Ember's Sweet Spot: INXS Rocks

Squee! Pre-July Ramblings

2007-06-04T16:23:00.000-04:00

Is it July yet?

June 16/07

I've decided to go ahead and do 3 sleepless nights in a row so I can see the boys play again, especially on Kirk's birthday on July 4th. I am having trouble with the Greyhound schedules though, as they keep changing things on me. I have to buy my tickets within the next few days to get the discounts, so I am hoping once I buy they don't change things making it more difficult to get to where I need to be. Wish me luck. With that I'm off to the gym as I have just over 2 weeks to fit into my rock chick outfit inspired by the grooviest rock chick ever Rock Esq.

June 4/07

I haven't given up hope of making it to the Foxwoods and Westbury shows yet. It's not looking good because I would have to pull 3 all-nighters in a row to make it happen, but my fingers are crossed for a solution to my predicament.

I'm going to have to travel extremely light this time, just a small backpack, since I don't want to be stuck looking for a place to store my stuff or impose on others. Trying to cram in 3 days worth of gear and supplies into the one lonely backback may prove more difficult than the logistics of getting a Greyhound bus to the casino in time to get in the line up at the Fox Theatre.

The good news is that I have a ride sorted out to get to Barrie. I just have to figure out how to get home.

May 23/07

Squee! I got an awesome seat for the Barrie gig. I wasn't home this morning to be able to do the legacy presale, but a friend was trying for me on my computer. I left her with explicit instructions on where I would be willing to sit on the floor, and she couldn't get anything matching my specifications to come up. She even tried the seats in the stands and only got section 101, three sections from the stage. Then, just after 11 am she got a fourth row in section C pop up, and when she tried to buy it she was locked out of Ticketmaster. She tried to go back in, but it kept coming up with the Internet Explorer error message. She deleted the cookies, and tried in Mozilla. Still locked out. When I got back home just before noon I thought I'd check out the next presale window but my computer was still locked out of TM. Some Rockband Loungers discovered that if you opted for the fan club bundle, which meant shelling out another $30 US for another fan club membership, they could pull up front row on Tim's and Garry's side. So one of them asked if anyone still wanted a ticket, and I threw my hand up. It was a kumbaya ticket buying love-in over in the Rockband Lounge. Special smooches to my ticket buyer. I hate the idea of having to pay another membership fee to get the seat, but it's still far cheaper than going through a broker. And even bad presales tend to be easier than public sales, so I am grateful we have that opportunity through the fanclub.

So, I am now the proud owner of a front row seat, but the extra cost on the ticket means I no longer have anything in the travel fund to and from Barrie. It's going to be down to the wire again to pull these road trips off. I shouldn't have turned down that dominatrix a few years back. I could have funded INXS concert trips for the next few years off what I would have made. I need to get really crafty on how to earn extra $$ in the next three weeks before I have to buy the bus tickets. Fingers crossed.

May 16/07

I'm working very hard at coming up with a way to get to CT and NY for the shows. The logistics of getting to Mashantucket, CT by bus from here is a bit daunting. It involves several transfers under 20 minutes, which usually spells disaster. And getting from there to Long Island isn't going to be easy either. There are only two buses I can take to get me back to New York City in time to get out to Westbury for the gig, and they both leave early in the morning. If I end up going I'll have to contend with walking around with my luggage for two days, and finding a place to store my gear for the gigs.

The presale for the Barrie, ON gig will be coming up in a while. The good news is that fan club members were given more notice of the pre-sales for Regina, Barrie, and Sault Ste Marie than we have ever had to date. The bad news is that the pre-sale is taking place on the only other morning in May that I won't be by a computer to buy a ticket. I was hoping to get a decent seat for that one in case the CT and NY gigs don't work out for me. My fingers are crossed that the public sale will not be a complete bust.

May 10/07

When I learned that the public sale for the Foxwoods Casino gig was going to take place at 8 am on May 8, I was saddened because that day was one of only two mornings in the entire month of May that I was not going to be near a computer until later in the day. I figured a fan club presale would be the only way to secure a ticket for such an intimate venue. On May 7 INXS.com announced there would be a fan club post-sale coming as soon as the details could be worked out, and I jumped for joy at the chance of getting a ticket at a later date. However, my joy was short lived because within a few hours that post-sale became a members sale concurrent with the casino's public sale. Given that the tickets for this gig are will-call pick-up only, it was hard to get someone else to buy a ticket for you. Then sometime overnight, that members only sale became a presale, with the public sale pushed back to May 10. It was very frustrating for the fans who signed on to the casino ticketing system only to find out too late that there was no ticket sale taking place that day there.

Fortunately I did manage to get one of the much coveted GA tickets during the public sale on the May 10. Foxwoods were great about matching the number of fan club GA tickets, and released more front of house tickets then they do for most gigs. It's very much appreciated.

May 5/07

Not too long after I wrote the post below, the Bluesfest gig was confirmed, and eight others gigs were listed for July 2007, including some more Canadian dates. It turns out that the Calgary gig they listed for July 11 is a private function, so there are eight gigs in total we can attend:

04 Jul 2007 - Manshantucket, CT, Foxwoods Casino
05 Jul 2007 - Westbury, NY, North Fork Theatre at Westbury
07 Jul 2007 - Muskegon MI, Heritage Landing
08 Jul 2007 - Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
10 Jul 2007 - Regina, SK, Brandt Centre - Regina Expo Park
13 Jul 2007 - Ottawa, ON, Cisco Systems Bluesfest/Lebreton Flats
14 Jul 2007 - Barrie, ON, Molson Centre
15 Jul 2007 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Steelback Centre

I already have a ticket to the Bluesfest gig, and I instantly knew I wanted to go to the Barrie show as well. It would be cool to do the trifecta of Ontario gigs, but Sault Ste. Marie is about a 9-10 drive from Barrie, very difficult to make in one day, and the bus fare to get up there and back home is more expensive than a return trip to New York City. So I started thinking about maybe going to the CT and NY gigs instead, especially since they are much more intimate venues than an arena show.

We got just over half a days notice for a presale for the NY gig, and as usual, especially when you are dealing with Ticketmaster, the presale nerves kicked up a notch as I sat refreshing the fan club ticket page waiting to be get the passcode. At first I kept getting sixth and seventh row seats, and discarded them. Then I started getting fourth row, and decided to keep trying my luck at a better seat. Then I got a third row seat but somehow managed to loose the connection. A few minutes later I got back into the ticketing system again only to find no single seats available. Much cursing began as I kept at it. Finally I got a row D ticket come up, and decided to throw out the line one more time, and BINGO! Row B! My hands were shaking as I tried to complete the transaction. I accidently clicked on mail to the US, so my shipping address was not coming up. I panicked and then saw the "change delivery method" link, clicked on it, reselected Canadian Post, and my account information came up. That was a very close call.

The tickets have not yet gone on sale for the Barrie or Foxwoods gigs. The Barrie venue does not have the gig listed yet, but the Foxwood public sale begins on May 8th when I am in a very important community meeting. I am wondering if we are going to get a presale for the Foxwoods date. Fingers crossed I won't have trouble getting a ticket.

May 2/07

Squee more dates, but GRRRR no confirmation:

Dates are trickling out for more gigs in July 2007. It's getting very very difficult to plan road trips when they dribble out the gig dates. Not everyone has the money to purchase tickets all over NA just to ensure they get to see the band play.

INXS has not yet been officially confirmed for the Ottawa Bluesfest. Tickets have been on sale for more than a week already. And public sales are looming for the gig on July 5 at the North Fork Theatre in Westbury, NY and one on July 7 at the Muskegon Summer Festival in Michigan. It should not be this difficult to get timely information on tour dates. Thank goodness my forum friends scour the internet every day looking for breaking news.

If I knew Ottawa was the only Canadian date, I might buy a ticket for the gig in Westbury, NY. Fingers crossed that if there are more gigs to come in Canada, they announce them before tickets for the gig at the North Fork Theatre go on sale.

INXS Fanclub DVD, evil MSN, and cat fights

2007-01-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope you're all surviving the dreaded INXS concert withdrawal. So far there are no gigs listed until Europe in June 2007. I do hope the guys are enjoying some well deserved time off.

Recently a few things have taken my mind off how painful INXS concert withdrawal can be:

The elusive INXS Fanclub DVD is arriving in mailboxes, and we get some behind the scenes content as well as a lengthly question and answer period with the band members. Reading the reports on the forums posted by those who have already watched it is like really good foreplay. I can't wait to get my hot little hands on this baby. Even the vertical hold problem on my television, which leaves the top third of the screen all blurry, is not going to get in the way of my enjoyment of this long awaited krack.

And just after Xmas there was the hilarious cat-fight at the Fortune 448 Forum over Lukas Rossi between someone called Pink Mermaid, who said she was Regina Russell, and someone referring to themselves as Lukas Rossi, who it turns out was actually Lukas's girlfriend Kendra. It's some of the most entertaining forum content I've seen, and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

And there was the controversial MSN artist of the year poll, in December 2006, that ended up being a battle between INXS and the David Crowder Band (DCB from here on). Early on INXS were in top place, and then suddenly DCB galloped into a huge lead overnight. The MSN poll mysteriously disappeared mid-month after a number of people wrote to MSN suggesting something had to be wrong because, while the poll may not be scientific, it was statistically almost impossible for DCB to have gained that much of a lead in such a short period of time. When the poll started up again DCB acknowledge that INXS fans "started chipping away at our lead." Yes we did. Vote by slow vote over the course of about a week, we drew even with them. Which is quite a feat given how far ahead they were. We got the word out to fans via the forums to vote whenever they could.

Then we started seeing cheap shots at INXS on DCB fan sites and blogs, and suggestions by DCB themselves that INXS must have their whole management and PR team working on this. The funny thing is that on the official INXS website they did not even list the MSN poll. INXS fans did not do likewise and slag off DCB. We showed class, and focussed on making our favourite band proud.

Then fans of DCB accused INXS fans of using robotic voting, whatever the hell that is, and a few of their faithful posted a script for auto-voting on a DCB band blog. I am a very frequent visitor to the majority of INXS forum sites, and I never once saw a single auto-voting script on any of those sites. If they had appeared, the mods would have taken them off. It was DCB fans who used the script first, and as early as December 27 a fan bragged about it on a DCB blog. In the final days of the poll after millions of votes were being logged in for DCB, numerous people contacted MSN about the cheating, and got no satisfactory reponse. Then some INXS fans decided to fight fire with fire and converted the auto-voting script that was continually being posted on DCB fan sites. Again, not once did I see that script on any INXS related site. Most of the ardent INXS fans did not want to stoop to cheating, and continued voting manually, vote by slow vote. In the end DCB won by a small margin. The use of auto-voting by DCB fans is acknowledged by a member of the band in a blog here. Quite hypocritical that a Christian rock band thought their fans cheating to get them the win was entertaining and fun. Shame on them.

On The Road With Ember: Switched On Tour, Leg Three

2006-11-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

What a whirlwind trip! I covered about 1200 miles in a matter of 4 days. And it was so much fun. The band was simply phenomenal. They were great in February, even sweeter in May, and this time round, wow, they were even tighter. JD is so confident now that is utterly intoxicating. And it has left me wanting more! Please don't wait so long to come back next time guys.

For whatever reason, the guys returned to pretty much the same set list they were using in February, and did not play some newer songs like Hot Girls and Perfect Strangers this time around. I thought both of those songs sounded fabulous live.

More when I get a second.

Toronto

Sudbury

Hamilton

Oshawa

Homeward Bound

INXS - Oshawa, ON, General Motors Centre, November 14, 2006

2006-11-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

Concert Review:

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Folsom Prison Blues
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

(Disappear out of the set list tonight.)

INXS - Hamilton, ON, Copps Coliseum, November 13, 2006

2006-11-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

Concert Review:

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Folsom Prison Blues
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

INXS - Sudbury, ON, Sudbury Arena, November 12, 2006

2006-11-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

Audio-blogging is no longer an available feature on blogger.com, so I can no longer call in reports from the road.

Concert Review:

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Folsom Prison Blues
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

Get Well Tim, Switched On Tour Third North America Leg: here we go again!

2006-09-15T03:36:00.000-04:00

First off, I'm sending a big hug to Tim. It was very upsetting to hear how badly he's hurt his knee, and how much pain he is in. I'm sending lots of love and healing his way, and I hope the surgery goes well in October and that he is on the mend as quickly as possible.

I didn't think I was going to get the opportunity to see INXS play again this year, and I'm thrilled I get to make one final road trip in 2006!

I managed to drum up enough funds to get a ticket for each of the three Ontario gigs on the Third Leg of the North American Switched On Tour:

November 12 in Sudbury, at the Sudbury Arena
November 13 in Hamilton, at Copps Coliseum
November 14 in Oshawa, at the Oshawa Centre Sports and Entertainment Facility

I can't believe how lucky I was with the INXS fan club pre-sales this time around, because I got two front row seats for this leg! It will be a great early birthday present to be frolicking down front twice. The Hamilton pre-sale didn't go as smoothly, but I'm in the third row of the stands not too far from the right side of the stage.

The freakiest thing happened after I bought my ticket for the Sudbury show. I got front row on the right floor, and I was talking to a friend on the West Coast. She asked me jokingly to see if I could get her a seat near me. I went back into the ticketing system and nine minutes after the first purchase I got the seat right next to the one I bought, on the very first attempt. She told me to buy it for her and she would see about coming out East, then she realized that she would need to get another seat for her sister, so I went back into the ticketing system. Seven minutes after the second ticket purchase, on the very first attempt, I got the seat next to that second front row one, and bought it too. So I ended up with three front row seats next to each other, all purchased individually over the course of sixteen minutes. If I had any cash on hand I would have run right out and bought a lottery ticket.

Happy Birthday JD and 33 Toasts to INXS

2006-09-01T18:21:00.000-04:00

I hope you had a fabulous birthday JD! And best wishes for the coming year.

On his birthday last year on Rockstar: INXS, JD got a cake in the shape of an ass, there was a cake fight, he ended up sitting naked in the cake, and he woke up with cake in his ass. Many of us are wondering what kind of celebration he had after the Brisbane gig this year. I’m sure it was another memorable night. And it probably involved a cake and his ass again.

In honour of his birthday, I baked a small cake, with a mic stand on top. I had a blast slowly licking the frosting off the cake. I don’t have a camera, or I’d have taken a picture, but I used this clipart for the design:

And JD’s birthday is a really good occasion to drink to him and to INXS. I’m toasting with some Alexander Keith’s. Here’s a toast for each of JD’s years:

1. INXS is the best live band ever.

2. On September 20, 2005, JD was chosen to be the lead vocalist for INXS, and the band was once again complete. And now “This is not the ending, this is only the beginning” of the next book in the INXS story.

3. INXS has the best fans.

4. Writer + writer = f**king amazing spark! I can’t wait to see more of what JD’s collaborations lead to on the next INXS album.

5. INXS has an amazing crew of people working for/with them, who make magic happen behind the scenes. The show could not go on without them all.

6. Here’s to many more sessions of microphone stand sex when the song ‘Taste It' is played live. The flicking of JD’s tongue and fingers, and the licking and rubbing of the mic stand is mesmerizing and worthy of applause and praise.

7. INXS have been great with fans, and they have touched many of our lives very deeply.

8. The mic stand sex during 'Taste It' is worth at least one more toast. I’m sure it has fuelled many a passionate night after an INXS gig, with some husbands/boyfriends/girlfriends thankful for how hot INXS gigs can get. It’s also a gem of a cache for masturbatory pursuits for those of us who are single.

9. Andrew is the Mozart of Funk, and is the dynamic powerhouse at the centre of it all. And he has the sweetest smile.

10. The song-writing clinic during week six of Rockstar: INXS showed us a hint of JD’s honesty and integrity.

11. Tim is the riffmaster, who plays with sexy panache.

12. JD is humble, and gracious, and very generous. And he fits a band of gentlemen and consummate professionals like a glove.

13. Jon has a gift for keeping the beat with the utmost flair.

14. We voted for the dream. And embraced a dreamer who wasn’t afraid to shoot for his dreams, and has inspired us to dream the dream.

15. Kirk saxes us up and makes the music shine.

16. JD’s wing tattoos are a thing of beauty, and are wonderfully symbolic.

17. Garry is the Sultan of Bass, and coaxes luscious notes from his instrument.

18. "We are the people we've been waiting for." And it really does come down to US.

19. JD looks great in a suit, and rocks a pink shirt and pink tie like I’ve never seen any other man do.

20. INXS = Hot Boys, and we’re liking it, liking it.

21. The Switched On Tour has brought many forum folks together. Friendships have been forged, and wonderful memories have been made.

22. We answered the call JD. We will follow you to the ends of the earth, and we have. Or at least as far as our bank accounts will allow.

23. Batshit crazy. Crazy batshit. It’s all good baby.

24. JD’s a trouper. Even when he hurt his knee he insisted on going on with the show, and pushed through the pain. We appreciate the dedication, but we’d have loved him all the same, maybe more, if he had sat on a stool for the whole gig. We’d have still felt the connection.

25. The adrenaline rush I get from being at an INXS gig makes me feel like I’m twenty years younger. Thanks so much.

26. JD’s seductively wicked smile and soulful brown eyes makes me feel like a teenage girl again. And it’s a good feeling.

27. INXS bared their souls to the world to do Rockstar: INXS, and we love them all the more for having the courage and conviction to have done that.

28. It’s cool that with INXS back on the road touring there are old and new fans in attendance.

29. It’s especially cool that parents are bringing their kids to the INXS gigs.

30. Alexander Keith’s is a yummy beer. So is Keith’s Red.

31. An upcoming INXS gig is great incentive to get to the gym.

32. INXS music has stood the test of time, and is a testament to an amazingly creative band.

33. Here’s to the future, and many more years of remarkable music.

INXS Concert Withdrawal, Perfect Strangers video, and more North American dates in November!

2006-08-29T18:48:00.000-04:00

It's been 102 days since my last INXS gig. The withdrawal pangs are getting worse by the day.

It's been great to get all the juicy tidbits from concert goers in Asia and Australia. And I love that Tod Burr, Jon's drum tech, keeps us up to date on what's going on. We love the INXS techs!

They just announced today that there will be a third North American leg of the Switched On Tour in November. No doubt further dates will dribble out as they get confirmed, but at the moment they have three Ontario gigs listed: Sudbury, Hamilton, and Oshawa. Unfortunately I don't drive and it will be hard to get to those three Ontario venues without a car. And things are really tight right now, so I'm not sure I'll be able to go. A number of my forum mates are planning on heading down to Myrtle Beach and the Florida shows. It would be a great birthday trip, but it's not in the cards right now. Hopefully I'll have enough time to get the funds together to get tickets to the Ontario shows and worry about getting there later.

