Big weekend

My big weekend started on Friday arvo when I met up with a friend in the city to participate in the Make Poverty History concert. It was a free event but a ticket was required for admission that could be won via newspaper or radio competitions. The gate was scheduled to open at 4pm and the concert didn't start till 6pm. So we thought - ok, we should start making our way to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl at 4pm to line up, that should secure us a pretty good spot. When we got there at 4pm, we couldn't see the end of the line! People must have been lining up from that morning. What's more was that we were lining up at the wrong gate and had to walk all the way to the other side of the venue and line up all over again. The sun was shining, the line wasn't moving very much and of coz our patience was wearing thin. When finally we made it to the gate and our turn for the security check (which was the last hurdle before we could actually get into the concert), the staff didn't allow us to bring water into the venue - WHAT THE!! Apparently, if the bottle had been open before, it was bound for the bin - in case people tried to smuggle alcohol into the concert.

Anyway, we finally got in and by then most of the people have settled down on the lawn and marked their "terrorities" with over-sized picnic rugs. We found our spot and relaxed. The concert got underway on time and with the long-awaited anticipation of the surprise guest set to make the stage, the atmosphere suddenly grew from lazing on the lawn to an actual rock concert. The ever-so-popular Mayor John So made an appearance and announced the official opening of the concert. The first act was really important to set the concert rocking - Pearl Jam was a huge surprise when they made it to the stage, with Bono and The Edge from U2 not far behind. They did a great duet of "Rockin' the free-world", which was a very suitable song to open the night. During the night, there were speeches in between bands, such as Tim Costello, the speakers from minor communities, inspirational speakers as well as the organisers of the night. The bands that played the night were purely of a volunteering basis and it was quite amazing to see the quality of Australian bands, there include Evermore, Eskimo Joe, John Butler Trio and Jet. The night came to a close around 11pm. One word to sum up the night - Awesome!

Saturday started with sneezing my way to awakeness and basically suffered blocked nose and swollen eyes throughout the day. I guess spending most of the sunny Friday outdoor wasn't such a good idea for a hayfever sufferer. However, this did not stop me from my weekly badminton workout and after a quick dinner, I was out with friends to a nearby karaoke. I found it extremely difficult to breathe with the blocked nose in a confined space but funny enough as the night went on, I was starting to get my nose back. And all of the sudden, I was fully awake though it was 3 in the morning.

A friend organised a BBQ for Sunday arvo, so I thought with the great weather (though a little humid), I would pop-by. I didn't know many of the people there, but it was nice to catch up with the people I haven't seen for awhile. We kicked around with a soccer ball a bit and also played a game which basically was a fusion of netball and rugby but with a frisbee. It was fun... and very tiring!! Unfortunately, I had to leave early to make my way to the city for the much anticipated U2 concert that night.

U2 2006 Vertigo tour was suppse to be in Australia in March 2006 but due to sudden illness to a family member of the band, it was postponed till Nov 2006 - so that was a eight month wait!!! The concert was held in Telstra Dome with capacity of around 60,000 people. It was pretty much a full-house and you can imagine the amazing atmosphere. Supporting act for the concert was Kanye West but I have to say, his performance was a disappointment or maybe I just wanted him to get off the stage so U2 can come on! So, while Kanye West was performing, my friend and I made our way to check-out the official merchandise. I didn't really want to get anything in the first place, especially with the never-moving queue, but with much persuasion from my friend, I gave in and bought a tee. After finally getting what we want from the counter (with much annoyance of having a really fussy lady who couldn't decide what she wanted in front of us), we settled in our seats and waited patiently. At around 9am, our wait was over. The following 2.5 hours, the concert consisted of great new tunes, classic tracks, emotional dedications, dramatic political opinions and very thoughtful arrangement of lights and visual effects. To be honest, I was never a U2 fan but I respect their music and this concert allowed me to understand their strong believes in love and peace, human equality and human rights. Their music conveyed these universial issues and messages with care and forwardness. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and was very happy that I got the tee (which I saw every 10th person wearing last night)!