But pleased you enjoyed it so.

My wife liked Bullet for my Valentine and Arctic Monkeys, which I though a little odd because usually our musical tasts?

The Island was a great venue, a short ferry ride there, before having a good nosey around it. Over the years' it's been a prison,?

As a rule, it would be practically impossible for any band called Bullet for My Valentine to actually be good: it?s just such a complete loser name. And so it proved.

I was hugely entertained by their shittiness because they were so humourless and 80s-Iron-Maiden-y. They actually headbanged in unison,?

and Neil Young was quite possibly the best show I've ever been to.

No mean feat! A bugger I'm out of the country, would have been great to catch Old Neil, and, as you say, anyone else who caught my fancy.

Not sure about the rest of the day. Having my lovely wife along, who is 6 1/2 months pregnant, we went later (4pm) and steered away from the crush of the Boiler Room. We stuck to the 4 main stages, and it was...okay.

Yes, take away the Boiler Room and?

I live on Mt Smart Road, and on Friday night – about when the BDO was getting out – a car came driving past my house playing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" at full volume. Over the?

The Who startingat $130

I think that's for seated? GA is $98 or something.

(Mark, I wonder if I saw your lovely wife? There was a gorgeous pregnant person wandering around the main stage area at some point...)

Ooh,?

And what a surreal experience it turned out to?

It was such an interesting contrast to the vibe on the field pre-Rage Against the Machine last year when it seemed to be nothing but shirtless?

(Mark, I wonder if I saw your lovely wife? There was a gorgeous pregnant person wandering around the main stage area at some point...)

If it was a gorgeous pregnant person with black 50s inspired hair, big white sunglasses and a long black floral sundress. Hey look! I'm a guy?

If it was a gorgeous pregnant person with black 50s inspired hair, big white sunglasses and a long black floral sundress.

Yes! That was her! Actually my friend turned to me and said 'look at that styley pretty pregnant lady!'

I covet her hair a lot, but it seems like?

Great report as always Russell. I was so glad to finally see Neil live after years of near-misses. My report's on my blog,

Thanks Nik. I did see your blog but I ran out of steam on linking yesterday, so I'm pleased you've posted it.

In what looks like nothing so much as a police makework scheme, they made 120 drug possession arrests, 51 of them with the assistance of sniffer dogs stationed at the gates for?

All I can say is: LILYWORLD. Miles Cleret, Hot Afro A Go-Go, the mighty, mighty Son Of Dave... A little bit of Glastonbury/Bestival in Aucklalofa.

The lilypad is such a voyage of discovery.

Is Killer Ray still around ? He was the dude.

I didn't hear the Cyndi Lauper but I tell you, I was too zapped to go to Prodigy after Neil but the ENTIRE 3 k walk back to my home I could hear them like I was inside the tent.

We remarked on that too. They seemed just as loud?

Although it's not up yet it is promised that "mp3 and FLAC files will be posted soon" – http://kiwiconcerts.blogspot.com/2009/01/neil-young-auckland-new-zealand-16-01.html

For those who missed Neil (or want to relive the experience), it looks like some nice chap has bootlegged the show.

Ah. Good old Kiwiconcerts ...

What a great show to get.

Is Killer Ray still around ? He was the dude.

About 10 years ago, a female friend hired Killer Ray to play at her party. She caught him rifling through her underwear drawer later in the evening...he kind of lost his weird-but-coolness for me after that...

he kind of lost his weird-but-coolness for me after that...

Fair enough too.

And for anyone who thinks they are too?

Well, that settles it. Now I have to go to one. I am officially in awe. ]]> Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:57:19 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89330#post89330 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89330#post89330 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:57:31 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89332#post89332 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89332#post89332 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:04:14 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89341#post89341 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89341#post89341 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:57:04 +1300 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89342#post89342 http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/hard-news-the-big-day-out-auckland-2009/?p=89342#post89342

I went (I think I saw you, Russell. Reddish t-shirt and a floppy grey hat?)

Nope. Greyish t-shirt and a floppy blue hat ...

The police just don't do anal-retentive at the BDO, seeming to treat it as more of a PR outing and an exercise in visibility-is-a-deterrent, so getting?

Personally I get the heebie greebies when I'm in an airport and the cops walk past with their guns on their hips. Probably wouldn't affect me as much?

Take away the pistol and the Taser (crouching and standing officers' visible arms, respectively) and that same photo with minor uniform differences could be repeated in NZ with ease.

It was actually the body language that shitted me. There's nothing worse than an over-excited policeman (okay, a few things) and?

Three arrests in an entire day is pretty amazing.

It's certainly far fewer than past BDOs, especially historically. '"When it first started there were about 120 to 130 arrests but now the serious crime has all but disappeared," Mr Davison said.' That's, what, a 97% decrease? Incredible.

That's, what, a 97% decrease? Incredible.

Well, we do have a National government.

Well, we do have a National government.

On a related (to that line, but totally unrelated to the thread other than the date coincident mentioned below) note, I heard a great "But we have a National government" one yesterday. A close friend's father is about to lose his in-home care,?

6:15 mins of Neil Young gloriousness, A day in the life/ Enjoy :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG1OWEm2GFA

My first youtube upllode(sp ;-)
6:15 mins of Neil Young gloriousness, A day in the life/ Enjoy :-)

That's a great clip!

Especially pleased that you got the very end. I loved the shot of him raising his fist then turning and walking off the stage.

(And I took the?

(And I took the liberty of embedding the clip. To do that here you only need to paste in the URL, not any embed code or formatting.)

Thanx Russ.
I did just paste the url but I use Opera and that has a few little foibles that manage to evade the?

Wow. As recently as 2001 there were large numbers of arrests. 89 that year. Then a huge drop, to 28 in 2002.

Looking at the lineups, 2002 was the year of New Order — another less frantic closing act for the main stages.

2001 is the one that freaks me?

My first youtube upllode(sp ;-)

Thanks for this, Steve. Much appreciated.

Damn...

all Aussie cops are armed, all the time (even off-duty)

Isn't that rather awkward when they're playing rugby, or having intergenerational sex, or whatever other leisure activities the Australian boys in blue enjoy?

all Aussie cops are armed, all the time (even off-duty)

Well that's not correct.

In WA at least, cops only carry their weapons when on active duty. The ones that I interacted with at the state headquarters weren't armed at all.

Perhaps some of them take their weapons home with?

Loud music, and mashing and stuff

I thought mashing might mean standing between two performances at once..

I apologise to all those who couldn?t afford or missed out on tickets to Leonard Cohen. But his Wellington Concert was amazing. His great voice and poetry, his nine superb musicians (with backing singers who also turn cartwheels) provided an exceptionally?

As we left last night, I said to my wife "If Sweetman doesn't like this one, I'm going to kill him", so I'm glad I don't have to ;-)

Not least that this kind of be-very-afraid tactic runs a serious risk of nasty unintended consequences. How many kids necked their entire supply before going in? Or decided to risk buying drugs on-site?

It took only two weeks before Mr Brown premonition resulted in a death. A very tragic?

It took only two weeks before Mr Brown premonition resulted in a death. A very tragic set of circumstances.

How awful, and how awfully predictable.

That Green MP sounds like she's on the case though.