Dipping into the Blogpond

Have you ever had a random encounter with someone that makes you wonder “what makes them tick”? I had such an encounter last night, when we had the good fortune to the Eric Clapton concert at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

I was seated next to a woman who would have been in her late 40’s. She was very well dressed, impeccably accessorised, with blond bobbed hair and not a hair out of place. The kind of woman you would expect to see lunching at Double Bay or Toorak. She stonily viewed the concert, not smiling with her arms either crossed or placed in her lap (at least we didn’t play armrest tussle). I think I saw her begrudgingly clap twice, around 5 meeting of the hands each time. She did not stand during the first ovation. I wondered if she had been dragged to the concert by her partner.

All this changed when Eric came back out on stage. He launched into the opening of “Cocaine” and this woman came to life! I swear she sat forward in her seat, she clapped her hands with delight (you know – in front of her face like a two year old at Christmas) and a broad smile crossed her face. Perhaps she would have been better suited at a J.J. Cale concert, but I suspect that I discovered what made this woman tick….

The evening began with a quick Japanese and Korean Buffet – a bit over 50 bucks for two (with juice) – a little rich for a few spring rolls & fried noodles. You’ll be thankful I didn’t have a camera, so I couldn’t do a John Chow (it wouldn’t have been pretty).

The concert was excellent. The opening act was a woman by the name of Mia Dyson who I hadn’t heard of before – interesting voice very throaty, like a combination of Melissa Etheridge, Tracy Chapman & Janis Joplin. Thought it would be good if she’d done a cover, as I don’t think her original songs were well known.

Eric Clapton has surrounded himself with the most amazing musicians. A lot of them were particularly “vintage”, but the sound was incredible. I found myself contrasting the Elton John concert, where the sound was simply not that great – in a purist type of a way, if that makes any sense – and I think he had to belt the songs out to be heard over the backing musicians. But EJ certainly had bounds of energy, played for 3 hours straight, sang lots of old favs and simply rocked the joint.

After the concert we walked through Darling Harbour back to the Casino where we had parked. It was a particularly balmy night – probably 27 degrees Celsius and really humid. We stopped at a bar for a drink and to rest my weary feet (the walk is not recommended in 3 inch stilettos)!

I ducked into the ladies before leaving and have to say I’m amazed at the items you can buy in a vending machine these days! The usual “feminine products” and those for the “safety” conscious, but also a two pack of breath freshening lollies, Lip gloss and perfume. As my husband says – it gives “Eau de Toilet” a whole new meaning!

All in all a terrific evening.