Tuesday 3 December 2013

Justin Bieber Sydney concert review


Before I start, I will preface this by saying I am a father of a teenage daughter. I went to the show because I was lumbered with an extra ticket I couldn’t sell, so I decided to go and see if Bieber could make me a Belieber.

I’ll get straight to the point – the show was pretty good, and a lot better than I expected.

With Bieber, you either love him or you hate him. Frankly I can’t understand why so many people hate him other than that it is fashionable to do so. Which is a pretty shallow reason if you ask me. That’s why I was quite prepared to watch the show.

The concert was at Allphones Arena in Sydney’s Homebush. I went to the Friday evening concert 29 November 2013. Quite a good concert hall, except the upstairs levels have a very narrow entrance and exit, which must be an emergency escape hazard.

The opening act was Cody Simpson. I’ve been to many shows and the opening act usually plays to halls less than half full. However, for Simpson, it was just about full – he seems to be almost as popular as Bieber.


The teenage girls around me screamed like there was no tomorrow. The one directly behind me, I was sure, was going to squeal up an organ. And I’m glad I didn’t wear a onesie – they are so early 2013.



As for Cody Simpson, well I would have preferred Homer Simpson, or even Jessica Simpson. He was not a patch on Bieber. Admittedly he is somewhat younger and perhaps has a lot of development before he can aspire to such heights.

He has an unusual stage persona. Never did he smile. It was as though he revelled in his dark and mysterious character, and given that he is a blonde haired pretty boy, it just didn’t wash with me. But who am I to argue – he’s worth a fortune, I’m not.

Simpson only had a lead guitarist and a drummer as his musicians. Sometimes he played guitar as well. Obviously a lot of the show was backed my pre-recorded music – but who doesn’t do that these days? Two dancers were on stage with him.

He did a set of about 45 minutes. The girls loved it. I thought his songs were a bit insipid.

Before Justin’s show began, above the stage was a static image of a Justin Bieber logo. A couple of times it showed an Adidas ad with Bieber in it, and the girls started screaming all over again. At one point, without notice, the screen roared into life and became a countdown to when the show started – beginning at 10 minutes. This whipped the girls into a frenzy. As each minute counted down, the screams became louder. It was with about 30 seconds to go that I managed to move to a seat away form squealing girls – a brilliant move on my part allowing me to enjoy the show for what it was worth, rather than being influenced or affected by screaming teenage fanatics.

Justin Bieber was reportedly 45 minutes late for this show. However, he seemed to take the stage on time.


I admit I don’t know many of his songs, but most were catchy and enjoyable. My ears strained for any semblance of rock n roll – a strong guitar riff here, a belting drum there, and I was pleasantly rewarded. His musicians were very good. Even pop stars can have good lead guitarists and drummers.

Bieber is obviously an accomplished musician himself as he played guitar, piano and did an impressive drum solo. He also danced up a storm.

The show was choreographed to the minute detail, and the back up dancers and performers did a good job. Bieber used all parts of a multi level stage and the catwalk that extended into the crowd, including bouncing up from under the stage on a couple of occasions.

One of the highlights was when he brought a girl on stage to sing ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ to her.

Bieber came out later in the show without a shirt, looking very buff. He is obviously very fit and I’m sure the girls enjoyed every bit of it.

His final song was the one I’m most familiar with, ‘Baby’.

Would I see Justin Bieber again? No. Was I glad I went to see him once in my life? Yes.


Wednesday 13 November 2013

OneRepublic Concert - Sydney 12 Nov 2013


OneRepublic did their only Sydney concert on Tuesday 12 November 2013 at The Star (Casino).

Let me first talk about the venue - The Star, formerly know as the Star Casino in Pyrmont.

The entry system was a shambles. Teenagers might be used to confusion at concert entrances, but not seasoned concert goers. The staff didn't know when the doors opened, they couldn't direct people properly, they led people along paths that only gave other people the opportunity to queue jump. The tickets said '7pm'. Normally that means the show starts at 7pm. This time it meant the doors opened at 7pm. Actually, they opened 10 minutes late. Zero out of 10 for the venue front-of-house.

The opening act was a young female singer with three musicians. She was apparently a contestant from one of the series of The Voice, but I didn't recognise her. She was quite good with a melodic voice but was very awkward when trying to connect with the audience.

OneRepublic were sublime. They gave an absolute powerhouse performance, especially front man Ryan Tedder. He has an incredible voice that seems to have no limits. He is also quite a personality on stage, knowing how much is just enough to speak. He is also a brilliant musician, playing several key instruments during the performance. And a great song writer as well.

