amberwillow

I have had some excellent rockin concert experiences, and I thought that Woodstock the 25th Anniversary would have taken the cake, untill last year when I went to the West Coast Blues and Roots Festival and so far it is definately the cake taker.

Woodstock certainly had some memorable moments, like the incredible back up of traffic that was heading in there at 3am in the morning, and the people that I met in their cars that had driven from as far as Alaska to go to the event. I am proud to have been able to evade the mud slingers, and to have jumped up on stage with Ben Lee to have a boogie with him. And as the storm rolled in at 10pm, when Rage Against The Machine were burning the US Flag while 200,000 people were chanting "F*@k you I won't do what you tell me" I knew this was a moment I would never forget.

Then the tiny little West Coast Blues in comparison, was an absolute GEM. The sun was shining, the music was funky and mellow and the people were laughing and enjoying every minute. There was nothing intense here, just joy and laughter, with dancing and good food thrown in. An excellent and dedicated GREEN TEAM has us recycling all our waste, and composting our leftover edibles. The water was free and the beer was cheap. And I loved evey minute.

I've been to plenty of Big Day Outs and Day On The Green's, but I think the most inspiring concert of all, was a little John Butler Trio concert that we stumbled across at a little place in Fremantle called The Fly. The beautiful and unique concert was a Kids Only Affair, where all adults must be accompanied by a child. There was no drinking and no smoking, and the audience were there purely to experience and appreciate the music. The most incredible moment was when John, with a tear in eye, said he could hear a pin drop between songs, and thanked the audience for helping to create a concert that was personal and genuine, when he knew that everyone there was trully LISTENING.

Thank the universe for music. Woohoo for that.