(no subject)
Ahh, melancholy.
Last night, as we all know, I took my $300 VIP package and went to Darren Hayes. Got there at 3:15 to check in for the Soundcheck. I had a ~word with Tracey (who btw, isn't the Tracey I thought she was, she's Hayes's sister. Um. Awkward.) and apologised for getting stressed out about VIP. She brushed me off pretty hardcore which was lolz.
Sooo, I lurked. The VIP's were mostly middle aged women who knew eachother from the boards. There were a couple of guys, (yes, obvs gay) and a couple of 20-somethings there with their mothers. It was really weird because at FOB I was like a novelty for having a car/liscence/ability to buy booze, but here I was the baby by at least 5 years. So that was amusing.
But with an older crowd, they were far less hysterical obviously. And being mums and me being the youngest, they kinda accepted me into my group to accept me. It was pretty sweet, really.
One person worth mentioning was a lady called Shayne. I used to talk to her on the Darren Hayes BBS before Spin came out in 2002. We were like the Team Perth of that era, we even had a thread begging Darren to come to Perth when he announced his tour and it was mentioned in some paper and I felt super cool because it was my thread. It's strange because about a week ago, I was thinking about her. We used to talk quite a lot and she'd talk about her two really disabled kids and how they loved Darren; which made me wonder how she was and how her kids were doing.
But when I got there, I realised there was a woman with her disabled son waiting with the VIP crowd. Of course, it turned out to be her. Later when I wasn't so nervous, I talked to her about Back in The Day and I'm not really sure she remembered me as much as she said, mostly because I refused to tell her my DHBBS username (lol Hannahdarren) but that's not important. It was really strange to know I was thinking about her and suddenly bam! she's there in front of me. She was really sweet too, very enthusiastic and had such a nice energy. It was really something to meet her.
Anyway, Soundcheck happened. Duh, it wasn't a real soundcheck, we could hear them soundchecking the whole time we were in the lobby. Then we went in and the techies were still mucking around a bit but they were obviously like 98% done so Darren did some ~stand up comedy~ about Perth being the "Gateway to the wilderness" and pointed his mum out to us all, pretended to get text messages, drank some tea (ROCKSTAH), covered Holiday and Get Together by Madonna and Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana wtf. He said he wanted to do Prince too but they didn't let him. He performed like three songs pretty much beginning to end, goofed around with his backup people and then announced that he was "Soundchecked" and that was that.
So we went to the (A)lure bar in Burswood after more milling around for the reception.
This is where I have two cents to put in.
The concept of this part was amazing. The 30-odd VIP's were taken to a private room, given two drinks vouchers each. The private room was big enough to be ~intimate~ but spacey because you didn't really know anyone.
So everyone had a couple of drinks, few entree nibbly things and finally felt more at ease with fellow VIP's. I talked to the token Tourer. I love that every band/act has someone who's doing the whole tour, I really do. Music and shows were discussed. An iPod in the corner played demo versions and unreleased songs (including Last Christmas by Savage Garden *tear*). I sat across from Hayes's mother and bought her a drink because the tab system failed and Tracey had disappeared and she had no money on her. We talked about Disneyland and Universal studios and Perth. She was a nice lady, really hardcore Australian. She told me she loves my name and said she wanted to name a daughter "Hannah" :P lol, Darren should have been a Hannah. That made my inner fangirl v. happy.
Hayes's mother asked about my Cobra ring and I explained it was the mascot of my favourite band and that said band had a great affinity with the 80's like Darren does. She laughed and asked the band name and it was sweet. I said the ring was sharp and someone said "Ohhh don't get on the wrong side of Hannah!" to which Tracey gave me a ~look and said "I already did that last night." and laughed. But yunno, she bought me a drink to pay me back for the Hayesmother drink. It was really just kind of cool to be hanging out in that setting. Tracey also told us where they were staying (Hayes and his people in different hotels, random.) and that they were going to Telethon straight after the show and flying out first thing today.
The thing that detracted was that about an hour into the reception, Tracey announced loudly that Meet & Greeters were to go with her to meet Darren. The total number turned out to be like 15. If we recall there were about 30 VIP's so the atmosphere when they'd left definitely took a dip. It really sort of upsets me that he couldn't've come and just stood around in the VIP room for 15 minutes and said hi to everyone instead of doing a pretentious sign and photograph. That would have really made it exceptional...
I found an ATM that dispensed $100 bills to my amazement.
ON to the show. I will skip the atrocious amount of money I spent on Merch but including my VIP merch, I got a ~Special Edition~ album (velvety mmm), buttons, a messenger bag, a T-shirt, an autographed program, playing cards like in the Words clip, a diary and the USB drive with a live show on it. Somuchmerrrch.
