For the first time in about 10 years, I wasnt working at a gig, nor did I have a camera to my eye, so I went out partying for New Years Eve. My wife and I, plus a few friends decided to go to Newcastles Queens Wharf Brewery to see Grinspoon, The Butterfly Effect and Mammal play, and bring in the new year with our fellow Novocastrians. My finger itched all night kicking myself for not taking the camera but it was good just to be able to kick back for once, have a few drinks and let someone else worry about the photos of the show.
I didnt fully agree with the whole band choices for a New Years show, it was a very heavy night, and not just heavy music. The feeling from the crowd definitely wasn’t a party vibe. I only saw the last 3 bands and can’t comment on the first, but if it wasnt for Grinspoon and their lighter mainstream vibe, then the whole night possibly risked ending in fights. I have watched crowds for long enough to know when things arent going right, and observing the amount of injured meatheads coming out of the moshpit, we just missed a possible serious incident. Grinspoon saved the day. Dont get me wrong, I am a big fan of the three bands and love a good night of heavy music, bit it needs to be in the right situation. The majority of crowd were still having a great time, but I think the Breweery needs to bring back the party bands for New Years Eve. Lets dance and celebrate the coming of the new year instead of screaming and growling about it.
Phil Jameson, Grinspoon’s front man was looking good. Going clean was the best thing he could have done for his career. It takes alot of guts to crawl back from where he was and I respect him for his dedication to his fmaily, the music and his fans. He put on a good show and it was a bit of a change for me not to see him obviously smashed on stage. The crowd really enjoyed their set, playing all the hits and coming back out on stage for a 4 song encore.
The Newcastle Herald reports today that there were about 30,000 people on the Newcastle Foreshore and a capacity crowd of 10,000 on the Stockton Foreshore. For a crowd of that size the pyro show was just plain embarrassing. I think Newcastle council needs to really take a good hard look at itself and reassess its commitment to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. There were countless families who lined the shores of Newcastle Harbour venturing out just for the fireworks. I am sure that there were alot of disappointed people going home.
From the brewery I watched waiting for the show to start let alone build to a grand finale. It never came. People all around me were just standing there saying ‘Is that it? Typical Newcastle’. The people around me weren’t real happy about it. As the largest regional centre outside a capital city, we as Novocastrians always seem to get second best from our council. If they arent fighting about bullshit in council meetings they are ripping us off with a second grade new years fireworks show.
Newcastle deserves better!! I hope that the council sees this and starts to do something about it. We deserve a real pyrotechnic display, with a real wow factor and no one saying ‘Is that it?’. The lack of actual pyrotechnics was obvious, and at all times the show just looked cheap. I urge you the general public to let the council know about it if you werent happy, email them and tell them about your disappointment.
After talking to friends today, who travelled all the way from Muswellbrook to see the Newcastle shows because Maitland was cancelled, I found out that after they saw the 9 oclock abomination they didnt even bother hanging around for the midnight show. That shouldnt happen in Newcastle!
To the average family the show was most probably okay, but no-one would have gone home saying it was good and compared to last years show off of Fort Scratchley, it just didnt come close. Why did it go back to Horseshoe Beach anyway? If Newcastle wants to try and bring tourism to the area they had better lift their game. Its about time that Novocastrians spoke up and made the people that run this city accountable. We have a brilliant city with an awesome, friendly population, its about time that we get what we deserve. New Years is a prime opportunity to show off our great city to people from outside the area, lets push for better next year.
Only 2 hours south from Newcastle we have THE BEST pyrotechnic stage in the world. Sydney Harbour is known across the globe for its spectacular fireworks shows and people travel from many countries just to spend New Years on Sydney Harbour. Having a reputation like that the investment of millions of dollars in a pyro show is well worth it. The amount of revenue that is generated from one nights fireworks, in tourism and advertising dollars, repays that to Sydney City many times over. To the people who say it is a waste of money, they dont know what they are talking about. Yes its a lot of money for a pyro show but it is so well worth it, and in worldwise advertising for Australia thats dirt cheap. More importantly, it brings so much joy to the millions of people crammed into every vantage point around the harbour. If you spread the cost out across all the people that see the show, thats about a dollar or 2 per person. Pretty good investment I say for the amount of happiness it spreads.
I have now seen the footage from the Sydney New Years Fireworks spectacular and I am impressed. Obviously there are major budget differences between Newcastle and Sydney, but Sydney put on a real show! The show moved, it built and relaxed then built again to a finale of impressive stature. I take my hat off to Foti’s Fireworks. They put alot of effort into their New Years Fireworks Show and once again will impress the world.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about the Newcastle Fireworks Craptacular.
