Posts Tagged ‘Concerts’

After much primping and preening, and being taken in all sorts of directions by our navigator (you’d think we’d learn!), Kate, Robyn, Tanya and I arrived at the Acer Arena. We were there for Hilary Duff.

While munching down on cheeseburgers and hotdogs, we agreed that one girl in particular really needed to add some material to her dress. You could almost see what she had for breakfast *shrug* Minutes later, we heard girls running and screaming, and that was our cue to take our seats…. The girl we’d called a “skank alert” on? It was Ricki-Lee! From Australian Idol! Oops!

I’ve never much been into Ricki-Lee, but she was pretty good live! She was charismatic, and her voice was much stronger than on any CD. She really wowed the crowd! If I were her, I would have wanted to strangle my costume manager though – while having a short dress really isn’t so bad (and it was a very nice dress), it probably wasn’t the best choice for somebody as busty as Ricki-Lee! There were several occasions where she almost “spilled” over *shock* The poor woman was trying to discreetly hitch up her dress, which must have been hard to do with 50,000 or so eyes (well 100,000 when you consider we’ve got two, ha!) on her!

Hilary Duff was AMAZING. A million times better than what I was expecting. I get the feeling that she’s really trying to move away from the preconceived image that many have of her. She and her dancers were scantily clad, the dance moves were rather risqué, and while she played some old favourites, there was a strong dance feel to her new album. The light show was phenomenal, and the crowd was so… intense. Who would have thought a bunch of six year olds could make that much noise?! Even Hilary Duff seemed blown away by the intensity of it all. There were a few noticeable grimaces as she held her ear-piece when the crowd lost all control, and she seemed absolutely speechless! It was nice to hear her thank Australia for all our support with both her movies and her music though… and gosh is she a pretty young thing! Despite all the headlines of her being “too thin” and “anorexic”, she looked perfect. She was healthy, toned, and absolutely beaming. Almost makes you wonder how much truth (and how much photoshopping) there is in those tabloids (ha! – isn’t that just an oxymoron…)!

Not only did Nick and I enjoy a 40 minute reflexology foot massage (from our regular place) in Bondi Westfield, pick up a number of bargains at the sales (including a $320 Sachi bag reduced to $69, a Morrissey dress for $99, and Marcs and Cooper St dresses at crazily reduced prices), but we got to see Tina Arena. In concert. At the Sydney Opera House.

For those who don’t know me particularly well, I have been a fan of Tina Arena since I was a little girl. I asked for her CD’s for Xmas. She was my idol. She was beautiful, made brilliant film clips, and I loved her music.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, seeing her more than a decade later, but she didn’t disappoint. In fact, if it’s possible, I think I idolise her *more* now, than I ever did as a child.

She was self-deprecating, funny, honest, and… well.. she was a dag. She danced like a “Mum”, and as someone who also dances like a “mum” (except I don’t have that excuse just yet…), I couldn’t help but admire this particular trait. And for someone who is in her fourth decade, she’s plenty hot.

And she knew how to entertain.

The crowd loved her.

We’re talking standing ovation.

I cried.

And y’know, I think she did too *smile*

She was just as beautiful as I remembered, and I hung onto her every word. Australia should be so proud to call her one of our own.

I heart you, Tina!

http://www.tinaarena.com/

xoxo

I. Love. Sydney.

After finally travelling a *little*, I can say that Sydney is my favourite place in the w.o.r.l.d. Sure, I still have a *lot* of travelling to do, but I’ll always know where my “home” is. I was so glad to be back.

We hit the ground running, dumped our luggage at Star City, and walked into the City. Or “downtown Sydney” as the moron United Flight Attendant liked to call it. Pffft.

Not really in a shopping mood, after spending an obscene amount of money on Dior shoes, I made an executive decision to see a movie. And as somebody who was tired, Nick was more than happy to agree! “P.S. I Love You”, in Gold Class on George St *grin* It was fabulous. Review to come.

That night we decided to see Natalie Gauchi and Matt Corby (the Australian Idol winner and runner up), as they were playing at Star City. It was convenient and not far from our hotel room, and I was on a high from our trip – I couldn’t just go to bed *gasp* Between you and I, I just really wanted to see Matt Corby in concert *wink* Nick won’t go down without a fight, but I can bet he did too *giggle*

Natalie Gauchi wasn’t so bad either!

xoxo