Ahhhhhhhhh !!

quote:

Originally posted by mummakook:

Full setlist (as played):

Shark Attack
Poor Boy
One Step Ahead
Give it a Whirl
Nobody Takes me Seriously
Double Happy
I Hope I Never
Message
Dirty Creature
Years Go By (? - I know it was a Neil song but lost my pen for a time in the craze of dancing and had to wait until I could summons somebody to pick it up for me)
Stuff & Nonsense
Devil You Know (which Neil said is good for putting children to sleep)
129
Strait Ol Line
Pioneer
6 Months
I Got You
What's the Mater With You?
I See Red

Take a Walk
Charlie
My Mistake

Bold As Brass
History Never Repeats

100% correct-a-mundo, Janine, and identical to the rehearsal set. Between '129' and 'Strait Old Line', Eddie played the same piano medley from 2006 - 'The Instrumental'/'The Woman Who Loves You' (the latter while Noel did his spoons solo, naturally!)

Minor trainspotting moment: during the dress rehearsal, Tim dropped the opening lines of 'Hermit McDermitt' ("I'm Hermit McDermitt...a hermit I must be") into the latter half of 'Bold As Brass'; but for the full show he replaced that with a few repeats of "La da de da" from the Swingers' 'Counting The Beat' plus the ad-libbed "We don't wanna go home, not just yet".

Of course, 'My Mistake' and 'Bold As Brass' were the "Tim & The Audience" participation numbers they frequently become during live performance!

The same setlist tonight in Wellington - and Neil sang a verse of 'This Is Massive' during 'Bold As Brass'.

An amazing night, a terrific crowd, and both Neil and Tim in fine voice - thanks so much to the Enz!

Sunday March 23rd 2008 - Christchurch (Fantastic Concert by all reports)

Tuesday March 25th 2008 - Wellington (Looking forward to hearing all about this one!)

Friday March 28th 2008 - Auckland (2 more sleeps)

Saturday March 29th 2008 - Auckland (3 more sleeps)


Enjoyed reading about everyones experiences. Thanks for Part 1 (of 2) of your experiences Gav. Now, i'm just awaiting part 2 now. No pressure or anything.

quote:

Originally posted by Kelly Timtam:
Ahhhhhhhhh !!

My feelings exactly!!

Thanks guys, and especially you, Gav!! This brings back so many memories of 2006...


--------------------

My little additional piece, now I've just gotten home to Sydney. Comparing Christchurch to Wellington, I believe Christchurch was by far the better show - purely because of audience participation and enthusiasm.
I found Wellington to be incredibly frustrating to have everyone sitting down right the way through until finally Neil invited everyone up (I guess during Pioneer, which isn't really much of a rocky number !
I wanted to get up so many times and tried to get those around me to do so too and they wouldn't. They looked at me like I was from Mars. What dufus buys a ticket in the first three rows and sits there? Hmph. Ah well, when finally Neil gave the invitation I told off people in my row for their inaction as I ran down the front. And it was gooooooood. Photos coming in an hour or so.

I'm guessing the Christchurch crowd was a bit more liquored up, being the long weekend and all and that would've made a big difference. Sounds like the Wellington audience was flat. Seems a bit strange as the Finns have said how much the Welly audiences have given it up in the past. Oh well, their loss!

Did I meet you at the rehearsal or show in Christchurch, Charlie's Mum?

Pretty sure I do know who you are. I was there with my husband. You might recall, from dress rehearsal?

Are you Leanne's mum Leonie?

We had two cameras. Here are some pics from my crappy one. Still pretty good. Better ones later. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8023481@N03/sets/72157604254215263/

quote:

Originally posted by Semi-Detached:
Are you Leanne's mum Leonie?

No

I have four children, but none of them named Leonie. One is, however, named Charlie.

I have short brown hair and sat front row for the dress rehearsal with my husband, who snoozed for a bit before it started. LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie's Mum:
My little additional piece, now I've just gotten home to Sydney. Comparing Christchurch to Wellington, I believe Christchurch was by far the better show - purely because of audience participation and enthusiasm.
I found Wellington to be incredibly frustrating to have everyone sitting down right the way through until finally Neil invited everyone up (I guess during Pioneer, which isn't really much of a rocky number !
I wanted to get up so many times and tried to get those around me to do so too and they wouldn't. They looked at me like I was from Mars. What dufus buys a ticket in the first three rows and sits there? Hmph. Ah well, when finally Neil gave the invitation I told off people in my row for their inaction as I ran down the front. And it was gooooooood. Photos coming in an hour or so.

The security guards were quiet hard on the crowd, not let them get up and dance, until Neil invited them. I was dancing all the way through the show at the end of the stalls, and at the front when we were allow.

