erilyn | Monday - MCA and soundcheck (pictures and video)

erilyn

Bright and early Monday morning,

canadiankracka,

not_nele,

girl_clone,

indybrat and I arrived at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The Boys were due to have a press conference there at some point, but alas, we hadn't got a more accurate time, so we had a fair bit of waiting. But there were other fans, including people we'd met at the airport the day before, so the time wasn't wasted. Unfortunately, I didn't apply enough sunblock early enough to go with the tank top I was wearing, and promptly got a little burnt on my shoulders.

Fans are so organised. We scouted the building for entrances, trying to decide where they'd come from. There was a carpark down the side, with an entrance, so some staked out there, some remained at the main entrance, and we sat on the corner in between for a fair bit of time. There was even a male fan there (straight too, apparently), who was one of the most excited people there! There were false alarms, especially everytime a Tarago went past (what we'd seen the Boys leaving the airport in). We even asked a random security-looking person whether he could tell us whether Backstreet would be arriving through the carpark. He shook his head, so someone asked was that a no they aren't or no you can't say, and he just smirked. Grrr *g*. We also caught up on gossip, including about Nick and the English ~~skank~~ fan in Brisbane. If you have to practically carry Nick into the elevator, I wouldn't feel so proud about bagging him ;)

But the media trickled in, and just before twelve, Nick and AJ arrived, followed by Howie and Kevin, then Brian. At the main entrance (which we'd thought was fairly likely, but there wasn't actually a nice stopping area in front - so they just stopped in the street). Again, people were fairly well behaved (once we got everyone around the front, fortunately we were all already there), though the guy was a bit exuberant in his attempts to get autographs (he managed with Howie). They didn't stop, just said hi as they went through (they were running late! What a surprise!), but I did get a couple of ok photos, and a lovely smile and hi from Kevin.

We headed off for lunch (City Extra - gotta have a meal with a view of the Harbour Bridge occasionally *g*), almost giving in to temptation and asking some of the bodyguards for pictures (there was a group headed off together). There was a video jukebox, alas with almost inaudible music and non-displaying videos, but we had a pop selection anyway.

We headed back only a little while before the guys left, and they didn't stop on the way out. Unfortunately, I ended up down near the gate, separated from the others, who found an awesome place overlooking the way the guys came out of the building. You need to bug them for the amusing details, of which there are a few *g*. I got an up close look at some interesting fan behaviour, which was simultaneously amusing yet worrying. As it became clear that the guys weren't stopping, the fans became rather annoyed, and as the cars drove off were yelling sarcastically "Thanks for stopping". And I didn't blame them for getting annoyed. The guys were under no obligation to stop, and I don't blame them, but some of these people have been fans a long time, they'd been waiting a long time (both for years, and that day), and it wasn't that big a crowd. So, I could see both sides, but the sarcasm made me grin. One girl ran after the van Howie was in, and as it had to stop before turning onto the main road, caught up with it and kissed the window. That was probably the oddest thing I saw a fan do (which still goes to show how restrained Aussie fans were, on the whole).

We then headed off to Market City, to relax in the airconditioning in the food court, have a cool drink, discover how pink I was getting, buy

not_nele thongs (flipflops, people! There are no underwear related stories...yet), and watch endlessly looped footage of a strange Japanese boyband. It was very compelling, and they could all be described as the ones with the hair. One of the reasons for choosing to relax there was the three minute walk to the Entertainment Centre, once we decided it was time to go mill around waiting for soundcheck. No, none of us had tickets, what does that matter? ;)

Ah, the waiting for soundcheck ritual. And waiting and waiting and waiting. This one was later than Brisbane, but not as late as Melbourne (haven't heard an exact time for Adelaide to determine whether they followed a nice progression). But its the time of much socialising and chatting, so it's not exactly wasted. We caught up with people from Brisbane concert, Sydney airport and/or the MCA, as well as some English fans we'd met the previous week (Lex knew them through the Fan Club - not to be confused with previously mentioned English fans *g*). At one point, Lex came running back over, with a wristband. I'd thought they'd started handing them out to non-winners, but she explained that a fan, hearing that she was the Canadian fan, gave her the 'friends' pass she had (not having brought someone with her). We all naturally chorused "bitch!", in a loving and respective way, naturally. Being a foreign fan certainly pays off (not that I'd know anything about that *cough*sponsors ticket to Challenge club*cough*).

We also had another major incidence of stealth fans. We'd been wondering what was going on, it was after 4pm (the time winners are told to be there by), and there were less people around than at Brisbane, winners and hopeful fans combined. Suddenly, a large groups of winners comes around, led by a bitch from Sony BMG (epithet by popular consensus - including people who had passes). Our hopes of getting in diminish.

We met Sasha, whom I'd sold a Melbourne ticket to and the winner of the Sunrise comp to interview the Boys at the press conference. Really nice girl *and* pretty sensible, so we were very relieved it was her who had won. She was telling us what the set up had been (asked one or two questions at main press conference, then interviewed AJ and Kevin outside) and what she'd ask them, when one of the most depressing things of the week happened.
Sasha: I'd asked Kevin and AJ who, living or dead, they'd most like to meet. AJ said Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and Kevin said Gandhi. I didn't know what to say about that.
Other fans: Who?
Me: (thinking they'd misheard) Gandhi
Them: Who?
Me: You know, helped lead India to independance from Britain, had the philosophy of non-violent resistance (admittedly, remembering anymore specifics at the time was pushing it)
Them: Don't know who that is
Me: *gapes*
It was probably a good thing I wasn't interviewing Kevin, cause my first reaction to that was to want to ask him if there was something specific he'd like to talk to Ganhi about, or whether he was just trying to look like a pretentious wanker.

