2:00pm - Left to drive to airport
2:55pm - Arrived at airport (bloody airport roundabout)
3:20pm - Depart Brisbane for Canberra (956km – 1hr 50mins)
5:10pm - Arrive Canberra
5:40pm - Depart Canberra for Adelaide (969km – 1hr 45mins
7:00pm - Arrive Adelaide
7:20pm - Arrive at hotel – time to freshen up, with a quick shower, change of clothes and time for a quick make-up application
7:55pm - Arrive at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre but decided to give Katie Noonan a miss this time around. Needed time to process my madness! Had a drink and a quick bit to eat and bought some merchandise
8:40pm - Made my way into the auditorium to find my seat. Found it easily enough and met Tracey & Emma (mother and daughter) who’d driven 6 hours after deciding that morning to come and see Josh again for the third time – just like me. How weird!! (So see I’m not the only one who’s gone stark raving mad!) Had a great seat – Middle Section, Row G with my seat right on the end of the row.
9:00pm - Concert start.
Firstly Adelaide was a very different feel to both Sydney and Brisbane. It wasn’t a sell out crowd, even for the smaller type venue but it was more like the traditional stadium type arena than the other venues. But even so it still had quite intimate. The crowd was a little funny to start off with, but with my new found Grobanite friends we had a blast.
Wardrobe - Josh came out on stage wearing blue jeans, with green belt buckle, grey jacket over the top a black t-shirt with a big white print. He later changed into a kind of khaki button down shirt, but kept the jeans. Very nice!!
Concert highlights:
- Quote from early in the night – “You're all crazy, and I'm caffinated! This is going to be a fun night.
- A few women yelled out “MARRY ME JOSH!" and he stops and goes "Suddenly it’s like a scene from Monty Python...(then runs across the stage) Marry Us Marry Us". The he goes “oh I'll marry you all before the night is through…patience young grasshoppers...”
- After "So She Dances" he goes on about how romantic the song is, and he tells the crowd he finds it much easier to be romantic when singing as opposed to talking. He thought "wow what a gorgeous romantic melody, but wasn't sure about the lyrics 'she dances between constellations and dreams', so he asked his girlfried at the time" Hon, that lyric... spinning between constellations and dreams...really? Really? And she said, quite plainly... "Yes"... The audience laughs and then he adds "My god, you're a baritone. I had no idea!!!" Audience laughs even harder...
- He then goes on to tell the men in the crowd that when they try to express how they feel, all they need to is press TRACK 3, and tell their loved one this is how they feel -- "from my heart thru Groban's mouth"... He also mentions that women "get" this song, but the men in the audience would "get" the song much later in the night, if you know what I mean...
- During the In Her Eyes walkabout, I'm looking around the stadium for Josh. I'm sure the people behind me thought I was quite mad, but I think I was one of the first to spot him from the floor, so of course I stood up, pointed and said something along the lines of "He's there".. Also we got nice and close as Josh came right by us towards the end of the song. I found this video on YouTube and Tracey, Emma & I are in it for a couple of seconds after he turns near Section D... How funny! Here's the video, I'm so glad that I found this. It was such a hoot..
- During the Rhythm is Dancer spinnet, a little boy threw a toy koala on stage. Josh asks in a cute little voice "Is that for me?" and as he picked it up he asked the boy "what's your name?". But he didn’t answer as he was hiding under his seat. Josh laughed about the fact that the mother had traumatized her son, and told the crowd that the little boy 'is literally crawling under his seat'. We all laughed, and laughed even more when Josh then proceeded to re-enacted what had just happened for the crowd by throwing the koala away and running in the opposite direction before cowering and pretending to cry. It was very, very funny.
- When describing using the voice synthesizer in "Lullaby" which kind of duplicates his voice by five times he jokingly stated it was "A little narcissistic, but really, really cool sounding
- Finally during “Machine” they let people get up and dance at the front of the stage. At first they were only letting the first three rows get close which was a little disappointing, but the security person finally left so I took the opportunity to get up by the stage for the Canto, You Raise Me Up and then finally Awake. It was so awesome.
Tracey, Emma and I were just sitting in our seats trying to put into words how we were feeling and I suggested that the Hilton would be a good place for an after show drink. A staff member from the AEC then wandered over and mentioned that if we’re interested Josh would be signing autographs out near the back loading dock sometime in the next 15-30 minutes. And like we needed any encouragement!! We headed out there, and I was able to help out my two new friends with a set of the postcards so they would have something to get signed without having to line up at the merchandise stand.
By the time we got around there, it was obvious it was a planned signing opportunity as they’d set up some barriers in a sort of an “L” shape. When we arrived most of the people already there were on the bottom side so that left the whole other side free, so that was were we staked out our position right at the front. I got talking to the girl beside me and I managed to convince her boyfriend to hold my Awake CD cover so it could get it signed as well. It did involve a little bribery though – as I said if he did it I’d give his girlfriend one of the awesome photos of Josh that I’d gotten blown up from the Sydney concert, which made her very happy, so he agreed to do it.
