Because I have to tell you - I had a complete and utter ball at the concert last night !!

I went to see Chris in Sydney in May and Kenney and Roly from the band both promised they would tour again and include Perth - and Kenney confirmed it via several emails over the past few months and Roly sent confirmation to me via a friend - so I was thrilled when they officially announced they would start thier tour in Perth.

So my pal flew over from Sydney and a bunch of us went last night - had gorgeous 2nd row centre seats.  Just a metre away from him and it was a nice low stage - so no neck strain !!

After the show I was able to catch up with Kenney and Roly again and was awfully chuffed that they remembered me.  Had a "moment" with Chris too when he had finally finished an hour of signings !!

I am still on a high.

Am off to Sydney on Thursday and we are going to both Sydney gigs and the Canberra gig.

Will catch y'all when I get back !!.

:)

I believe I have already told you what great taste you have BrianMannixGirl - but here I go again: You have great taste :D

I think Cris Isaak is fantastic - but I have never seen him in concert.  I'm glad you enjoyed his concert - who wouldn't sitting in the second row!  My only glimpse of him has been watching him on Rove last night.  

I never used to like him, but his stuff has really grown on me this year. Probably from all that promotion of his latest album :)

Baby did a bad, bad thing is one of the sexiest songs ever!!

I've not heard a lot of his stuff, nor have I watched his show many times (although Kristin Datillo who plays his manager is a mega-hottie  :o) but I really do like what I've seen/heard...and like I said...that ^ song is amazing...

http://www.tvtome.com/images/people/0/0/38-3933-sm.jpg

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....Kristin......

hehehe Jonman you are welcome to Kristin cos I totally fancy Doug - his sexy enigmatic intriguing tall dark and handsome real life manager !!!!!  Baby is indeed a sexy song - and even more so when he does it live !

I have been a fan of Chris for 17 years but the one and only time he came to my city was back in 97 and I was on the other side of the country.

So when they did the promo mini tour in May I flew to Sydney and told the entire band that they HAD to tour again and include Perth.  I really think I embedded the word Perth in their brain !!


Hey Gecko !!  Second row was awesome - but I have centre front row in Canberra !! And front standing in both Sydney Gigs !!

OK I am going to try and post one of my fave photos from the night - havent done this before so I hope it works :)

I havent shrunk it - sorry !

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/CI_Nov_02_1_cropped.jpg  

"Wicked Game"

Now THAT is a song!!

I love the man's voice!!

Well the Wanderin Girl has finally returned !!

Mini review !!

Canberra.
At 5am the morning of the gig I went on a hot air balloon ride over the nations capital before returning to the hotel to sleep. then my friends texted me to say they had checked into and to come to their room.  So I crawl out of my deep slumber - you know the kind that leaves creases on your face - stumble out into the halls and bang straight into Roly, Herschel and Brett from the band.  Could I seriously look any worse.  They politely asked why I was so tired and were fascinated about the balloon ride !

Before the gig Doug (tour manager) came out and asked me and my friends to be dancing girls on stage during the encore Bonnie Bee.  I refused on the grounds that someone had to take the photos !!!!!  But at least I have great shots of all my pals up there on stage !!

Front row was awesome !

Had long chats with each of the band afterwards as Roly had told them all about my balloon ride and they wanted more info.  Had a quick moment with Chris - just a nice "hello miss front row".


part two below

part two

Sydney (two gigs):  Bought General Admission stadning tiks and ended up standing directly under Herschels feet both nights which is great as Chris faces that way when playing guitar so I got about 300 great photos !!  
Told the band on the second night that it was my final gig and I was back to Perth the next day.  They said "nooooooooooooo you cant miss the Queensland gigs - Cairns is the final night of our world tour".

So I did some serious thinking all day and rang my boss and said I was having too much fun and could I stay another 10 days !!!

So then I was off to Brisbane. :)

Brisbane:  didnt go up to the stage for this one - decided to sit about 15 rows from the stage and watch the actual show !  Managed to even write down the set list and all off chris's jokes.  After the show Brett (keyboardist) and Roly and Kenney all said they didnt think my boss had let me come when they didnt see me down the front !  I think this was the night Brett started going on about how he was actually stalking me on my tour and did I have a tour t shirt for sale so he could get an autograph.

Off to the Gold Coast.

Well I very nearly didnt go to the Gold Coast gig.  First the coast was hit by a savage storm at 4.30pm.  I ran back to my hotel and ended up being trapped in a lift for 20 minutes after the power went out and it fell several floors rather too quickly.  Power came on and I was able to go to my room.  Watched the storm from the balcony - really awesome lightning.  The entire Gold Coast was blacked out after power stations were hit by lightning.  After a few hours I realised it wasnt coming back on.
So I got washed and dressed via the dim light from the lcd screen of my digital camera !

Then I had to walk down 16 flights of stairs in the pitch black darkness of the concrete fire escape.  Now what you dont know is that I have a severe stair phobia and my friend has vertigo.  This was a really big deal for us.  It took us about 30 minutes slow and steady to get down.  The shock didnt hit till the bottom when my legs turned to jelly.

