Cookie Apr 20, 2024

What an EPIC event this was, it wasn't just a show to end the touring career of the mighty Midnight Oil, it was an event that will live LONG in the memories of those that were lucky enough to be in attendance.
So, my story starts with picking up Denise, my friend from just outside Boston US at Sydney airport a week prior.
We had trekked across the bridge to see the Oils at Luna Park and down the "Deadly Hume" to see them in Canberra. But this was a special occasion. We hired a couple of rooms in the city so we could be close to the venue. I got some well-earned rest and decided to get up at 2am, the morning of, and trekked down the long silent footpath to the Hordern and arrived at 2.20am, there was already a few of my friends and fellow Oils tragics, Powderworkers there already.
I was number 7 in line and decided, in Chris Hall's absence, I would take his duty of giving everyone a number on their wrist so they could go to get a coffee/toilet break/ snack etc. and they could come back to their spot in the line. I got up to about 335 that came up to me to ask for a number lol
I met people from England, Scotland Brazil, Canada, United States, New Zealand and Germany to name a few. Such a lovely bunch of people.
When the band realized a bunch of us had queued overnight, they organized a free tour shirt for the first 55 people in the line, that was awesome of them. A big thanks if the Oils management end up reading this.
The rush to the stage was kinda old school, security trying to hold us back, no hope for them lol
The show opened with a charge like a runaway freight train, a sonic wave thumped over the audience with after the opening, they launched into 1982's classic Lucky Country, 1978's Used and Abused, then like a whip crack, they delivered I'm The Cure from their 1980 EP Bird Noises. WHAT AN OPENING GAMBIT!!!
The classic cuts kept on roaring down at us like this was the last music they would ever play in their life, so immense, so intense, power and passion flooded the stage as they truly emptied their tank. Such Pub Rock classics like Stand In Line, Kosciusko, If Ned Kelly Was King rang out to the crowd like anthems that everyone knew so well, and we cheered, didn't we cheer?! and sing, didn't we sing?!
I found my younger brother Kieran and dragged him up front with me and we sang our hearts out to Beds are Burning, Power and the Passion, Read About It and so many others, culminating with the perfect tune to finish on, FORGOTTEN YEARS it's true, these shall not be Forgotten Years .A HUGE THANK YOU TO PETER GARRETT, ROB HIRST, MARTIN ROTSEY, JIM MOGINE, ADAM VENTURA, BONES HILLMAN R.I.P, PETER GIFFORD AND ANDREW JAMES. Your contribution to our lives is immense and unimaginable without you. Much love and respect always. A fan.