I finally got to see all of the 'Perfect Strangers' video. Maybe it was just the quality of the video posted up at Australian SONY music, but it didn't capture the energy or the intensity of the song performed live. And I just don't get the whole plot of the chick in the bathroom applying lipstick, who then forgets the video camera, then suddenly appears on stage filming.

If you are interesting in reading about my musings on things non-INXS related, you can find them here at: Ember's Musings

Reflections on my batshit crazy road trips: INXS Switched On Tour, Leg Two

2006-05-28T22:09:00.000-04:00

The road was long, and the party is over.

Wow. Another amazing series of road trips to see INXS has come to an end. I can't believe it went by so quickly. And this time around, with ten gigs in fifteen days, it was a real whirlwind adventure. I was rushing from gig to gig, and barely got the chance to appreciate where I was. By the time I was leaving Cleveland, I was emotionally and physically exhausted, my bronchial asthma had flared up again and I was feeling taxed. I don't know how the band does it, because I could barely keep up, and I didn't have to perform to a paying audience when I got to where I was going. I have a renewed respect for what they do. Remind me when they play North America next time to schedule some down time in amongst all the gigs.

I also realized how foolish it was to think I could do these last road trips all alone, and on such a tight budget. Batshit is powerful man. It makes you do the craziest things. Thanks to everyone who helped me out along the way. You know who you are, and I truly appreciate all you did.

Combining the two legs of the tour, this year I have seen eighteen INXS gigs, spent five weeks on the road, and travelled through/to fourteen American States and four Canadian Provinces. I don't think I could ever express in words how monumental this has been for me. It’s been like a thrill ride that has woken me up. I know I could never express to INXS just how much these gigs have meant. All the times they took to chat with me have touched my life very deeply. They are an amazing band, a fabulous group of men, and their crew is the best ever. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

And to all my forum friends, who I met along the way, please let me express how much you enriched the whole adventure. It would not have been the same without you all. I love every single one of your batshit crazy asses!

I'm finding it much harder to rank the gigs this time around. I'm not going to add them to my rankings from February, because I think these were very different shows. In February, it was a test run for INXS on the road. JD was getting comfortable with his position, and they were getting into the swing of touring again. Now, JD has grown into his role as front man, and INXS is a well-oiled machine. Anyone would be hard pressed to guess that JD has only been a member of the band since September 2005. They've come so far. In February the gigs were great. In May, the gigs were sweeter and slicker, and JD's performances were even more raw and intense. As an aside, the Detroit show in February is still a standout for me. It was one of those gigs that only comes along every now and then. I'm fortunate that I was able to experience the magic of that night.

I decided to separate out the theatre shows from the arena ones for ranking, since the experience was so very different. I love how close we can get to the band in theatres, but there is a freedom I see when they are on stage in arenas that is quite lovely to witness.

Theatre Shows:

Cleveland, OH: my last gig of the tour, and an amazing performance to have witnessed.

New York City, NY: my first gig of the second leg, and a high energy show from start to finish, complete with lots of attention from the band.

Arena Shows:

Montreal, QC: Such spectacular sound. The best I heard on both legs of the Switched On Tour.

London, ON: The most emotional performance I have seen this year.

Kitchener, ON: An amazing front row experience. Thanks guys.

Fredericton, NB: My first front row ticket ever, and the first gig on the Canadian tour!

Ottawa, ON: INXS played my hometown again!

Toronto, ON: High energy, and a playfulness that was a joy to watch.

Moncton, NB: An appreciative crowd, and a high energy show.

Halifax, NS: An emotional performance in JD's home Province, great intensity, but marred by some sound problems.

Favourite live INXS Songs on the second leg of the Switched On Tour: ‘Never Tear Us Apart,’ ‘Hot Girls,’ and ‘Perfect Strangers’

Favourite warm up act: Stabilo. By a long shot.

Least favourite warm up act: Scott Stapp. He was trying far too hard to connect with the audience, and all the grinding he was doing was revolting. JD has more sex in the tip of his little finger than Stapp has in his whole body.

Place I most want to go back and explore more: Halifax. When it’s not cold and raining.

Dirtiest bus stations: New York, NY and Toronto, ON.

Cleanest bus stations: Moncton, NB and Halifax, NS.

On The Road With Ember: Switched On Tour, Leg Two

2006-05-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

September 2/2006
While I was celebrating JD's birthday last night I accidently deleted this posts and most of the reviews on my blog from the second leg of the Switched On Tour. I'm busy restoring the posts, but for now I only have the audio blogs, set lists and a few pictures back up.

November 10/06
It's been pretty crazy here since the computer crash in September, right after drunken blogging cockup. I have just a bit more work to do on this entry.

New York, NY

Fredericton, NB

Moncton, NB

Halifax, NS

Montreal, QC

Ottawa, ON

Toronto, ON

London, ON

Kitchener, ON

Niagara Falls, ON

Cleveland, OH

Homeward Bound

INXS - Cleveland, OH, State Theatre, May 19, 2006

2006-05-22T20:05:00.000-04:00

Sorry, there was no audio blog for this gig. I had an amazing encounter in Cleveland that was very intense, and I didn't get the chance to phone in a review.

Concert Review: Cleveland Really Does F**king Rock!

When I got into Cleveland I wandered over to the preshow meet up spot, The Winking Lizard, but couldn’t find any INXS fans, just lots of Cavaliers fans (Cleveland’s basketball team) and some Cleveland Indians fans (baseball). Both teams were playing that night, so the downtown area was hopping.

I’m not even going to bother discussing Scott Stapp as the opening act. I tried to like him, but just could not.

During the public sale I managed to get a pit seat for this show, but found myself nearly going deaf during the opening act. CumonCumon from Rockband ended up with an extra ticket for the show, and before INXS went on I was able to move up one row and further right, on the aisle, directly in line with Garry and Tim. And directly behind Inzane! I had joked with him about the moan happening earlier and earlier, and tonight JD only made it to twelve seconds before he let out a reverberating moan that pierced the theatre.

‘Suicide Blonde’ kicked off the gig in high gear. The sound wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as stellar as I had been led to believe. Kirk was wearing a tan jacket, raspberry paisley shirt, and blue jeans. Jon had the iron cross shirt on, and black pants. JD wore the lace up jeans, a blazer, and a dress shirt. Andrew was wearing jeans, a jacket, and black T-shirt. Garry had on those lovely brown pants, a jean jacket, and a white sleeveless T-shirt. I'm glad that Garry got the memo that he looks good in sleeveless shirts. Tim was decked out in blue jeans, a cool blazer, and an open necked dress shirt.

JD was really into ‘Devil’s Party’ tonight. And Tim was all over the stage.

‘Mystify’ was very emotional, and full of a raw intensity I had not seen before. And the song got a great crowd response.

Tim’s was shredding the riffs with his new flashy guitar on ‘Hot Girls.’ JD wasn’t doing any riding it tonight, but we got plenty of JD and Tim loving. And Tim and Garry were really rocking it at one point.

Before they started ‘By My Side’ JD said “You guys are just like...awesome,” and then he asked if Cleveland rocks, which was answered with loud screams. Tim was wild on his marlin guitar, and Garry was shaking it on the risers.

JD vocals were delivered with a lot of power on ‘Afterglow.’ Garry and Jon were trading feck faces throughout the song.

During ‘Taste It,’ Garry and Andrew were smiling and rocking. We got some great sax sex stage right, in front of me. Kirk was smoking hot, and made everyone around him hot. He misted the audience with his reed mister from time to time. There was another awesome guitar solo by Andrew, with support from Tim on the marlin tonight. I was so captivated by the opened legged sexophone work tonight I missed what I was told was a night of mild mic stand sex.

JD was in top form on ‘Original Sin.’ During the song he took Inzane’s Canadian flag and put it in his back pocket. He was over our way a fair amount. Garry had his foot on the monitor in front of me, and was swaying and plucking. At one point Kirk was saxing with Garry.

The vocals on ‘Hungry’ were awesome tonight too. And Garry was kicking ass on his bass, and Tim was having a great time with his shiny guitar. Tim looked lovely in that open necked shirt.

During ‘Never Let You Go,’ JD was singing to Jon, and Jon was singing back. JD kissed a little girl who brought flowers up to the stage, and gave her his bracelet. Garry spent a good portion of the song on the ramp swaying to the rhythm.

‘Need You Tonight’ was a major highlight of the night. Tim was playing to a little girl, then he went over to play with Kirk at stage right. JD milked the end of the song a bit tonight.

Another highlight for me was ‘What You Need .’ Garry and Andrew were rocking face to face, and Tim's guitar work was awesome. Tim and Kirk were at the back of the ramp again tonight, saxing and wailing on the guitar. At one point Garry wiped his forehead on the back of Tim’s shirt.

There was some awesome sax work on ‘Kick’, and Tim was riffing away on the marlin .

Then it was “Time to go to church,” as they began ‘Devil Inside.’ I love going to the Church of INXS. JD lit up a smoke during the song. Garry was very animated on this one, playing mostly with Tim and Jon.

During ‘Pretty Vegas’ JD did a crowd romp right in front of me for the first time in 18 gigs. And I ended up getting trampled by security as he did. I wound up on the ground, with my signs, and bags everywhere. We got a lovely moment with Tim and Garry, and Kirk and Andrew rocking. When they lined up at the end of the song, JD said “Cleveland really does f**king rock!” And Jon did some pelvic thrusts.

For the encore JD came out in a light-coloured asshat, with a cigarette and a drink. The encore was a bit of a blur. I was still recovering from landing hard on my ass during Pretty Vegas, and I was also fighting to keep my place as more people came to the front near the stage. It was also running through my mind that this was the last gig I was going to. I managed to snap a few photos with a disposable camera.

After the show I brought my thank-you sign for the techs up to DrumTech, and he gave me one of Jon’s sticks he had put aside. I was able to get that one signed by Jon. Thanks to INXS security I got a very rarely seen Andrew Farriss guitar pick. And I got a chance to really talk to JD for the first time. I was left with an even deeper appreciation for him as a man and as an artist. He is the most intense, generous, and gracious man I’ve met in the longest time. He’s a very special spirit, and if he asked, I would totally follow him to the ends of the earth.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Kitchener, ON, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, May 16, 2006

2006-05-17T15:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry there was no audio-blog for this gig. My phone card was running low.

Concert Review:

Nov 10/06
I'm almost done. The computer crash in September meant I had to rewrite a huge section of this whole review. It should be up as soon as I get back from the Ontario gigs. Here's what I have so far:

Another great show! And my second front row seat ever! I was just a tad to the left of Kirk tonight, and we got lots of love from Kirk who loved my signs (more about that later), some love from Garry and his swivelling hips, and lots of love from The Pretty who came over to us quite often during the show. I even got eye-f**cked twice! JD was very animated tonight, and very aroused as well. And tonight I did not take any notes at all during the gig. I wanted to be absorbed in my front row experience. The only time I took my eyes off the stage was to select one of the twelve signs I brought. I was perfectly positioned to take some photos, but there was a security guard right in front of me the whole gig.

‘Suicide Blonde’ opened the show, with the usual power punch it has.

Tim was wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Garry was in tight blue jeans, and an orange red sleeveless top. JD had those lovely lace-up jeans on, and a black striped shirt. Andrew was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. Kirk was wearing blue jeans and a dress shirt. And Jon had a charcoal T-shirt and black pants.

I looked at Tim’s new G&L guitar very closely. He has three Z shaped pickups on it, and it has the most exquisite and very distinct sound.

I got sticked tonight!!! I held up a sign asking Jon for a stick just as he stood up from the kit after ‘Pretty Vegas’. After they had lined up, he acknowledged my sign, motioned with one stick as if to ask if I really did want it, and I smiled, nodded and very enthusiastically waved my sign, and he came over and tossed one to me. I had to leave right after the show so I couldn't get him to sign it but I'm thrilled with my new acquisition. That stick remained tightly clutched in my hand for several hours after the gig. I was hoping to catch one of Tim's new marlin guitar picks, but no luck. He only flicked 2 over our way.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Trust In Me rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

(Perfect Strangers was out tonight. Nine gigs and counting and I still haven't had the chance to hear either Elegantly Wasted or God's Top Ten. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm just not going to get to hear either live this year.)

INXS - London, ON, John Labatt Centre, May 15, 2006

2006-05-15T23:38:00.000-04:00

Audio Blog: INXS, John Labatt Centre, London, ON, 15 May 2006

Concert Review:

Stabilo sounded great tonight. The acoustics were really good. I had a look around the arena, and it was a really good turnout, and the whole bottom tier was packed. I was sitting in the stands in house right, close to the stage, with Catatonic from Rockband, and her husband. And let me tell you, Catatonic has one hell of a whistle on her!

It was funny because tonight we only got to ten seconds on the countdown before we got that heavy moan from JD behind the curtain. I joked with Inzane after the show that it appears it is getting more and more difficult for him to hold back on that moan as the tour progresses.

The night began with a very impressive ‘Suicide Blonde,’ and Garry was all splay legged and wild on the bass. He was wearing those lovely brown pants, a tan jacket, and a brown T-shirt. Kirk was dressed in blue jeans, a plaid blazer, and a dress shirt. Andrew had on a black shirt and jeans. Jon was wearing white jeans, and an open necked dark shirt. Tim had on the Celtic cross jacket, blue jeans, and a charcoal army style shirt. JD was wearing a white jacket, the lace-up jeans, and a black shirt.

During ‘Devil’s Party,’ JD did a nice little dance over the ramp. And Kirk’s sax work was great.

On ‘Mystify’ Tim was wailing on the shiny new metallic guitar. I love the sound that comes out of it. JD commented on the size of the crowd. He also noticed someone had a poster in the audience about Warren the rabbit, and there was a funny exchange about that for a moment.

‘Hot Girls’ was fairly sedate tonight. During ‘Perfect Strangers’ I noticed how many 448 paddles were on the floor. The stage lights picked them up really well. JD made a line change that he was taken to doing lately: “The syrups so much sweeter when it comes from a butterfly.” Kirk gave us more great sax, and Tim was rocking the new guitar

‘By My Side’ was performed beautifully, and was one of the highlights of the night. We got a caution from JD before the song began: “No exposing of your breasts please, unless it’s absolutely necessary.” And as soon as JD said this, Kirk pulled down JD’s shirt and exposed his nipple. It was very funny.

‘Afterglow’ was very moving. Garry was doing a lot of swaying and swivelling. It’s always awesome to watch Andrew work his magic on the keyboards. By the end of the song we were really moved by the tears streaming down JD’s face. It was the most emotional moment I’ve experienced yet at an INXS gig. There was something very raw, intense and vulnerable about that moment that was very evocative.

‘Taste It’ was delicious tonight, and we got some wicked harmonica, Garry and Andrew rocking together, and Tim down front riffing. Kirk was saxing stage right, then moved to stage left and was saxing on his back. There were huge cheers for Jon during the band introductions. And we got a phenomenal, kick-ass solo from Andrew. JD decided to have a smoke, so we got no mic stand sex again tonight. Some of us are wondering if he broke off the relationship with Ms. Mic Stand.

‘Original Sin’ was the second highlight of the night for me. JD was trying to play Tim’s guitar between Tim’s legs. JD and Jon shared a little moment, and Jon had the biggest smile. Garry was up on the risers shaking it, making tons of feck faces. And The Pretty was aroused. He did the twirly dance at the end, and it looked a bit like the when bees attack arm flailing.

JD started off in a lower key on ‘Hungry’ tonight. It sounded good. We got the crossed sticks from Jon at the break, but no twirls.

‘Never Let You Go’ was the third highlight of the night. Tim was down playing to the front row. Garry was swivelling his hips. There was some JD and Kirk man love, as JD hugged Kirk from behind while he was playing the sax. Then Garry and Kirk were rocking together.

There was a huge crowd response at the start of ‘Need You Tonight.’ Both Kirk and Tim were playing to the front rows. Kirk and JD were sliding, and Tim joined in the sliding. Then Tim and JD were playing sliding tag. We got some impressive pelvic thrusts from Sherriff Tim during the line “gonna live my life.” And for the first time in many nights, JD finished with the last line of the song.

‘What You Need’ was another outstanding song tonight. There was a mini love-in between the guys: Tim and JD, JD and Garry, and JD and Kirk. JD did a crowd romp down house right to the stands right in front of us. Tim got up the ramp first, met Kirk, and they both moved to the top. Garry was shaking it at down at stage left near us.

During ‘Kick’ we got a DrumTech sighting. Kirk was playing the sax sitting on Andrew’s stool, next to Andrew who was crouching while playing the keyboards.

As they started ‘Devil Inside’ JD called out “Time to go to church.” I never tire of hearing him say that. It’s the way he says it. Tim was wailing on the marlin, Garry and Jon were rocking, and JD was down at the front of the stage on the right.

There was another huge response when the band started ‘Pretty Vegas.’ Kirk and Andrew were playing together on one side of the stage, and Tim and Garry were on the other side. JD did a crowd romp house left, and came back with a big pink bunny in hand. Garry looked at the bunny, smiled, and shook his head.

Before the encore started a Corona beer ended up all over the stage. JD stood there for a moment, and said “Canada. Canada. Canada. Man.” Then “Thank you for your support,” and finally “Thanks to you my dreams came true.” It was very moving, and I got misty eyed.

The Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap was another highlight. The delivery tonight was perfection. I could listen to JD rap for an entire concert. I’d love to hear him to a spoken word kind of thing someday, like Henry Rollins does.

‘New Sensation’ was hot hot hot tonight. Garry came out for the encore with a sleeveless shirt so we could see the arm ink. It looks great.

Andrew strummed his guitar during ‘Amazing Grace’ tonight. It was a nice touch.

During ‘Never Tear Us Apart’, Tim had his arms crossed and was really milking the moment. And getting a big crowd response the more he did.

‘Don’t Change’ was the final highlight of the night. It was a wonderful version tonight, with another power ending.

On the way back to the hotel I saw the coolest vehicle in a parking lot near the venue. It had a huge 448 on the side, along with PAV - Pretty Apprehension Vehicle.

