30 CX 15 NOVEMBER 2006

FEATURE

BACKTO THEFUTUREWITH

CX had trouble keeping away whenfar too many of the old bands weonce worked with were dustedoff and shown off with brandnew production values. Julius Grafton went waydown memory lane…..

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Spectacular it was, and value formoney at almost four hours runningtime. Countdown kicked off at 7.30

with John Paul Young singing alone onthe thrust stage and a bunch of dancestudents doing a 2006 version of theCountdown TV show audience - handsoutreached, hair akimbo. Half waythrough ‘Yesterdays Hero’ the rearrevolve produces the house band whosework will back most of the acts.

There was the voice from the box,Gavin Wood who bantered effortlesslywith host Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum. Molly wasthe reason Countdown was such a centralpart of the music industry for twodecades, and he is the reason thatMichael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring showworked so well.

In the first fifteen minutes there werefour acts rolled out, looking and soundingas good as the house band and aprofessional production could make them.Within the first half hour there was rockgreatness with the likes of Choirboysshowing that you can still manage a longcareer and play like you mean it. Therewas cheese, courtesy of the irrepressibleBrian Mannix of the Unfunny X-Men, andthere was deja-vu with Cheetah, thesister act that came on looking quitefabulous.

Real star quality emerged early withLeo Sayer who managed to engage witha female member of the audience, undoher hair and lay her on the floor of thestage for a kiss, without missing a line ofthe ballad. This was quality stuff…..

Alex Smith also managed to connectwith the audience and to conjure up thesense of how it was by singing GaryFrost’s smash hit for Moving Pictures,‘What About Me?’ Acute memories ofMr. Smith’s intense/egocentric stagepersona were quickly revived this night.

By the second hour the audience hadbeen up on their feet and back to thechair eight times, and a form of first halfclosure arrived with Hush, complete withfire breathing dragons and an extraguitarist. It was a strange segment mademessy by the improbability of reviving aband whose singer has perhaps hadsome problems (and hopefully dealt withthem) and who really only had onestandout musician, Les Gock. They didwhat they set out to do, and all credit tothem. Les rocked hard, but you wouldexpect that from the guy who made amotza from Song Zu.

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32 CX 15 NOVEMBER 2006 www.juliusmedia.com

HALF TIMEIn the foyer the punter feedback

was excellent and the merchandisestand swamped with people fussingover XXL T shirts and Sherbet CDs.Memo Gudinski: it was physicallydifficult to buy a show program.Strangely the junk food stands wereswamped as well, my girl Karen and Inoticed on the way in that a lot of theaudience seemed to equate nostalgiawith hotdogs and hot chips.

Part Two kicked off the gusto anddelivered the first bummer of thenight when James Reyne was hungout to dry by a technical fault thatshould not have happened. He stoodstrumming a dead acoustic for whatseemed like minutes, telling theaudience there were “problems withthe backstage crew”, and glaring atthe foldback desk. After about 30seconds of this, someone found thecorrect wireless frequency or patchand the guitar was heard. Reynedidn’t recover, and messed up hisAustralian Crawl medley.

There were some ‘who were they’and even ‘why’ moments, withperformers who could have stayedhome and contributed to a trimmingof the show duration. Likewise I wasunsure that the Countdown DanceSegment was worthwhile, the fourdancers on the tour were exceptional,but adding on thirty dance school kidsand doing Flashdance, Footloose,

Michael Jackson and Greasesegments? Save the time and themoney, I say!

If you wanted a real musicalmoment there were plenty, for mymoney it was Renee Geyer who goodnaturedly flounced her way throughher big pop hit ‘Say You Love Me’, asong she no longer performs at hershows, then demolished the housewith ‘Man’s World’, made evenmightier by Bruce Haymes onkeyboard.

The house band were just mighty,made even more so by the threestartlingly good Wolfgramm sisters -Kelly, Talei and Eliza - on backupvocals. Two guitars, two keyboards,bass, drums played left handed bymusical director Peter Luscombe andtwo brass joined often by theomnipresent Wilbur Wilde made for atight and almost note perfect bandwho were mainly toddlers when theacts they were backing first sung thesongs.

Swanee and John English hadpresence and charisma, Grace Knightfrom Eurogliders looked and playedthe part, and four Chantoozies cameon and reprised the girl band thing,looking great at the same time.

Show standouts included Frankie J.Holden who played off theaforementioned Wilbur Wilde, JoeCamileri made sax sexy again, andwow - Mondo Rock really did rock

The Wolfgramm Sisters. Pic by Bob King.

and got my personal band of thenight award.

Eventually after Molly’sHumdrum segment complete withthe desk, after good banter andbad, after a witty but sensitivetribute to the singers who have leftus by a videotaped Red Symons,the headline act cranked up andleft me flat. I was a card carryingSherbet fan, and have always beenimpressed by Daryl Braithwaite’svocal delivery and style.