While we were waiting to go in, I started talking to this guy who was 20-something, straight, punkyalternativeydressed and a boy. WTF. He'd won M&G and was all starstruck and giggly, it was so beyond adorable. Apparently his girlfriend refused to go with him because "it was too wussy" Bahahaha. He was sweet. He was going to come to Telethon with me to try meet Hayes but his girlfriend picked him up. He got my number for some reason. *frowns* That doesn't make sense.
Anyway, on with the acts:
- Simon Kelly - Aw, he was like a little baby John Butler Trio dude. He was even from Fremantle. I loved his sense of humour, he was all "I'm uh. gunna play for about 20 more minutes. then you'll sit here in the semi-dark for about half an hour and then Darren Hayes'll come out and uh. yeah." Very cute.
I'm kind of disappointed though, all the East coast shows get the girl from Bachelor Girl in her new band and jelissss. I fricking love Bachelor Girl. <3
- - Darren Hayes - Ohhhh Darren. I'm at a loss to describe how many millions of things I felt when I saw him. Everything from complete and utter fangirlish devotion to bitterness to desperation and back to complete joy. For so long, he's been this force when I look back at 1997-2002 that brought me my friend Adilee, that brought me Erin (for better and worse), the epic fanletter I sat down at my desk and wrote on my 14th birthday, that brought me competely frustrating and sad moments in highschool, my first ever concert, the day they broke up and I sat in the park with Scout and cried, the first time I heard Crash & Burn, the day Dad was driving past the Blue House on West Coast Highway and the DJ on the radio said their new album Affirmation was due out before Christmas and I said to him "I only want that for Christmas and nothing else", the cake we made with "SG" on it for Creative and Performing Arts at school, the first time I played the Insatiable single in my kitchen with Hilary sitting at the table. I could go on for hours. It's just something that's always been there. Always. And he was there and I just don't even know what I'd say to him but I wanted to try.
The set was pretty epic. There was a bridge that was wheeled out over the crowd at one point. Not that the Theatre was anywhere near full, more like a third. Part of the background wheeled out and expanded into a giant paper crane.
The part that broke my heart was when he did The Best Thing, complete with a projection of the enormous "SG" circle from the Affirmation World Tour. His backup singers stood on the bridge, back to back like the epic silhouette from the start of every show. They projected the red, yellow and orange lighting they'd had for TBT, but it didn't flash and dance like the real lights did which was poignant. It's a two dimensional substitute for how it used to be. And then when I was teary and emo enough about the demise of Savage Garden, they projected a massive image of Darren and Daniel, backs to the camera, facing out over a crowd with their arms around eachother, doing victory signs and I cried so hard. The girl next to me put her arm around me and told me not to cry and I just kept crying because I'm a gigantic loser.
Emoness aside. The setlist itself was pretty amazing. 23 songs, only three were Savage Garden (The Best Thing, Affirmation (UGH COMPLETE WITH THIS STUPID BRIDGE OF "I MIGHT BE RIGHT, I MIGHT BE WRONG" EVERY FUCKING CHORUS/BREAK STFU, WE GET IT. I did Affirmation Hands because at my Affirmation tour date back in like 2000/2001, he looked right at me and gestured to put my hands up like affirmation hands and yeeeeah. There were three lots of Affirmation hands. Fail, guys) and I Want You). Most of the stuff was from the new album with one from Spin, three from The Tension and The Spark.
Bahaha, I ripped off the setlist, despite being in the second row. I was eyeing it up for the last two songs, nobody even realised what it was. *adds to collection*
Oh and disappointingly, no old Hayes trick of pulling someone up on stage. :( I was willing to do anything to be that person. *eyeroll*
Aw, I really like The Future Holds a Lion's Heart, it had some weirdass choreography though.
Very weird.
I have no idea what song this was but lol choreography again.
I see your tieholder, Hayes you nerrrrd <3 Also, note the chicky backup singer. That's Anna-Maria LaSpina (sp?), she's been backup singing for SG/Hayes literally since 1998 or so. She's in the Break me Shake me clip with the girl who wound up forming Aneiki. I thought she was meant to have a ~solo career~ now but apparently not!
O I C U KEYTARRRRRRR. IS THAT YOU VICKY-T BB?
