE VALENTINOS - AU
THE WHITLAMS - AU
THE WHO - UK
THOMAS DOLBY - UK
TIM FINN - NZ
TIM MINCHIN - AU
TISM - AU
TOM PETTY + HEARTBREAKERS - USA
TROMBONE SHORTY - USA
TROY CASSAR-DALY - AU
TRUCKS + TEDESCHI - USA
TV ON THE RADIO - USA
U2 - IRE
UNCANNY X-MEN - AU*
VAN SHE - AU
VENETIANS - AU
VERUCA SALT - USA
WA WA NEE - AU
WARPAINT - USA/AU
WEDDINGS, PARTIES, ANYTHING - AU
WEEN - USA
WILCO - USA
WOLFMOTHER - AU
YES - UK
YOTHU YINDI - AU
YOU AM I - AU
XAVIER RUDD - AU
XL CAPRIS - AU
