Six months ago, Evan and I diligently planned our trip to Adelaide for the first Australian Red Hot Chili Peppers show. After both putting up with each other through the 2006 trip to LA, Boston, Washington DC and New York – Adelaide should be a sinch!
Getting to the airport we first noticed the amount of Kangaroos players hanging about the Qantas area. We checked in and ran up to the Qantas Club (QP or Qantas Pub to those on the FF community) and proceeded to sit back, relax and enjoy what lay ahead for our Adelaidian adventures.
This was also the first time I had decided to not check baggage. So armed with my Vera Bradley Petal Pink Large Duffel I set up to give the overhead bins a touch of pink. We also decided that the weekend would be a geek fest. Armed with our iPods, my Bose headphones, and a stack of iCreate, Macworld Australia, Macworld US and MacLife magazines we planned to get all Applefied in Adelaide.
Sitting in the plane, we realised that the whole Kangaroos team would be on our flight. The only other time that I have flown with a footy team was when I went to Adelaide for the Collingwood Vs Crows match back in 1995 and we lost – but having the team on the flight ended up making Jayne and I feel quite victorious!
Then – over in row 17 – Joe Camilleri – my hero. Visions of Jo Jo Zep, Black Sorrows, the Revelators… the man himself was right over the way. I had also taken a great photo of Joe at the Countdown Spectacular that I really like. Also.. my other musical addiction is Rockwiz on Saturday nights. Nothing better and I just adore James Black – especially when he plays the riff for Master Blaster Jammin’. And here he was, walking down the aisle of the plane and sitting in the row behind us. Good lord!! I was going to be seeing him in exactly a week at the special Mondo Rock gig. Spooky!
The flight was uneventful with the average Qantas non-meal snack of those rock hard huge cookie things and an apple. Before we knew it we had landed and we were off the plane.. then spotting the Adelaide team at the airport before boarding to come to Melbourne.
Very big deal for Adelaide at this stage was the tram track construction on North Terrace. Our taxi driver seemed to break into a panic when we told him our hotel was on North Terrace. He was then asking us where he should drop us off at… eek. We weren’t from there. And that is something that is strange travelling in your own country – your accent means nothing! We ended up ‘landing’ near the hotel and walked down a dodgy lane onto the barren lands of North Terrace for check in at the Accor.
After a little R&R it was time to discover what Adelaide has to offer. And it isn’t much. The NLS in 2004 made Adelaide so… bearable. We did the whole Rundle Mall thing (aka a trip back to the 80s). I spotted Daryl Wakelin at the Vodafone store.. woohoo. We then walked North Terrace, had a peek around the buildings there, visited the Don Bradman exhibition for a foot rest and then thought we should have a look at the casino. Eeeek. It was like a local pokies venue but we did have fun at the Adelaide railway station… tres cool with unlimited timetables that are plentiful, color coded and in alphabetical order. I was so impressed I took a photo. Hurrah for Adelaide timetables!
We returned to the hotel for some R&R, Ev set out to visit Haighs because he spied my Choclatier Easter bunny for him that I had packed and I thought I may have a little nap. Then before we knew it we were dining in the hotel restaurant and getting ready for the concert at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre… another trip back to the 80s. Rollerama style.
Approching the Entertainment Centre we were greeted by the most 80s sign I have ever seen. So it needed a photo. I was also greeted by a scene that resembled the Star Hotel riots in the 80s. It was 8pm and there were bottles everywhere. Absolutely plastered 18 year old guys… staggering.. yelling… wearing their Quiksilver tees with pride and being… boys. It resembled a hoe-down y’alls… or an outback B&S ball. I felt so very old and so very.. square…!
Our seats were to the side of the stage and there is only one level at their entertainment centre. We deliberatly missed Har Mar Superstar and that wasn’t a bad thing… little did we know he would later create so much press for being booed at every single show and simply being not very.. appreciated.
Before we knew it the lights were down and the show had started…. here is the setlist –
Can’t Stop
Dani California
Scar Tissue
Charlie
Readymade
Throw Away Your TV
This Velvet Glove
Snow
Nobody Weird Like Me
Wet Sand
Get on Top (this was not played – changed to Right on time by AK scribbling on the setlist)
Don’t Forget Me
Hump De Bump
Californication
By the way
—————
Flea trumpet jam
Under the Bridge
Give it away
Outro jam
Ev was disappointed that there was no 21st Century. It was actually a very special show as they played Under the Bridge. I have to say the crowd was one of the noisiest crowds I had experienced at a concert – it was full chili worship. The Chili Bowl was just out of this world. I was so happily overjoyed that we didn’t get tickets for there. I wouldn’t have lasted a minute and would’ve got thrown over and out like many of the crowd who had waited around all day for pole position.
After the show it was time to bolt out of the Entertainment Centre for the great taxi fight – we managed to hail one after walking in the dark alongside some dodgy Adelaide roads. The taxi managed to get us back to the hotel (just!) and again a big deal was made about this road block on North Terrace.
Walking back to the hotel, it was only about 11.30 and already there were people vomiting in the streets. That said it all – we Chili Peppered our way back to our room where we found we could hear the wedding that was taking place on the floor below us. Greased lightning… and other great wedding songs.
The next day we walked the vomit laden streets of Adelaide to Maccas where we encountered one of the most unorganised and ridiculous McDonalds. The manager was shouting to the staff, the orders were slow, people were angry and the vibe was shocking. Get us to the airport..!!!!
It was with pleasure that we got a cab and made our way to Qantas check in. As we were standing at the counter I looked to my left and saw a tattoo on a guy that I recognised. I was looking at him thinking “My gosh where do I know him from?†It was Ritchie Vez or (Ritchie where the community benefits, as Frannie would say!) Diesel’s unbelievable bassist. Then looking beside him I spot DIESEL HIMSELF. Ev had to finish check-in as I could not comprehend that basically the one singer that I feel like I have been listening to and seeing play live since birth, was just so close. When it came to boarding… he ended up being our flight. Yay!! Frantic SMS messages to Frannie in the style of “OMGGG HE IS THREE ROWS IN FRONT†were just flying back and forth.
It was an eventful trip. At one stage I felt some water on my arm… then drip, drip drip. I looked up to see water coming out of the overhead locker and over Ev and I. What the??! The stewardess came over and opened the locker and we discovered the airheaded woman had put a bottle of water up in her bag in the locker and hadn’t put the lid on properly!
Arriving in Melbourne was the least eventful part of the trip to Adelaide and I only had a few hours to wait until show number two… bring it on.
(Note – in the week after, I found out that the Chilis were staying at the Hyatt, just across the road from our hotel and did an impromptu little show in the bar of the hotel. Argh!)
Lovers and Sinners – Dallas Crane