After I realised it was over and I had to go home, I made the snap(ish) descision to go to Telethon and keep trying to encounter The Man Himself. I really shouldn't've. I got caught up in the bullshit freeway crap around the Cattle Shed Convention Centre, before clocking in to parking about 11:45pm. I swear as I drove past the Sheraton, I saw The Husband cross the road in front of my car from a minibus though, I did a double take. I should've sped up and hit him, then Hayes would have had to have a conversation with me. KIDDING. I had no idea where to gooo and after wandering around randomly asking Convention Centre staff when Darren Hayes was coming and getting nowhere, I called it quits. Mostly because I could feel myself getting more and more distressed and was not up for a Childhood Idol breakdown in the Convention Centre at midnight during Telethon. So I went back to the carpark to find I'd lost my parking ticket. So I had to pay $26 to get back out. $26 for 20-ish minutes of parking. So I got into my car and criiiiiiiiied because yeah. emotional day right?
To cap it all off, on the way home my petrol light came on. WTF I HAVE A PETROL LIGHT? Apparently so. and it came on. So I had to stop at like 12:30pm at a gas station, VIP lanyard around my neck and fucked up eyeliner/mascara. Eyeroll.
My theory about the more you put into a concert the more you get out was quite tested with this show. For Fall Out Boy, I put time, energy, love, money and friendship into the day and what a fucking day that was. Last night I put in old love, begrudging money and the bare minimum time needed. I think it was reflected by my complete melancholy about it this morning. I just wanted to know he knew for a second that I existed. And I'm really hurting that I didn't get that chance. Sure, I could have staked out the stage doors. I could have stalked his sister/mother and sucked up to them. I could have staked out his hotel. I could have stalked him to the airport. But I didn't because. seriously. I do find that disgusting. I'm a bit pleased that even though I was crying to my mum 12 hours ago that I didn't meet him, I didn't do anything creepy and stalkery to do so. I even donated frickin' $20 to Telethon when I went to try and see him at Telethon as a ~Karmic offering~.
I don't know. It's really hard to describe (she says, writing a 5 page LJ entry about it). I really need to go back to the place where I was before this show/VIP/meet&greet stuff was an issue. And to go back to thinking about how awesome TAI/Cobra night was, and how random FOB was, and how it's 2 weeks and 4 days until I go to Brisbane to see the Killers and just over a month until I go to Melbourne/Sydney to see My Chem. Because that's more what I'm about now than this stuff.
And if you read all of that? You're a fucking champ. And I owe you money/gifts/cookies/Gabes.
I'm flocking because I don't know. I just am.
Last night, as we all know, I took my $300 VIP package and went to Darren Hayes. Got there at 3:15 to check in for the Soundcheck. I had a ~word with Tracey (who btw, isn't the Tracey I thought she was, she's Hayes's sister. Um. Awkward.) and apologised for getting stressed out about VIP. She brushed me off pretty hardcore which was lolz.
Sooo, I lurked. The VIP's were mostly middle aged women who knew eachother from the boards. There were a couple of guys, (yes, obvs gay) and a couple of 20-somethings there with their mothers. It was really weird because at FOB I was like a novelty for having a car/liscence/ability to buy booze, but here I was the baby by at least 5 years. So that was amusing.
But with an older crowd, they were far less hysterical obviously. And being mums and me being the youngest, they kinda accepted me into my group to accept me. It was pretty sweet, really.
One person worth mentioning was a lady called Shayne. I used to talk to her on the Darren Hayes BBS before Spin came out in 2002. We were like the Team Perth of that era, we even had a thread begging Darren to come to Perth when he announced his tour and it was mentioned in some paper and I felt super cool because it was my thread. It's strange because about a week ago, I was thinking about her. We used to talk quite a lot and she'd talk about her two really disabled kids and how they loved Darren; which made me wonder how she was and how her kids were doing.
But when I got there, I realised there was a woman with her disabled son waiting with the VIP crowd. Of course, it turned out to be her. Later when I wasn't so nervous, I talked to her about Back in The Day and I'm not really sure she remembered me as much as she said, mostly because I refused to tell her my DHBBS username (lol Hannahdarren) but that's not important. It was really strange to know I was thinking about her and suddenly bam! she's there in front of me. She was really sweet too, very enthusiastic and had such a nice energy. It was really something to meet her.
Anyway, Soundcheck happened. Duh, it wasn't a real soundcheck, we could hear them soundchecking the whole time we were in the lobby. Then we went in and the techies were still mucking around a bit but they were obviously like 98% done so Darren did some ~stand up comedy~ about Perth being the "Gateway to the wilderness" and pointed his mum out to us all, pretended to get text messages, drank some tea (ROCKSTAH), covered Holiday and Get Together by Madonna and Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana wtf. He said he wanted to do Prince too but they didn't let him. He performed like three songs pretty much beginning to end, goofed around with his backup people and then announced that he was "Soundchecked" and that was that.