The other members of the band did their job perfectly.

This was a faultless performance. No overblown light show. Just the right mix of acoustic numbers and driving rock. A good mix of new numbers as well as their popular radio hits, including my favourites Stop And Stare and Something I Need.

The sound quality was quite good. Even at the loudest moments, there was little distortion.

I would also like to mention The Star's attitude towards people's wellbeing.

No food or drink was allowed in the venue - not even water. But you could buy drink in there, including beer in plastic cups. Before OneRepublic came on, some security guards were throwing water bottles out to the front of the mosh pit. So if you were a tall male at the very front you were hydrated. Several young girls fainted during the night. What's the point of not letting people bring in fluids, even water, when you can buy them in there, and also throwing them to the audience (a safety risk in itself)? This is a policy that should be reviewed urgently, but I'm sure will be ignored.  

The venue - a big fail. OneRepublic - excellent.

    

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Rebel Run Sydney review



The Rebel Run Sydney was held on Sunday 27 October 2013 at Homebush in Sydney.

The event was previously known as the Run4Fun, and is a sister event to the huge City2Surf.

The change of name coincides with a change of format. Previously it was just a 10km race, but from 2013 it became a choice of three races - a Half Marathon, 10km and a 3km.

I entered the 10km race, which I have done every year since its inception for all but one year.

The run takes place in Sydney's Homebush Olympic Precinct, which is a very flat course and that encourages you to do a PB. The only problem is that it is late in the season and seems to take place on a warm day every year, making that PB a bit more difficult. This year it was a week earlier than previous years, being on the last Sunday in October rather than the first Sunday in November.

The race itself is very well organised. You'd expect them to know what they were doing if they can run the City2Surf.

The 10km race was the last to start, and was scheduled for an 8.30am gun. However there was a delay. The announcer said he was waiting for clearance from the race director. At about 8.40am, he said there was an incident on the half marathon course that was causing the delay.

While I believe that someone's health comes first, they need to anticipate and work around incidents. A late race is not a good race. People time their supplements to release at certain points and a delay will disrupt this. Also, it was a warm and sunny morning and we were waiting at the starting line in the heat.

As I said, the course is very flat. However for someone like me who is a plodder these days, there are gentle rises throughout the course that I might not have worried about several years ago, but these days I feel every step of the way. I'm not complaining - that's all part of the joy and challenge of running.

Being in the Olympic precinct means there are vey few spectators cheering along the way, which is a bit of a shame, but in a way the solitude is humbling.

The highlight, and probably the big drawcard for most people, is that fact that the finish line is inside the ANZ Stadium, the same stadium where the Olympic events occurred and other sporting events take place, such as the NRL Grand Final. It's a rare opportunity to run into a stadium, albeit it is almost empty (see picture above). You enter the stadium following the famous blue line that the Olympic Marathoners followed in 2000 and have about a 100 metre dash to the finish line. It's not much but it's certainly a memorable highlight.

I like this race, hence I try to do it every year. I think its popularity is growing, and the break up of the races should help build its popularity in the coming years. I certainly hope so.








Sunday 20 October 2013

Woolworths Kingsgrove - new store





The Woolworths store at Kingsgrove in Sydney's South opened last Thursday, 17 October 1013.

It's a brand new store and one of which Woolworths seems to be very proud. So I thought I'd check it out. 

While it has its good points, it seems there are a few bugs that need to be ironed out, particularly in staff training. 

Let's start with the good points. 

The aisles are fairly wide and short. It is well lit. The fridges have doors on them to keep products fresher (see pic 3 above). The butchery looks good.

Now, the not so good points.

Staff didn't seem to mind blocking aisles with trolleys. The staff member who put the trolly in the middle of the walkway in picture 2 saw me approaching, but did nothing to move the trolley. He left it there for the duration of my visit - approx 15 minutes. 

Staff also didn't mind walking in front of customers. In my opinion, a customer ALWAYS has the right of way.

Staff didn't pay customers much attention. I was virtually ignored the entire time I was there, whether it was by staff behind serving counters or ones stocking shelves. A polite recognition of the customer goes a long way towards good customer service.

The much heralded stock was a bit disappointing. For example, they boasted a pizza bar. It turned out to be nothing more than the usual Woollies pizzas. 

It appeared they had TOO MUCH space. Some aisles were doubled up with stock, and there was a fridge with lots of nearly out of date flavoured milk. 