After the show I found out that Tim’s shiny new guitar is a G&L one. I told him it sounded like pure liquid sex oozing out notes, and he liked that description. I also got to finally tell him that I sent him a virtual hug every time he had to send someone home on Rockstar. He gave me a hug. I got to meet Kerry, Jon’s new wife. She’s very sweet. It turns out that Jon had seen one of my signs in Fredericton, and mentioned it to her. It read “Congratulations Jon and Kerry. Wishing you many happy years together.” I also got to talk with Kirk for a little bit.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
Perfect Strangers
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Toronto, ON, Air Canada Centre, May 14, 2006

2006-05-15T04:26:00.000-04:00

Audio Blog: INXS, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, 14 May 2006

Concert Review:

Nov. 10/06
This review is almost finished. It was one of the ones I had to rewrite because I lost most of the files. It should be up as soon as I come back from the Ontario gigs. Here is a portion of what I've written:

This was the biggest concert I have ever been to inside. It was packed right up to the rafters, and we were crammed in like sardines on the floor. I originally could only afford a seat in the third tier, but thanks to Inzane, I got a floor seat.

I was feeling so crappy, and had such a hassle with ACC security tonight, that it took me until the end of Suicide Blonde to be right there in the moment. Unfortunately I missed almost all of Stabilo tonight trying to sort out my seat. In the process I finally got to meet JDIMH.

The countdown began, and at nine seconds, there was this seductive moan that got everybody’s attention.

I wasn’t feeling well enough to go to the Rockstar: INXS after-party at the Guvernment. Before going back to the Ryerson dorm to sleep, I got a chance to talk briefly with Kirk, and Garry after the show. And I had a great discussion with Tod, the Drum Tech about teching, the state of the music business, and Sponge Bob. He’s such a sweetie. I also got the chance to talk with April, who is eloquent, and has such a sparkle in her eyes. Oh, and JD made me a newspaper cell-phone, which I stored safely away in my luggage. I’m going to try and figure out how to harden it.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
Perfect Strangers
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Ottawa, ON, Scotiabank Place, May 12, 2006

2006-05-13T16:49:00.000-04:00

No audio-blog tonight because I have no voice.

Concert Review: An INXS love-in in Canada's Capital

Stabilo opened the show in style, and got us warmed up for INXS. They gave a big shout out to the Senators which made my sister very happy. She’s a huge Sens fan. I appreciate that INXS had a Canadian band opening for them on this part of the Canadian tour. Thanks to my sister I got some comp tickets in the stands closest to the stage in house left. I had a perfect view of the stage, and also a clear view of Jon all night.

Welcome back to Ottawa guys!! Thanks you for playing my hometown again after so many years. And I was so happy it was a good turnout, with hardly any empty seats in the first tier. And the crowd was very appreciative, and was cheering wildly when the count down began, with wild screams from about 30 seconds on. This may not have been as good as Montreal sound wise, but it ranks up there with the Bell Centre gig for the best Canadian show so far. The screens were a bit fuzzy tonight though.

JD was wearing his black lace-up pants, a black blazer and a delicious pink shirt and pink striped tie. I’ve never seen a man look better in pink. Jon had on black pants and a charcoal T-shirt. Kirk was wearing a striped dark plaid blazer, blue jeans, and a khaki dress shirt. Tim was adorned in the Celtic cross jacket, blue jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Garry was wearing jeans, a black leather jacket, and a brown T-shirt. Andrew had on a jacket, jeans, and a black T-shirt.

During ‘Suicide Blonde’ I noticed they had some cameras filming tonight. I guess we’ll find out what for later.

JD lit up a cigarette again tonight during ‘Devil’s Party.’ He had a really nice moment with Andrew during the song.

During ‘Mystify’ Kirk and Garry were rocking out, then JD joined the party. Tim had his legs splayed, rocking out, and JD played Tim’s guitar for a bit.

There was no intro to ‘Hot Girls’ tonight. JD joined the back-up singers on their riser, so we didn’t get any mic stand riding either. JD did a spoken word thing at the end of the song, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

And we got treated to an extra song in the set list tonight: ‘Perfect Strangers’!! JD asked if we want to hear another one off the new record, and I squeed in anticipation of which song we were going to get immediately after 'Hot Girls.' And when the drums started I recognized that it was 'Perfect Strangers,' and it was still really quiet in the arena so when I squeed really loudly everyone around me turned to look at me and even Kirk looked up into the stands. The vocals were excellent tonight. And Garry was a little more animated, giving us feck faces and rocking out on the risers, and singing along. It was especially hot watching him sing the “melting wax” line. Hell yeah baby! JD plucked a cowboy hat from the audience, wore it for a bit, and then Garry picked it up and put it on. As the song wrapped up JD said “We’ve been working so hard we forgot to say hello.” This got big cheers, and he mentioned we were a big crowd.

The bass dominated ‘By My Side’ tonight. JD said he was happy to be in Canada, and that we should all follow our hearts.

The bass was up really loud during ‘Afterglow ’and created a bit of sound fuzz. By this song it was getting so hot in Scotiabank Place that my straightened hair was curling up. JD finished the song on a lovely mini falsetto note. And at the end Andrew gave us an East Indian inspired keyboard piece.

We got a swivelling hipped Sultan of Bass down at stage left during ‘Taste It’. JD did a very funky rap intro to the band. He said “How you feeling right now?” and Kirk kissed JD’s hand. For Andrew he said “A man who needs no introduction.” Indeed! And he didn’t miss Garry tonight! JD was too busy laying down on the ramp, having a smoke, to have mic stand sex tonight. Honey, smoking comes after sex. There was some wicked guitar work by Andrew again tonight. Garry and Jon were rocking out together. Then JD went and hung out by Andrew for a bit, and gave him a drag on the cigarette before he started back in with the vocals. He trailed the mic stand behind him, showing her no love tonight.

‘Original Sin’ got a big crowd response. JD was twirling around the stage a lot tonight, and put his arm around Tim a few times. And Garry was rocking out stage left. We got an elusive Thirteen sighting, as we watched him tuning Andrew’s guitars behind a stack of amps.

On ‘Hungry’ JD’s vocals were much better tonight, but still a bit strained. Andrew kicked it up a notch on the keyboards tonight, and we got stick twirls from Jon.

During ‘Never Let You Go’, JD put his arm around Tim during the “could never let you go” part, and he proceeded to play Tim’s guitar with the mic. Kirk was down on the boxes near us at stage right, and JD's “Come on Kirk” preceded a wicked sax interlude.

‘Need You Tonight’ was another crowd favourite. We got more man love between Tim and JD on this number. And the “you’re one of my kind” was left out again tonight.

JD did a crowd romp right in front of our section during ‘What You Need.’ Tim and Kirk ended up on top of the ramp behind Jon, saxing and riffing.

It was fun to watch Jon singing along to ‘Kick’ tonight. Andrew was showing the tambourine who's the boss, and Kirk got away from Andrew again tonight, but we got a cool keyboard/sax dialogue going on there for a bit.

I love it when it’s “Time to go to church.” JD was doing a few standing jumps during ‘Devil Inside.’ And he was playing Tim’s guitar again. Kirk was wailing on the guitar tonight. It was hot.

During ‘Pretty Vegas’ Andrew was way out front, and he came right up to the front row at one point. There was a nice moment with Kirk and Andrew, and Tim and Garry rocking out. JD did a crowd romp stage left onto the floor and into the stands. And we got a big honking “whoo” tonight from Jon, and Garry pointed to him right at that moment. JD thanked us for being a great crowd, and said it had been an awesome time.

Before they started the encore, JD chilled on stage again, smoking. He said that it had been a fantastic ride, and then launched into the Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap. Toward the end Jon came out moving to the rap to big cheers from the audience.

For ‘New Sensation’ Garry came out in a sleeveless T-shirt, and I finally got a really good look at all of the new tat. A very cool Chinese dragon wrapped around the Celtic Cross. There was a lovely moment where the cameras gave us a close up of Andrew grooving at the keyboard

My sister was impressed with JD’s vocals on ‘Amazing Grace.’

‘Never Tear Us Apart’ got a huge crowd response, as much as for ‘Pretty Vegas’ and ‘Need You Tonight’. The disco ball seemed extra glittery tonight. And once again JD’s vocals on this number were outstanding. My sister was particularly impressed. Kirk gave us another amazing mouth-watering sax solo. And Tim milked the moment for all it’s worth.

JD looked great in an open shirt during ‘Don’t Change’. We could see April taking photos stage left. At the end of the song Jon kept going, and everyone else joined in.

JD was really moved by it all at the end. And so were we. I hope you enjoyed Ottawa guys. We loved having you here. I went to sleep on cloud nine last night. And I woke up this morning to find that 'Devil's Party' had entered the top 20 charts here at #13!

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
Perfect Strangers
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Montreal, QC, Bell Centre, May 11, 2006

2006-05-12T00:41:00.000-04:00

No audio-blog again tonight. Sorry for that.

Concert Review: Un concert spectaculaire

Wow. Just wow. Montreal is the best Canadian gig so far without a doubt, even though I was not on the floor tonight. The sound was simply spectacular. You could hear every note, every instrument, even each cymbal clearly. I was blown away. It’s the best sound I’ve heard yet on the two tours. And the side screens were crystal clear too.

I arrived a few minutes into Stabilo’s set, and noticed how great the acoustics sounded from the hallway outside the arena. I’ve been really enjoying their performances. And while Stabilo was performing tonight I noticed how small their drummer’s kit is compared to Jon’s. It looks like a kiddy sized one.

I was about fifteen rows up on the right side of the stands in the section closest to the stage, and I had a completely unobstructed view of the whole stage. I was glad I wasn’t in the front row tonight, because there was a considerable space between the first row of seats and the barricade. When the countdown began, there were whoops and whistles, and a sudden crowding of bodies into that space in front of the barricade. You couldn’t move down there when the timer got to two minutes.

From my seat I could see the guys gathering at the side of the stage before taking their places. They were looking great as usual. Jon was wearing a black shirt, and I finally got a chance to see the sparkly pants! They really need to come with a warning they are so bright. No wonder Jon kept his sunglasses on for most of the gig. I squeed really loudly “the sparkly pants”and Jon looked up into the stands and waved at me. Kirk had on blue jeans, a dress shirt, and a tan leather jacket. Garry was wearing a tan jacket, those lovely brown pants, and a blue T-shirt that was a little on the long side. He waved when we called out. Tim had on the Celtic cross jacket, blue jeans, and a khaki colour shirt. Andrew was wearing jeans, and a green short sleeve shirt. JD started out with a black skirt wrapped around his black pants, and he also had on a crisp white dress shirt, a lovely black and white striped tie, a blazer, and the requisite sunglasses. He waved to me too.

‘Suicide Blonde’ was explosive as usual and Andrew was in ultra drive. He was jazzed up and rocked all night long, as if someone lit a fire underneath him.

JD came down to the front to sing to the girls at the barricade during ‘Devil’s Party.’ He had a cigarette going by the end of the song. I could see April at stage left shooting some video.

I loved the start of ‘Mystify’ with JD and Andrew at the keyboards, and he said “you ready?”. Of course we were. He came back over to the keyboards and grabbed Andrew’s maracas at one point.

We had a nice little moment where JD was trying to teach the band French, saying that some of the greatest words in the world start with the word “French.”

JD did some extra deep “riding it” during ‘Hot Girls.’ This was just the start for the lucky mic stand who was in for the night of her life. The song went over well, and as it ended JD told us “You guys are a great crowd. Great.”

Before they launched into ‘By My Side’, JD read out a note he got before the show. The person couldn’t make it there for physical reasons, and he said it wasn’t going to be on the set list, but it was a favourite song of this person, so they were going to do it. We got some cool new camera angles tonight, with views behind Andrew and Kirk.

JD was building up to ‘Taste It’ Tonight. He asked the audience about a translation for tasting, and then the band launched into 'Afterglow'. During the song, JD tucked a Canadian flag down the front of his pants to cheers from the crowd. And we got a special treat at the end of the song tonight. Andrew played us some really atmospheric music to close out.

Jon gave us a big drum intro to ‘Taste It,’ and as the song commenced JD told us “My English is crappy. My French is even worse.” Then the whole band launched into a particularly raunchy version of the song, accompanied by tons of drum feck faces, and JD swivelling his booty all over the stage. But poor Garry got left out of the band intros JD gave. He took so long on the intros tonight that Andrew was already heavily into his solo when it came to Garry’s turn. Speaking of Mr. Beers, he's been kind of sedate for a few shows now. Not giving us as many feck faces or swivels as usual. But we got some exceptionally good microphone stand sex. And a large portion of it was captured intricately on the big screen. The Montreal audience seemed to enjoy the spectacle of the licking, sucking, flicking of tongue and fingers, followed by some very impressive humping. And the licking and humping went on until the end of the song. There was not much sax sex from Kirk tonight because he was on the side monitors too far away from the audience. As the song ended Andrew mentioned how beautiful Montreal is.

During ‘Original Sin’ JD was doing a lot of pogoing. He took a sign from the audience, ripped it in half, kept half of it, and held up the part of the sign that read “Thanks for being” above the Canadian flag. The crowd cheered.

JD is still having trouble with ‘Hungry’. His voice has been crapping out on that song for the five concerts I have seen. That did not happen in February at the gigs I saw. I think maybe he started off in too low a key tonight.

On ‘Never Let You Go’ Andrew was bopping away more than usual. JD held up a “Sax it up Kirky” sign while Kirk played. He did a crowd romp right into the floor seats about 3/4 of the way back, much to the joy of everyone there.

During ‘Need You Tonight’ Tim was sliding up to the audience in front. JD got an asshat from someone in the audience and put if on. At one point JD took the camera from April at the side of the stage, and took a picture of the audience, and of Jon and Andrew. He left off the “you’re one of my kind” again tonight.

Tim and JD were down front whooping it up during ‘What You Need’. Tim had the biggest smile on his face. Kirk and Tim met up at the back of the ramp, saxing and riffing together and then came back down together. And JD and Tim were doing the sliding thing.

Andrew went crazy on the tambourine tonight during ‘Kick’. And Kirk’s sax work was hot, hot, hot. Andrew, Kirk, and Tim were on fire during this number. Andrew missed tagging Kirk with the tambourine tonight, although it was an entertaining chase. JD got a “One” logo T-shirt from the audience and changed into it.

Then it was “Time to go to church” again. Amen brother. The sound was spectacular for ‘Devil Inside.’ You could hear each individual note perfectly.

There was a particularly poignant moment just before they launched into 'Pretty Vegas,' when JD said he was honoured to be standing in his home country in front of five brothers who believed in him. I got all misty eyed listening to him. He told us “Without a you there wouldn’t be an us.” During the song Kirk, Andrew and Tim were all lined up playing guitar together. And Andrew was really rocking out in ultra mode. When Jon stood up from the kit at the end of the song, the lights shining off the sparkly pants nearly blinded us in house right.

JD hung out on stage before the encore started. He lit up a smoke and just chilled. Then he sang part of the Canadian national anthem in French to wild applause

I finally got to hear the “Trust In Me" rap that ends with the line "got til Friday to figure the rest of this shit out." That was cool. I am hoping that his raps become a mainstay in the set list, because it is exquisite to both watch him deliver it, and hear it. I love poets. And JD is a lovely poet.

During ‘New Sensation’ Kirk had a Montreal Canadiens jersey tied around his waist. JD’s jersey read “0” and “Fortune.”

It was a particularly gorgeous rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ tonight. Montreal was my Mom’s birthplace, and I started to cry during the song.

Under the glint of the disco ball, couples were embracing and kissing all around me when they played ‘Never Tear Us Apart.’ I love watching Andrew play keyboards. As usual JD’s vocals were stellar. He does this song so well. It’s become one of my favourites on this tour. Tim took off his glasses and really milked the moment tonight, getting a huge crowd response.

During ‘Don’t Change’ JD played the tambourine with Andrew. Jon went nuts on the end of the song again, and once again everyone else joined in with JD’s pogoing. At the end of the song Andrew gave his tambourine to a little girl in the audience who was in her mom’s arms.

Tonight marked the halfway point on my second leg adventure, and I am just not ready for it to be half-done. The Maritime weather did me in, and my bronchial asthma is really flaring up. That and all the late nights spent travelling by Greyhound overnight to get to the gigs on time. The number of gigs I'm going to in such a short period of time is getting difficult to keep up with. Given all that though I would do the whole Canadian tour given enough time and money.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
part of the Canadian national anthem in French - to wild applause
Trust In Me rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Halifax, NS, Metro Centre, May 9, 2006

2006-05-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Audio-Blog:
There is no audio-blog for the gig tonight because I've been having technical problems with Blogger.com and I have not been able to resolve it yet.

Concert Review:

Nov. 10/06
I have a few more paragraphs to write for this review. It was one of the ones I had to do a lot of rewriting on due to both the JD birthday celebration fiasco, and the computer crash. I should have it back up as soon as I get back from the Ontario gigs. Here's what I have so far:

What an amazing night of entertainment!

It started out with Dave Gunning, JD's friend from Pictou County. JD introduced him as a brother and one of the best storytellers around, “give a big INXS welcome to my brother....” It was a good set to start the night off. And he is a good storyteller. I especially liked the story about being on the road with Stompin’ Tom Conners for seven weeks, and being interviewed for the gig based on his drinking ability. He also said that since INXS did not know who Stompin’ Tom was, and they didn’t get to Halifax often, he thought they’d do a Stompin’ Tom song.

Then Stabilo did their set. They are pretty good. The audience seems to respond to the songs that have gotten radio play. They get the audience warmed up a little. Not nearly as well as The Lovehammers did, but well enough. The guys from the band are quite sweet. We had a few drinks with them after the Moncton show.

Then the switch flicked on, and the five minute countdown began. I still get goose bumps when that happens, although tonight, I was trying to get out of the women's bathroom. The Metro Centre is not set up for easy bathroom breaks when you are on the floor.

Thanks to some lovely ladies from the Snarkgasm Batshit Bordello, I had a great 12th row seat, dead centre. And when the curtain came down to reveal The Pretty right in front of me, I squeed really loudly. Loud enough for the guy in front of me to turn around and wonder what the f**k just happened. I could see Jon clearly for the whole gig. He was wearing a lot of guyliner tonight.

Even though JD's voice was showing signs of wear by the time they did ‘Hungry,’ ‘Kick’ was back in tonight, as well as the Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap. I wonder what the running total of fines has been so far on this tour for JD lighting up on stage.

Kirk was on fire on sax tonight. I hope his daughter April made it to the show, because she would be really proud of her Dad.

I lost track of where the 448ers were heading after the show. I hope you had fun on your last night of the Maritimes trip you amazing Wangahs. I ended up having a quiet drink in a lounge with three of my fellow Batshit Bordello Babes, JustJules, Everclear, and Prettylush. It was great to finally meet you all, after squeeing on line for so long together. We had a very brief JD encounter as he arrived back from the show, but he wanted to spend time with his family so they were hurrying him along. That didn't stop Jules from calling out to JD that she had come all the way from Denver, and he ended up signing her ticket stub. I had a camera right in my pocket, and never thought to pull it out to capture the moment. Later on, Andrew came into the lounge, but my post-show glow was a bit too much for him. And I had my first pint of Keith’s Red. It was good. It’s too bad I can’t find it in Ottawa.