So we went to the (A)lure bar in Burswood after more milling around for the reception.
This is where I have two cents to put in.
The concept of this part was amazing. The 30-odd VIP's were taken to a private room, given two drinks vouchers each. The private room was big enough to be ~intimate~ but spacey because you didn't really know anyone.
So everyone had a couple of drinks, few entree nibbly things and finally felt more at ease with fellow VIP's. I talked to the token Tourer. I love that every band/act has someone who's doing the whole tour, I really do. Music and shows were discussed. An iPod in the corner played demo versions and unreleased songs (including Last Christmas by Savage Garden *tear*). I sat across from Hayes's mother and bought her a drink because the tab system failed and Tracey had disappeared and she had no money on her. We talked about Disneyland and Universal studios and Perth. She was a nice lady, really hardcore Australian. She told me she loves my name and said she wanted to name a daughter "Hannah" :P lol, Darren should have been a Hannah. That made my inner fangirl v. happy.
Hayes's mother asked about my Cobra ring and I explained it was the mascot of my favourite band and that said band had a great affinity with the 80's like Darren does. She laughed and asked the band name and it was sweet. I said the ring was sharp and someone said "Ohhh don't get on the wrong side of Hannah!" to which Tracey gave me a ~look and said "I already did that last night." and laughed. But yunno, she bought me a drink to pay me back for the Hayesmother drink. It was really just kind of cool to be hanging out in that setting. Tracey also told us where they were staying (Hayes and his people in different hotels, random.) and that they were going to Telethon straight after the show and flying out first thing today.
The thing that detracted was that about an hour into the reception, Tracey announced loudly that Meet & Greeters were to go with her to meet Darren. The total number turned out to be like 15. If we recall there were about 30 VIP's so the atmosphere when they'd left definitely took a dip. It really sort of upsets me that he couldn't've come and just stood around in the VIP room for 15 minutes and said hi to everyone instead of doing a pretentious sign and photograph. That would have really made it exceptional...
I found an ATM that dispensed $100 bills to my amazement.
ON to the show. I will skip the atrocious amount of money I spent on Merch but including my VIP merch, I got a ~Special Edition~ album (velvety mmm), buttons, a messenger bag, a T-shirt, an autographed program, playing cards like in the Words clip, a diary and the USB drive with a live show on it. Somuchmerrrch.
While we were waiting to go in, I started talking to this guy who was 20-something, straight, punkyalternativeydressed and a boy. WTF. He'd won M&G and was all starstruck and giggly, it was so beyond adorable. Apparently his girlfriend refused to go with him because "it was too wussy" Bahahaha. He was sweet. He was going to come to Telethon with me to try meet Hayes but his girlfriend picked him up. He got my number for some reason. *frowns* That doesn't make sense.
Anyway, on with the acts:
- Simon Kelly - Aw, he was like a little baby John Butler Trio dude. He was even from Fremantle. I loved his sense of humour, he was all "I'm uh. gunna play for about 20 more minutes. then you'll sit here in the semi-dark for about half an hour and then Darren Hayes'll come out and uh. yeah." Very cute.
I'm kind of disappointed though, all the East coast shows get the girl from Bachelor Girl in her new band and jelissss. I fricking love Bachelor Girl. <3
- - Darren Hayes - Ohhhh Darren. I'm at a loss to describe how many millions of things I felt when I saw him. Everything from complete and utter fangirlish devotion to bitterness to desperation and back to complete joy. For so long, he's been this force when I look back at 1997-2002 that brought me my friend Adilee, that brought me Erin (for better and worse), the epic fanletter I sat down at my desk and wrote on my 14th birthday, that brought me competely frustrating and sad moments in highschool, my first ever concert, the day they broke up and I sat in the park with Scout and cried, the first time I heard Crash & Burn, the day Dad was driving past the Blue House on West Coast Highway and the DJ on the radio said their new album Affirmation was due out before Christmas and I said to him "I only want that for Christmas and nothing else", the cake we made with "SG" on it for Creative and Performing Arts at school, the first time I played the Insatiable single in my kitchen with Hilary sitting at the table. I could go on for hours. It's just something that's always been there. Always. And he was there and I just don't even know what I'd say to him but I wanted to try.
The set was pretty epic. There was a bridge that was wheeled out over the crowd at one point. Not that the Theatre was anywhere near full, more like a third. Part of the background wheeled out and expanded into a giant paper crane.