The worsts thing for me was at the checkout. I used the self service. A product that was on the shelves as being on special scanned at the full price. I complained to the staff member who said I had to scan my 'loyalty card' (she should have called it the 'Everyday Rewards Card'). I pointed out to her that the item was on general sale, not just for those with a card. She found it difficult to believe and I showed her the shelf sign, which supported my point. There was no apology, no acknowledgement of error, nothing. I chose not to purchase the item, although by rights, under supermarket practice (but not law) they are obliged to give me the item for free.

In conclusion, I was hoping for something a little bit special with the new store, but I was left disappointed. 








Sunday 13 October 2013

Southern Sydney Volunteer Expo at Hurstville

The Southern Sydney Volunteer Expo was held at the Hurstville Entertainment Centre on Thursday 10 October 2013.

Around 50 stalls were manned by not-for-profit organisations from the St George and Sutherland area.

Each was offering places for the services of volunteers.

Some well-known organisations were present, such as Red Cross, the Cancer Council and Rotary, as well as some lesser known groups, including Hammondcare and Sydney Alliance.

It is indeed an honourable thing to volunteer your services to assist the less fortunate in our society. And the expo was an excellent opportunity to get a glimpse into the groups in the local area in need of voluntary assistance. Many of them receive no government funding, such as the group assisting people with Parkinson's Disease.

The event was run by Keystone - an organisation that promotes volunteering in the area.

Many of the stall holders were keen to chat to passersby, keen to recruit the services of new volunteers.

Others were happy to allow people to pass by without even making eye contact. I understand many of these people were probably volunteers themselves, but they let a potentially valuable resource slip through their fingers.

Each group had plenty of communication for people to take away, such as leaflets and brochures, and some had the ubiquitous lollies and freebies to attract you to their table.

The Hurstville Entertainment Centre is certainly showing its age. I remember going to functions there in the 1960s and it appears nothing has changed. One of the problems the auditorium has is acoustics. For a function such as an expo, it is too noisy. A few hundred people in the room trying to talk at the same time made it very difficult to hear people, especially those who were physically unable to speak loudly.

I left my contact details with a few organisations. I'll be interested to see who contacts me and how long it takes.

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Sydney Kings NBL Fan Day Darling Harbour



The Sydney Kings basketball team in the Australian/New Zealand NBL, held their fan day on Sunday 6 October at Darling Harbour.

All players on the roster were present, as was coach Shane Heal.

With the first game of the 2013/14 season a week away, it was an opportune time to promote the game and the new-look team.

Several new players have joined for the season, including exciting American Guards Charles Carmouche and Jesse Sanders.  

Captain Ben Madgen is back after an excellent season in 2012/13.

On a beautiful Sydney Spring day, the event was well attended, and the kids loved meeting the players. They held mini competitions for kids, giving away a load of tickets and shirts. The players got involved and encouraged the kids to have a go.

All players were armed with pens to sign autographs, and happily chatted with fans. Some sailors, in town for the Naval celebrations, also dropped by. And the day wouldn't have been complete without the beautiful cheer girls or the Kings Lion mascot.

Nudie juices were also given away, which was greatly appreciated on such a warm day.

The Game Day was a good promotion for the Kings and the game, which doesn't enjoy the publicity it deserves. It often amazes me that overseas sports receive more media attention than our domestic basketball competition.

The first game for the Kings is on Sunday 13 October at the Sydney Entertainment Centre against the Melbourne Tigers.

Let's hope the Kings, in their 25th season, have a great year.



Wednesday 2 October 2013

Ikea Tempe store review

I visited the Ikea store at Tempe the other day for the first time. I have been to other Ikea stores, but this was my first visit to the huge Tempe outlet that opened about two years ago (Nov 2011).

Apparently it is half as big again as the Homebush store - so it's massive.

I won't comment on the quality of the products, as I don't believe I am qualified to do that.

The store itself, however is another thing.

For such a large store, most of it is very homely and well laid out, being divided into clear categories, for example 'Living Room' and 'Office'. As usual with Ikea stores, you are guided through a one way path to meander past as many products as possible. Obviously they are relying on impulse buying as much as planned purchasing. There are always short cuts if, like me, you are impatient.

The good thing about Ikea is that you rarely need staff assistance in the store. Everything is clear - what you see is what you get. The choice is huge and the quantities are enormous.

That is of course one of the marketing tricks to get you to buy. When you see large quantities of stock, you suspect that they are priced cheaply. That's not always the case at Ikea, however some things were very reasonable, namely the smaller items like kitchenware and homewares.

Ikea is famous for its innovative homewares, and the Tempe store has them in abundance.

