Celebrate in the Park @ Stage88, Commonwealth Park,Canberra (14/3/11)

Tue 15th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

With a kind of carnival backdrop amid the family frolicking, rides, local wineries and breweries, local act The Haunted Attics took the stage for the Canberra Festival’s flagship celebration event at exactly 2.30pm as the crowd gradually started to file into Commonwealth Park. Having previously supported such acts as The Temper Trap and The Whitlams and in between tuning their guitars, The Haunted Attics played a mix of cruisy ballads as well as some bouncier numbers, including Hide and Seek. Overall, they did a good job of priming the crowd for the remainder of the day.

Another local act was next, ANU-formed indie-pop band Hancock Basement, again exactly on cue. Hancock Basement has toured with The Presets, Washington and Operator Please and took out Triple J’s Trackside Unearthed competition with their song Hey Kids. No strangers to festivals, they played a lively opener to lukewarm applause, with both the band and crowd gradually building steam throughout their set. Playing a few new songs, the band was able to get a fair number of kids to dance by bribing them with lollies, pleading with parents to let their children have as many lollies as they want (as it was a public holiday after all). It had the desired effect – clearly one way to turn a crowd. Hancock Basement continued to play a solid set and did a decent job of getting the crowd on their feet. Aptly, they played Hey Kids to a growing number of children populating the front of the stage (a kid-friendly mosh-pit of sorts). With the song It Don’t Mean Nothing, Hancock Basement finished their set and the children hung around for the more formal part of the day – the cutting of Canberra’s birthday cake. Luke Dickens (the following act) even sang Happy Birthday.

DJ Pauly D played edgy mixes between acts, doing a good job of keeping the crowd entertained and helped maintain the momentum.

Fresh from his Toyota Starmaker win at Tamworth, country singer Luke Dickens remained on stage following his cake cutting duties, unleashing his country-rock songs from debut album Underdog. Swinging between acoustic and electric guitars, sometimes even a harmonica, Luke charmed the crowd with Home to Stay and love song Sunday. He also dedicated a cover of Eric Clapton’s River of Tears to all the current global problems.

As the time edged nearer to Justice Crew’s performance, the crowd closest to the stage (mostly teenagers) gradually increased in number. Clearly all fans of the nine-member outfit, they started calling out for the group to appear. Justice Crew (replacing the previously billed Scarlett Belle) eventually made their way on stage, doing what they do best and just as many fans again surged towards the already crowded stage front. Entertaining an audience at a community event is a hard ask for any act, but that is exactly what the winners of Australia’s Got Talent 2011 were able to do. A definite crowd pleaser, every specialised dance move was punctuated by screams, And We Danced was a particular crowd-pleaser. By the end of their set, it was standing room only near the front of the stage, which itself was obscured by those standing further back in order to view them. Justice Crew performed a mash-up of performances from both their semi-final and grand-final appearances, entitled Scream, which is exactly what the crowd did. A lot. A new dance dedicated to the recent Tron movie was particularly well received. This was followed by favourite Friday to Sunday. After the end of their act, the crowd clamoured for more and Justice Crew performed a Michael Jackson themed encore comprising a dance-medley of the King of Pop’s greatest hits. They were undoubtedly a hit with all ages (the elderly couple in front of me were even tapping their feet throughout).

In between acts, a definite demarcation had formed between those at the front of the stage waiting for the next act and those seated further back waiting for Jimmy Barnes.

The Potbelleez appeared, performing Don’t Hold Back and those closest to the stage not already standing leapt to their feet and either moved towards the stage or danced where they stood. With each song segueing into the next, The Potbelleez didn’t give the crowd any time to lose interest, overcoming any potential lull in their performance. In fact, each song rose above the former in energy; Are You With Me following on from club favourite Trouble Trouble and singer Ilan Kidron approaching some of the audience to join in the singing. As they continued to play, the daylight faded from the sky and the park, with help from The Potbelleez’ light show, took on a decidedly nightclub feel. As a side note, a small number of tweens who had been waiting near the side of the stage for Justice Crew to depart finally had their moment, screaming wildly and pressing themselves up against the fence as the group appeared briefly to clamber into their van. The Potbelleez performed their new single From the Music followed by another favourite, Shake It and finished their set with a semi- acoustic club mix reprise of Don’t Hold Back.

Light rain began to fall and there was some movement with a few from the crowd leaving, mostly children and some of The Potbelleez’ fans, but with the announcement that Jimmy Barnes would appear earlier because of the inclement weather, most of the crowd stayed put.

As umbrellas replaced balloons (with, presumably, a demographic shift occurring at the front of the stage) Oz rock legend Jimmy Barnes appeared to enormous applause. As bats circled the evening sky above Stage 88, Barnes performed new song I’ve Seen it All and introduced his band (including his son on guitar and two daughters as backing singers). He followed up with Midnight (about the night he met his wife in Canberra) and the classics Lay Down Your Guns, Driving Wheels and No Second Prize. Newer songs included The Largs Pier Hotel. Jimmy also performed duets with his daughters, including When the War is Over and Good Times. Of course, no Barnes concert would be complete without Oz anthem Working Class Man and Barnes didn’t disappoint with a rocking rendition to loud cheers.

After completing his set, the crowd called for more and Barnes came back on stage with an encore including Cold Chisel seminal classic Khe Sanh. Ultimately, Barnes wowed the crowd the only way he could – very loudly and energetically. The obligatory fireworks following his performance were the perfect way to end the night.

Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. Even the sun played nicely, coming out briefly now and then as if checking out each act prior to going back to whatever hole in which it was hiding. The earlier rain and cool weather didn’t keep the crowds away and although by the end of the night it was wet and cold, nobody seemed to care. Family or community festivals are generally a compromise and as such, performances are usually hit or miss, but this event really did have something for everyone.