I have several more days on the road, including a very long trip starting at midday today, and going overnight to get to Montreal in time for the gig. I'm in the stands for that gig, so it should be an interesting comparison to being on the floor for the gigs. I hear the Bell Centre has amazing acoustics so I'm looking forward to the gig. And then they hit my hometown, Ottawa, which I'm really excited about.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Moncton, NB, Moncton Coliseum, May 8, 2006

2006-05-09T00:22:00.000-04:00

Audio Blog: INXS, Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, N.B, May 8, 2006

Concert Review:

Nov. 10/06
I have some more work to do on this review. I lost the file, so I've had to rewrite it. I'll finish it when I get back from the Ontario gigs. Here's what I have so far:

Stabilo got a really good crowd reaction tonight. The Dirtie Blonde logo appeared on the curtains again tonight. Someone needs to update that.

I was in section 36, row C, about 20 rows back tonight. I was sitting next to Scott Bowen and his wife Debbie. Scott was a drummer in JD’s highschool band Bad Habit. He’s a heart doctor now. They were unable to get Halifax tickets, so they came to the Moncton show. Scott mentioned that the girls were wild over JD even back then. Scott was trying to get a message to JD, and I gave him some paper from my notebook. He must have been successful because after the gig I saw him with JD.

Tonight the lights went out at 2:20 on the timer, so by the time it hit :10 the crowd was in a frenzy. And we heard JD moan at :05.

I got to hang out with the 448 Wangahs and had a blast here too. After the show, the INXS tour manager was very polite to our whole party. He has a difficult job to do, and we tried not to add to his list. We've had a number of encounters with the band so far, but we've been very respectful.

We got the hotel lounge to stay open late enough for us to regroup back at the hotel before going out. We had a drink with the back-up singers, who said this is a great gig, and the guys are wonderful to both work with and hang with. They said it's the best working relationship you could ask for, and that the guys made them feel comfortable. They remarked on the 448 “Biting It” shirts, and one of the Wangahs got them a tank top version of the shirt.

When the lounge closed, we got our jackets, and on the way down some of the guys from Stabilo went to get into the elevator, and asked us "are you girls going down?" And we said, yes so to speak, we were, and they laughed. We invited them to come drink with us.

Kirk's daughter April is here in Moncton, and is going to see her dad play tomorrow. That should be special.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - Fredericton, NB, Aitken Centre, May 7, 2006

2006-05-08T01:06:00.000-04:00

Audio Blog: INXS, Aitken Centre, Fredericton, NB, 7 May 2006

Concert Review: INXS back in Canada!

It was an uphill walk from the Hostel to the Aitken Centre, but I got some exercise and warmed my muscles to pogo at the gig. I had to get a ticket to someone out front, so by the time I got in to claim my front row seat (squee!) Stabilo had already started. I said a quick “Hi” to DrumTech on the way to my seat. I told him it was cool to see him play drums at the Today Show set-up. “Dirtie Blonde” kept flashing on the curtain while Stabilo played. It was funny. They were a great opening act. They had energy, were tight, and the audience recognized and responded to a few of the numbers. They got us revved up for the main act.

I still get butterflies in my stomach the minute I see the on screen switch turn on. And of course there was a huge cheer when it reached 4:48. The Aitken Centre was about two-thirds full, but you wouldn’t know that from the sound of the crowd as the countdown neared the one minute point. Then poof, the curtain came down with a flash of light, and I pinched myself because I was so close to Tim. And I had a clear view of Jon. I was ecstatic that my front row seat was not obstructed in any way. The long trip up here from New York City was totally worth being so close. There were big screens set-up on either side of the stage, and cameras onstage near the microphone stands. It gave the audience a great view of the stage, and some nice close-ups of the band, including Tim’s shiny new guitar. They even gave us shots of Jon drumming from behind his kit.

Kirk was wearing jeans and a white dress shirt. Andrew had on jeans, a jacket and a T-shirt. Garry was wearing the jeans with the piping up the front (!) and a T-shirt. Jon had an open-necked shirt with iron crosses on each shoulder, and white jeans. Tim was wearing the yummy brown leather pants, the jacket with the Celtic cross on the back, and a long sleeve shirt with horns on the front. And JD was wearing the lace-up jeans, and the black shirt with D-rings. He changed the shirt after Afterglow for the T-shirt with the skull and bat on it.

‘Suicide Blonde’ and ‘Devil’s Party’ started the gig off with high energy. There was a nice moment at the start of ‘Mystify’ with JD and Andrew at the keyboard.

‘Hot Girls’ sounded great tonight. JD was straddling the mic stand and riding it riding it. And I was liking it liking it!

Near the end of ‘By My Side,’ JD had a little trip over his big feet, and throughout the song he was aroused.

‘Afterglow’ was really powerful tonight. JD did a little blurb about Canada making it number one, and there was a huge crowd reaction to the song.

Andrew came out front to play guitar on ‘Taste It.’ JD did a rap introduction to the band. And we got sax sex at centre stage tonight. JD was nearby having his way with the mic stand. He was really going at the sweet spot, using his mouth and tongue all around it. It was like watching a tennis match as I flipped from Kirk to JD, Kirk on his back saxing away, and JD licking his fingers then rubbing the sweet spot and thrusting his pelvis. Tonight Garry was very sedate. He didn’t leave his little spot too often during the show.

There was a great Garry and Tim moment at the start of ‘Original Sin.’ Andrew was wild on the maracas, and the sax work was hot hot hot tonight. JD kissed Kirk on the neck toward the end. Garry spent a fair amount of time during the song straddling the drum risers.

During ‘Hungry,’ JD got really emotional over the love shown the band, and when he got to the line “I’m always there for you” he pointed to his Canadian flag and at the audience. It was really touching.

INXS really let loose tonight on ‘Never Let You Go.’ Andrew was rocking out with the shaker. JD was playing Tim’s guitar, then siddled up to Garry, before heading over to put his arm around Tim.

‘Need You Tonight’ was a definite crowd favourite, and cheers went up the moment the song started. We got some sliding, some shaking, and lots of crowd loving. Tim came down to play on the boxes in front of me, and I snapped a quick picture.

Garry started off on the boxes in front of me on ‘What You Need.’ I could just see the bottom part of his new dragon tattoo. JD did a crowd romp in house right, and ended up along the top of the arena floor side panels. It was precarious at times, but he made it without falling. I was impressed with his balance.

They skipped ‘Kick’ tonight. We could hear JD tell the band he couldn’t do it. ‘Devil Inside’ rocked as usual, and ‘Pretty Vegas’ got the biggest crowd reaction of the night.

JD chilled on stage with a smoke and a beer before the encore began again tonight. The crowd started chanting “JD.” To amuse us he put an “INXS Massage” sign on his crotch. I’m sure there would not be a shortage of willing volunteers.

During ‘New Sensation’ Tim was having fun playing with the camera by his mic, turning it around and upside down. It was really cute. And he really milked the moment in ‘Never Tear Us Apart.’ And then they were launching into ‘Don’t Change,’ and the gig was over.

After the show I met up with a crew of 448ers, had a lovely pint of Alexander Keith’s, the pride of Nova Scotia, and chatted with Andrew for a short time. And I had my first JD encounter! He was trying not to talk because his voice was very hoarse. I told him how much fun I had at the Today Show taping, and how much they rocked the Aitken Centre and that it was a great kick-off to the Canadian tour. Andrew was nearby and asked how I got to Fredericton, and I told him I took the bus. He said “You took a bus from New York City here?” And I replied “So did you.” He smiled, nodded his head, and clinked my glass. He asked how long it took me, and I told him it was about 22 hours. JD mentioned it took them about 18 hours. Before JD left, he said goodbye to me, and when he took my hand in his I just about melted. I walked back to the hostel with the biggest grin on my face, and slept solidly for the first time in three days.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS - The Today Show Weekend Edition, New York, NY, May 6, 2006

2006-05-06T14:14:00.000-04:00

Audio-blog: INXS, The Today Show Weekend Edition, New York, NY, May 6, 2006

Review:

What’s better then getting the chance to see INXS play at Radio City Music Hall? Seeing the RCMH gig, and the next day getting to go to Rockefeller Plaza to see INXS perform on the Today Show weekend edition.

I got there just after 6 a.m., and watched DrumTech, setting up. He hadn’t been to bed yet, but had a wave and a smile, and a great big “hello”for me as I passed by. He even apologized for not having the time to talk. Polite and cute! RockPhoto has a keeper there.

While we were anxiously waiting to be let in, they brought the band in through a covered walkway on a construction site across the street. It was very early but we squeed, and they acknowledged us with waves. Especially Andrew who had the biggest smile and waved fervently at us. On a jaunt to use the bathroom at Dean and Deluca, DrumTech had been given the go ahead to soundcheck the drum kit, and I got to watch him play for a bit. A few people in the line up thought it was Jon drumming. After the drums levels were checked, they let us into the pen for the taping.

They did a soundcheck with JD, running through ‘Need You Tonight,’ ‘Afterglow,’ and ‘Pretty Vegas.’ Between songs JD covered up his throat from the cold morning breeze. From where I was along the left side of the stage I could see everyone pretty clearly, except Garry who was a little bit too far to the right. I was near Reckon from Switchboard, and I finally got to meet Armed and Dangerous from Rockband.

A little while later they came back out without JD and did ‘Pretty Vegas’ and ‘Afterglow.’ Partway through ‘Pretty Vegas’ Andrew came up to the centre microphone and sang. During ‘Afterglow’ he sang at the keyboards. We helped out, and Tim in particular acknowledged our on key efforts. A few minutes later they ran through ‘Need You Tonight.’ Tim was pointing to his heart during the line “how do you feel?”, and to his head during “whatya think?” At one point, while they were waiting for the count in, someone started playing Bob Marley’s ‘Could You Be Loved.’ I think it was Andrew. Tim started riffing, and Garry got going on the bass. It was cool to see them jam. I imagine they spontaneously do stuff like that in rehearsals and soundchecks.

Then they disappear for a bit, and came back with JD to record live for the show. JD introduced them with “Hi everyone. Today’s band is brought to you by hangover,” which got a lot of laughs. Then he said that NYC had the strongest coffee he’s had anywhere. Andrew and Garry had very fluffy hair, and both Jon and Garry were sporting some guyliner.

The Today Show hosts did a quick interview with JD and Tim. They asked the same questions every reporter tends to ask including how the fans old and new were taking to JD. We squeed loudly, and Tim motioned to the crowd for his response.

They did all three songs they rehearsed, first ‘Need You Tonight,’ then ‘Afterglow,’ and finally ‘Pretty Vegas,’ although they only aired the first two. The band played ‘Pretty Vegas’ for the audience gathered in Rockefeller Plaza. The camera caught me one or twice singing along to the songs. When they launched into ‘Pretty Vegas’ the crowd roared. And for the first time ever, in broad daylight, JD was singing directly to me, less than two feet away. I let out the loudest internal squee never heard. My goodness he is beautiful. Stunningly so.

When it wrapped up one of the Today Show crew said “THAT was cool.” He had seen numerous performances in the Plaza, but said this was extra special. It was. Unfortunately the same can not be said for the SOB that pinched the $50 from my bag during the taping.

Set List:

Need You Tonight
Afterglow
Pretty Vegas (didn't air)

INXS - New York, NY, Radio City Music Hall, May 5, 2006

2006-05-06T01:02:00.000-04:00

Audio Blog: INXS, Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, May 5, 2006

Concert Review:

The pre concert meet-up was at an Irish bar called Connolly’s. I spent close to an hour looking for people there, and then walked over to Radio City Music Hall. By the time I made it inside I had missed about half of Dirtie Blonde. The lead singer strikes me as a cross between Jewel and Grace Slick, but without the edge the later has. She has a powerful voice for a small woman. She mentioned that she had wanted to play at RCMH since she was a kid, and she was excited to share the experience with friends and family in the audience. That was cool. Another dreamer living the dream! The band sounded good, but was a little too mellow for my liking. I looked up at the tiers of people sitting above the main floor, and it was packed. And many people had glowing red swizzle sticks in their drinks that lit the hall up all over the place. I’ve never seen that anywhere else.

Having looked at where my seat was I thought I might get my right ear drum blown out by the speakers, and was glad that I had brought some ear plugs. But the acoustics in the hall were impressive. I had an obstructed view of the stage due to two separate stacks of amps, so when INXS came on we moved up to the stage to see better, and spent the remainder of the night battling security. They really interfered with our enjoyment of the gig. INXS security came over a few times to tell them to cool it. At first they threatened to throw me out because I wouldn’t sit down, when we were clearly not blocking anyone behind us, since there were no seats there. Then another one wanted to eject me for writing the set lists and notes during the gig, because he thought I was writing about the security guards. As if I’d waste time on them during an INXS concert. At one point one of them pushed me back and handled my breasts in the process. I made a complaint to the head of security after the show.

As the curtain came down the first thing I saw was Garry in leather pants. I let out a loud squee. He was also wearing a tan jacket and brown T-shirt. Tim had on blue jeans, that lovely striped leather jacket, and a shirt with a red T-shirt beneath. Kirk was wearing a striped blazer and pants, and a khaki dress shirt. Andrew looked fine in blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a jacket. Jon was wearing a blue T-shirt and tight black pants. And JD was the vision of loveliness in a light coloured jacket, the lovely red zipper shirt (squee!), and black cords. The pants were low enough for us to see his hip tattoo. It was so thrilling to see them play the dynamic ‘Suicide Blonde’ again.

‘Devil’s Party’ sounded great, but security was really pushing us around so I didn’t get to see most of the song.

During ‘Mystify’ Kirk came from behind Tim and started clapping in front of him. It was cute. Then Garry sidled up to Tim, and then went off shaking his leather clad booty.

I was looking forward to hearing ‘Hot Girls’ played live, but the song sounded off key. I loved the strobe light they put on during the song though. It was a very cool effect with all the architectural curves in the venue.

‘By My Side’ brought Garry over to us again, and my mind became mushy as he swivelled his leather clad behind right in front of us. This was followed very shortly by JD coming over and singing directly to us for a good portion of the song.

Before they launched into ‘Afterglow’ JD did a little rap, “accept, reject, love....” I adore the red zip shirt. When he leans over with one foot on the monitor, which he does fairly often, it shows off his hip, tummy, and chest at the same time. Garry spent a lot of time shaking it on the risers. At the end of the song, JD was right in front of us when he changed into a black T-shirt with a sparkly skull and bat on it.

During ‘Taste It’ Kirk gave us the most orgasmic sax sex I’ve seen yet. It was awesome. JD came over and motioned across his chest when he sang “Taste It,” then gave us an interesting little rap mid song. Then I didn’t know where to look because there was hot sax sex to my immediate right, and hot microphone stand sex to my left. JD was really licking the sweet spot and then licking his fingers and rubbing it, while Kirk was saxing away on the stage almost in front of us. He kept misting the over zealous security with his reed mister.

My second favourite song of the night was ‘Original Sin.’ JD came over and showed us more love a few times during the song. We got JD twirling around the stage, and major drum feck faces throughout the song. And Garry was very enthusiastically getting everyone to clap toward the end.

‘Hungry’ sounded a little bit off. It seemed slower than usual, and JD seemed to struggle with the key. Garry did a lot of hip swaying during the break in the song. Jon did the crossed sticks, but no twirls this time. Tim came right up in front of us playing and getting attention. When security started pushing us again, Tim wagged his finger at them. We appreciated that.

During ‘Never Let You Go’ Kirk was having fun singing “you should see Kirk in the rain” and pointing to himself. I looked down for just a moment, and Libby from Switchboard knocks me in the arm. I looked up to see Garry swivelling right in front of me, and I couldn’t find my camera to take a picture. JD did that little dance hall rap at the end. I really love that. He has a way with rhythm and words.

‘Need You Tonight’ was a big crowd favourite. We got some man-love as JD was humping Tim was behind during the line “something about you,” with his arm around Tim’s neck. I’d almost forgotten how hot the man love is between the two of them. JD did some huge standing jumps a few times through the song. It was impressive.

A big highlight of the night for me was ‘What You Need.’ It rocked more than usual. We got tons of drum and bass feck faces, and Garry showing us his assets while he was shaking it.

On ‘Kick’ I loved watching Andrew’s double duty tambourine and keyboard playing. This is another song where he always looks like he is having a good time. As the song was wrapping up, we got classic Tim sticking guitar picks to his forehead.

Then it was “Time to go to church” as they launched into ‘Devil Inside’. More Garry shaking his assets on the risers, and I loved JD shimmies and the way he was pointing to people. And we got renewed security guard problems as they traded places with each other. Le sigh.

Before the encore started, JD was sitting on the drum riser, having a smoke, and just hanging out. Then he started the Chocolate Chip orgasm rap, and I squeed loudly. I had been reading reviews of this rap, but this was the first time I saw him do it. It was awesome.

It was sweet to see Garry and Jon hug as they met in the middle of the stage, having entered from opposite sides.

During ‘New Sensation’ Garry and Tim were rocking and singing together. I loved watching Andrew do his arm wind up between playing the notes on the keyboard. At the end of the song JD fell flat on his back.

JD joined the backup singers on their platform during ‘Amazing Grace,’ and it sounded incredible. ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ was next, and following ‘Amazing Grace’ it made me teary eyed because it reminded me of how much I miss my Mom, and it made me think of Michael. JD’s vocals were stellar. Tim played up the moment, as usual. I couldn’t see Kirk playing the sax solo, but it rocked.

‘Don’t Change’ for me was the best song of the night. At the start of the song Tim kneeled down just to the left of us and got lots of attention, which he enjoyed. Everything about this song was perfect tonight. We even got feck faces from Tim near the end! And it was one hell of an ending. Jon went nuts, Garry kept in beat with the drums, and Tim was dancing around while riffing. It was a great way to end a very energetic show.

This was a wonderful gig to kick off the first of ten gigs I’m going to on this leg of the tour. I'm hoping for a reappearance of ‘Elegantly Wasted’ and ‘Perfect Strangers’ in the set list at some point.

Set List:

Suicide Blonde
Devil's Party
Mystify
Hot Girls
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
Chocolate Chip Orgasm Rap
New Sensation
Amazing Grace
Never Tear Us Apart
Don't Change

INXS Switched On Tour Second Leg Road Trips: Certifiably Batshit Crazy and Loving It

2006-04-18T20:25:00.000-04:00

It's just a few days before the second leg of the Switched On Tour starts. And I'm getting really excited. It's going to be great to see the guys again.

