Blown away

Last night I finally got to see Sarah Blasko after the original August show was cancelled. It was definitely worth the wait. I was already aware of what she could do after hearing a live set on Triple J earlier in the year, but last night was something completely different again. When she walked on and started to sing All Coming Back, a kind of awed hush fell over the crowd (the venue was sold out incidentally), the likes of which I've never seen before. There was cheering in the short instrumental sections between vocals that the arrangement of that particular song allows, before the crowd would once again fall silent when her vocals started again, clearly not wanting to miss any of it.

She had basically walked in as if she owned the place, and from that moment she did. Some of the other highlights included At Your Best, Cinders, Perfect Now and her version of Cold Chisel's Flame Trees, which totally owns the original version. Then there is that voice, I really think she could sing the telephone directory and make it sound beautiful. It was truly an amazing show, and I'll be making sure I get to the next show she does in Queensland.

As an added bonus, I actually got to meet her briefly after the show. I was a little nervous about it, but she is a very nice person. I had ended up buying some souvenir mittens at the gig because all of the other clothing in my size was sold out by this time. I'm sure they will be useful in New Zealand in February/March, but the fabric they were made of meant that the attempt to have them signed didn't really work out. In anycase, we had a laugh about it. The only regret is that I didn't bring a camera (I wasn't sure this particular venue was the right place). It would have been nice to have had my picture taken with her, although on the other hand, the comparison would have made me look even uglier.

It's also worth mentioning The Devoted Few, the band who were on before Sarah. They're actually quite good themselves, and definitely worth checking out. They had one particularly fanatical fan at the front of the crowd, he ended up trying to get them to take requests. At one stage he offered an "inducement" -- $5. It all appeared quite amusing to everyone else (including the band members), I'm sure that guy's friends won't allow him to live that one down. All in all it was a great night.

I just noticed that there are no ride photos on the front page for the first time in months. Hopefully I can rectify that tomorrow.