72 not out is not bad.

I thought Elton was doing well, but they ALL are!

I’m not believing that there was anyone is this sunburnt …well, fire burnt, land that didn’t tune in last weekend to the fire relief charity concert, at least for a little while. Like most people who love their music, we have some (well, quite few) speakers outdoors so that tunes can be played/boomed when the urges arise. That meant we had the ‘concert for the firies’ blasting all afternoon and then late into the evening.

My kids have helped me widen my musical tastes over the last decade. I’ve gone from being stuck in the 80s to appreciating styles and genres of music from all corners of the spectrum. Jazz and Big Band, Hip Hop, new Aussie ‘Festival’ bands and Electronic are just a few of the newer things on my playlists, all due to the kids. So I was quite excited and impressed at the sets put forward by Illy, Hilltop Hoods and Peking Duk during the concert, they got an extra notch on the volume control, with a sideways look from the lovely wife whenever the noise went higher.

Whilst these newer bands had the crowd eating out of their hands with their catchy tunes, it was the older brigade that totally and absolutely stole the show. Just like Elton did in Bathurst last month, those who mostly made their mark in the 1970s showed not only that they’ve still got it, but that they’re more than happy to show the younger brigade a thing or two when it comes to stage presence, owning the crowd and just plain old getting’ down!

To see our Olivia get on the stage after officially retiring to fight her cancer battle was enough to bring a tear to even the hardest eye. All in the name of the cause. At 71, she hasn’t lost those golden tonsils either. Well done ONJ, I’m on your side. Apparently you’re up against it, but I hope your battle has a happy ending. Next to mention is Brian May from Queen. He was the brains behind most of those hits, and at the spritely age of 72, his guitar licks are still as wicked as they were when Bohemian Rhapsody was released back in 1975. Queen were awesome, no wonder their concerts are still sellouts after all these years. Still, they weren’t the ones that owned the show. Not that it was a competition, but the King of the evening had to be Mr ‘Welcome to my Nightmare’ himself, Alice Cooper. Mr Cooper strolled out on the stage like it 1972 and he’d just unleashed himself on the world. Opening with Department of Youth, his awesome band smacked out not only this, but Poison and School’s Out like they were playing them for the first time. Alice is also 72, he’s been married for 45 years he says, and clean and sober for decades. You won Alice. Well played.

The show closed with Farnsie. More comebacks the Dame Nellie, the guy known as ‘The Voice’ is ageless. He’s cracked 70 too, so there’s still hope for all of us as we dream of being out in front of a crowd bigger than the population of the Central West. Best part of his set? He had a magic performer named Mitch Tambo give one verse of our unofficial national anthem You’re The Voice in the indigenous language of Gamilaraay. Special, Stunning. But – this should be the norm, not the exception. Come on Mr Morrison, get with the program. Make a ‘Captains Call’ and get a verse of our real anthem in Language. Not hard. Just do it.

Hope you liked the show Firies. It was all for you. What a job they did, especially the oldies. Loved it.