So far I have tickets for:

May 5 in New York, NY, at Radio City Music Hall (thanks Zane!)
May 7 in Fredericton, at the Aitken Centre (front row!)
May 9 in Halifax, NS, at Metro Centre (thanks to some Snarkgasm girls!)
May 11 in Montreal, QC, at the Bell Centre
May 12 in Ottawa, ON, at Scotia Bank Place
May 14 in Toronto, ON, at the Air Canada Centre
May 15 in London, ON, at the John Labatt Centre
May 16 in Kitchener, ON, at the Memorial Auditorium (front row!)
May 19 in Cleveland, OH, at the State Theatre

I thought about adding in the Moncton show, since I have to go through there to get to Halifax, but good tickets are hard to come by. I have had an offer of a place to crash from a very kind Fortune 448er if I get a ticket though.

I was hoping to get a ticket to the Niagara Falls show at the Avalon Ballroom. It's an intimate little 1500 seat venue. The public sale caught most of us by surprise, and it was excrutiatingly difficult to get even one ticket for this gig. I'm still hoping for success if there is a fan club post-sale, although it's looking less likely since they promised us that would happen a while back and nothing has materialized. I've entered the CHUM contest to win some tickets, and my fingers are crossed.

It'll be great to see the forum folks I've already met again, and I'm looking forward to meeting those of you I haven't had the chance to meet yet.

Reflections on my batshit crazy road trips: INXS Switched On Tour, Leg One

2006-04-06T23:15:00.000-04:00

I had the most amazing adventure travelling to and from the INXS concerts on the first leg of the Switched On Tour. All you forum folks I met made the whole adventure even more fun. INXS fans rock! The band should be really proud.

Ranking of the gigs I saw:
1. Detroit, MI, February 8, 2006. INXS was on fire. It was orgasmic. A phenomenal gig.
2. Toronto, ON, February 7, 2006 - awesome gig. Better than night one. Great sound.
3. Jacksonville, FL, February 24, 2006 - good sound, great show. Clear view of stage. ENERGY!
4. Norfolk, VA, February 20, 2006 - 2nd row pit seats, slightly loud, but I was right in the action.
5. Toronto, ON, February 6, 2006 - good gig, great sound, JD comes home!
6. Washington, DC, February 18, 2006 - good sound, GGB in leather!, but obstructed view.
7. Reading, PA, February 15, 2006 - great energy, but somewhat muddy sound.
8. Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2006 - great energy, and a beautiful venue, but muddy sound.

Things I discovered after watching 8 gigs in 3 weeks: it’s as much fun to watch INXS play as to listen to them in concert. They love what they are doing, and they give 120% every night.

Favourite live INXS Songs on the First Leg of the Switched On Tour: ‘Never Let You Go,’ ‘Pretty Vegas,’ ‘Taste It.’

Favourite live Lovehammers Songs: ‘The Tunnel,’ ‘Call of Distress,’ ‘Straight As An Arrow.’

Number of Canadian Provinces I travelled to/through: 2
(Ontario, Quebec).

Number of American States I travelled to/through: 14
(Delaware, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia).

Place I most want to go back and explore more: South Beach baby!

City I had the most difficulty finding a pay telephone to audio-blog: Detroit.

City I had the most difficulty finding an internet café: Philadelphia.

Dirtiest bus stations: Philadelphia, PA and Richmond, VA. The bathrooms in both places were so filthy I waited to go on the bus.

Cleanest bus stations: Detroit, MI and Ottawa, ON.

Worst bus trip: Jacksonville to Atlanta on bus #2797 with torn seats, dust wafting up from the torn seats, and a huge cracked in the window near the third row seat. It was an 8 hour ride, and the driver was weaving back and forth from lane to lane, and the bus was rocking back and forth when he did. I closed my eyes and hoped I’d make it there in one piece. There was no decent food to be had on that run either. And after Savannah, the only rest stop had a tiny little bathroom that was filthy and the door didn’t close. Once we arrived in Atlanta it didn’t get any better either because some bozo started unloading the bags onto the road on the other side of the bus, and a car hit and damaged one of my bags.

Best place to store your luggage when not staying over in a city:
1) In the car trunk of fan-f**king-tastic forum members!
2) Hotel concierge desks - DC (Marriott) and Norfolk (Radisson Hotel).

Things I learned from travelling on Greyhound buses for 3 weeks:
● Logic is not something Greyhound understands.
● Departure times are arbitrary. The bus may arrive as much as five minutes after you are supposed to have left the station. And it can take a long time to load everyone on board.
● If you don’t have at least 1 hour between connections, you won’t be at the next station in time to line up and get the next bus out.
● Most American Greyhound bus toilets don’t have hand sanitizer, or paper towels, and often no toilet paper. However, if you do find one with sanitizer and paper towels, you can use that to clean the toilet and surrounding area before you use it.
● Chances are the lockers in the bus station will be out of order, so you’ll need to make other arrangements.
● Travel with plenty of water, drinks, and snacks. Just because it says you will have a meal/rest stop in such and such a place doesn’t mean you actually will. It will probably get left out because the bus is running late and the driver is trying to make up time.

On The Road With Ember: Switched On Tour, Leg One

2006-04-05T23:14:00.000-04:00

Toronto, ON

I’d been waiting patiently for months for this concert, and I couldn’t sleep the night before the show. I could barely contain my excitement the closer my bus got to Toronto. The poor woman sitting next to me must have wondered why she got stuck next to a freak. On the way I kept wondering why INXS would pick winter time to travel in the snow belt. At one point the blowing snow completely obliterated the road, but the driver was experienced and we arrived safe and sound.

I got to the hotel, dumped my stuff and got ready to go and meet some folks at the Hard Rock Café. It was awesome to meet up with so many Rockbanders before the show. Thanks for organizing the get-together BSCgirl. The Hard Rock had the I'm Only Looking DVD playing, and it was great foreplay for the show that was to come. I'm glad I got the chance to meet so many people that I had been partying with on the forums for months. You all rock!

After the show Suzieblue from Rockband.com and I went to The Lovehammers signing, and afterwards we went back to the Hard Rock Café to meet up with the others. They were already doing last call. I couldn't believe they were closing so early. When we came out Bobby and Billy of The Lovehammers had just found out the Hard Rock was closing. Unfortunately we couldn't give them any suggestions on where to go, because none of us were from Toronto.

I slowly walked back to the hotel, but it took me a few more hours to fall asleep. Luckily the bed was comfortable, and when I finally nodded off I slept for hours.

I got up and got ready to go to the Hard Rock Café for the INXS press conference. We spent quite a lot of time at the Hard Rock over two days. The service was great, but the food was pretty bland and overpriced for what you got. I managed to catch up in an internet café before we were meeting back at the Hard Rock for the before show get together.

After the show, and our stage door encounter, I had a great time with Rouquine, Suzieblue and Inzane at a bar.

Detroit, MI

I drove in from London, ON with She and Misty from Rockband.com. We got a little lost before the show. The Masonic Temple directions had us turning right instead of left from the highway, and we ended up in Grosse Point and then on Eight Mile Avenue. The level of poverty we saw there really saddened me. There were wooden frame houses that were barely standing lining street after street. They tore down this kind of housing forty years ago in Ottawa. She, thanks for making the trip so much fun.

We eventually made it to the restaurant where we were meeting some Rockbanders, just as they were getting ready to leave. It was awesome to meet MJ, Serendipity, DeeRock, Shiplato and her brother, Kindred_spirit, Butterflytattoo, and Fortune2005. Sorry we didn't have more time to spend with you. We couldn’t find you after the show or we’d have stayed for a chat. And Shiplato don’t be afraid to join us in the worship of the Sultan. You know you want to girl!

I was amazed at the size of the potholes in Detroit. The potholes have potholes. It's rough on cars and people. And there were steaming manhole covers all over the place obscuring the road in front of you. I've never seen that anywhere else. I'm sorry I didn't call in an audio blog after the show. I wasn't able to find a pay phone in Detroit. They must all be hidden in some other part of the city from where we were.

Reading, PA

Getting to Reading was a bit of an adventure. I left home just after dinner on Valentine’s Day to get the bus to Montréal. I left early because we were having a snow storm, and I didn’t know what it was like up the highway.

It was a long night on the express bus to The Big Apple, including a prolonged stay at customs. I had such a hard time keeping a straight face looking at the customs guard, because immediately behind him was a picture of Cheney, and the story had just broken about him shooting his hunting buddy.

When I got into Port Authority, I contemplated taking a run up to see if I could get in the stand-by line to see INXS on Regis and Kelly, but I didn’t want to stand alone in the cold. So, instead I got the next bus out to King of Prussia to hook up with the Reading bus.

My hotel room at the Wyndham Reading wasn’t ready when I arrived, so I had a look around Reading. It’s a nice city. I didn’t know there was such a high Spanish speaking population in and around the area. And it was cool to discover that Reading is about to have a Keith Haring exhibit. If I ever get a chance to go back I want to go up to the pagoda on the top of Mt. Penn.

When I got back to the hotel after lunch my room was ready, and when I opened the curtains I squeed loudly. My windows overlooked the stage door at the Sovereign PAC. It took me longer than usual to get showered and dressed because I kept scouting out the door.

We were gathering at the Outside In restaurant. I got a chance to meet GGBgrrl for the first time! And it was great to meet Reckon, GBRN, and JTDuran from Switchboard, and Cumoncumon from Rockband.com and her friend. Later on at the gig I got to meet Kris with a K and Shrlynxs from Switchboard.

I got a chance to sleep in a bit, and work out in the hotel gym before heading off to get the bus to Philly.

Philadelphia, PA

Coming in by bus to Philly you go through Chinatown. The arch was really cool. I made a mental note to come back and have a better look around.

It turns out the Bank Street Hostel, where I was staying, was only about eight blocks from the bus depot. I walked there, and stopped off at the Visitor’s Centre on the way to get some maps and information.

I walked past two stores on Market Street that made me giggle. One sold the most outrageous pimp style hats and accessories. And a shop a few doors down sold the most flamboyant pimp style shoes I’ve ever seen. I would have taken pictures if the owners hadn't been standing in the doorways.

The hostel itself was off a narrow alley way, but it was clean, safe, secure, and had a great kitchen area complete with coffee and tea and any spice you might need to cook with. They have a pool table on the main floor, and they play movies every night, and the night I was there they played The Colour of Money. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy that movie, even though Tom Cruise is in it.

The one thing that was really hard to find was an internet café. I looked everywhere, tried the telephone books, the local papers, and couldn’t find anything. In the end I found out from Jenny the cleaner at the hostel (a real sweetie) that a little coffee shop around the corner on Chestnut gave you 10 minutes free internet access if you bought a coffee. So there I am at 7:30 a.m. checking my email, and I found out that I had won the INXS Fan Club meet and greet for D.C., and immediately burst into tears. The two guys at the counter looked really concerned, and people picking up coffee on the way to work retreated like I was a leper. One of the guys came over, found out why I was crying, topped up my coffee, and reset the computer so that I had a few more minutes of internet time. When I left they told me to have a great time at the M&G.

I spent the day of the INXS gig touring the historic section of Philly. I saw all the main sites, The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Post Office, and The Underground Museum. I got a bit emotional looking at the Liberty Bell, and all it symbolizes. The coolest spot I visited though was the archaeological reconstruction of Ben Franklin’s Tenant Houses on Market Street. That would have been an interesting project to have worked on.

I managed to stop for a quick bite to eat on the street. I sampled the famous Philly cheese steak sandwich, without the steak since I'm a vegetarian, and it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. And very inexpensive. I love buying food from street vendors.

I rushed by subway up to the Tower Theatre to meet up with forum folks. There were some really run down sections of the city the closer I got to the venue. It was sad to see that the city let things get that derelict, and that families live there. It turned out that the restaurant we were going to, Pica’s, was a fair distance from the venue, so I was very grateful that ChatNoir from Rockband.com and her hubby not only drove me there and back to the Tower, but also stored my bags during the concert. Unfortunately JonYouMystifyMe and Elegantly Wasted from INXS Switchboard weren’t able to make the before show meet up, so I never got a chance to meet them. But I finally got to meet Kissthedirt and Quietrokbabe from Rockband, and got a chance to see Fortune2005 again. Looks like we didn’t have much more time than in Detroit girl. Next time for sure. And I got a chance to meet a lot more folks whose names I forgot in all the excitement.

Thanks so much to Trixie from Snarkgasm and her partner for putting me up for the night. Trixie is also an anthropology student, and we would have had an amazing adventure if I could have convinced her to come to D.C. and Norfolk for the gigs. Thanks for making me giggle so early in the morning. You have a great sense of humour girl!

Washington, DC

Special thanks again to Trixie and her partner for going out of their way on a Saturday morning and running me into downtown Philly to get to the bus station on time, and for providing me with breakfast and some water. You rock guys!

It was cool to get to meet Crazyforinxs from Rockband, and so many 448ers after the show. I wanted to go to the hotel with you all, but my roomies preferred to stay in.

I stayed with GGBgirl, KTD, and QRB the first night in D.C., and I ended up at the HI hostel the second night. It was clean, and safe, and had a huge kitchen for preparing meals. It was cool to meet so many people from around the world. I was grateful that they had reasonably priced internet access as well.

I got a chance to visit a number of the Smithsonian Museums on Sunday, February 19. I spent quite a bit of time at the National Museum of the American Indian. I was doing some thesis research investigating a few of their exhibits. They have an awesome café there where you can get food from North, South and Meso America. It was very tasty.

I spent a fair amount of time exploring the Natural History Museum as well. I was extremely pleased to discover that they also believe that Neanderthals were a sub-species of modern humans, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.

The one place I didn’t get a chance to get to was The Exorcist steps on M street by the Key Bridge. There just wasn’t enough time to get over there.

Norfolk, VA

I arrived in Norfolk to find out the bus station lockers were all broken, and there was no where to store my bags. There was a bus leaving for Richmond, VA not too long after the gig would end, and I hadn’t booked a hotel because I wanted to get down to Miami as quickly as possible. Besides, my budget was very tight. I discovered a Radisson Hotel close to the depot, and I explained my predicament, and hotel security were kind enough to store my bags for a few hours. They also informed me that Chrysler Hall was only two blocks away, which was welcome news.

I had a quick look around downtown Norfolk while I was looking for a place to eat, and was impressed with how incredibly clean it was. All the restaurants nearby were crowded, so I ended up at the upscale MacArthur Mall nearby and had a sandwich from a natural food stall.

It was good to see Crazyforinxs again. I was bouncing off the walls with excitement about being so close to the stage when she came up to me, so we didn't talk for long. It was also cool to meet some INXS fans who had on shirts that read "Virginia is for whiplash lovers."

On the way to South Beach, Miami, FL

Thanks to a sweet Snargasm babe, I was able to extend my stay in Florida, and take in South Beach for a few days. The trip to Miami was an interesting one. I got to Richmond, VA without a hitch, but the depot there was completely unorganized. There were tons of people trying to get South, but not all of them were going as far as Florida. I ended up on the third bus heading out, and didn’t leave until thirty minutes after we were supposed to. They had us get off in Fayetteville, NC, and merged us with the second bus. Why they didn’t just put the people going to Florida on one bus is beyond me. After travelling on Greyhound for three weeks I discovered that logic is not commonplace. They finally made a pit-stop in Manning, SC where I was able to buy non-packaged food. From there it was on to Savannah, GA, and when I saw the big peach on the highway signs, I thought of the song 'Hot Girls', which would rock live, and all the Marty fans I'd met. Then it was on to Jacksonville, FL. I made a mental note in Jacksonville that the lockers were not working, and that I was going to have to find a place to stash my bags (again) during the concert. I decided not to wait in the Miami bus station for several hours at 2:00 a.m., and instead got off in Daytona Beach for a rest stop there. The lockers there were also out of order, but Greg from Redwood, CA who manages the depot checked my bags and stored them while I walked the mile or so to the ocean, and had dinner.

They have a huge Harley Davidson dealership on the main drag, and there were tons of bikers there. All around Daytona Beach you hear the roar of motorcycles. And there were lots of titty bars too.

On the walk over the International Speedway, I ran into a girl from Toronto, who was heading back home, and we walked to the ocean together. It wasn’t well lit on the beach so we took off our pants, and we both went racing into the cold, dark water. It felt so refreshing after travelling for so long. In a short time I could feel things bumping up against my legs. We both looked at each after we felt something bigger hit us hard, and decided it was pretty stupid to be standing in water we couldn’t really see and we got out. An old guy on the pier told us that if we hadn’t gotten out of the water soon he was going to shout out that there had been shark warnings that day. He asked us didn’t we know that Daytona Beach has the reputation of being the shark bite capital of the USA. Neither of us knew that. We do now.

She had to get back to the depot, so I wished her good travels, and I ended up at Checkers Cafe & Club. It was nice to sit down and eat a full meal. When I got back to the bus station, a few drunken fellas had gathered to go on the Miami bus. So much for a policy of not allowing intoxicated individuals on the bus. The bus driver never said a thing. Luckily they were pretty quiet on the ride.

South Beach, Miami, FL

I arrived in Miami around 6:30 a.m., and grabbed a city bus over to South Beach. I got to the Clay Hotel at 7:00 a.m., and they were great at reception. They gave me the key to the shower room upstairs, so I could freshen up, change my clothes, and go have breakfast and a look around. That shower was so welcome, and when I came down they stored my luggage and told me they'd try to get me a room by noon.

I stayed in the hostel part of the Hotel, and it was relatively clean, and very safe. The ceiling fan and the air conditioner both worked well in the room, which was good because it was quite warm. The hostel room was a bit on the small side. So small that you couldn't open the bathroom door completely because the bunk beds were in the way. I did see a few cockroaches in the room, but I didn’t really spend much time in there.

I went by the “Miami Ink” tattoo shop, 305 ink, at 1344 Washington Ave, on both February 22 and 23 to watch Darren Brass work. He was the only artist from the show who was in the shop while I was there. On the first day he was doing a samurai style design on a guy. It looked awesome, and he does great colour work. I realized how much I miss the hum of the tattoo gun. Sigh. It’s interesting how they change the shop’s interior to allow for filming, and how they dress it for the show. The front counter faces the customers when they come in the shop, but on the show it’s runs along the side of the wall. And the art copying area was at the back of the shop, but when filming it’s near the front window.

