2007.08.12 Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena (Australia)

[kissingcrimson]

how beautiful you are video...but warning very crappy quality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGPfqP7Kxac

[kissingcrimson]

Oh thankyou Leanne, you're so sweet Thanks also to your brother in law for the sugary jam donuts..i think it's what sustained my energy for all the dancing on the night! haha. Where's Eli? I'm looking forward to reading your review.

[dsanchez]

Oh thankyou Leanne, you're so sweet Thanks also to your brother in law for the sugary jam donuts..i think it's what sustained my energy for all the dancing on the night! haha. Where's Eli? I'm looking forward to reading your review.

did you guys make some photos of yourself? would love to see some nice curefans-group photo out there

[kissingcrimson]

We did take a group shot..I think billee has one too

[dsanchez]

We did take a group shot..I think billee has one too

IF you can, you can put it in the Pictures of you section

[~*CherryRed*~]

Oi all you mad Cure-ites! Sorry about taking so long to post after the event, but I have to confess to being completely DRAINED, and needing to recharge myself. I'm actually suffering a slight migraine, so be patient with me! (Billee knows my pain, as she's a sufferer, and I would like to tell you lot that she had to get jabs first before attending the show! HA! there was no way she was going to miss it, now thats dedication!!)

Right; first up I have to say G'DAY to you billee and kissingcrimson... my NEWEST mates! And my ONLY Cure mates!!! I have to say sorry to you both for piking out and leaving you guys there to queue in the cold. But I'll be honest and say that standing there in the cold wasn't really 'doing' much for me... and I could feel myself getting pissed off - and so as not to drag the mood down, I thought it best I left! I only wish now that I had've stayed put and just been with the pair of you! But alas, it's all over now! So with that apology outta the way!....
Kissing and I met up fairly early (around 1pmish) and we walked around Rod Laver to find a way backstage. We made our way 'into' the carpark that SaraElise (I think it was saraelise...?!) eluded to in her previous posts about the Arena. So we got damn close.. but naturally the security guard inside wouldn't let us go any further. We chatted to a sound guy and asked him to help - but no go I'm afraid. I wasn't really expecting to actually make it backstage but we tried!
We hung around the front for ages and billee showed up with her relations in tow - was nice to meet them - but as predicted on the day - I have forgotten their names!! (I'm crap on names!). After awhile I decided to go back to my hotel...
I was really trying to sleep and get 'revamped' as I was feeling drained even then. I hadn't slept well for at least 3 nights before I got on the flight over, and that morning I woke at 2am and so I was really running on empty! Not a good thing if you wanna be social and have a boogie! I managed to stuff in some pizza too at my hotel.. another good idea, as I also hadn't had breakfast or lunch (except that bag of chips and coke that my lovely fella Mick had tram'd over to me!!). So after I felt better and more energised I tram'd back over to Rod Laver, and got myself inside...
Now I felt ready!
My endorfines were working over time, and I called kissingcrimson and saw her positioned front and centre... I felt a twang of regret at that stage, as I couldn't get to her... It really wouldn't have been fair to stomp all over the other people sitting down, as they hadn't whimped out and gone back to their hotel rooms as I did! they had waited it out to get to the front! But don't feel sorry for me people...
LOL, I have ways of getting what I want!!
I chatted to billee too, and was pleased to hear that her 'drugs' had kicked in and she was feeling 100% better and could enjoy the show up in her seats... you should've called out to me when you saw me billee, not that I probably would've heard you!!!
(looking at the stage) I parked myself to the right and around the middle of the crowd, and had loads of room to 'boogie' in... but after a couple of songs I decided that that was shite, I needed to be CLOSER!!! So I wormed my way to the front... not an easy task I must say!!! Funnily enough most people let me do it! Which surprised me no end. Thye all frowned and madeit obvious they weren't happy about it!!! Only one woman actually said no and blocked my way, and she was on the rather plump size too, so I really couldn't get past her... But I changed direction and got past her anyway! hahahaha... she was NOT impressed! I should point out here I was EXTREMELY polite to everyone, and for me that can be a rare thing! So the long and the short of it is, I managed to get to the front about 5 people stood infront of me, and I was ever so slightly to the right of Robert!!! I yelled out for kissingcrimson at one point, but I guess you never heard me! Also I tapped people's shoulders in front of me to try and find you... but no matter where I looked, nothing! I knew you were there somewhere, and thats the main thing!
I had an absolute ball... and after the people around me just excepted I wasn't pushing in any further and was staying put, the atmosphere got better around me! I got some excellent pictures (even if I do say so myself!!) and am in the process of downloading them.. as I'm in a rural area and have no broadband access, this will take a while. I'll inform you all when I've done it and where to go etc... meanwhile check my profile pic on here as it will change soon to one shot I got! (when it's bloody downloaded!).
I danced my butt of, and was sadden to see that there were only a few other 'die-hrads' like myself that knew all the songs... one bloke next to me looked as though he was going to fall asleep! One girl actually started to get annoyed at the lack of audience participation and voiced it rather loud at any moment she got! Good on ya love!!
I pogo'd to Primary, and landed on some poor blokes foot behind me, I apologised yet again! Cure fans are so nice! At any other gig, I most likely would've been punched in the face to be quite frank! But then I go to alot of punk gigs etc.. so perhapes it has something to do with that?!
I mentioned to kissing. that I would most likely 'tear-up' at some point during the gig, and yep.. true to form, I did have a cry! There's something about EOTDGS that just turns on my water works! I then had to worry about my make-up running! Being a woman sucks sometimes!! If Only We Could Sleep also produced some salty wetness! And Push too now I come to think of it...
I got so hot and sweaty and felt so old, as my pogoing really took it outta me... I'm really not fit enough to be doing that stuff anymore! But at least I wasn't farting! Someone near me had a 'wind' problem and as I'm super sensitive to things like that... I found that a tad unpleaseant!
Basically I was in my own little heaven, I felt so close to the stage that it seemed so intimate... I was grinning so damned much that my face was sore the next morning... I've no idea if Mr Smith noticed me at all, but I'm pretty sure that Mr Gallup did, as one of my pictures, he's looking straight at me, and I believe he smiled at me too at one point!! But then, he could've been looking at anyone, and it's just wishful thinking on my part!! Mr gallup was very good at standing to the crowd, for photo op's! I noticed too that Mr Thompson was in 'the zone' for several songs and was playing with his eyes closed... so wonderful! I'm not sure if Jason could see anyone from behind his drums, but I like to think he could see me doing the drum hits in the air... I was basically right in his line of sight... and luckily I didn't have any really tall people around me, so with the bright lights and all - it is possible they could see us in the crowd...
After it was all over, I didn't hang around to be honest, I would've liked to meet up with billee, kissing. and others. But the last tram was leaving at 11.45ish, and I had to get a cure ticket back (they took them off of us and gave us orange wristbands for the GA area), get my cloak room things and make it to the tram stop.. so I decided it best to just get the hell outta there... I didn't actually sleep until 1.30amish, then it was back up at 5.30am to begin the trip home to Tassie!
Basically, after all these years, they still put on a show to be remembered. This is the third time for me now, and I hope not the last. We shall see!!!I just need to figure out where to put my photos now!!!
Oh and sorry it was such a long post!! Please forgive any grammer/spelling errors...