When I told the band what we did to get to the show they were gobsmacked !

The venue was tacky.  Seriously tacky.  Tables of 8 all the way to the edge of the stage with red plastic swivel seats that faced away from the stage - and to turn and look at the stage you had to put your knees on either sie of the next persons butt - ewwwwwww. :o

The gig was great tho and I took a few hundred photos !!  I had a little wall to lean my camera on - so I didnt even have to look thru it - I just set it up and rested my hand on it !

Video'd a hilarious moment afterwards where Brett - who never gets recognised - wasnt allowed backstage by security - he is standing there pulling out all his ID and we are calling out "he really is with the band" - but security would not budge !!  

Relaxed in Coolangatta the next day - gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky, warm but now hot, gentle breeze.

final bit !


Flew to Townsville next.

After surprising my Uncle and Grandfather by rocking up at their workplace and home stating i was "in the neighborhood" - I then went and bought a white t shirt and some coloured markers.  Made a totally cool tour t shirt and autographed it for brett with the words "Honest security he really is with the band".

During the gig I was fed up as I was surrounded by people who felt the need to discuss how often they had heard Somebodys Crying on the radio.  Who pays $80 to talk thru a concert ?????  SO I took off and ran down to the stage.  Got some excellent photos as there were no camera nazi's to be seen (bouncers).

After the show I gave Brett his t shirt and he totally loved it and he cracked up when he saw the autograph.  He started telling me how security hadnt let him in and I said not only had I seen it - I filmed it - so I played it back for him and he died laughing !! Great sense of humour.
Caught up with him later for drinkies.

Next day it was on in yet another plane - to Cairns.  Quite possibly the most humid place I have ever been to in my entire life !  Cairns is a very small place - so every where I went I ran into members of the band - I kept telling them they were stalking me !!
The gig was fantastic.  They made the most of it being their final show till a new tour.  I ended up standing directly under Chris's mike.  Unfortunately the camera nazi's nabbed me after only aout 10 shots.  Man was I mad - but at least they didnt take it off me - well I refused to hand it over and I was actually taller (and broader) than them so they weren't game to argue !!!!

After the show I grabbed the set list and Kenney and Chris signed it.  I got some silly photos taken of me frisking Brett against a wall (long story !! - hmmm like this one isnt !) and a photo of me with whole band.  Then I went up to Chris - thinking I wouldnt see him again - and gave him a little speach about how many shows I had been to and thanked him for bringing the show to Aus and that I hoped he had had as good a time as I had.  

THEN !  I headed for the hotel bar and found Lenny the percussionist was the only patron.  The emptiest bar I have ever seen !!!  So I started drinking with Lenny - and eventually we were joined by the rest of the band !  My friend and I ordered some food (after calling the hotel manager to get the bartender to keep the bar open for the night and to wake up a chef !!!!!!!).

So there I am sitting in basically an empty bar populated only by myself and my friend, and the band and some roadies.  Dipping away on my 1am cheese fondue - when who comes over to talk to me but Chris himself !  I am so glad I had had several cocktails by then as I was remarkebly calm !

We chatted for half an hour - not about the gigs or even music.  Just about travelling, and crocodiles, and stuff !  I cant even remember half of it.  I just kept staring at his eyes !

It was a highlight of the trip because up until then I really only knew the man on stage and the man at the meet and greet autograph queues.  I felt that for 30 minutes I met the real man and what a nice polite sweet man he was.  sigh.  what a pity I am not 22 and anorexic !!!!!!

I ended up drinking with some of the band till well after 3am. They had a 5am flight !!!!  Mine wasnt till 10am.  So I bet I felt a lot more human on my trip than they did !!

It was a real come down to return to work on Wednesday :(

Hope I havent bored you !!

I am building a web page with all my photos this weekend so I will put a link up when I am done.

Some people!!(loud raspberry blowing sound)Don't you just hate them, I'm sitting here green with envy.It sounds like you had SUCH a cool time.I'd love to see the website when it's done.

LOL

BMG's World Tour of Australia!  ;D


Chris seems like a "real" guy. If you were a skinny kid, I think he'd have marked you as a shallow groupie and you wouldn't have got anywhere near the facetime you did  :-*

Congratulations BrianMannixGirl - you sound like you had the best time!!  Of course I am also sitting here green with envy, but Im glad you had fun (the world's biggest understatement I know :))

ok well I have been as sick as a dog since xmas eve so the website is taking much longer than I thought - so I thought I would pop some highlights in for teasers !!

this is a teeny one of me (edited out !!!) frisking Brett in Cairns.

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/brett_frisking_teeny.jpg


this one is in Canberra

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/Canberra_Dec2_Roly_Chris_Herschel_Kenney_1.JPG

this was on the gold coast

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/GoldCoast_Dec10_Chris_4.JPG

This was at home in Perth

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/Perth_Nov25_Chris_Herschel_4.JPG

and this was in Sydney - I think he spotted me - difficult to do in a bright blue cowgirl hat !!!!

http://silvertoneddevils.homestead.com/files/Sydney_Dec7_Chris_11.JPG