South Beach has some of the most prime Art Deco architecture in the world, and I spent a fair amount of time exploring the Art Deco district, and walking along Ocean Drive. It's a very interesting place to people watch, see old cars, and pass the time in South Beach. I also made a special stop at the steps of the mansion where Gianni Versace was shot. The Versace family sold the mansion last year, and I enquired about building tours, but there was a private party going on while I was in South Beach, so maybe next time I'm there.

The ocean was just two blocks from the hostel, and I spent most of the day there. The day before I arrived they had to clear the water on several occasions because sharks came too close to the shore. The first day I was there they were flying the purple flag, which indicates “marine hazard,” but I only found out it was jellyfish when I got stung near the shore. A very lovely lifeguard with a very lovely British accent tended to my sting, and made me comfortable afterwards. I spent the rest of the day out of the water, because as the day progressed the number of Portuguese man-of-wars multiplied at a phenomenal rate. By 4 p.m. as I walked along a 10 block stretch of beach I counted about 45 of them washed up on shore. They are supposed to have a really bad sting, and they can still sting even when they are washed up.

The hostel had a big industrial style kitchen to cook in, so I saved on food. And it was cool to meet so many people from so many different places at the hostel kitchen area (two girls from Sydney Australia, some Dutch, a couple from Sweden, a group of girls from Norway, some Germans, a few Brits, and quite a few fellow Canadians). There was a 24 hour market across the street with big cans of beer for $1, so by late night the conversations that started out very intricately became fluffier. It was surreal to be debating metaphysical poetry, enjoying the evening breeze, and becoming intoxicated on cheap beer.

My final day in South Beach the water was calm, so I decided to have a really good swim near South Pointe. A coast guard boat came nearby and called out to me and said “just don’t touch them and it will be okay.” Which made me panic for a moment because I was thinking sharks. But in the water around me were manatees. They were so cool. I spent far too long in the water watching them, and got a nasty sunburn for the first time in my life. I used all the aloe gel I had with me, and the next morning as I packed for Jacksonville, I was still bright red. And I was really sore.

Jacksonville, FL

I had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready to get the bus to Jacksonville from Miami. Luckily South Beach city buses start running early, and I was able to get to the downtown bus depot half an hour before the bus left at 6:45 a.m. It was ridiculous in Orlando though, because there were so many people trying to go North, and not enough buses. It was pretty stressful for awhile because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to Jacksonville in time for the gig. But, they finally got some extra buses serviced in time and I made it.

On the way to meet up with forum folks at the London Bridge pub, I walked past the Florida Theatre, and ran into Billy and Dino from The Lovehammers out front. Billy was having a smoke, and we chatted for a bit. I asked him about whether they were going to be doing the INXS world tour, and he said no, they were only scheduled for the first leg. He also said they would really have liked to have done the Canadian tour, but that wasn’t going to happen. He said the record label had plans for the band. He told me he thought that D.C., Charlotte, and Atlanta were the best gigs they had done on the tour. I asked him about the ‘Trees’ video, and when we were going to see it, and he said the record company wanted to re-shoot the video. Billy was nice enough to give me a few guitar picks he'd used during sound check. He mentioned the dressing room was up a huge flight of winding stairs.

The backstage area at the Florida Theatre was so small they were doing the set-up out in the road, which was cool to watch. Later on I watched them take down the equipment too, including Jon’s kit. I had the urge to reach out and touch the drum seat, but was told to step back by a burly security guard.

Special thanks to inxsary from INXS.com and her husband for not only treating me to dinner, but storing my bags in their car during the gig. I wouldn’t have been able to go to the gig without their help.

It was good to run into GBRN, and JTDuran from Switchboard after the show.

On the Road Heading Home

Sooner or later my road trips had to come to an end. While I was chatting with INXS security at the front of the Florida Theatre, one of the crew came up to me and let me know that they were just releasing some seats in the first few rows for the Clearwater gig. If my VISA card had had any more room on it, I would have bought one and I would have gone to one final show. But meeting Jon and Garry was such a perfect way to end my little adventure that I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat as I began my long trip home. And it was one hell of a long trip. It took me two days to make it back to my own bed. And I fell asleep thinking about the Canadian tour starting in May.

After the Jackonville Concert, February 24-25, 2006

2006-02-26T23:24:00.000-05:00

There was no stage door access tonight. INXS were whisked away from an alley-way exit behind the theatre.

It was wild to watch all the gear being taken apart in the middle of the street in front of the theatre. I spied Bobby from the Lovehammers outside their tour bus. He talked with a few of us about Rockstar: INXS. The Lovehammers did a weekly acoustic show, in Chicago, with different singers and encouraged people to vote for Marty. He said he went to the finale, and when they went from three to two and cut to commercial break it was tense. When it was just Marty and JD left, he was biting his nails. He said he was very relieved when Marty didn’t win, and that he was conscious of Marty’s family staring down at him from above, so he didn’t celebrate too much. He had to make a phone call, and I said goodbye and wished them luck.

The London Bridge was packed after the show, so I started walking toward the bus station. One of the police officers in front of the venue told me that it wasn’t such a great idea to go to the bus station at that time. He suggested I find a place to spend some time before my bus left at 3:30 a.m., and told me there was a “safe” bar near by. So that’s where I headed. As I walked in, I saw Andrew and Kirk out of the corner of my eye. Andrew was engrossed in conversation with several people. Kirk was roaming around taking with people in the bar, and bumped into me while I was stashing my luggage again a bar rail. He said “Hello.” I told him it was a great gig and that I was looking forward to the Canadian tour. He wished me happy travelling.

I sat down at the bar and ordered a pint of beer. And then another. Those of you who’ve met me at gigs know I don’t drink anything the day of the show so that I don’t have to pee every five minutes. Those beers were heaven sent. Andrew and Kirk left just as I had ordered two more pints at last call. And moments later Jon entered the bar wearing that lovely red leather jacket. When he placed his bar order I said “Hey gorgeous,” and he turned to me and smiled. I told him it was a great gig, and that I was a bit sad to be heading home after spending a few weeks on the road travelling to see the gigs, but that I had an awesome time at the eight gigs I had attended. He asked me which shows I have gone too, and then what I had done between Norfolk and Jacksonville. I told him I have gone to South Beach, Miami, and he said “Wow.” I told him that’s where I had gotten the really bad sunburn swimming with manatees. He asked what a manatee was, and I explained they were also called sea cows or sea elephants, and I described them. Jon reached out and touched my arm and pronounced that I did indeed have a bad sunburn, and he told me I should take care of it. His drinks finally arrived and I told him to rock on, and he shook my hand and thanked me for coming to the gigs.

I downed pint number three fairly quickly, and started on number four. I was feeling really good at this point. Really good.

Quite a few people in the bar had been getting their pictures taken with the band, and they started to close up the bar, so I decided what the f**k. So I approached Jon and asked if it would be okay to have a pic with him. He said absolutely, and put his arm around me. We chatted a little more and I noticed how he really listens to what you are saying. That’s really special. I told him I was glad he was feeling better, and he was touched that we were concerned about him. He said that in Washington he had been feeling really bad and that he was just starting to feel better. He gave me a big bear hug, then asked me when my bus was leaving, and told me to have a safe trip home. He also said it was crazy that it would take me almost two days to reach home. I told him it was worth it to have the chance to see them play live again, and that I couldn’t wait for the Canadian tour in May. Then he gave me another big hug.

While I was on my way to say goodbye to Jon and ask for the pic, Garry entered the bar, wearing a lovely pair of soft leather pants. As I passed by him, I told him it was a great gig. He was with someone so I left it at that.

I tried to buy them both a drink, but I was told the bar couldn’t serve any more beverages.

After I spoke with Jon, I turned to Garry who had sat down near Jon, and told him how much fun I had in the three weeks I had been travelling to see them play. He said he was glad that I had enjoyed the gigs, and it was wonderful to see that lovely smile of his in person. I told him I was looking forward to the Canadian tour, and I had three tickets and was trying to get at least two more, and hoped I didn’t have to resort to brokers who charged outrageous prices. I mentioned that it was difficult for some of us to purchase tickets for the upcoming tour when the current tour was still on and many of us were travelling. He said he was sorry I couldn’t get the tickets I had hoped for. I asked if I could get a pic with him and he dead-panned a “no.” Just as I starting to feel horrible for asking he touched my arm and broke into a broad grin and told me that of course I could have a pic, and he put his arm around me. I don’t want to ever play poker with Garry because he’d wipe me out. He’s got a wicked game face. He gave me a little hug and went off to see about getting a drink.

My final stop was saying goodbye to INXS personal security. We’d shared quite a few conversations since February 7 in Toronto. I wished him well, and told him I hoped to see him in May.

I walked to the bus station on cloud nine. My visit to the bar and the chance to talk with Jon and Garry was unexpected, and it was such a lovely way to pass the hours after the gig.

INXS & The Lovehammers - Jacksonville, FL, Florida Theatre, February 24, 2006

2006-02-26T23:23:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog - INXS & The Lovehammers - Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL, February 24, 2006 - Part One

Audio Blog - INXS & The Lovehammers - Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL, February 24, 2006 - Part Two

Concert Review:

The Lovehammers rocked the house tonight. They’ve become a well-oiled machine and the audience all around where I was sitting, in the fourth row of the right orchestra, was up and singing along to many of their songs. I waited until the last night to get their CD, and unfortunately the lobby at the Florida Theatre was too small for them to do a signing session at the end of the show, so I never got a chance to get them to sign it.

The curtain came down at the beginning of ‘Suicide Blonde’ to reveal a newly shorn JD front and centre, commanding attention. And attention he got! It’s hard to take your eyes off him, but luckily the stage at the Florida Theatre was small, and you could see the whole band at the same time from most of the seats. There were no side ramps tonight due to the size of the stage.

The sound was crystal clear tonight, even though I was close to the speakers. I was perfectly in line for bass feck faces and an amazing performance from Sherriff Tim.

Andrew was dressed all in brown like a UPS worker and he was wearing a brown cap, not unlike the infamous asshat, except he was delivering his very special blend of melodic, funky grooves all night.

Garry was in blue jeans and had on a grey T-shirt. Jon was wearing black pants and a green T-shirt. Kirk was in blue jeans and the raspberry paisley dress shirt. JD, as usual, was in the lace-up jeans, and had on a black T-shirt under a white long-sleeve shirt.

While the rest of the band looked and sounded great, the night belonged to Tim, who looked particularly regal in an opened-necked purple shirt and the yummy brown leather pants. His guitar work was phenomenal, especially on 'Mystify,' 'Disappear,' ‘By My Side,’ ‘Original Sin,’ and ‘Devil Inside,’ which has pretty much been his signature song on the nights I’ve seen them play. He was on fire, making the sweetest music I’ve heard come from a guitar. Tim also got everyone’s attention during ‘Need You Tonight’ with more amazing guitar work, and some very well timed pelvic thrusts during the “whatcha gonna do?” parts. And as usual, he gave guitar picks away left, right, and centre, and was often playing without one.

‘Devil’s Party’ continues to be a strong number live. I noticed tonight how much Andrew gets into the groove on that song.

I loved JD’s falsetto during ‘Afterglow’. He has such a great vocal range. The backup singers need to back off a bit on that song and let his voice shine.

‘Taste It’ was hotter than ever. Tim showed no signs of letting up, and Kirk’s sax work was stunning tonight. And JD did some things to the microphone stand that made me blush a bit. But I watched every single minute, transfixed by his performance. He started off wetting his fingers and rubbing the mike stand. Then he worked on that one sweet spot again. And he was really enjoying himself.

It was a treat to watch Jon and Garry rock out together on ‘Original Sin.’ JD was lost in the moment several times dancing during that song. It was magical. And the drums and bass completely dominated ‘Hungry’. Jon even gave us double drumstick twirls after the drum break on that song! And Tim entertained us with some booty shaking during the song.

‘Never Let You Go’ was a definite stand-out in the set. I adored Tim’s ass wiggle throughout the song. I loved when JD changed one of the lines to “You should see Kirk in the rain,” and Kirk held up both his arms and smiled in acknowledgement. Kirk’s sax work was again noteworthy, but it was Jon who really shone on this song. He’s a powerhouse behind the drum kit. His drumming was extraordinary on ‘Don’t Change’ as well.

The playfulness continued during ‘Kick’. Some nights Kirk has been able to dodge Andrew’s tambourine, but tonight he got tagged twice on the behind. I don’t think I’ve seen another band who has that much fun on stage while being consummate professionals.

‘Pretty Vegas’ was the crowd favourite, and it was special to watch Jon, Tim, and Garry doing their thing on the drum risers all together. There were a few moments where JD was almost drowned out by the audience singing along.

And once again tonight, there were no aisle excursions by The Pretty.

The encore kicked off with ‘New Sensation,’ and Tim was wearing a very bright red Geisha T-shirt. JD returned to the stage wearing a lovely asshat and a “Good Fortune” T-shirt. It was very fitting because it was good fortune that the band found him during Rockstar: INXS, and good fortune for fans old and new. I am overjoyed that he fits in so well. They work together like they have known each other for years.

As ‘Don’t Change’ came to an end and the band took a final bow, I thought I would be sad but I couldn’t get the grin off my face. I had such a great time at the shows that I didn’t want to return home. I’m now eagerly counting down the days until the Canadian tour begins in May. When tickets go on sale in or near your area, don’t hesitate. You don’t want to miss a chance to see the best live band ever.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

INXS & The Lovehammers - Norfolk, VA, Chrysler Hall, February 20, 2006

2006-02-21T13:09:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers - Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA, February 20, 2006

Concert Review:

I had second row pit seats for this show, and I was really looking forward to being so close to the stage. I kept my seat during The Lovehammers set, which rocked. Quite a few people, including me, were up and dancing and singing along to the songs. As the tour has progressed, I have noticed more people getting into them when they play. I think Marty was psychotically clever to accept the opening slot on the tour. Dino kept trying to get me his pick, but some girls down front kept taking them all. After the set finished, one of them turned to me and gave me one of them.

In between sets I spoke with some radio station M&G winners. They got to spend 30 minutes with the whole band, and got pictures taken with each band member. I’ve heard similar stories from numerous radio station winners I’ve met along the way. I truly appreciated the opportunity to meet Tim, Andrew, and Kirk in D.C., but I wonder why the fan club members don’t rate the same treatment as the radio station winners.

By the time INXS came on, I was allowed to go right up front by some women there who were looking for help to stop people from crowding in around them. So I got me and all my signs up to the first row just to the left of Kirk. One of the signs was for Jon, hoping that he was feeling better. Tim saw it, pointed to Jon, and then nodded to me. I was glad to hear that.

The stage at Chrysler Hall was huge, and the side ramps were back in the set tonight. And although I went a bit deaf in the left ear being so close to the speakers, the acoustics in the hall were spectacular. I’m so glad I was able to make it to this gig.

A few songs in Garry sprayed his bass strings, and then his underarms. I’d heard about this little ritual, but this was the first time I got a chance to see it. I wonder exactly what that spray is.

Garry was wearing a Black Hawk T-shirt and lovely fitting blue jeans. Kirk was wearing a dapper dress shirt and black pants. Tim looked awesome as usual in those lovely yummy brown leather pants. Jon had on black pants and a white portrait T-shirt with stripes across the front. Andrew was in black jeans and a black T-shirt, and JD was in those infamous lace-up jeans and a grey logo T-shirt.

‘Taste It’ was a highlight for me. JD was working on licking that one sweet spot again, but he was using his hands up and down the stand tonight, coaxing her gently. He even simulated massaging a pair of breasts. I was mesmerized. Tim ended up in front of me during part of the song, and he was shaking his ass trying to get us to notice him. That wasn’t too difficult because he has a well-toned ass that looks good in leather. I blew him a kiss, and he flicked me a well-worn guitar pick, which I snatched up quickly.

During ‘Original Sin’ JD grabbed his package for a prolonged period of time, and sighs were heard all around the hall. He did a twirly kind of dance throughout that song, a dance he started doing a few shows back. He really got lost in the moment, feeling the song. It was cool to see, because he’s getting more and more relaxed on stage. After the song JD mentioned that they have been in Norfolk all day and that it was a really clean city.

‘Hungry’ was another standout. Being so close to the band it was great to see things you miss from further back. It was a pleasure to see Andrew working his magic on the keyboards during that song. It was also cool to see Garry so close during that song and see the muscle definition in his arms while he played. I also got a good look at both upper arm tats. I held up my Sultan of Bass sign, and blew him kisses, and he smiled, that lovely broad smile of his. I totally melted.

‘Never Let You Go’ was the second highlight of the night for me. Garry came back right in front of me during the song. He was inches away from me. Le sigh. I was in heaven. All that booty shaking, hip swivelling, and I was privy to the whole thing. I continued to blow him kisses, and he continued to “catch” them, and grin wildly throughout the song.

‘Need You Tonight’ was hot hot hot. Kirk laughed when during the “I’m lonely” line I flashed my “I’m horny” sign. He dropped me a guitar pick that fell between the cables lining the front of the stage, and I retrieved it at the end of the show.

‘What You Need’ was very funky. I loved watching Andrew lost in a guitar moment. It made this song extra special.

I was glad to see ‘Kick’ was back in the set. Kirk managed to avoid Andrew trying to get him on the behind with the tambourine. It was cute to watch the two of them chasing each other around a bit.

‘Devil Inside’ was the first time JD ventured over to the left side of the stage. He kept moving closer and closer to us, encouraging our attention. When he was about 2 inches away from me, I reached up and gently touched him on the lower leg. He stayed right were he was and did not pull away. So a few others did the same. Then he went a way and came right back to us. I got a foot this time. He did a cool little ad-lib at the end of the song.

The third highlight of the night for me was an incredible, energy-packed rendition of ‘Pretty Vegas.’ Kirk, Andrew, Garry, and Tim, were all lined up together doing their thing. And it was awesome to see. And the ‘whoo’ was back in tonight! I did a little happy dance when I heard it. And The Pretty went absolutely batshit crazy at the end from the “This is the ride” line on. We got to see what it must have been like to see him do it on Rockstar: INXS. The energy and emotion were over the top. What a treat!

A side note - this is the fourth concert in a row where JD has not made an aisle excursion. I think we really scared The Pretty folks.

When they came back out for the encore, Garry threw his black towel over my way, and I caught it in midair. Some guy tried to talk me out of it later, but there was no way I was giving it up. Of course, because I’m 12, one of the first things I did was smell it. It smelled sweet. As soon as the show ended DrumTech came over and brought me one of Garry’s guitar picks.

After the show I ran into Jeremy from The Lovehammers camp. We spoke for a bit. He said he thought that Philly was the best gig The Lovehammers had done yet.

