Day 6: Something In The Night

So it’s come to this. My final night in the glorious city of Perth. Tomorrow I fly out to Adelaide (at 8.30am in the morning, what idiot booked a flight that early? Oh right. Me.) and 40 degree roll calls. Obviously not much happened today besides packing, and a moment of outrage upon discovering nothing opened in Perth until 11am on Sundays, so I thought I’d use this time to reflect on my time here.

I’ve been to Perth a couple of times before, both for football. But both were very quick visits. Here and back again basically. So this is the first time I’ve had the chance to look around and get to know the people of Perth. And it’s been glorious. I made a joke on Twitter when I arrived about it being a suburb that got made a city by default, because it is SO much less busy than Melbourne. But I’ve really grown to like that. Melbourne is so hustle-and-bustle, which I’ve grown accustomed to, that my time here was really a nice change. From the pleasant weather to the friendly people, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

Also it was my first experience with real die hard Springsteen fans and the roll call. As I said the other day, a wonderful experience. People who just “get it” the way I do. Before I left people back home thought I was crazy doing a tour this big. But in just a few days here I’ve meet a heap of people who are doing the exact same thing, and people who wish they could. They get it.  The spirit (in the night), the camaraderie, and the respect everyone shows each other has been the most rewarding aspect of it. And this is only the start of the tour! So those of us doing most of/the whole thing will only get to know each other better and have more great times in the weeks ahead.

So this is it. My farewell (for now) to Perth. I need to give shout outs to Perth Arena for being a fantastic arena. To the Springsteen WA Facebook page, who after all are the reason he came here in the first place. To the Pensione Hotel, a very nice hotel that’s served me well these 6 nights, I’d recommend it. And finally, to the people I’ve met. To Rob, Tino, Verity, Paul, Cameron, Sam, Ted, the gentleman from Milan, the two gentlemen I stood next to last night whose names I never actually got, the countless others whose names I’ve forgotten (get used to that) and those who I’ve interacted with on Twitter but am yet to meet due to not doing the last two roll calls. To those I’ll see later on the tour, I eagerly await seeing you then. To those who are only doing these shows, you’ve made my time in Perth a pleasure and hopefully we’ll meet again sometime soon.

Day 5: The Promised Land

The legendary “Night 3 rule” is alive and well.

The rule is this: Night 1 in a city is your standard hit based set for the most part. Night 2 is the other 15 big name songs he didn’t do the night before. Gives everyone an even spread across the two nights. However, if he does a THIRD night in a city, then the legend says that all bets are off and you’re in for something amazing. That’s what we got.

Stepping into darkness. Asking if Perth was ready for round three. Then launching into his first ever cover of AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’. It got the place rocking straight away. Who got Angus Young’s lead part you ask? Why all four of them of course. Then if that wasn’t enough we got a FOUR shot from Darkness; Badlands, Adam Raised a Cain, Streets of Fire, Candy’s Room. Bruce has stated that it’s unlikely he’ll do any full album shows on this tour, but 4 songs in a row from an album like Darkness is a more than adequate substitute.

Then into songs from the new album; High Hopes, Just Like Fire Would. However following that Perth got asked “just one question”, could they feel the spirit? It was answered with a rousing “yeah yeah” while Bruce and Jake went and sat on an amp in the middle of the rise in between the pit and the floor seating, Bruce conducting Jake with his hand. Jake Clemons really has come into his own of late. While he’ll never be, nor ever want to be, The Big Man, a fitting nickname for him may be “The People’s Champion”. Watching Jake on stage you can see how much he feeds off the band as a whole and the crowd. Coupled with that is Jake’s love of the fans off-stage. Jake “The People’s Champion” Clemons.

“Wrecking Ball” led into a powerful “No Surrender”, Mighty Max doing his finest work of the night thus far. “Bobby Jean” got everyone waving their hands, while “Because The Night” featured Nils’ most stunning solo of the tour thus far. Perhaps compensation for Bruce forgetting him in the roll call last night? “Downbound Train” was rocking, “Heaven’s Wall” predictably got the crowd to raise their hands, and the 30 second rule was in full force in “Open All Night”.

“Shackled and Drawn” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad” sandwiched a tour premiere “Radio Nowhere”, which amazingly meant that tonight we wouldn’t see “Waitin’ On a Sunny Day”. Almost always a certain lock, I’m happy to see it missing occasionally. The main set was closed by “Land of Hope and Dreams”. The People’s Champion coming up front with his sax to round out the set.

A sign request of “The Promise” kicked off the encore with Bruce alone on the piano. The band shortly returned for a roof raising “Born In The USA”, with the houselights up next for “Born To Run”. The crowd wasn’t given the slightest breather, with a proper rock-and-roll killer “Seven Nights to Rock” keeping the mood high. Reliable duo “Dancing in the Dark” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” rounded out the night for the band. Bruce returning for a solo encore of “Terry’s Song” (a song he’s only performed live 4 times in his entire career), and Thunder Road to say goodbye to Perth after three amazing nights.

Day 3: Nothing Man

That’s what yesterday involved. Nothing. Solely about recovery. Stayed off my feet all day in order to ensure I’d be good to go tonight and it’s worked a treat.

It did however reinforce one thing. Springsteen shows are like a drug. Wednesday I hobbled out, exhausted and beaten but having loved every second. And yesterday, all I could think about was getting more. Needing more. It got worse during the day. A day of nothing after THAT? Now today I cannot wait until he comes back out.