Darren, Josh’s security guy eventually came out and laid down ‘the rules’, which included:-
1. There will be no hugging or kissing.
2. There will be no posed photos with Josh
3. There will be no pinning or stabbing anything on Josh or his clothes (WTF???)
4. Only one item to be signed per person
We were told in no uncertain terms that if we didn’t comply with these rules, he’d be placed in the car and driven away.
Anyway, my encounter Josh didn’t disappoint in the slightest. He came out wearing jeans, a grey shirt, a caramel coloured scarf and a plaid fedora hat.
And just when we thought our night could get any better - he actually started on our side of the lucky “L”, so I then became very, very confident we were going to get our moment with Josh and an opportunity to look into those beautiful chocolate brown eyes. It all happened so quickly I can’t really remember what I said, but I think it was at least coherent.
After my brief encounter with Josh, I then wandered around to the other side to get some more pics. Here are my pics:
11:30pm - Tracey, Emma and I were then on so such a high we headed into the Hilton. Of course the choice of venue had nothing to do with the fact there was a high probability that's were Josh, the band and the crew would be staying.
11:45pm - Not long after we arrived and pulled up a chair, we were surprised to see most of the band wandering in (Tariqh – guitars/vocals; Tim – percussion; Craig – drums; Andre – bass guitar; Mark – keyboard). Other fans were there and along with them we were able to have a quick chat and they were all very generous with their time and happily posed for photos and allowed us weirdo’s to get autographs. I had with me one of the Sydney photos that was of the entire band, so I managed to get everyone to sign it - except for Josh & Lucia :-(.
Tariqh & Tim - Back at the Hilton
Emma struck up a conversation with Tim (percussion) and asked if he’d be coming down for a drink and if he was that we would buy him one. He was kind of non-committal, and Emma told him in no uncertain terms that she expected him back down in 20 minutes. In fact she even told him; don't bother about having a shower because that takes far too long. LOL.
We saw spotted Lucia (violinist) a bit later in the night dressed very casual and probably hoping not to be recognised, but she didn't get by us, so she signed my photo as well.
12:45am - Anyway, nearly an hour had passed, and I really didn't think that Tim would come and join us, but eventually the doors of the elevator opened and there he was. Although his first thoughts were probably, of god those women are still here.. But he came over, sat down and when we finally attracted the waiter, he just mentioned that they did the best fries, and as we hadn't eaten in hours, we were like, ok let's try them out.
It was a really interesting experience to talk about life on the road and what his thoughts have been about their time in Oz. It was also interesting to get his perspective on the difference US v Europe v Australian crowds. While we were chatting, Craig Mac came over and mentioned to Tim that some of the other crew members were at the other bar, and to come over, but he must have been hungry, because he waited for the fries to come. I guess all up we would've chatted to him for about 45 mins. Special thanks for the extremely slow service @ the Hilton.
For the record - they weren't the best fries I'd ever had, so I'm not sure what Tim was on!
01:45am - Anyway, after Tim left to catch up with the crew at the other bar, we were just sitting around chatting and wondering if we’d ever wake up and find out this had all been a dream.
02:00am - And then just when we thought our night was over - we saw Craig Mac at the lifts ready to go up to his room, so we just gave him a wave goodnight. Then to our total surprise he bounced over to us, and asked what we were up to. He then sat down and chatted to us for about 30 minutes. He gave us the inside information on the new songs they’re adding to the set for the concerts in Manila (Per Te, Broken Vow, The Prayer & one other I can’t remember).
02:30am - After Craig left, we were still sitting there in absolute amazement that the night had turned out like it had.
02:40am - As we were leaving the hotel we ran into Tim who told us he regretted having that last shot & that it probably wasn’t a good thing given that they’ve got an early flight to Perth.
02:50am - After getting back to the hotel I was on such a natural high, I spent some time looking thru my photos and replaying the crappy videos I’d taken on my camera.
03:15am - Finally I decided it was time to sleep. Somehow I managed to nod off fairly quickly.
07:45am - Woke up, relived the entire night again. Thank god for digital cameras.
09:30am - Checked out of the hotel. It’s probably the most expensive bed I’ve ever slept in if it was worked out by the hours I actually slept in it.
It was then time to grab a cab out to the airport in the hope of catching/stalking Josh and the band before their flight to Perth.
Random question – would it be considered stalking given that I’d actually checked the Qantas and Virgin Blue websites for their direct flights from Adelaide to Perth(there were only 3 direct flights) before I'd even arrived in Adelaide (just in-case the opportunity presented itself)??
09:45am - While at the airport I ran into Trish (a fellow BrisGrobanite), who I recognized from the Brisbane concert and again from the show last night. She was on her way to Perth for the final show, and although she tried to talk me into going, I had to draw the line somewhere… Although it was very, very tempting! We had a good chat about all things Josh and then we got talking to a few other fans that were at the airport as well.