Well, up until about 9 months ago I used to live in Wellington and the audiences were pretty good for the Finn related concerts I went to. I now live in Timaru and went to the Christchurch one, so it appears that I am the catalyst for the good audiences!! :-)
It was interesting to note that the middle section on the floor (of which I was a part) all sat down for a rest with the slower songs. Probably a good thing too with my back, and the energy levels not being what they used to be. :-)

PART 2 (of 2): Sunday 23 March - Enz concert
Up reasonably late, it being Easter Sunday and all and not much is open in the way of shops, etc. Hence it's a bit of a lazy day.

Spend much of the day not really thinking that, "Hey, I'm going to see my all-time favourite artist live in concert tonight, which I've been waiting for since 1993, woooo!" I think it gradually sinks in though...

On my return to the backpackers from Real Groovy (music store), I fortuitiously bump into Carol (Texas Rose) and niece Em in Cathedral Square and we procede to yabber on virtually non-stop for about ¾ of an hour about this, that and everything...blah blah blah blah...but all good stuff!

The next wee bit of time rolls on. In our little backpacker's bathroom we get ready for the concert (of the year/lifetime) and it's still not really occurring to me what will happen later!

We jump on a bus out to Addington and bump into more friends on board, including finngirl and treegrrl, who say hi and wave. Finngirl is resplendent in her replica of Rob Gillies' Harlequin costume (white with criss-crossing colour stripes), complete white facepaint and pointed black winklepickers. She looks great. I had given a passing thought to getting Enz-ed up for the show (costume, hair, make-up), but reckon I'd probably have been too self-conscious to go ahead with it!

Hop off the bus at the Shell service station in Addington for a dinner of very dubious nutritional value (meat pies and energy drinks!) before walking over to the Westpac Arena.

The doors are scheduled to open at 7PM and some of the Frenz have arranged to meet up out front beforehand. Sure enough, I see Carol and Em amongst the group (both wearing their red True Colours T-shirts). I grab my camera and snap away...



Wish I could've got all the Frenz present in one photo, but have to make do as there's so many of them in attendance!

Have a quick yarn to the Frenz, then re-join Cara and get into the ever-increasing queues at the doors. Doesn't take long however and we're in with a grin. I somehow manage to sneak in contraband (a bottle of V energy drink) and then feast my eyes on the delectable goodies at the merchandise stand...



It looks like the same selection of merchandise from the Aussie '06 tour, bar the framed print. Find it bizarre there's no CDs or DVDs on offer...so much for the Spellbound "tour edition"! As I wait in line, I have already pre-decided. Me being the typical Enz diehard fan, I really want one of everything, but it's a case of what I can afford, so I opt for a programme (what a great example of a well-assembled, colourful, informative and entertaining concert programme) and the black Spellbound T-shirt with tour dates on the back. I figure it's the best option as I'm hopeless at remembering dates! Quickly dash into the gents' and slip it on...XXL...nice fit! And another black concert T-shirt...oh well, black is very rock 'n' roll!

Spot various Frenz amongst the thronging masses - "Hello!", "Hey, how are ya?", "What merchandise you gonna buy?" A bit of to-ing and fro-ing and the Frenz meet at the bar nearest the Addington Raceway (i.e. west end) for pre-show drinks and convo.

Come 8:30 and it's show time. The Frenz wish each other the best for the night and head back into the concrete barn to find their seats. We walk in and our seats are right there, literally. I look out at the sea of faces and it appears to be a full house, so at least 5,000. Cara and me are Row D, Seats 40 and 41...we're a mere 4 rows from the front! Wow! These seats rock! I was lucky when I picked 'em online as you never quite know what you're getting. We can see directly on to the stage...no struggling to see anything from here! Never been so close to the action! And we have a little room to dance if we so wish! It turns out that 4 other Frenz are also in my row...finngirl 3 seats over, another of the Frenz next to her, and then Carol and Em halfway along the row...coincidence?!



The support act is Wellington band the Phoenix Foundation - a great rock group who recently released their 3rd album and have proven to be a fairly popular live attraction. They crack a few jokes between their varied mixture of heavier numbers and lighter ballads, all with a touch of old school electronic keyboards here and there. The crowd claps appreciatively.

The clock ticks ever closer to 9PM and the final preparations are made. The lights go off and anticipatory roar, applause and yahoos go out from the crowd. A wee flashback to last night, except many, many, many more people in the audience. The big black curtain rustles. The big peach-coloured satin bag hobbles on stage. The crowd roars louder. After a minute and a half or so, just as the anticipation becomes almost unbearable, the bag flies off and the 6 guys emerge...and the crowd goes wild! The Enz procede to quick off proceedings with 'Shark Attack' (and subsequently the same identical setlist as the rehearsal) and I'd swear the Beatles had taken the stage. The audience reaction was absolutely amazing...it was as though the band had never broken up.



Every song was met with wild applause and from the first note, virtually all the audience on the floor got up out of their seats and barely sat down until the end or for the slower numbers. It took a bit more to get the folks in the upper seating to rise, but in the end everyone had a go.