Anyway, soundcheck. Eventually, they let pass-holders in, and then Marcus and Keith were starting to let others in. Some stupid people were pushing a bit, nearly blowing it for everyone. They cut it off just before

girl_clone, and while they'd let people in at Brisbane in dribs and drabs, there was already a fuckload more people in there than at Brisbane. And there was still a dozen to twenty waiting. So we were still hanging out a minute or so later when we noticed Marcus and Keith looking out at the group, counting. I joked to the others I could run over and do a please let me in dance, demonstrating my fabulous non-existent dance skills. But yay, they came back around and let all in - I was especially happy that

girl_clone and

not_nele got in, since

canadiankracka.

indybrat and I got to go to Brisbane.

It was packed! Unlike Brisbane, they'd already let people into the actual arena when we got in, and as we walked in, Brian (I think) was saying something about "Kevin sexual?" It was a good entrance *g*.

For a while, I watched from near where we came in, a few rows back, but then followed Lisa (English fan) over to the other side, where less people were, and stood right at the front to the side of Howie and AJ. And just like at the airport, my camera died early on - this time there must have been something wrong with the batteries, as I'd hardly used it. I was not happy, Jan! But I got one fun bit of video, and a couple of crappy pictures first.

+ Soundcheck (6 pictures) - 6 meg

Brian hates me! He kept turning away when I took pictures in Brisbane, and do you think I could get one good picture with his glasses on in Sydney? Of course not!

Nick is evil!!!

Mmmm, AJ

Early on (before my camera died), they were messing around, and suddenly started singing bits of Stayin Alive!!! So I started recording and got this. They never really get stuck into it, but AJ gives a bit of "How Deep Is You Love" a go.

+ Soundcheck - Bee Gees - 21 meg

They sang Incomplete, Weird World and Just Want You To Know, and answered some interesting (and not so interesting) questions. During Incomplete, I noticed some people laughing, and I turned around. Sitting a few rows back from where Lisa and I were standing, nearly all the bodyguards were sitting together. They were swaying with the music, making over-emoting hand gestures, and so AJ started singing to them. It was one of the funniest, cutest things I've ever seen. During JWYTK, Howie was totally goofy flirting with one of the women from the label/touring company (she was official person of some sort). All sorts of grinning, eye contact and funny hand gestures while singing "I would do it all again". Hmmmm... ;)

They got asked what's the weirdest thing they've ever eaten. Nick immediately replies "You've got to ask Howie". My brain goes !!!! (hey, I'm only human).

Howie admits to eating squirrel in China, and some other things. Kevin, I think, mentions rattlesnake, and kangaroo (we're like, that's not weird). Nick brings up gator balls. The other Boys are like !!! and Nick then complains he was allergic to them or something.

They get asked "You're always asked what your favourite place is, what's your least favourite place?" Nick says he'll give the PC answer - he likes all places, there's always something to take back with you. I'm thinking minibar, towels when Kevin comes out with "Back to your hotel room?" Score one million to the old guy, heeee! Brian says Paris...airport. He hates Charles de Gaulle Airport, for reasons I can't quite remember. Nick is compelled to say he doesn't like Paris either.

Some morons pipe up with "Since Melbourne is the last concert on the tour, will you come partying with us?" I can't remember the Boys reaction cause I turned around and looked at Marcus, and he was just shaking his head with a weary look on his face. Heh.

At some point, Brian and Nick started pawing at each other - apparently they were re-enacting a koala attacking Brian *g*.

During all this, Lisa and I were leaning on the barrier at the front, having a conversation with running commentary and gags. This included staring at Howie's ass and discussing how he shouldn't be allowed to wear baggy jeans with things in the pocket. They got asked "why haven't you toured here before?" (yawn, get over it already, they're here now), and AJ started talking about the size of previous tours and the cost of touring them and how, now that the tour was more stripped down, they could tour more places.
Lisa: They should strip down
Me: I was just thinking that
Q the Bodyguard: You girls are dirty
We totally had not realised that he could hear us (he wasn't standing all that far away, it just hadn't occurred to us).
Us: no we're not
Q: other girls don't talk like that
Us: of course they do, you just aren't hearing them (and there was a bit more back and forth, but I was just so amused, that given all the things they must see and hear, a bodyguard said I was dirty based on such innocuous-for-me (and her) conversation *g*).

When they started to shoo us out, I complained to another bodyguard that Nick needed to stop taunting us - he'd come over and stood right in front of us, playing guitar. That same bodyguard was getting very testy that we weren't moving faster, but he eventually had to apologise when he realised that there were no breaks in the front row, we had to wait for everyone in front of us to move faster.

Once we'd reunited outside, we headed back to Market City for more cool drinks, airconditioning and BATTERIES before meeting up with

eponymous,

sinden,

hnix,

alasen and

meelie for dinner in Cockle Bay. Which we made it to, despite me leading the way. Then there was a concert. That post is not gonna be as long as these last two, unfortunately *g*.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

callsigns.livejournal.com

Wait, what's this: Nick and the English skank fan in Brisbane. Some of us aren't as up on the BSB chatter. :)

Also, THIS IS SO FASCINATING AND COOL TO READ ABOUT! I love your recaps very, very much. When I come to Australia, I'm bringing Nick and staying with you! :P

From:

Find your voice, stomp that yard, all that crap

Monday - MCA and soundcheck (pictures and video)

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