Being school holidays, I expected the store to be crowded, but given its size, it was not as bad as expected. The busy staff kept things moving, especially at the checkouts, so the wait was not excessive.

An integral part of Ikea is the Swedish food that you can buy at the cafe, restaurant and grocery store. I have to say that none of it took my fancy - it all looks very mass-produced and unappetising, but perhaps I was just brought up on good old fashioned non-Swedish cooking. As for the famous $1 hot dogs, I'll leave them to the kids.

I had applied for and printed a temporary loyalty card, called Ikea Family, before visiting the store, however I didn't see any signs instore telling me what benefits I could enjoy once I as there.

So, Ikea Tempe - it's huge, it's fun if you like browsing interesting homewares. Skip the food unless you have low expectations.










Sunday 22 September 2013

Lions Club Spring Fair Gannons Park Peakhurst

On Sunday 22 September 2013, the Lions Club of Lugarno held their annual Spring Fair at Gannons Park, Peakhurst.

This event has grown from a small fair with a few stalls to now be the second biggest event of its kind in Sydney, the first being the Easter Show. It includes a Classic Car Show.

The weather was amazingly perfect - brilliant sunshine, which was going to guarantee a huge crowd.

It's always impossible to estimate the size of crowds at events like this - there is no single entry point, no fences, and people are coming and going all day. That said, it was easily tens of thousands who attended.

There were more stalls than last year, but seemed to be less cars in the Car Show. The food is getting better also. Last year, there was a constant queue for coffee at the lone coffee seller, but this year no fewer than five stalls sold coffee - and no queues.

The rides are always the most popular attractions and the queues for these were quite long. They catered for all ages, but mainly for toddlers and teenagers.

The local newspaper, The St George Leader, apparently let the Lions Club down somewhat with promised pre-event advertising and support. Last year, they handed out free copies of The Sun Herald but not this year.

This is one thing the event lacks - free things. You can sample some of the foods at the stalls selling pre-packaged goods, like home made jams and juices, but it would be great to have samples from some of the larger retailers or brands. Companies like Woolworths and Coles, who have a large presence in the St George area, were not at the Fair.

There was some good live entertainment. Donnie Sutherland backs up every year with his show that features kids singing and dancing. There was other live singing and dancing as well in different locations of the Fair. Plus there was a dog show, and a great sport called horse ball. Last year, some people protested against the rodeo, and so it was replaced this year, and rightly so. Also, some medieval jousting and fights kept people entertained.

One difference this year was an area serving alcohol. This was organised by Peakhurst Inn and by all reports they were thrilled with the result and will be back next year. The area was carefully managed and monitored with security and police.

The Spring Fair is a great event. It's huge and it's well organised. The Lions Club, who receive a lot of support from the associated local clubs such as the Lioness Club, should be congratulated on the event. The money raised will go to some worthy charities.

Friday 20 September 2013

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Thursday 19 September 2013

New kidney

After a five and a half year wait, a lady we know, Maureen, has just received a new kidney.

She had been on dialysis for that long, virtually tied to that machine, unable to go anywhere too far because she knows she'd need dialysis again.

It's a thrill for her family too of course.

I thank all the people who are prepared to make their organs available for transplant after they die. Only people who die after head trauma, usually a car accident, are eligible to donate live organs.

Saying you will be an organ donor on your driver's licence isn't enough. You need to register with the government.

Do it, and save lives of wonderful people like Maureen.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Reinvent Your Career Expo

I attended the Reinvent Your Career Expo at Moore Park on Sunday 8 September 2013. A two day expo, it was designed primarily for adults looking to re-enter the workforce or searching for a change of career.

There weren't many people there, and I overheard one of the exhibitors say that the previous day was even quieter. Being at Moore Park which is not too easy to get to would not have helped attendance numbers.

The cost to enter was $10 per day or $15 for two days.

The most popular stall was the careers advice team who had a queue about 20 deep throughout the 90 minutes I was there.

At the far end, speakers addressed relevant topics - about one very half hour.

I sat in on the one by Jane Jackson on 'Resumes for results'. I found Jane, a career coach, an excellent presenter and had a lot of good advice on how to write and structure your resume - one of your most valuable marketing tools when looking for a job.

Most of the stalls, or so it seemed, were colleges and universities hoping to sell courses.

There were a few employers, notably Woolworths and Anglican Aged Care, as well as the Defence Force. Battery World was promoting their franchises. I'm disappointed more companies offering franchises were not there, but I'm sure there are other more relevant expos for that.