Gig wise, I’m obviously hoping for a few different songs and know we’ll get them. Walking off stage on Friday night he saw a sign for Jungleland and said something to the person holding it, so maybe we’ll get that? I imagine Born In The USA, Glory Days and the like will get a run at some point in Perth. I’ve seen Bruce live 3 times without seeing either of those songs actually. Wonder how many people can say that?

No roll call, I might even hang up the back again and high five Bruce and anyone else that walks past. Who can say no to high-fiving the Boss, right? Either way, I cannot wait until tonight. What time is it? BOSS TIME.

Time to get serious

IT’S coming and I can’t stop it. Less than 4 weeks until I leave for Perth and begin this crazy adventure. Everything’s organised. Flights, tickets, hotels, things to do in certain cities etc. It’s ready to go. Planning it has been slightly stressful but, for the most part, enjoyable. Looking for the best/most affordable accomodation in each city was by far the most challenging but now that it’s all done it’ll hopefully pay off on the road. Really nothing left to do now except wait and enjoy it when it comes.

Obviously the centrepiece of the trip will be the gigs. Thirteen in total. Ranging from Perth to Auckland. It’s hard to describe a Springsteen concert to someone who’s never experienced it first hand. It really is like nothing else. People’s reactions to my tour seem to be split into two camps; those who have never seen Bruce before (“Why are you seeing him thirteen times?”) and those that have (“Oh I wish I could do that”). Combine that with the new album out in a weeks time, High Hopes, and it promises to be a fantastic series of gigs. However they’ll also be, to use Tom Morello’s words, “Orthopedically exhausting”.

What I’m really looking forward to though is the traveling. It’s 5 weeks going around Australia. What a chance to explore! I’ve structured it so I’ve got at least one (usually more) “days off” in each city. By day off I mean a day where I’m not traveling or going to a gig. So I’ll have time to look around, see new places, and basically just take my time. The only city outside Melbourne I’ve really spent an extended period of time in is Brisbane, so this time around I’ll be able to see every other city properly.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter will also know of my love of burgers. And my quest to find the best in Melbourne. Well, now that extends Australia wide. There’s little doubt this trip will feature a LOT of burger trips. Pictures, thoughts. The lot. Given it’s Oscars season I’ll probably wind up seeing a lot of movies on the road too. I do love movies so. Great chance to see a lot of different cinemas around Australia too. Not a big deal to a lot of people, but old theatres can be absolutely beautiful. Pictures of them!

Speaking of pictures, there’s going to be a lot. Just get ready for it now. They’ll be uploaded over at my Flickr but also a few here. I’m also looking at doing Video Blogs rather than just written ones. Why? I don’t know. Just something different. Maybe more interesting. Who knows. Hopefully they’ll be daily. But again, let’s find out. Hopefully it’ll all be interesting to follow.

That’s all for now. These are going to start becoming a lot more regular as I get closer to leaving. I can’t wait. Bring it on.

Tour update – October

Tickets:

Perth 1 – Pit
Perth 2 – A Reserve Seat
Perth 3 – Pit

Adelaide 1 – Pit
Adelaide 2 – Pit

Melbourne 1 – Pit
Melbourne 2 – Pit

Sydney – Pit

Hunter Valley 1 – Pit
Hunter Valley 2 – Pit

Brisbane – Pit

Auckland 1 – A Reserve Seat
Auckland 2 – Pit

All flights booked. Every flight is QANTAS bar the flights to and from New Zealand, which are Emirates. All that’s left is to book the hotels (the really painful bit money wise). I’ve already booked Hunter Valley but the rest is yet to be done. Will try and stick with my reliable Accor, but will see what I find. And once that’s done everything’s booked and this tour is fully paid off and actually happening. Holy crap.

Success!

Perth 1 – Seat
Perth 2 – Pit

Adelaide – Pit

Melbourne 1 – Pit
Melbourne 2 – Pit

Sydney – Pit

Hunter Valley – Pit

Brisbane – Pit

 

Can. Not. Wait. 

Alarms

When it comes to buying tickets, to say I’m prepared is an understatement.

The Beginning

It’s tomorrow. The unofficial start of my 2014 Bruce Tour. It’s the beginning of a massive, crazy, slightly insane thing I’ve decided to do. Go to every gig Bruce Springsteen does here in Australia on his 2014 tour. This involves 5 different states, 6 flights, and what will become countless hours lining up to get that perfect spot up front in the pit.

Why am I doing this? When I saw him here at Rod Laver Arena earlier this year (2013), it was the most amazing experience. Indescribable, but that hasn’t stopped me trying on previous occasions. And I made a decision that if he ever came back that I’d go and see him as many times as I could. But  I made that decision assuming that a) it’d be a long time before he came back, if he ever did. And b) it mightn’t be a full E Street Band tour. Lo and behold last week, HE’S COMING BACK. With the E Street Band! On a MASSIVE tour. So I looked at how much it’d cost to do the Melbourne gigs, and a couple of extras. Okay, not too much. What if I added Sydney too? Hmm. And if I just decided to do them all? Okay, quite pricey. But worth it? Hell yes.

I’m doing the lot of it. Perth. Adelaide. Melbourne. Sydney. Hunter Valley. Brisbane. Every gig in each city. It’s going to be a good excuse to travel around Australia a bit, while at the same time being in the presence of a Rock and Roll god most nights. It’s win win! So I’m ready to go. Tickets for all gigs go on pre-sale tomorrow. I’m ready to go for all 6 gigs, alarms set on my phone so I’m ready for each one. Since I’m just after floor tickets, I should be fine. But I can’t be too careful.

Alright. Tomorrow is the day. Let’s do this.