A few people were waiting on the ramp below the stage door, Kirk got into a car with the backup singers, and was the only one to say “Hi” to us after we called out his name. But the others got into a van and they didn’t stop as they passed us. But JD saw my Canadian flag and he banged on the window and waved. I keep missing him at the stage doors. I missed him first night in Toronto, when he spent quite a bit of time signing. I missed him in Reading at the tour buses. And in Philly, where he stopped to talk with a few women there, and gave them all kisses. One of these days I’ll be the one getting a kiss.

Sorry that the audio-blog cuts out at the end of the revue.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

INXS & The Lovehammers - Washington, D.C., Warner Theatre, February 18, 2006

2006-02-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers - Warner Theatre, Washington, DC, February 18, 2006

Concert Review:

I missed most of The Lovehammers set because I was at the INXS fan club meet and greet. It was cool to see them from backstage while we were waiting for the M&G to start though. I got a very close look at Bobby’s arms! Mmmmm. Those are some nice arms.

We got back out in time to hear ‘The Tunnel’, which is becoming my favourite Lovehammers song. They’ve rearranged their set list a bit. ‘Trees’ and ‘Ring of Fire’ weren’t the last songs. They added ‘This Town’ as the final number, and Jeremy came out and played with them.

The sound was great tonight, and I didn’t end up with any ringing in my ears. But it was really hot at the Warner Theatre. The ushers occasionally opened the side doors just to get some cool air. The stage at the Warner is small, so there were no side ramps for the show. But small stages mean more band interaction, so that was cool.

And I was finally treated to Garry in leather pants! Leather on the Sultan of Bass! Stretched taut across his lovely thighs and his ass-ets. I swooned, I hollered, I thanked TPTB for giving me this pleasure. And cursed the Incredible Hulk and his wife in front of me for obscuring the view. Garry was also wearing the reddish coloured cross T-shirt. Jon was wearing black jeans and a silver/grey morphine T-shirt. Kirk was in a striped dress shirt and blue jeans, and Andrew was wearing jeans too. Tim was rocking the brown leather pants as always, and he had on a khaki coloured shirt. JD was in the lace-up pants again, and started with the white long-sleeve shirt. Underneath it was a black T-shirt.

Tim told us at the meet and greet that Jon was really not well tonight, but he wanted to do the show. He looked really ashen and kept his sunglasses on the whole show. Throughout the set the guys were checking on him. Before ‘By My Side’ Garry went up behind Jon’s riser and squeezed his shoulder, as if to say “you alright?” and Jon nodded yes. Garry stayed close to him for a few songs. They dropped ‘Kick’ tonight, even though it was on the printed set list, I’m sure to help save Jon’s strength, because that’s a drum-heavy song. And there was no “whoo” on ‘Pretty Vegas.’ But he still had enough energy left to entertain us with a little wiggle at the end of that song though, and come back and busted his ass on the encore. Good on you Jon. I hope you get better soon.

Before ‘Taste It’ started, JD asked the audience “Is it hot in here or is it just you?” Lots of women squealed all around me. Early on during the gig a woman was wearing a white cowboy hat and it ended up on stage. JD wore it for a bit, and during ‘Taste It’ Garry put the hat on and wore it throughout the song. He looks really great in hats.

By ‘Hungry’ the whole band was dripping wet it was so hot in the theatre, and this is a song Garry works really hard on. Kirk took pity on him and came over and wiped Garry’s brow with his own shirt sleeve while Garry was playing.

On ‘What You Need’ Garry and Andrew were rocking out for a bit. And at one point Kirk was going around and around Garry saxing away.

Tim finally took off his sunglasses during ‘Devil Inside’, so we could get a good luck at his beautiful eyes. And he was going full tilt on ‘Pretty Vegas,’ and the crowd ate it up.

We got some man love during ‘New Sensation.’ I especially loved it when JD hugged Garry from behind and sang with him.

‘Don’t Change’ was the wildest spectacle I’ve ever seen at an INXS gig. It started off with JD hugging Tim, and trying to playing Tim’s guitar. Then Kirk brought a woman up on stage, and then JD encouraged a bunch of 448ers to come up on stage. Then a whole bunch of people got up there. One girl had Andrew’s maracas. One guy was rocking out playing an air guitar next to Tim. The look on Tim’s face as he watched this was f**king precious. By the end of the song there must have been 40-50 people on the stage. It was a truly wild scene, and a hell of a way to end the gig. The people who were up there on stage will be talking about that experience for a long time to come.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

(Kick was left out of the regular setlist tonight).

INXS Fan Club Meet and Greet Report, Washington D.C. February 18, 2006

2006-02-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS Fan Club Meet & Greet, Washington, DC, February 18, 2006

Meet and Greet Review:

I went with my guest Quietrokbabe from Rockband.com. It was cool because she came all the way from Texas to see INXS play at two gigs. We were instructed to be at the willcall booth at 7:45 p.m., and we met two other women from Virginia who had also won. But no one came to collect us. By 8:10 p.m. we started to get really worried, and I flagged down a woman with an INXS pass and explained our predicament. She radioed back, and in a few minutes she brought us backstage.

While we were waiting, we were invited to watch The Lovehammers from the side of the stage. That was cool to see them so close.

Tim, Kirk, and Andrew came out for the meet and greet. It was great to meet all the guitar players.

Tim was first out and he was very sweet. He came over to me and introduced himself.

Tim: “Hi, I’m Tim Farriss.”
Me: “I know. Hi Tim, I’m Christine from Ottawa, Canada, and it’s great to meet you after so many years.”
Tim: “You’re a ways from home. ”
Me: “Uh-huh. I’ve been having fun on the road travelling to your shows. My friend [pointing to Quietrockbabe] came further. She flew in all the way from Texas.”

I told him he had a really sexy voice, and he chuckled. A deep sexy chuckle. And I told him it was great that the band was being so gracious with their time and meeting the fans like this. I continued blabbering on about how much I was looking forward to the gig that night, and the two more that I was going to on this leg of the tour, and how I was excited about the upcoming Canadian tour as well. He asked me which shows I had seen. Then he asked me what I thought of the “new guy” and I told him I was proud he was a fellow Canadian, that JD was doing a great job, and that he was really Pretty. Tim laughed.

He signed my CD liner “with love Tim Farriss,” and when I asked about picks, and he got us all one.

He told us Jon couldn’t make the M&G because he was not well, and that he’d been really dizzy all day, and that he was really worried about him because Jon was their engine. He said it in such a big brotherly way, and it was really touching. I told him to give Jon a hug for me. He laughed as he told me no way, that Jon was really sick, and that I’d have to deliver that hug myself.

Kirk came over to me next, and went to sign my CD liner, and I told him he had already signed it, and he faked a whatever moment and moved away from me, then came back and asked me when he’d done that, and I told him outside the stage door at Massey Hall in Toronto. He asked me if I was from Toronto, and I told him no, Ottawa, and that I was really looking forward to them playing my hometown again after so many years. I should have gotten him to sign it again to mark this occasion, and for the fact that he had personalized it but only signed KP in Toronto, but I wasn’t thinking straight. He moved onto the others right away.

Then Andrew was in front of me, and I stood there unable to speak for a moment. He reached out his hand and shook mine. I told him that it was a pleasure to meet the man behind the magic of INXS. He smiled. I told him we call him The Mozart of Funk on Rockband.com, and he said he’d seen something about that somewhere and really liked the title. He had the broadest grin, and repeated that he really liked what we call him. He continued to smile. I told him that the D.C. gig was my sixth gig on this tour, and he said “cool.” He asked me if I was enjoying the shows, and I told him I was having an awesome time.

Then it was time for the group picture. We were asked not to take pictures of the band as they were signing etc., but to wait for one group pic at the end. I was thrilled to find out that one picture turned out really well.

Then it was time to say goodbye. Tim came over to me and when I asked if I could have a hug, Tim said “Absolutely sweetheart.” Then he wrapped his arms around me in a big full-contact hug, and rocked me back and forth for quite a time. It was a great hug! Then he said goodbye. Let me tell you, that man is solid! And the way he said “sweetheart” made me melt.

I thanked Andrew for all his music, and he told us to have fun at the gig. I asked him if I could get a hug, and he bounced over to me and grabbed me really tight in a big bear hug which seemed to last forever. It was awesome!

Kirk said goodbye and have fun.

And then they were gone, and we were being escorted out. It was a bit rushed because we got brought backstage so late, and they had to prepare for the gig. I had some things I wanted to say but didn’t get the chance, in particular, I wanted to tell Tim that I sent him virtual hugs every week when he had to eliminate someone on Rockstar: INXS. And I had a few questions I wanted to ask but didn’t get the chance, like what does “Roquefort le Pont” mean. I’m sure that happens with everyone though. You spend years waiting for the opportunity to meet them, and you have so many things you want to say and so many things you want to ask, and so little time in which to do it.

But those few minutes that we did have were amazing. It was an honour to meet Tim, Andrew, and Kirk, and I’m so grateful for having had that opportunity.

Updated April 2006

INXS & The Lovehammers - Philadelphia, PA, Tower Theatre, February 17, 2006

2006-02-18T04:21:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers - Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2006

Concert Review:

I love Art Deco architecture, so it was cool walking into the ornate lobby of the Tower Theatre to find such a gem of a building. It was built in the late 1920s and is quite beautiful.

The Lovehammers got a great crowd reaction tonight. Most of the first three rows were singing along to their songs. The band was chuffed. They gave a great performance and had lots of energy. As the tour has progressed, they have gotten tighter and tighter. Unfortunately the sound wasn’t that great for their set. I got up to dance, but the people behind me complained, so I approached the security guard at house left, and asked if I could dance near the front by the second row of the side orchestra. He allowed me to stay there for their set, as long as I didn’t obstruct his view or block anybody from seeing the show.

The sound for INXS was better but still a bit muddy. I love hearing Garry’s bass turned up high, but it was up a little too high and I think that was one of the problems. The entire floor in the theatre was vibrating considerably. It was a very weird sensation.

I managed to keep the same place for the INXS set. Most of Andrew was obscured by a big stack of speakers, but it was a trade off to be a few feet away from Garry’s swivelling hips. I could watch those hips swivel every night, all night long! He spent most of the gig grinning like a Cheshire cat, and shaking his booty. It was almost too much to take. He was dressed in blue jeans and an orange T-shirt.

Kirk was in great form too. He was really wild on the sax tonight. And being near the stage meant I got to witness the sax sex on ‘Taste It’ up close and personal. Wow. Kirk was so red hot I never noticed if JD was working on the sweet spot on the microphone stand. I was told it was a really subdued oral skills performance tonight.

Tim spent a lot of time over at house left shaking his booty too. And the man shakes his booty with a lot of style, and he looks really great in those brown leather pants. He had on a Morphine shirt too. Jon had on black pants and a black T-shirt, Andrew was in blue jeans and a black T-shirt, and Kirk was in jeans and yet another suave dress shirt. JD was sporting the lace-up jeans, and started out with the white long sleeve shirt again.

‘Kick’ was particularly fun. Throughout the song Andrew kept banging Kirk on the ass with the tambourine. And Garry kept air kissing JD.

This was the first gig where I was perfectly positioned to see Jon’s face for the whole gig. It was fun to watch him play, and see all his amazing feck faces. There was a point in the night when Garry was up on the drum risers and both he and Jon were making feck faces at the same time. It made me grin.

I had a great time at this gig, but it seemed like the night went by so quickly. One moment the first chords of ‘Suicide Blonde’ filled the venue, and then all of a sudden the final refrains of ‘Don’t Change’ echoed through the hall, and they gave a final bow, and it was over.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

Updated April 2006

INXS & The Lovehammers - Reading, PA, Sovereign PAC, February 15, 2006

2006-02-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers - Sovereign PAC, Reading, PA, February 15, 2006

Concert Review: Rocking in Reading!

Marty said it wasn’t the biggest crowd they had played to on this tour, but that the energy of the crowd was phenomenal. It must have felt different from the stage, because from row M in the right orchestra, all around me was the most sedate, unappreciative crowd I had seen yet while The Lovehammers played. Overall, until ‘Trees’ there was only sporadic love from the audience from my vantage point.

Last week Marty was saying how happy he was that The Lovehammers were to be opening for INXS on their world tour. When he thanked INXS in Reading, he changed it to the first leg of the North American tour. I found that really interesting. He mentioned that the band had a look around Reading and they thought it was nice.

Marty must have gotten the memo, because there no appearance of the ass crack tonight. But he did take his shirt off for ‘Rain of Fire.’ Unfortunately for The Lovehammers, the sound at the Sovereign PAC wasn’t that great during their set, and it didn’t get too much better for INXS. I think the place was so small, and the amps etc. turned up so loud, we got a lot of fuzz.

It was a bit nippy out, and the Sovereign PAC had the temperature turned up full, but they could have saved on the heating bill, because we all knew INXS was going to raise the temperature in the theatre very quickly as soon as they hit the stage. It was so hot in there I felt faint a few times. And INXS generated so much heat they could have heated the entire downtown core of Reading. The band deserves a huge round of applause for keeping the energy up when it was sweltering. And they had tons of energy. It was incredible. I guess the day off on Valentine’s Day helped refuel them.

The explosiveness of ‘Suicide Blonde’ as the opening song continues to impress me. You just know you are in for an amazing show after that number. They did have trouble with the curtain right at the beginning. I think it was Tim that ended up getting covered for a moment.

JD’s voice was still showing a few signs of wear and tear. I’m glad they have been watching him closely.

JD was wearing those lovely lace up pants again, and was wearing a white long sleeve shirt to start, with a T-shirt underneath. Tim was sporting those yummy brown leather pants again and the Morphine shirt he’s so fond of. Andrew was wearing a black jacket, jeans, and a black T-shirt. Kirk was wearing a raspberry coloured paisley dress shirt and blue jeans. My beloved Sultan of Bass was dressed in form fitting brown pants and a black T-shirt. And Jon looked hot in black jeans and a white T-shirt with a snake-like logo.

The stage at the Sovereign was very small, so it meant even more band interaction than usual. It was so small that I could see Kirk’s and Andrew’s guitar banks from my seat. Which was really cool. It’s not every day you get to see that.

Garry’s bass work on ‘Devil’s Party’ was particularly dazzling tonight. During that song he was splay-legged and rocking out, and he gave us lots of wild feck faces. And the bass was turned way up. During that song JD noticed the Canadian flags in the mezzanine, and then he pointed right at mine. The woman behind me was thrilled, because she figured when he made his audience roam, he’d come to our side for sure. He never did make that excursion from the stage. During ‘What You Need’ he started to, but the crowd in house right surged forward suddenly cutting off any route out, and he aborted. He would have been coming up the aisle right by me, so I was disappointed about that.

The video montage for ‘Afterglow’ was particularly effective tonight. It worked really well with the song.

During ‘Taste It’ I thought JD’s fondling and licking of the microphone stand was going to cause some spontaneous combustions in the audience. His face was buried right in the microphone stand, and he was focussed on one sweet spot, while he used his fingers to gently coax “her” into heavenly bliss. He’s going to be the cunnilingus champion of the world by the end of this tour. And his pelvic thrusts completely blocked Kirk’s sax sex. Jon and Andrew were having a great time during the instrumental. I really needed a cigarette after that song. And I don’t smoke.

Andrew was a mad man on the maracas during ‘Original Sin,’ a standout song tonight. I loved the moment he and JD shared during the chorus toward the end of the song. Then right after that, JD scooted over to Tim and shared some love with him.

After the drum break on ‘Hungry’ we got some stick twirls from Jon. I love the way he twirls those sticks. When JD got to the line “Lust is a hungry place,” he lifted his shirt and ran his hands down the front of his pants. The room got even warmer, and I could distinctly hear several pairs of panties going poof.

The most impressive song of the night was ‘Never Let You Go.’ Not only was the music great, the rhythm was infectious, and the band interactions on this song were a joy to watch: Andrew and Garry sharing a moment at the keyboards, Kirk putting his arm around Garry, JD and Jon grooving, and Kirk chasing Tim with the sax.

The crowd responded very enthusiastically to ‘Need You Tonight.’ It got the biggest crowd reaction of the night. I adored Tim’s one-handed instruction on this one. He’s such a naughty boy.

Garry was in top form during ‘What You Need.’ He was jamming with everyone at some point during that song, and we got some loving between him and JD, with full body contact. JD was pressed up behind Garry, and their hands were roaming everywhere. The man-love between the two of them is highly charged stuff. Did I mention how hot it was in the theatre? Well, it got even hotter after that song.

Another standout song was ‘Kick,’ and tonight I had the most fun yet on this tour watching Andrew at the keyboards. He really is the Mozart of Funk. JD plucked two fans’ signs and delivered them first to Jon, and then to Garry, much to the joy of those fans.

During ‘Pretty Vegas’ JD was helping Tim play the guitar, from behind, up through Tim’s legs. It was delightful. It was also a joy to watch Kirk, Andrew, and Garry all rocking out next to each other at centre stage. And Tim was giving away so many guitar picks, he ended up playing without one.

‘New Sensation’ kicked off the encore tonight, and JD came out wearing the asshat that I love so much. He looks so cute in it. I’d love to catch one of them when he flings it out. Once again, Tim was giving away all his guitar picks and then playing without one until someone passed him some more.

The sax solo tonight during ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ was really moving. And I loved that Kirk stuck a guitar pick on Tim’s forehead during that song. It’s obvious the band loves what they do, and loves playing with each other. And that makes me love them even more.

I was sad to see ‘The Stairs’ dropped from the encore, because I thought it worked particularly well live.

It took me about 18 hours by bus to get to this gig. And it was worth every single minute to experience INXS live again. I hope you all get a chance to see them soon.

After the show we just missed most of the band getting into the tour buses. Some girls were lucky enough to get a kiss from JD. Garry was mere feet from me when I was talking to INXS security, but he was talking to someone he knew, and I let him be.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
New Sensation
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

Updated April 2006

INXS & The Lovehammers - Detroit, MI, Masonic Temple, February 8, 2006

2006-02-09T23:32:00.000-05:00

Concert Review: Detroit Rock City!!!

Holy F**k! What a magical night that was in Detroit. I didn't think anything could top Tuesday night at Massey Hall, but this concert might be the best one I’ve ever been to. The acoustics at the Masonic Temple were wonderful. I was in row six tonight, and it rocked (two rows of pits and in the fourth row of seats, on the aisle, right in front of Garry and Tim). I understand now why people pay so much money for front row seats. I can’t wait to be in the second row of the pit in Norfolk, VA.

