Aussie Stadium, Moore Park (7th July, 2007)
People were already in throngs at the front gate to Aussie Stadium when I rocked up at 11am. I'd walked from Central Station, eschewing the complimentary bus because I needed the exercise, having guessed that sitting for hours needed some form of pre-emptive antidote. My ticket was for a seat in F row, fairly near the fence that divided the rear mosh from the grandstand. The front mosh was already packed with an audience who had embraced the unseasonably warm day (complete with clear blue sky), denying winter by dressing in skimpy tops and t-shirts and already spilling beer over the revellers in front in an attempt to dance to low level filler music pumping from the speakers.
Blue King Brown kicked things off not long afterwards with their perfect blend of groovy blues with an indigenous touch. This is a band that you really need to see live to appreciate. I saw them at the Newtown Festival last year, where they added some punch to a mellow afternoon in the park. The indigenous politic bookending the set was a little heavy-handed, though not wholly unwelcome. Still, I thought they could have been a bit more explicit about how recognising Aboriginal land rights complemented the 'saving the earth' philosophy behind the gig. (I knew but I doubt many others would have - but we'll get to that a little later).
Toni Collette and The Finish came up next but, I think, suffered a bit from lack of enthusiasm. Having not established themselves in the music scene, they could only muster half-hearted jostling. I, and many others, were content to observe the crowd and converse. My companion, who had managed to arrive in one piece, had finally appeared beside me. Toni possessed quite a distinctive voice but I didn't find it powerful enough to command the crowd, who were content to chatter over the alt-country songs offered by the set.
Sneaky Sound System were another story altogether. I knew this band had gained a footing in the public conscience over the past year or so (they were 'cult' about two years ago) but nothing prepared me for the energy that surged through the audience when their megawatt beats began to electrify the crowd. Everyone, it seemed, felt instantly compelled to get up and dance. Kudos to addictive hooks in the DJing and Connie Mason's big voice, reminiscent of the kind of reverence Shirley Bassey once received. On this set alone I went and purchased their album (I don't usually listen to dance) and floated the idea that they would have served the crowd better nearer to the top of the billing.
Ghostwriters is a band principally made up of Rob Hirst (ex Midnight Oil) and Rick Grossman (ex Hoodoo Gurus) with a pastiche of other musicians joining them over the years. They still fly under the radar considering their rock pedigree, which would account for most of the stadium bobbing mildly to songs that hit the mark environmentally but didn't quite inspire us as they had hoped. Nothing spectacular or notable sprang from their set so I'll leave them their rock dreams without my opinion.
Paul Kelly, stalwart of the folk rock scene, fared much better. More punters recognised his songs, some singing along to 'From little things big things grow' (one of my favourite Paul Kelly songs) with guest vocalists such as Missy Higgins and John Butler who were to appear later in the show. By this time most of us were getting into the swing of things. It was no longer a picnic in the park kind of festival but an event of global proportions - literally and environmentally.
Eskimo Joe have slipped on the billing recently, surprising considering their successful 2006 album 'Black Fingernails, Red Wine', but the Fremantle band still delivered a nicely composed set, vocalist Kavyen Temperly's voice seducing the stadium, who had built excitement to feverish levels. Whether this was brought on by the dusky light or music that the crowd was more familiar with (or perhaps a combination of the two) I do not know. The crowd were well and truly warm, even as the air became chilly, such that Eskimo Joe received the first truly rapturous acclamation of the day.
Missy Higgins is an artist who has grown into a performer over the years. No longer the shy, self-effacing singer-songwriter she once was, Missy has since embraced the idea that people love her and want to see her play live. Here, she was confident and playful yet still the down-to-earth artist she has always been. Although her new album 'On a Clear Night' has been received well since its release in April, it was the songs from her debut album 'The Sound of White' that roused the audience the most, inevitably spawning a singalong to the favourites. Missy took this all in good spirit, smiling and enjoying the set. As a high profile vegetarian and environmentalist, her reception was fitting for the event.