The Enz seemed genuinely surprised at how well they were received...I don't think they were expecting such a rapturous reaction. They spent much of the night with huge smiles on their faces and definitely fed off the energy of the crowd - it was a two-way street. The guys laid it on them, the crowd gave it back and fed each other. Totally inspiring stuff.



Again, happy with the setlist, the costumes, the light show and those amazing backdrops...wow! Noel and Sally did a beautiful job with those. Yes they were the same ones used on the Aussie tour. Absolutely stunning. They remind me of gargantuan knitting and interacted really well with the lighting. It was a total interactive spectacle.

The only sour moments were a weird woman (drunk? stoned?) who invaded our private space (and did the same to others so I later heard and was apparently removed from the arena), plus a couple from England who bitched and moaned and were really negative about being stopped from going up the front by security. Otherwise all good!

Cara had her wish granted when Tim played a tyically beautiful 'Stuff And Nonsense' (with Neil on mandolin and Eddie on keyboards). A big spotlight was focussed on Tim, adding to the scene...sublime.

All the old things who's been seated through much of the set couldn't resist jumping up for 'I Got You'...oh the memories it must've brought back (and I wasn't even born when the song was released!) The song never loses its ability to stir the masses even after all these years, and especially so when played live.



'Six Months' had the crowd in unison, even doing the little handclaps during the chorus...very cool!

The main set ended with the obligatory 'I See Red', which was even faster than at the rehearsal...all those punk bands of '77 eat your heart out! Total manic, crazy stuff with Tim at his insane best and the crowd shouting and jumping and fist-shaking along! ROCK 'N' ROLL!!!

Again the boys returned for two sets of encores...so glad that 'Take A Walk' has remained resurrected as it really goes off when played live.



Anyway, so an amazing 2 hour performance featuring 25 songs rolled along, as did the singing, the playing, the theatrics and the memories, but like all things must come to an end and just before 11PM, as the final notes of well-established concert ender 'History Never Repeats' rolled out, the entire crowd was on its feet for the final bow. The guys played an awesome show. My ears were shot and could hardly hear myself. Was lost for words and blown away. Wow, absolutely f*ckin' awesome performance. The Enz gave 1000%.

Met up with Carol and Em and the others and proceded to rave and rave and rave some more about a total powerhouse show. A group of about 12 of us Frenz hung around by the back gate again and though we again didn't have a chance for autographs, we didn't mind as we waited in the cold air. We'd been standing for hours, but it didn't matter and we didn't seem to notice.

The end of an amazing, unforgettable night eventually arrived and I caught a taxi into town with Carol and Em. Said a hurried bye to them and let them on their way.

Had a truly awesome couple of nights, got to meet a whole heap of the Frenz...great music, great friends, great memories. Can't (and won't) decide if this Enz gig is better than my first (1993), so they're 1st equal and right up there in terms of being the best.

Anyway, thank you to the Enz and the Frenz!

quote:

Originally posted by Madonna_The_Pig:
...and Neil sang a verse of 'This Is Massive' during 'Bold As Brass'.

That was actually a little tribute to Paul; Tim did a shout-out to 'friends and comrades' who were a part of the Enz and sang the La Da Di Da bit from Counting The Beat, and then Neil did a bit of This Is Massive.

quote:

Originally posted by surferlisa:
The security guards were quite hard on the crowd, not let them get up and dance, until Neil invited them.

Yeah I was sat near one of the aisles and whenever someone stood in the aisle for more than a few seconds Jobsworth Security would walk up and make them sit down, and there was a comical moment when Neil (finally) made a more direct request to the audience to stand (dunno why he didn't make more of a point of it the first time earlier in the show), Jobsworth marched back to just past where I was sitting to have an argument with some people who had moved out into the aisle, meanwhile behind him at the front, the aisle was filling up...

It was a good show but I agree with the other comments that being obliged to sit for much of it made things a bit flat for the most part. if only we'd had the vibe from the Finn concert at the James Cabaret in 1996, a show I still remember quite vividly.

Well I arrived back to Melbourne a few hours ago and wow, these last few days have been a blast! It was great to meet lots of Frenz and can only add to whats already been said, the shows have been absolutely awesome. We were front row in front of Neil for Christchurch and third row in front of Tim last night in Wellington so have been totally spoilt . I have no real show highlights, well maybe Stuff & Nonsense and Message to My Girl, the 2 shows plus the Dress Rehearsal have all been sensational in their own way. Thanks again to Peter and the guys for the Dress Rehearsal, it was so cool to be able to dance around with tons of space and not piss anyone off! And as for having to wait, would have been happy to have waited another 2 hours for what we got . I did take quite a lot of photo's and here are some of the better ones.

My favourite (and soon to be my new avatar)

This is a very special picture for me as I took in Christchurch, had it printed and enlarged when I got to Wellington and it now has all 6 signatures on it They were all very gracious and some even commented on the my photographic skills, so a big thanks to them all again for being so kind. I love these guys

Ok, just wanting to see if my new avatar works....

(it appears to be just fine )