Dolly Parton Concert - Sydney 19 Feb 2014

Dolly is a legend - there's no doubt about it. Not my style of music, but the wife wanted to see her, so we both went.

The concert was very good. We had heard that she lip-synchs some or perhaps even all of it. From where we sat, we couldn't tell. If she was, she's good at it, if she wasn't, she's still got a great voice. I like to think it's the latter.

I was thrilled she did a few covers that I like - Bod Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright', Bon Jovi's 'Lay Your Hands On Me', and one of my all time favourite songs from my all time favourite band - 'Shine' by Collective Soul, of which she did a bluegrass version.

She did a couple of knock out vocal numbers with precious little or no musical accompaniment - 'Down By The Backs of the Ohio' and 'Little Sparrow'.

Of course she did some of her better known songs: 'Jolene' which I have always hated, and later in the show, 'Islands In The Stream',  'Working 9-5', and 'I Will Always Love You'.  

She did a couple of songs from her new 'Blue Smoke' album. It is interesting that during these songs, the image of her singing live wasn't projected on the giant screen - so if she was lip-synching at all, it could well have been during these songs.

She played many, many instruments during the show, including the sax, recorder, organ, guitar, banjo, harmonica and a few instruments that I have no idea what they are called. There were times when I thought she wasn't playing them because she was over-acting the action.

Dolly did the entire show - it was split into two halves with a brief intermission. She chatted a lot, sometimes a little too much, but she is such a personality that she kept the audience in the palm of her hand. She is quite a witty lady, many of the jokes being about herself, in particular about her boobs and her money.

She said she has no intention of retiring, so if she IS miming the show, she's can go on for ages.

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.

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.

    

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.

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. 

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.

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.