[~*CherryRed*~]

Oi again!! Here are some of the photos I have managed to download... I posted the one of us girls in the gallery, but I put it in the main album bit, and not the images of you album... so sorry to the administrator, please fix it for me!?!

[vincent]

A night like this
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=qTzgfAJYaQM

Fascination Street
http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=cFksnRiD-wc

[iwannashagsimon]

Great pictures CherryRed!

Damn!  Everyone here takes great pictures. :smth001

Hope mine turn out as nice.

[~*CherryRed*~]

Great pictures CherryRed!

Damn!  Everyone here takes great pictures. :smth001

Hope mine turn out as nice.

Ah cheers there! Yep I was rather pleased with the result! I hope to see yours too! I'm sure they'll turn out fine! Also, when I went through the gate thingy (after puting my ticket into be scanned - modern technology at its best!!) No one checked my bag! I should've had my video camera with me to film it!!! DOH! But you never know with these places do you!!

[dsanchez]

Oi again!! Here are some of the photos I have managed to download... I posted the one of us girls in the gallery, but I put it in the main album bit, and not the images of you album... so sorry to the administrator, please fix it for me!?!

Abosultely awesome pics!!

I also published your show pics in the Gallery! 

[Sussex]

 

Great job you guys...!

[SadMan]

I'm a bit late on this (i only registered Tue) but I have to say Sunday night completely renewed my love of the Cure. I only really bought tickets as my wife is a recent'ish convert. I had seen them on "Bloodflowers" at the same venue and thought after 20 odd years following them it would be my last time with them. They failed to inspire me then, BUT Sunday was awesome. I cannot even begin to explain how good it is to see Porl back again, he is such a fantastic player and adds so much to the live sound. I don't usually have time for "Close to Me" but on Sunday it was a highlight, Porl added some amazing jazzy guitar breaks that gave the song so much more swing. I'd love to hear it again (any recordings?) The band played all my favourites i had an awesome seat (front row bottom tier behind the mixing desk.) I'm totally envious of all you stateside. I hope they do keep the keyboards out or to a minimum (Robert triggered some keyboard loop during Close to Me) as it makes for a much rawer Cure than has been seen for years. Shall be in the UK in April and have my fingers crossed....

[LetterToSaraElise]

I was opposite Porl, and about even with the first set of stairs down to the floor.  I could see pretty well. (Kinda where this was filmed from.  I think one of those might actually be my head! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBeOo1JPQME)
It was a shame being on my own though.  I was going nuts, mostly in the second encore.  What was with most of the people in the seats sitting down?  I was glad to be on the floor so I could dance. 

[~*CherryRed*~]

Oi you lot... I had to ask the people at the Rod Laver gig about the music played before tape(intro) began. I reckon that the music played as sort of background music (while the blokes on stage farted about doing their stuff) is perhapes from the new album? I had an inkling as I reckon it sounds heaps like that song on the Join The Dots box set called Possession. And if that is the 'new' sound for the next LP, I like it!!! Anyone else agree?