Most of the stalls had the obligatory sweets or pens to giveaway to attract you to their stall.

As a person considering changing my career, I found the expo quite good and offered a few ideas. I was surprised most of the Sydney colleges and universities were absent. I came home with bags full of reading material to contemplate.

I can recommend the expo if you are considering a change of career.

Working at a polling booth

I worked at a polling booth in the Banks electorate on Saturday 7 September 2013 for the Federal Election. I was a polling officer, which meant I marked people's names off, or marshalled people in or out of the polling booth. Then after 6pm, I helped count votes.

It was a long day, beginning at 7.30pm and ending after 9.30pm, but I have to say i enjoyed every minute.

Most people are friendly and polite, although some people take exception to the compulsory aspect of voting, or the fact that the Electoral Office still hadn't updated their address despite them alerting the office a few weeks before the election (it's a bit late by then, my friends).

It was never too busy at the booth I was at, and people generally didn't have to wait too long to vote.

Counting was the hardest part of the day. It has to be done quickly and being after already doing about 10 hours work, meant concentration was a bit more difficult. The ballot papers had to be unfolded and sorted into first preferences, and the big senate paper was the most difficult.

I'm not suggesting it's rocket surgery, and it's not overly physically difficult. It's just tiring.

Some of the counters were not really concentrating 100%, as evident by poor counts of bundles (in one bundle of 50 I counted 52). And what one person thought were informal votes were actually acceptable. We were supposed to check on the green paper that all numbers, 1 to 7 with allowance for the eighth box to be wrong, were listed, but people were simply looking for the number 1 and putting the ballot with that pile. I'm sure a re-count would prove many people were a bit lazy.

I enjoy being part of the electoral and democratic process of our country.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Don McLean concert


I saw Don McLean last Saturday evening with my wife. It was her idea, I've never been a big fan.

The concert was at Penrith Panthers, and we stayed the night next door at the Chifley Hotel. The Club was good with lots of eating places, but I felt especially ripped off when I asked for a large coffee from the only cafe and they charged me $4.95 for one of the worst coffees I've had since I last walked out of Gloria Jeans. They tried to over-charge us in the noodle restaurant too.

The auditorium was a surprise. The seats were cramped, like school auditorium seats. Sit next to a big fella and you're in for an uncomfortable evening. No arm rests to separate the chairs. And the seats were numbered with a strip of masking tape on the ground and hand-written numbers. Incredible! At least the acoustics were good.

We had heard Don McLean was suffering some type of sickness and put in a disappointing performance the previous evening. So when he came out for our concert, the first thing he did was to explain that his throat was giving him problems and he wouldn't be able to 'belt-out' his songs. It was clear during the show that he was being reserved, holding back on the big notes. At age 67, he still sounded good, bad throat and all.

The first half of his set was mainly his slower numbers, notably 'Castles In The Sky', 'And I Love You So' and 'Starry Starry Night'. Eventually someone yelled out 'American Pie', which, let's face it, most of the people had come to hear him play. He invited the person who called it out to come and sing it since his own voice 'sucked' (McLean's description, not mine). But the audience member rightly declined, and McLean got into the song. Despite his voice, he did a great job, and the last verse made the hairs stand on end: 'And the three men I admire most/ the Father, Son and Holy Ghost/ They caught the last train for the coast / the day the music died.' What a great song.

The second half was mainly more uptempo numbers, including some Elvis songs and a great blues number.

The backing band was made up of four highly experienced musicians, probably his guys from long ago. They had it easy, simply there to be a basis for McLean to do his thing.

As a song writer, he is brilliant. His songs are devoid of cliches. Surprising rhymes and turns of phrase, musically pleasing to the ear.

He came out for one encore, singing a fun song about an apocalyptic view. 'All the people are scratchin / all over the streets / because the rabbits have nuthin to eat.' Very humorous, catchy, enjoyable.

My wife is a big fan. 'American Pie' is her all time favourite song. So she was very keen to meet him and get his autograph. So after the concert we approached the stage and asked the keyboard guy if we could get his autograph. He offered to take the book and CD backstage and get Don McLean to sign it, which he did. But we weren't satisfied. We hung around the stage door like teens at a Justin Bieber concert. After about a half an hour wait, he came out and was happy to meet us and pose for a photo.

All up, a terrific concert if you're a fan of Don McLean. I heard from the door staff that one person complained about his voice not being good, but what do you do? He was ill, and did a sterling effort. It was an honour being in the presence of a legend.

I'm back

I'm keen on posting much more often here on my blog. So check in from time to time and see what I have to say.