Day 3. By Brian Wise.
The aim today was to make sure we saw Cat Power Sings Bob Dylan on Stage 1 at 4.15pm and Todd Rundgren in the Shebeen at 7.00pm. But first: one of the bonuses of music festivals is the chance to catch up with friends, some of whom we might not see between festivals. This is what we enjoyed this morning before heading to the festival to start with the two hour session for The Juke Joint, the Sunday afternoon blues program on Melbourne’s PBS-FM hosted by the enthusiastic Matt Frederick. Guests included Hat Fitz & Cara who kicked off the session and invited Jeff Lang to join in. Their opening song, a new one, had a definite tinge of Van Morrison in it. They dedicated ‘I Feel Good’ to the late Renee Geyer.
Then Checkerboard Lounge, practically a Melbourne institution, took over. Armed with great players like Carl Panuzzo, guitarist Shannon Bourne and Tim Neal on Hammond organ, the group is really impressive. One of the highlights was a great rendition of Al Green’s ‘I Can’t Get Next To You.’
Naturally enough, Jeff Lang‘s set included songs from his latest album More Life, including the title song. Lang then ‘did a Jordie Lane’ by inviting us to singalong to ‘Adults Are Full of Shit’, which might have been enthusisastically embraced by the youngsters down the front. Not exactly a ‘Kumbaya’ moment. The full ensemble then took the stage for the gospel tinged ‘The Last Month of The Year’, also one of the highlights of Lang’s album (which you should have).
At this point we decided to arrive at Stage 1, 45 minutes prior to the Cat Power show. Good decision. There were crowds sitting outside the tent watching a session on duos, MC’d by ex-Bushwacker Dobe Newton. We luckily got a seat up the back, prising ourselves in. This is when we experienced another of those unique festival moments when we discovered that the gent sitting next to me was the brother in-law of one of our neighbours! What are the chances? (I know, about 15,000 to 1).
Cat Power arrived 20 minutes late on stage and it was fairly obvious from the start of ‘Tell Me Mama’ that something was wrong. During the acoustic part of the show the previously packed tent thinned out considerably. Shortly, Cat Power confessed to feeling ill and nearly fainting. She then sat at the front of the stage for an extended time delivering the remainder of the songs prior to the electric portion of the set. Unlike the audience at the famous Newport Folk Festival everyone here applauded when Cat Power went electric! This was definitely a step up. The closer, ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, was one of the highlights. However, those who have seen the Shane O’Mara directed Dylan birthday tributes in Melbourne over recent years will agree that the local version is much better. Yet, I should reserve judgment as I am sure Cat Power’s illness affected her performance.
Afterwards we went to the humungous Shebeen tent to get in early for Todd Rundgren and band. I thought the place would be packed but we managed to find a table to sit at. Obviously, there were not as many Todd fans as I thought. I have to say that the newly rearranged Shebeen is not my favourite innovations at the festival. Too big. Too noisy and the sound from the bands I heard there, apart from Rundgren (who maybe had his own sound person), was sometimes agonisingly loud. Message to PA crew there: loud does not equal good. The new Shebeen seemed to be the major and only complaint from people I spoke to about the event. It reminded me of the old beer barns in the outer suburbs in the ’80s and ’90s.
Todd Rundgren‘s band has been put together by You Am I’s Davey Lane and sounds fantastic. You would definitely think it could be Todd’s permanent touring band. ‘We don’t do cover versions,’ he said early on, after opening with songs that are lesser known such as ‘Secret Society.’ Most of the set consisted of songs that would not be familiar to 99% of the audience. At least some did recognise ‘Love of The Common’ and, later towards the end, the all too short medley of his ‘hit’ that included ‘I Saw The Light’, ‘Can We Still Be Friends’ and ‘Hello, It’s Me.’
As a complete contrast we ended the evening with English folkie John Smith on Stage 1. He brought on Charm of Finches, who seemed to be everywhere at the festival (a good thing) for harmony vocals on one song. Smith’s latest album, The Living Kind, is beautiful and translates well to his solo show. He still has some gigs remaining in Australia.
Some conclusions. Line-up: excellent. Moves the festival into the 21st century. Great mix of old and new and various genres. Ambience: Excellent. Sound (apart from The Shebeen): Surprisingly good. Bonuses: Very kid friendly and lots of space for play and socialising. Facilities: Very Good. Festival App: Excellent. It worked. Printed Program: Very good.
The Few Negatives: The Shebeen: Way too big. Bad sound. Technology: Scanning system mainly useless, especially after to broke down. Saving spots: People still saving bulk seats for long periods, now joined by people saving entire tables in The Shebeen. MCs: Some could be better informed.
Summary: One of the most enjoyable festivals we have experienced. We’ll be back – with the entire family.
Another note on food: Our friend Ken’s scrambled eggs, served for Sunday breakfast, get my nod as tasty treat of the festival. For dinner at the grounds we did have some squid from the Seaford stall which was really good. My culinary excursions have been almost non-existent this festival for which I apologise.