The John Butler Trio, a band that most love and admire, continued the good work that Missy Higgins inspired by concreting the environmental message with good music. John Butler has always been an advocate of the environmental movement and probably the closest political musician since Midnight Oil. His straightforward but charismatic approach to climate change (and acknowledgment of indigenous Australians) went over well with the crowd and it was because of the enthusiastic response to his words that I then believed Live Earth to be a worthwhile environmental statement. The crowd paid their respect to both him and the music as he conducted a stadium-wide Mexican wave, which pretty much symbolised how well he commanded the audience.
Wolfmother were another story altogether. I'm not familiar with Wolfmother or their music due to my music listening habits 'in absentia' so all I knew of them was that they are pretty big here and in the USA, they are a rock band and a friend of mine once went out with Myles (the drummer). They received a typical rock band response from the audience, lots of shouting and mosh-worthy moves but not quite up to the same pull as JBT. This was embarrassingly evident with frontman Andrew's posturing and throwbacks to the audience, which were met with little more than a lukewarm reaction. Sorry boys, you haven't yet embedded yourselves into the psyche of Australian culture to earn that kind of adulation. A competent set, though, and the right arena for the rock atmosphere.
Jack Johnson was the only truly international guest on the bill and lived up to expectations admirably, not expecting too much from the crowd but congenially greeting us and getting on with the music. His blend of laidback rootsy pop/rock mellowed a crowd who had spent the day drinking and dancing and was a pleasant way to spend the penultimate set of the festival. I particularly liked 'Gone Going' (which is a Black Eyed Peas song for which he provided guest vocals) and 'Fall Line', which put everyone in a feelgood mood. His contribution on an environmental level didn't seem tokenistic, either, given his well-publicised love of surfing and therefore vested interest in looking after the environment. He seems like a lovely bloke, that Jack.
Crowded House broke up more than a decade ago but in a very public reformation, returned to form at the top of the Live Earth bill. Neil and Tim Finn played as a duet at 2005's Wave Aid and brought tears to many audience members' eyes and here it was no different. Australasian cultural anthems aren't usually delivered more poignantly than this headline set, which saw all voices raised in chorus with Neil's and an accidental blackout near the end marking the moment more dramatically. The crowd listened to the lyrics as they sung, the global message hitting home with poetry like:
Trying to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're travelling with me
- 'Don't Dream it's Over'
Solidarity in emotion. Bands can't buy that kind of respect, they have to earn it and for a long time Crowded House have been our touchstone, the little band that could capture a nation. There were a few patient pauses as the band played some of their new material but they knew what would get us going, so the hits rolled out one by one, uniting the thousands who has stayed until the end. Beautifully done.
All right, so that was the music part of the review, which was all in all a pleasant experience, well worth the $99 ticket price (and free transport, mind). I was more than a little disappointed in the so-called environmental side, though, and I'm not sure whether it's to do with the fact that I'm ahead of the enviro game or my impatience in finding out that so many people are so far behind.
To explain - so much of the paraphenalia at the gig was related to the very basic tenets of conservation. I'm talking about CFL light bulbs, water-saving showerheads and reusable shopping bags. Which is all great and helpful and educative. Except that most people should have 'made the switch' about two years ago. What about the next step? Where was the info for those people who were already past stage one? Shame, Live Earth, shame.
To add to that, I heard that the event was supposed to be carbon neutral. Which is, theoretically, terrific. But I do hope it wasn't a tokenistic type of 'carbon neutral' like vowing to plant trees or something, because those in the know understand that that's not necessarily the most effective way to reduce carbon consumption. I wanted to see all sorts of initiatives - reusable cups, for example, less packaging, perhaps, and delicious vegetarian food. All absent. I just can't take an event seriously on an environmental level when these little things were ignored while the other basic things, which have been drilled into us ad nauseum, were peddled endlessly.
The three golden rules of conservation are reduce, reuse and recycle, in that order. At Live Earth, only recycle (in the form of coloured bins) had a presence. Organisers should have made a concerted effort to reduce the amount of waste generated with food packaging and pamphlets (though 'reduce' was partially addressed with the free public transport). 'Reuse' didn't even score a mention beyond reusable shopping bags (which, ironically, most people have too many of nowadays). Okay, rant over, here are the scores:
Gig rating: 7/10
Enjoyment rating: 7/10
Would have benefitted from The Cat Empire on the billing. After all, Felix is one of Al Gore's eco ambassadors. Sadly, the Melbourne band were on tour overseas at the time...
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