Adelaide Entertainment Centre hosted iconic Aussie rockers Grinspoon in a sell-out show on Saturday, August 26th, as part of their ‘A Guide To Better Living’ 20th Anniversary tour.
In an attempt to quench the hyperventilating hoards, which seemed to be foaming at the mouth for the ever loved Grinspoon, Brisbane Indie rockers ‘Good Boy’ open the show and took the audience on a relaxed, cosmic experience. Their Indie sound was both upbeat, hypnotising and thought provoking. Cheeky surf rockers ‘Hockey Dad’ were up next. The two piece from NSW, burst onto the stage, bringing with them vibrancy and energy. Both bands delighting Grinner’s fans with catchy – and at times punchy- tunes, their energies were intense, and in no way subdued the audience goers. With their cruisy Indie styles, the bands were great starting acts to prepare the audience for Grinspoon and the avalanche of physical pandemonium that would ensue.
And, avalanche it was!! Spraying the audience in water, Phil Jamieson and the boys explode onto the stage and the audience went wild! Their second song, ‘DCX3’ propelled the audience into hyper-drive, resulting in a sea of arms, legs and middle aged mayhem.
The tour celebrates the 20th Anniversary of their debut studio album ‘Guide To Better Living. Half way through their set, Jamieson brings a formal feel to the stage. Sporting a tuxedo, he tames the audience with all-time favourite ‘Bad Funk Stripe’. However, the play by Jamieson here could best be described as ‘the eye of the storm’. Songs such as ‘Post Enebriated Anxiety’ soon followed and slammed through your ribcage! The crunch and howl of the blistering sound pelting through the amplifiers was delivered with pulse-altering ferocity, and the audience embraced it with arms wide open. Delivering flawless renditions of the 16 tracks off the classic album, this was definitely Grinspoon at their best!
Encouraging audience sing-a-longs, their on stage antics prove that growing older doesn’t mean you have to grow up. Jamieson was mischievous and entertaining, prancing around on stage, curtseying as if a puppet on a string, he and his fellow band mates brought the audience alive with their polished sound. Jamieson expressed his gratitude to his Adelaide audience by thanking them for their continued support over the last 20 years. “We love coming to Adelaide; we’ve been coming for years. One of our first times here we played at HQ, supporting one of Australia’s best acts The Screaming Jets.”
Farewelling their fans, the boys go out with an almighty bang- literally! Two huge canons filled with red confetti explode into the arena, falling upon the sweat and beer covered crowd. Sounding off with ‘More Than You Are’ in a frenzy of smoke, sweat and fierceness, Grinspoon leave the stage without an encore. What you see is what you get. A great trip down memory lane, the boys leave us with a hope that perhaps they will soon return to the studio. They’re clearly not done and have plenty left in the tank. A knock out show!
By Kathryn Yeend
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