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A line that stretched down the length of the street was the first sign of things to come. There were people everywhere. Young, Old, Hip Hop, Metal Goth and Barbie, all coming together to support our local talent.
As the line slowly progressed, we finally hit security…the first set anyway. Another slow walk brings us to the main entrance, and more security rivalling that of a prison.

Fans and friends sat enjoying the cool evening air under the shade of the Ferris Wheel, drinking and chatting, preparing themselves for a big night. Ok, maybe not quite so poetic, but great all the same.

We hit the bar for a cool (and friggen expensive!) drink, hearing the most well abused saying of the night (It’s your round dude) at least 10 times along the way before making our way to the front of stage area to claim our position.

A steady flow of people made their way into Jubilee Pavilion as DJ Adfu lit the burners on the crowd, slowly warming them with a mix of old and new tracks, before bringing out the classics including Jump Around and Insane in the Membrane, which almost everyone knew and bounced to.

After his set, Ad-fu joined Vents in hyping the crowd further, with songs from Hard To Kill . Having recently toured with Funkoars, Vents seems to have picked up a whole new fan base along the way. The set seemed fairly short, but they gave it everything they had, and seeing these two on stage is always a win. Although there were a couple of new tracks thrown in the highlight was again Love Song. Maybe the simplicity of the chorus; Da na na na na na, Da na na Da na na gave the crowd the courage they needed to sing along.

The difference between the die hard hip hop fans and the new breed then became fairly obvious. The die hard supporters were the ones cheering and calling out to the camera man, and getting excited watching the guy set up a mic and turntables.
The new fans were those who had no idea who these people were.

The Return announced the Hilltop Hoods arrival on the stage, with Pressure, Suffa and DJ Debris welcomed home to a massive roar from the crowd.
This is the second tour by the Hoods since releasing their album State of the Art , having done a sell out show at the Thebby in August. Not that you could tell by the size of the crowd, who all seemed to be trying to get to the front of stage at once.

The albums second single and tour namesake Still Standing followed, with Pressure showing his skill at speed at the end of the track. It was about then that the sound issues became apparent.

Chris Farley was ended with a visual rememberence of those mentioned in the track, before What a Great Night had the Pavillion moving again.
Pressure then slowed it down with Last Confession, (a song written for his son ;Wish my Dad could write me a killer song) before an acapella from Suffa, which seemed to have a very clear message.

The Nosebleed Section again separated new from old, this track was maybe the turning point for the Hilltop Hoods, which brings mixed feelings from fans toward the song.
Here Come The Girls also made a surprise appearance, which i think i heard would be on an upcoming premium edition release of The Calling

The original Intro for The Hard Road sounded, before playing the better known version of the track. The Light That You Burned ,the best new break up song, featured an extra verse for Vents to join the guys on stage again.
Then there was one more track, which of course had to be Chase That Feeling , thankfully, since the young girls towards the front had screamed for it over…and over… The Hoods said their goodbyes and left the stage, leaving the crowd screaming for more.

Finally, after a few moments, they ran back on to the stage, this time wearing black hoodies, as the opening bars to Hillatoppa sounded. The music cut out and Suffa, Debris and Pressure faced the back of the stage as Hill-A-Toppa lit up across their backs, from led lights in the jackets. If anyone is stuck on what to get me for christmas, I’d like one of these, thanks. Such a simple thing, a simple idea, with an awesome result.

Clown Prince brought that annoying phrase back to people’s lips, while Fifty in Five gave them all something to think about, before sending them back out into the world with Cause when we look back at what we have done,Can you believe what we have become?As we walk into the sun,Can you believe what we have become?

The show was, as always, fantastic, Suffa, Pressure and Debris always put in their best for the fans and it shows with the response they receive every time they perform.

The sound however, was not so great. Issues that began very early in the show were never resolved, and resulted in times when one or both mcs lost sound, beats were non existant or the sound that was coming out caused physical, ear piercing pain. The sound techs did what they could but it seemed they were fighting a losing battle.

But the issues werent enough to ruin the show, and it was great to finally see some security guards that enjoyed their job, and got into the music, some even pulling out ‘the moves’.

And its all love, and its alright
Till were all drunk, then its all fights,
Then its all over, go home, go sleep
Wake up, get sober
What a great night.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS HERE.