The part that broke my heart was when he did The Best Thing, complete with a projection of the enormous "SG" circle from the Affirmation World Tour. His backup singers stood on the bridge, back to back like the epic silhouette from the start of every show. They projected the red, yellow and orange lighting they'd had for TBT, but it didn't flash and dance like the real lights did which was poignant. It's a two dimensional substitute for how it used to be. And then when I was teary and emo enough about the demise of Savage Garden, they projected a massive image of Darren and Daniel, backs to the camera, facing out over a crowd with their arms around eachother, doing victory signs and I cried so hard. The girl next to me put her arm around me and told me not to cry and I just kept crying because I'm a gigantic loser.
Emoness aside. The setlist itself was pretty amazing. 23 songs, only three were Savage Garden (The Best Thing, Affirmation (UGH COMPLETE WITH THIS STUPID BRIDGE OF "I MIGHT BE RIGHT, I MIGHT BE WRONG" EVERY FUCKING CHORUS/BREAK STFU, WE GET IT. I did Affirmation Hands because at my Affirmation tour date back in like 2000/2001, he looked right at me and gestured to put my hands up like affirmation hands and yeeeeah. There were three lots of Affirmation hands. Fail, guys) and I Want You). Most of the stuff was from the new album with one from Spin, three from The Tension and The Spark.
Bahaha, I ripped off the setlist, despite being in the second row. I was eyeing it up for the last two songs, nobody even realised what it was. *adds to collection*
Oh and disappointingly, no old Hayes trick of pulling someone up on stage. :( I was willing to do anything to be that person. *eyeroll*
Aw, I really like The Future Holds a Lion's Heart, it had some weirdass choreography though.
Very weird.
I have no idea what song this was but lol choreography again.
I see your tieholder, Hayes you nerrrrd <3 Also, note the chicky backup singer. That's Anna-Maria LaSpina (sp?), she's been backup singing for SG/Hayes literally since 1998 or so. She's in the Break me Shake me clip with the girl who wound up forming Aneiki. I thought she was meant to have a ~solo career~ now but apparently not!
O I C U KEYTARRRRRRR. IS THAT YOU VICKY-T BB?
After I realised it was over and I had to go home, I made the snap(ish) descision to go to Telethon and keep trying to encounter The Man Himself. I really shouldn't've. I got caught up in the bullshit freeway crap around the Cattle Shed Convention Centre, before clocking in to parking about 11:45pm. I swear as I drove past the Sheraton, I saw The Husband cross the road in front of my car from a minibus though, I did a double take. I should've sped up and hit him, then Hayes would have had to have a conversation with me. KIDDING. I had no idea where to gooo and after wandering around randomly asking Convention Centre staff when Darren Hayes was coming and getting nowhere, I called it quits. Mostly because I could feel myself getting more and more distressed and was not up for a Childhood Idol breakdown in the Convention Centre at midnight during Telethon. So I went back to the carpark to find I'd lost my parking ticket. So I had to pay $26 to get back out. $26 for 20-ish minutes of parking. So I got into my car and criiiiiiiiied because yeah. emotional day right?
To cap it all off, on the way home my petrol light came on. WTF I HAVE A PETROL LIGHT? Apparently so. and it came on. So I had to stop at like 12:30pm at a gas station, VIP lanyard around my neck and fucked up eyeliner/mascara. Eyeroll.
My theory about the more you put into a concert the more you get out was quite tested with this show. For Fall Out Boy, I put time, energy, love, money and friendship into the day and what a fucking day that was. Last night I put in old love, begrudging money and the bare minimum time needed. I think it was reflected by my complete melancholy about it this morning. I just wanted to know he knew for a second that I existed. And I'm really hurting that I didn't get that chance. Sure, I could have staked out the stage doors. I could have stalked his sister/mother and sucked up to them. I could have staked out his hotel. I could have stalked him to the airport. But I didn't because. seriously. I do find that disgusting. I'm a bit pleased that even though I was crying to my mum 12 hours ago that I didn't meet him, I didn't do anything creepy and stalkery to do so. I even donated frickin' $20 to Telethon when I went to try and see him at Telethon as a ~Karmic offering~.
I don't know. It's really hard to describe (she says, writing a 5 page LJ entry about it). I really need to go back to the place where I was before this show/VIP/meet&greet stuff was an issue. And to go back to thinking about how awesome TAI/Cobra night was, and how random FOB was, and how it's 2 weeks and 4 days until I go to Brisbane to see the Killers and just over a month until I go to Melbourne/Sydney to see My Chem. Because that's more what I'm about now than this stuff.
And if you read all of that? You're a fucking champ. And I owe you money/gifts/cookies/Gabes.
I'm flocking because I don't know. I just am.