It wasn’t that guitarist HarveyJames spent the whole of the firstsong with his back to audience,trying to coax sound out his amp.Probably it wasn’t even that thesecond song of the short set wasa forgettable flipside that wasincluded only because there wasan entire film clip from the earlydays that the band could play to in sync.

It was all there, really goodlighting by Hugh Taranto, suppliedby Chameleon with a crew of five.A Vertec PA from Jands, mixedreally well by Greg Rosman. Bigscreen video with tight camerawork from Black Sheep (see sidestory). A great set designed byOtello Stolfo and built by ESS.

But at the end, the very late end,the headline band fell flat. Theywere then relegated to being justpart of a show with almost 80performers, most of who came onstage for the obligatory and cheesyall star band closing segment, thatmainly seemed to comprise a lotof skylarking and the stagemanaged ejection of Wilbur Wilde.

A great night. Lots of fun.

It’s conceivable that there couldeven be a Countdown II with Menat Work plus Hunters andCollectors headlining. There areenough other acts still creakingaround, like Radiators, Mentals,and perish the thought, Jimmy andThe Boys.

COUNTDOWN

TOURING VIDEOBlacksheep Productions supplied

the complete video productionsolution for the show whichincluded cameras, replay,projection, and a giant LED videoscreen with Blacksheep ProjectManager Angelo Russo overseeingit all.

It was clear to producers fromthe beginning that video wouldplay an important part in the overalldesign of the show. ShowDirector Paul Drane worked asDirector/Producer on the originalCountdown in the 1970s(incidentally, he also createdpioneering music film clips,including AC/DCs infamous LongWay to the Top), and as such heplaced strong emphasis on thevisual element. When planningthe event, Paul went to the ABC’sarchive to source a range of videoclips. These were then compiledinto a number of “breakers” andsupporting clips which, whencombined with a number ofgeneric graphic backgrounds to beplayed behind songs, totalled over100 video cues. These clips wereplayed off Blacksheep’s hard drivesystem. Paul also specified 4

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www.juliusmedia.comCX 15 NOVEMBER 2006 35

THE COUNTDOWN

SPECTACULARProducer – Michael GudinskiCo-Producer – Ian SmithConcept Liaison, Host & Hat – IanMeldrumDirector – Paul DraneWriter – Margaret DraneSet Designer – Otello StolfoLighting Designer – Hugh TarantoTechnical Director – Eric RobinsonProduction Manager – Peter McFee

The Countdown Spectacular

House Band:

Peter Luscombe – Musical Director& drumsBruce Haymes – keyboardLilith Lane – pianoBill McDonald – bassAshley Naylor – guitarDavid Newdick – trumpetMal Pinkerton – guitarPaul Williamson – saxophoneEliza Wolfgramm – backing vocalsTalei Wolfgramm – backing vocals

Tour Management:

Yael Cohn – Assistant to IanMeldrumSusie Steadman – Assistant TourManager

Bret Chin Quan – Assistant TourManagerAdrian Carbone – Assistant TourManager

Production:

Colin Skals – Assistant ProductionManagerDenise Turra – Production Assistant

Stage:

Dugald McAndrew – Stage ManagerDave Mayer – Backline technicianMatt English – Backline technician

Wardrobe:

Julie Smith – Costume Design

P.A:

Jands Production ServicesGreg Rosman – Audio DirectorMichael Burdett – System EngineerTristan Johnson – Monitor EngineerGrant Barron – Monitor EngineerJoel Whyman – Monitor RiggerMatthew Ownsnett – AudioTechnicianGuy Gilchrist – Audio Tech

Lighting:

ChameleonGraham Walker – Lighting CrewChiefMichael Simpson – Lighting

TechnicianJohn Streckfess – LightingTechnicianDerick Weith – Lighting TechnicianDanny North – Lighting Technician

ESS:

Set Builder

Pyro Oz:

Peter McGill – Pyrotechnics

Screens & Cameras:

BlacksheepBen Alcott – Screens SwitcherDavid Beattie – Screens TDTony Marinceski – CameraBrandon Batten – CameraMick Eady – CameraMark Walkden – CameraJoe Bordon – LED TechnicianChris Deschamps – Screens/VT

Showtravel:

Tara Robinson – Travel AgentMerchandise:

ATM – Ros Braham, Jennifer

Roberts, Andrew Irwin, Alina

Brown, Reece Page

Merchandise Tour Design:

Traffic Design Studioswww.trafficdesign.com.au

36 CX 15 NOVEMBER 2006 www.juliusmedia.com

cameras to cover the show live-to-screen.

A main feature of the set was thelarge LED screen – Blacksheepsupplied a 9.24m x 5.67m (11 x 9panels) Monstavision LED screen.There were a number of benefits inusing this screen – rigging wasquick as the panels traveled pre-rigged and pre-cabled in pairs;power supplies are separate to thescreen itself, keeping weight down(the whole screen including cablingand rigging weighed in at only3800kg); and programming wasdone wirelessly from front-of-houseallowing for on-the-fly tuningthroughout the show. The screenwas fed an SDI signal via fibre optic,with a copper backup. Screen techsJoe Borden and Chris Deschampskept the screen looking good duringthe tour.