The Lovehammers hit the stage in high gear, and did themselves proud. In the middle of the set the band left the stage and someone came out with a stool and an acoustic guitar, and I squeed because I knew what that meant. Marty gave us an amazing solo acoustic performance of 'Mr. Brightside'. This is the third night I've really enjoyed the band's set, and I'm learning a lot of the lyrics. 'Hold On' and 'The Tunnel' were stand-outs. During the later, Marty ventured into the audience up the left aisle. He had a hard time getting back to the stage because so many people had surged forward. I may just end up buying their album by the end of the tour, and get them to autograph it.

Then INXS took the stage with a fury that didn’t stop for close to two hours. They. Rocked. Detroit. It was orgasmic. They were on fire, and the audience responded, and fed the energy. It was a beautiful cycle. I was still spent more than twelve hours later. Andrew told JD within the first few songs that this was the best crowd yet.

Whoever is dressing the boys needs to be commended, because they are all looking fine. Very fine. Tim was wearing those yummy brown leather pants, a Morphine shirt, and that long gold plaid jacket he wore for the VH1 awards. I really like that jacket, and he looks great in it. For the third night running there was no leather on Garry. But his ass-ets were on fine display in a pair of Levi's, and he was wearing that reddish coloured cross design T-shirt. JD was wearing the butterfly T-shirt again, and the jeans with the leather back patches and the front laces. Those laces are so distracting! He started out with the gloves, leather jacket, and sunglasses again. And he wore the PETA T-shirt for the encore. Andrew was wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans, and he started out with a fetching white jacket. Kirk had on a caramel coloured leather blazer, and he was wearing a spiffy dark striped dress shirt and blue jeans. Jon was wearing some tight black pants, and a silver grey Morphine shirt.

I was very happy that JD’s voice was much better tonight. After the scratchiness at the end of the Massey Hall gig on Tuesday night, I was worried about him.

'New Sensation', 'Afterglow', 'Original Sin', 'Kick', and 'Devil Inside' were real stand-outs. 'Taste It' was so hot I’m surprised there wasn’t spontaneous combustion inside the Masonic Temple. JD was giving the microphone stand quite the work-over. He used his tongue and moved his hands all over it as if he were pleasuring a woman. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. One of the women I travelled down to Detroit with said she felt she was intruding on a private moment. And I wanted him really, really badly after that number.

Throughout the concert Tim was being Tim and licking guitar picks and sticking them to his forehead, then grinning out at us. He was having a great time. And Garry, Kirk and Andrew kept smiling throughout the show. When we could see Jon, he was grinning too.

I brought along my Canadian flag, and saw numerous ones, big and small, throughout the venue. And there were tons of Ontario license plates in the parking lot we were in. It was a Canadian and American INXS love-in at the Masonic Temple.

There were several girls in the audience with signs that read various derivations of “Let Me Taste It JD.” I guess the success of the girl who got the kiss on Tuesday night at Massey Hall is going to be fuelling a lot of these signs. Around the time INXS played 'What You Need', Dino, Bobby, and Billy from the Lovehammers came to the right side of the stage to watch the show. One of them held up a “Let Me Taste It” sign when JD came over, and he really cracked up. Timmy knocked knuckles with all of them, and when Garry came over, a mere 10 feet from me (squee), he motioned to Billy about something and got a “yes” nod and Garry gave a few pelvic thrusts. That was a panty poofing moment. As they were leaving, I told Billy they were great tonight, and he gave me a big hug.

Security was extremely vigilant, and I had a dude who was treating the section of the venue I was in as his own personal war zone. We were barely allowed to step into the aisle before we were pushed back in, hard, so there was no going down to the stage for the encore tonight. I’m surprised I don’t have bruises from the pushes.

The concert ended with a rousing rendition of 'Don’t Change'. I love this song but knowing it is the last one of the night always makes me a little sad.

After the show we saw the tour buses outside the venue, and they were calling our names, but it was so cold in Detroit that we decided to skip it, and headed back to Windsor.

It’s going to be another few days before I pick up the tour again in Reading, PA, and I’m already going through withdrawal. But I’m lucky enough to be seeing INXS five more times before the first leg of the tour ends.

Three gigs in three days was awesome. And exhausting. And I’d do it again in a flash. And this gig was truly amazing.

Garry, Andrew, Jon, Tim, JD, and Kirk, thanks so much for rocking my world.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
New Sensation
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
The Stairs
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

INXS & The Lovehammers - Toronto, ON, Massey Hall, February 7, 2006

2006-02-09T23:31:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers - Massey Hall, Toronto, ON, February 7, 2006

Concert Review: Rocking the Roof Off Massey Hall

INXS and The Lovehammers rocked the roof off Massey Hall Tuesday night. I thought the first Toronto show had been heaven, but this surpassed it. I was sitting in the fourteenth row of the right centre orchestra, on the right aisle. I got to see the other side of the stage tonight, and I had a clear view of everyone.

The Lovehammers were in good form tonight, and had a good set. They played the Jaws movie theme music before they started playing. Hee hee. Marty commented that this crowd made him feel like he was back home in Chicago. We got a return of the ass crack again tonight. He made it all around the first row of the balcony during 'The Tunnel' tonight. Two other highlights of their set were 'Straight as an Arrow' and 'Hold On.'

The crowd was into it, ready to be entertained, and on their feet before the countdown reached 10 seconds. And they never sat down. As soon as the curtain came down to reveal INXS, the energy intensified, and there was an electric feel in the hall.

'Suicide Blonde' was explosive tonight. I was anticipating the band’s interaction during 'New Sensation', and it was great fun tonight, especially Garry and Tim encouraging the audience to sing along. Andrew’s guitar work on 'Taste It' was awesome, and he was really grooving to 'Never Let You Go'. JD’s little dancehall rap at the end of that song was a sweet addition. He mentioned that this gig was the fastest sell out in history for Massey Hall. Woohoo!

'Taste It' was great, but it was 'Need You Tonight' that was the sexiest song of the night. It was steaming hot in Massey Hall after those two songs. 'Original Sin' was another song that got a huge response from the audience.

Tim finally took his sunglasses off during 'Need You Tonight'. I wish he'd show us his lovely eyes more often. Garry was leatherless again tonight, but he looked awesome in Levi's and a yellow T-shirt, especially when he stood on the drum riser. I'm ever so grateful that his T-shirts are short enough for good rear-end viewing. Tim was wearing leather pants again tonight, and he looks good in them. He also had on a brown shirt. Kirk was wearing a spiffy striped dress shirt and jeans. Andrew was in jeans and a dark T-shirt. Jon was wearing form-fitting black pants and a silver grey Morphine shirt. JD initially had on a black leather jacket, gloves, and sunglasses, and he was wearing the butterfly shirt and those lovely lace-up jeans again.

During 'Kick', Andrew and Kirk were having a duelling keyboard and sax dialogue that was very special. And Tim proved why we call him a riff master when he played his marlin guitar during 'Devil Inside'. And the crowd loved it. The crowd also went wild for 'Pretty Vegas'. I'm still not tired of hearing that song.

By the end of the set JD’s voice was getting really scratchy. I hope he’s taking care of himself, and not trying to over do it so soon after being ill.

I noticed how carefully Garry removed his bass at the end of 'Pretty Vegas', and then playfully retreated when the bass was being quickly passed to him at the start of the encore. When the band started playing 'The Stairs,' JD and Garry weren't on stage yet. Finally Garry came out, and it reminded me of the port-a-loo story where the band started playing without him. And finally JD came out for the encore with a drink and cigarette in hand, and sporting a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with a PETA T-shirt underneath. The band was encouraging people to come down to the front, and I was able to make it right to the stage near Tim for the whole encore tonight, and seeing them right up close was a nice bonus to a great night of music. I managed to snap a couple of pics, although they didn't turn out that great.

Watching the band enjoying themselves so much on stage enriches the show for me. Thanks guys!

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
New Sensation
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
The Stairs
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

After the show, I convinced a few Rockbanders to come with me to the stage door to wait for the band. It was very cold, but worth every moment of the wait when Kirk, Jon, and Tim came out.

Kirk was very sweet and stayed for quite a while, posing for pictures and signing various items. He personalized the signature on my Switch liner and gave me a kiss on the cheek. After that encounter, I’m officially on the Kirk love train!

I also got Jon to sign my liner. But Tim was a bit standoffish.

Thanks guys for a wonderful night I won’t forget for a long time. The crowd started to grow at the stage door, and they ended up taking Garry, Andrew, and JD going out the front door instead.

I just missed saying “Hi” to Garry later on at a bar. He was leaving just as I was arriving and I didn’t want to run after him. Sigh. Now I regret not gently calling out his name, but we heard that folks had practically stalked JD a few minutes before, and I didn’t want to come off like that. Andrew was deep in conversation with a few people and I didn’t want to disturb him either. Kirk walked by stopped and looked at my T-shirt, and laughed, and INXS security also commented on my lovely pussy shirt (a kitty with the word "dreamy" written below). It was a wonderful end to an amazing day.

INXS at the Hard Rock Café, Toronto, ON, February 7, 2006

2006-02-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

I joined a number of Rockbanders for lunch at the Hard Rock Café Tuesday afternoon, as we waited for INXS to arrive for a press conference announcing the Canadian tour in May 2006. I was thrilled to learn that Ottawa is on the list of cities for this tour. They piped in the press conference to the restaurant packed with INXS fans so we got to see and hear it, but they didn't give the band a microphone, so fans couldn't hear the whole question and answer period.

INXS were presented with a platinum record for Switch, and they donated a signed replica of the megaphone used in the Pretty Vegas video to the Hard Rock Café. The manager brought it down and put it on the bar for the fans to see before putting it in safe keeping.

There was a particularly sweet moment just before the press conference began. A little boy had come with his mother, and he had a toy microphone and a little toy megaphone. The Hard Rock was playing music from Switch, and he performed to 'Pretty Vegas' for us, with perfect choreography, including raising his megaphone at the exact right moments, pointing out at us, and going in and out of the tables to meet us. The more we clapped and sang along to the song, the harder he performed. That little tot is going to be a star someday. I wish JD could have seen it. INXS security came and got him and brought him and his mom down to meet the band. The crowd there overwhelmed him and he couldn't perform, but he got to high-five JD a few times, and they all signed his megaphone.

After the press conference a number of us waited outside for the band to exit. It was very emotional for me as this was the closest to the band I had gotten in over 20 years. It was great that they stopped to sign some items, and pose for pictures. Andrew and Tim went through the crowd quickly, Jon stopped for a bit, and I managed to say "hi".

Then there was Garry a few people in front of me. I was able to gently touch his hand, and I told how amazing it was to see him up close and personal. I also told him I was seeing them six more times after Toronto, and he smiled and asked "really?". Words cannot express how hot he looked even with the cut on his head from the bass incident the night before. That man is so hot he can melt all the ice in the world.

Last out was Kirk who was a little surprised to hear his name being called by so many people. He stopped to talk to many of the fans gathered. I told him I was going to seven more concerts and was hoping I would get a guitar pick. He told me he'd watch out for me. The whole time we talked he held my hand in a handshake. It was magical folks. He's very flirty and very hot in person. Unfortunately we didn't get to see JD because he was taken out another door.

INXS & The Lovehammers - Toronto, ON, Massey Hall, February 6, 2006

2006-02-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Audio Blog: INXS & The Lovehammers at Massey Hall, 6 February 2006

Concert Review: Welcome Home JD!

We left the Hard Rock Café with half an hour to go before show time, but getting into Massey Hall went really smoothly. I was sitting in the sixteenth row of the left side orchestra, on the right aisle. This gave me a good view of the whole stage.

I had only a few minutes to wait before the lights went down and The Lovehammers began their set. They were much better than I expected. I loved the Price as Right theme music that was played just before Bobby started power drumming, which was a great way to get our attention. Dino the bass player had severed three of his fingers on his left hand a day or so before saving his dog, and he was wearing splints and played with only one finger. But he pulled it off and some.

Marty mentioned that it was exactly one year to the date that he had auditioned for Rockstar: INXS. And he spoke about how great it was that the fans are respecting that it's not about Marty but about the whole band. He also thanked INXS for offering them the opening slot on their world tour. Marty said this was the first time he had been in Toronto, and he likes it. He was even sporting a cut off Maple Leafs T-shirt. As anticipated, we got some scary conductor arms throughout the concert, and he scaled the PA system up to the balcony level and entertained fans in the front row there. I wasn't expecting to see so much of his ass crack though. Those jeans were really low-cut folks. He spoke with one kid from the audience, who it turned out plays bass guitar, and brought him up on stage. Dino gave him his bass to play, and the young boy played 'Smoke On The Water' while Marty held up the end of the bass, and the rest of the band played along with him. It was sweet.

The Lovehammers were a great opening act for INXS. I especially liked the songs 'The Tunnel,' and 'Call Of Distress.' People remained in their seats during most of their set, but got up for 'Trees', and stayed standing for 'Ring of Fire,' the last song of their set.

Then the lights came back on, and there was a crackle in the air while everyone waited for the stage to be prepared for INXS. When the five minute countdown began on the screen, my heart was beating so fast I had to sit down for a moment. But I was back up on my feet again and cheering at the one-minute mark. The last ten seconds were agony, and all around me people were counting down aloud. Then finally there was a bright flash, and my favourite band was there in front of me. It was a great moment. And INXS did not disappoint.

I had seen what the tour set-up looked like in other cities, but there were no side ramps tonight due to the size of the Massey Hall stage.

Andrew multi-tasks on stage like no one else I’ve seen. The double action harmonica and guitar on 'Suicide Blonde' was very impressive.

JD and Garry shared some touching moments on stage particularly during 'Disappear.' And during 'Original Sin', a song I was very happy to hear live again, Garry reached back and held JD's neck while he sang. This man-love is exceptionally hot in person.

I’m glad they included 'By My Side' in the set list. It was a rare treat that gave us a chance to see the whole band in action at centre stage.

Garry didn’t stop smiling all concert long. His smile is infectious. And his hip swivelling and shaking drove me to distraction at numerous points during the concert. He swivels his hips like no one else I've ever seen, and the best swivels came on 'Afterglow,' and 'Never Let You Go,' a song he spent most of positioned directly in line with where I stood dancing. Sigh. I was thrilled that he spent so much time entertaining us at stage right/house left. We got tons of bass feck faces too, especially during 'New Sensation.'

The Sultan wasn't wearing leather, but he looked great in a tight pair of jeans and a reddish coloured T-shirt with a cross design on it. JD started off with gloves, sunglasses, and a black leather jacket, but they came off quickly to reveal the butterfly shirt we've seen quite a few times, and those jeans with the leather back pockets and laces in the front. Tim had on a brown Morphine shirt and those lovely textured brown leather pants. He wears them well. Kirk looked suave in a striped dress shirt, while Andrew sported jeans and a dark T-shirt. Jon had on a striped logo shirt with lovely, well-fitting black pants.

It was kind of funny that JD mixed up the verses of 'Devil’s Party' because, after all, he co-wrote it. I put that down to opening-night-in-Toronto nerves.

As expected, 'Taste It' was a very combustible number and JD’s pelvic thrusts were panty poofing, but it was Kirk’s sexy sax work that got me the most worked up. He was hot, hot, hot.

'Never Let You Go' translates much better live than on the Switch album. The whole band got into the rhythm of this song, and the audience bopped along. But 'Afterglow' sounded a little off. It's a monumental song to try and do live.

It was a blast when Suzieblue from Rockband.com came up to my row and we did a bit of bump and grind during 'Need You Tonight', until the aisle nazis broke it up.

INXS took the song 'Kick' to a level I'd never heard before, and JD was bouncing everywhere faster than the Energizer Bunny. He made quite a few fans very happy with his foray down the house right aisle during 'Pretty Vegas', which concluded with a tossing of the microphone stand, like he did on Rockstar: INXS. JD got quite emotional as the show was coming to a close, and thanked us for coming out to see them play.

I got a lovely rear view of Jon as he went to the drum kit for the encore. He has some very slappy ass-ets indeed! And I squeed when I saw JD come out with the asshat. I love the asshat, and JD looks adorable in it.

During the encore 'The Stairs' was delivered with depth and passion. At the start of 'Don't Change' Suzieblue dragged me down to the stage. We ended up in front of Kirk, who was amused by our enthusiastic dancing and singing. At the end Kirk and Jon came by and were shaking everyone’s hands. I missed out being so short, but it was great to be that close.

As the last notes of 'Don’t Change' ended, and the band exited the stage, I was overwhelmed myself. It had been 15 years since I had last seen INXS play on the X Factor Tour, and I was grateful for the opportunity to see them again.

Set List:
Suicide Blonde
New Sensation
Devil’s Party
Mystify
Disappear
By My Side
Afterglow
Taste It
Original Sin
Hungry
Never Let You Go
Need You Tonight
What You Need
Kick
Devil Inside
Pretty Vegas

Encore
The Stairs
Never Tear Us Apart
Don’t Change

We learned later that while taking off his bass at the end of the encore, Garry had banged his head hard enough to cause bleeding. Those that saw him later said he was sporting quite the bump.

After the show I went with Suzieblue to meet the Lovehammers, and we wanted them to sign our ticket stub because their name didn't appear anywhere on the ticket. They seemed pleased with that. Marty saw my Rockstar shirt and thought it was cool, and mentioned about his auditioning one year to the day in Chicago. In person he has the most beautiful and striking eyes. The band were very nice, and I was very impressed with the size of Bobby’s arms. Dayum!

Audio Blog - INXS and JD Forum Members Rock!!

Keeping Everyone Up-To-Date

2006-02-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I created this blog because some close friends were eager to follow my BSC adventures on the road going to eight INXS concerts on the first leg of the Switched On Tour:

February 6 in Toronto, ON, at Massey Hall
February 7 in Toronto, ON, at Massey Hall
February 8 in Detroit, MI, at the Masonic Temple
February 15 in Reading, PA, at the Sovereign PAC
February 17 in Philadelphia, PA, at the Tower Theatre
February 18 in Washington, DC, at the Warner Theatre
February 20 in Norfolk, VA, at Chrysler Hall
February 24 in Jacksonville, FL, at the Florida Theatre

(By coincidence, February 6th, 2005 was the last day of auditions in Toronto for Rockstar: INXS.)

I can't wait to see INXS again, and I'm looking forward to meeting some of my BSC forum mates. And visiting cities I've never been too before.

It may take me a while to find an internet cafe on the road, so I'm going to audio-blog as quickly as possible after the gig to report the juicy details as well as the setlists. You'll see an audio file that you can click on to listen to. I've tested it out and it opens the mp3 files for me in Real Player. Enjoy!