Miscellenia

Great Big Sea is Great: or why I’m really in Melbourne

So, I’ve been telling you all about coming to Melbourne for weeks, and about the corset class I’m teaching.  And I am super excited about the corset class, but it’s not why I’m in Melbourne.  Oh no, teaching at Thread Den is just an awesome bonus.  The real reason I am here is quite a story.

You see, there is this Newfoundland folk rock band called Great Big Sea.

These guys:

And they are amazing.

Love their music, own every CD, listen to them constantly.  And that’s great.  But what Great Big Sea is really known for is their concerts.  They are supposed to be phenomenal live.

And I’ve been trying to see them live for years.

I’ve had tickets to their concerts three times, and have missed them at the last minute due to traffic jams/flight delays/strep throat/tornados/volcanos/killer jellyfish swarms etc. etc.  (OK some of those are exaggerations).

And now I live in New Zealand.  And Great Big Sea has never performed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Do you know how far New Zealand is from Newfoundland?

A long, long, long way.

There is way more ocean between Wellington and St John’s than between Boston and St John’s.

So every time I head overseas I check the  tour schedule, just in case I can make my trip cooincide with a GBS concert.

I’m planning a trip home to California and Hawaii in a few months and checked their schedule as per usual.  The only venues they have scheduled this year?  Australia.  Yes.  Great Big Sea is coming to the Antipodes!

So my first reaction was “OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG…I want to go!”

And then my second reaction was “Crap.  Going to a concert alone is no fun”

And then I had a brainstorm.  The fabulous Theresa lives in Melbourne.  Theresa knows everyone, does everything, and is just so fun to be around.  So we had this exchange on facebook:

Yes.  I am a dork.

Anyway, from such small seeds Theresa mentioned that hey, she could interview Great Big Sea for Time Out Melbourne (told you Theresa knows everyone!) and maybe we could get to meet them.  Would I like that?

Would I!

So a lot of money in airfares later, I was going to Melbourne to see Great Big Sea.

And I saw them.  And they were AMAZING.

And I met them (well, Alan Doyle and Murray Foster).  I didn’t just get to meet them, I got to really spend time with them.  And they were AMAZING.  Just the loveliest, most humble, kindest, most gentlemanly, interesting, intelligent people possible.

It was totally worth the wait.

Here are some photos of the concert courtesy of Theresa, who was smart enough to bring her camera, and sweet enough to let me have all the photos.

So, so amazing.  If you ever get the chance to go to a Great Big Sea concert, DO IT!  If you already have – lucky you!

18 Comments

  1. Sandimonium says

    They come on my Pandora all the time, love it! So jealous you got to see them live!!!

  2. Hadn’t heard of them, but now that I have I love it! Thanks for the share and I’m glad you got to see them live!!! 🙂

  3. Courtney F. says

    Amen, Dreamstress! They always put on a fabulous show. I’ve had the good fortune to see them in concert twice, when they came to the Washington, D.C. area, and I can’t wait for their next stop in town. But you got to *meet* them, too?! Color me jealous! Glad to hear they’re as great in person as I imagined they’d be. 🙂

    • Every bit as great in person! And just like you would imagine they would be. Lucky you living somewhere where they tour frequently!

  4. I’m still on such a high from the whole experience last night. Said it before and I’ll say it again: best gig EVER.

  5. I am so glad to hear that they are travelling all over! I am Canadian and they are a national treasure! My hubby loves them and hopefully when they head back this way I can get tickets!

    I am so glad you got to see them!

    Em

  6. Silk Smuggler says

    I’ve seen them a couple times live in Vancouver and its always a great show. Sean McCann is my favorite – love his solo album too!

  7. Wow, Great Big Sea was such a staple of my adolescence… I’m another Canadian who has never seen, but definitely listened. Good for you! And good for them for making it all around the world.

  8. A friend of mine posted a link to their video of “Lukey’s Boat” the other day. They really are fun to watch.
    Glad you were able to see them perform live.

  9. Lynne says

    That was a treat! They are new to me – there will be listening.

      • Elise says

        Invite them! You can offer to do costumes! BTW, I love the music out of Newfoundland. It’s like their 30min ahead of everybody else!

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