Either side of the LED were twoBarco R10s projecting onto 24’ x13.5’ front projection screens. TheBarcos were also fed SDI.

The whole system was driven byone of Blacksheep’s portableOutside Broadcast units. 4 Sony

D50 cameras were placed aroundthe venue – one camera sat in themiddle of the audience on a jib (toallow for moves over the audiencewhen they stood up to dancealong); one camera was placed inthe pit in front of the stage; and twowere on-stage with wide lenses.Camera operators Mick Eady,Brandon Batten, Mark “BJ”Walkden, and Tony Marinceski putin the hard yards every show to getthrough 4 hours of hand heldcamera work (therapeutic massagefees were not included inBlacksheep’s original quote).

These cameras fed SDI signalsinto two Sony DFS switchers – onefor the main LED screen, and onefor the projection screens. Otherinputs included hard drive replay(which was controlled by TD DavidBeattie), a Betacam SP player, andother effects generated within thesystem.

Paul Drane (and wife Margaret,who worked as Director’s Assistant)collaborated with Director BenAlcott to get the best images toscreen. The system configuration

allowed for any source to bedisplayed on any screen, and oftenall four cameras were on-screen atthe same time so goodcommunication was vital.

FEATURE

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PRODUCTIONNEWSDOME OP OK AFTER

CHAIR FALLThe Boy from Oz company were

shocked when followspot operatorAndrew Oakshot fell from his chairabove the stage, pre-show inAdelaide. It appears that he was notconnected to the fall arrest system atthe time. Local safety inspectors areinvestigating. Although hospitalisedAndrew is said to have been veryfortunate, CX was told he is expectedto make a full recovery.

BLASTER BATES

EXPIRESAccording to The Stage (London),

Blaster Bates has died at the age of83. He was a demolition guy whoseuse of explosives ended up the topicof a one man show that toured theUK. His slogan was “I’ll blastanything” and he had a habit ofcarrying around some spare dynamitein his pockets. Just in case. Blaster

died of natural causes. Blaster is notrelated to Master Bates.

WIRELESS RAGETheatres in the UK are trying to

have the law there changed to allowthe use of mobile phone blockerswithin the venue. Some actors haveadopted a policy of walking off stageif a mobile phone rings. More than75% of audiences agree that a ban,or electronic spectrum blocking, or onthe spot fines, should be introduced.

REPENT, AND HE DIDJust how civilised the theatre

industry can be … Director TimHighman was sacked by the TheatreRoyal, Stratford East after the venuealleged thirty thousand pounds wentmissing. He made a full confessionand apology, repaid the money, andtold the industry that his actions wereincomprehensible. After obtainingcounselling, he found a job in anothercompany, whose management werefully aware of his mistake. Could thathappen in Australia?

20 MINUTES TOO LONG?Star Wars has been rewritten for

the stage, in a show that runs for just20 minutes. It was first playedrecently in London, by the peoplewho (re) wrote the Complete Worksof William Shakespeare in 90Minutes. CX applauds this initiative,having never quite ‘got’ the sixmovies despite having seen them all.

PIGEONS UPSTAGE

FESTIVAL The Quadrangle Festival at

Texarkana, Texas featured more thanbands. Some of the 40,000 punters atthis year’s event were startled to seesuicide pigeons. It appears the birdshad consumed poisoned corn at anadjoining farm. An ice cream vendortold Pollstar magazine that he saw apigeon nose dive onto the concrete.“It just kind of hobbled over andaround and sat there and twitched”,he reported. This is now an extra lineitem for every festival safetyofficer……

NEWS

By GREENROOM GERTIE

www.juliusmedia.com CX 15 NOVEMBER 2006 39

ONLY IN EUROPEFor a sociocultural event you can’t go past the Zürich

Love Parade. It lasts from lunch till midnight. More than35 “Love Mobiles” parade through the streets runningat about half a mile per hour. I’d just love one of thoseto come past my place. They are long-bed trucksequipped with powerful sound systems, foam firingcannons, DJ booths, and Go Go platforms- basicallydance music factories on wheels. More than a millionpeople attend this, umm, event.

The history of the Zurich Street Parade goes back to1992, when a Swiss student conceived an event basedon Love, Freedom, Tolerance and Generosity. Althoughnobody believed in this student’s project, two thousandpeople gathered together dancing freely along thestreets of Zurich for an entire day in front of theflabbergasted local authorities. The number of‘demonstrators’ grew from year to year to such degreethat nowadays the Street Parade is considered thecities largest peaceful street event.

Strangely, even though the weather this year wascold and wet, the audience had a good time.

In the entertainment production biz, we embraceanything that rents our equipment. But maybe we feeluneasy about our audiences being so whacked onillegal drugs that they feel no pain…..

Imagine this lot driving past YOUR house at midnight.

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