10:30am - A few band members started wandering thru the airport, so it looked like my hunch was 100% spot on. Trish went and said hello to Tariqh and the band manager who told her he didn’t know when Josh was flying out. Yeah, as if that was the truth! More and more of the band showed up but there was sill no sign of Josh.
10:45am - Anyway, I finally decided that I’d go for a bit of a wander as I was 99% confident he was there somewhere and was probably going to wait until the very last moment before heading to the gate to board the plane. Anyway I hadn’t gotten far and there he was… It was kind of one of those awkward moments, do you approach them or do you let them be. Earlier I’d witnessed people approach Lucia, but she was on her cell phone, and it just made me feel really uncomfortable that they’d done it when she was obviously doing something, if that makes sense.
Anyway, I wandered away from the main group and actually came across Josh, his assistant and Darren the security guy near a cafe, so I took a deep breath, walked up and said something along the lines of “Excuse me Josh, I just wanted to thank you so much for the concert last night. It was amazing”. He was very gracious and thanked me and said he was pleased that I’d enjoyed it, so I then took another deep breath and said, “I was wondering if it might be possible to get a quick autograph” to which he replied, “For sure”… Now while I would’ve loved a photo, it just didn’t feel like it was the right time, and I really didn’t want to overstay my welcome, so I let them be. All up the encounter probably took about a minute.
So still shaking, I sent a message to Tracey & Emma. I was literally shaking, but I managed to text the message. Anyway, I wandered back to the group I’d been with before, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell them that he in a cafe just two shops away. I just wanted him to be able to sit down and eat and have a little privacy.
On the way to the boarding gate for the flight to Perth.
11:15am - I thought about hanging around near the departure gate, but decided that I was happy with the autographs I’d got, so I then headed into the city to meet up with Tracey and Emma.
12noon - I had a great debrief with my new Grobanite friends – we couldn’t believe how the gods must have been smiling on us, given that they’d only purchased their tickets the morning of the concert (& driven 6 hours) to get there, and I’d only made my decision on Wednesday.
01:30pm - After leaving the girls I did a little bit of retail therapy.
04:00pm - Headed out to the airport.
07:45pm - Depart Adelaide for Brisbane (1618km – 2hr 15mins
10:30pm - Arrive Brisbane
10:55pm - Arrive home
Wow - what an amazing experience. I'm so glad I made the decision to on albeit at the last minute. But I’m so glad that I did... My friends probably think I’m weird and need some sort of professional help, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world.
And now if you think it was just me who was entranced, the following report was from Caroline McIlwaine from the Adelaide Advertiser (15-Oct-07)...
If you were anywhere other than the Entertainment Centre on Friday Night, you missed arguably the music experience of the year - JOSH GROBAN IN CONCERT.
Just speak to the legion of fans of the singing sensation with the rich baritone voice who worked his magic on the adoring audience from the moment the stage sheet-curtain dropped from the rafters to reveal Groban belting out You Are Loved, the signature tune of his current Australian tour.
Following four sold-out performances at the Sydney Opera House, Groban delivered two hours of music with his uniquely charismatic, powerful and interactive style of stagemanship, which allowed fans to appreciate both his towering vocal talent and the growing feeling that each member of the audience was important to him.
The evocative rendition of songs such as Un Dia Llegara was followed by cheerful banter with concert-goers, many of whom tossed restraint aside to shriek with delight at the 26-year-old, dark-eyed, dark-haired singer-songwriter who enjoys huge fame in the U.S. and growing renown in Australia and elsewhere.
Backed as always by the tremendously-talented violinist Lucia Micarelli and his six-piece pop-rock band, Groban also was joined on stage by a string and brass component of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, which delivered beautifully on the night. The overall sound was pitch-perfect, energising and uplifting – nothing jarred or grated.
While the light show and backdrop graphics enhanced the event, all eyes were on Groban himself, who made each and every song a soulful experience.
For many, the highlight was the star’s foray into the audience which was no cursory venture but a 10-minute roam throughout the auditorium, up and down stairs, giving and receiving high-fives, dodging hugs and embraces while - incredibly – singing flawlessly.
For some fans, who have followed Josh Groban since even before the launch of his first self-titled album more than six years ago, the classical numbers are the real deal. If they lament his delving into all kinds of genres – including pop – they can take heart from the knowledge that the classical influence permeates everything.
His is quite simply a sublime voice.
Flirting with boy-like charm with the females of the audience, Groban, sitting at his piano, spoke about the impact of romantic ballads and wryly acknowledged that some “significant others” might have been dragged along to his concert - to which he quipped “Good on you for that, and we all hope you enjoy the night anyway”.
His great regard for the audience – some of whom left their seats to stand at the stage edge - was no more evident than at the close of the evening when he responded to two rousing standing ovations with three encores - which included the moving You Raise Me Up (for which Groban was joined by members of a terrific local choir).
With promises of a return to Adelaide in the future, Groban exited to the thunderous applause of a sated audience, many of whom will no doubt be first in line for his soon-to-be-available Christmas CD, Noel.
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