More Culture..

1) Jeff and Dick dicuss the merits of stripes and hoops 2) Chris Kay is smirking because..

3) ..of his coodabeen prize winning nibbles 4) Mae Parker mistook me for a chair - hooray!
A Day on the Green
31.10.11 - Spectrum had a day off on Saturday, so as an addendum to Mike's Week of Culture, (see Mike's Week of Culture ends in confusion below), Dick and I motored out to Croydon to meet up with Chris Kay (pic 2) and his policeman friend Jeff (pic 1) and we all piled into Chris' car and headed out to the Rochford Winery where Stevie Winwood and Steely Dan were playing. Dick had bought our tickets, largely at my behest, the day they came on sale, as I'm quite partial to both of them and figured that I probably wouldn't get another opportunity to see them on the same bill, not to mention on the same bill just down the road.
The weather was a potential issue so we came prepared for every eventuality, but as it happened it was quite warm as we arrived. A local band, Oh Mercy, was playing as we set up our seats, (Dick and I were the only people I saw with actual deck chairs), and Jeff disappeared to return with some music-enhancing beers. I kind of liked some of Oh Mercy's songs, particularly the unpredictable but organic way they were constructed, but I wasn't really paying attention to the lyrics, so I can't say if they had an agenda. (There was some discussion as to whether a band like Spectrum might've been better suited to the role of representing local content, but I could see how that might not have suited the promoters for a start).
Stevie Winwood came on and played I'm A Man first up and finished with Gimme Some Lovin' - and in between played a generous selection of material drawn mostly from Traffic and Blind Faith - with Higher Love representing his '80s output plus one (rather indifferent) new one. He disappointed some by not playing Valerie, but overall it was ninety minutes of masterful singing and playing with a sympathetic group of fine musicians (sans bassist) that left us hippies in the audience feeling sated and happy. His voice, still endowed with that distinctive natural timbre that has been his passport to commercial success, (apart from his writing, arranging and multi-instrumentality), still sounds as good as ever.
I'd heard stories about Steely Dan's last trip to Melbourne, so I was almost taken aback when Messrs Fagan and Becker came on positively jolly in the banter dept. In truth, Mr Becker's bits of banter seemed to be well travelled, but Mr Fagan's odd contributions seemed to be unnaturally effusive and completely at odds with his reputation. Musically speaking the band was faultlessly proficient and, as they did nearly the entire 'best of' Steely Dan CD that I play in between sets at Spectrum gigs, nobody could've complained about their being stingy with the repertoire. The only complaint could be that Mr Fagan's voice was worn out, so the attitude Steely Dan afficienados love so was slightly diminished, but the backing gals and the brass lines support the melodies so well that it's perhaps churlish to even mention it as a defect. I just hope it's a temporary rather than a permanent condition.
Robbo said that Stevie Winwood joined the Steelys for the encore at the Tennis Centre, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't already back in his hotel room by that stage - the night was chilly and there was rain in the offing as we pre-emptively headed back to the car park. Anyway, this night they did King Charlemagne as the first encore and then finished (I presume) with a very tasty version of The Untouchables theme that would've made Nelson Riddle proud.


5) Steely Dan plays Rikki Don't Lose That Number to the VIP lounge..