I finally found Rochford Wines after taking a scenic tour of the Dandenong Ranges, then suffered through an abominable traffic jam and discovered the road through the car park was particularly spongy after weeks of heavy rain
I finally found Rochford Wines after taking a scenic tour of the Dandenong Ranges, then suffered through an abominable traffic jam and discovered the road through the car park was particularly spongy after weeks of heavy rain (so by this time I was feeling a little like Indiana Jones on a quest to find the lost stars of the 1980s). I should also mention that this day was rather steamy and the puddles between cars had taken on a funky aroma that I didn’t want to carry around on my shoes all day. By the time I made it up the hill, Adalita was well through her set. This was disappointing because she was rocking, and those who had managed to navigate around mud puddles before me were well pleased with what they were seeing.
Fans of Little Red would most likely disagree with me here, but I have to say that the choice of that band for this day was a bit odd. There was a definite mix of age groups at this gig, but anyone who was there to see Blondie and The Pretenders would know that those bands were cutting-edge. Blondie particularly were at the forefront of the punk scene. Why then were a quite mainstream band chosen to support? A full-on punk band would have been more apt. Little Red were good, but couldn’t be fully appreciated because the scene wasn’t quite right.
From here on the night improved markedly and as the sun went down, Blondie took the stage. At 65-ish years old Deborah Harry was looking and sounding better than ever. It was great to hear some of the classics that shot her, and Blondie, to stardom. Happy were we to hear Union City Blues and Hangin’ On The Telephone. The packed lawns in the general admissions area were alive with fans having a brilliant time. There were so many more hits that Blondie could have performed, but for some reason they threw in new songs from a new album. I think if people were drinking bottled water the mood would have dampened at this point because punters had travelled far to see the band play the old standards. It was good then that people were onto their second or third bottle of red, and were determined to party-on.
The Pretenders closed the night, and I think I’m safe in saying they were the highlight. Chrissie belted out awesome renditions of Brass In Pocket and Don’t Get Me Wrong and somehow managed to turn the clock back almost 30 years to the time when bands were famous for more than five minutes; and for good reason.
A Day On The Green was most memorable for some very good reasons. And despite (or perhaps because of) the huge amount of wine being consumed, there was an overwhelming feeling of happiness and nostalgia (but who was that agro pratt in the Fox T-Shirt?). Hopefully next year’s lineup will be equally as good…they’ll have a lot to live up to.
Review by Sharon Brookes
