The Whigs & Amigo @ The Visulite

Could this be the best show I see this year.  The very first show of the year has set a high standard if any band wants to better it.  The Whigs were fucking awesome!

Bonus start was to get there in support of Amy's cousin and see Amigo open.  It seemed like an odd pairing of bands, not of Fuck Buttons/Pixies proportions, but still the country rock twang of Amigo didn't really match the flat out rock of The Whigs.  Slade and the band held up there own and played a great 45 minute set.  They have a tour coming up that sees them take in SXSW in Austin.  Hope it all goes well.  Slade talked of wanting to record again, will be great to see them throw in some new songs into the set.

The Whigs hit the stage running.  I got to see them play an early arvo set at Riot Fest back in September and remember being impressed.  That show had nothing on tonight.  The Whigs hit the stage and played their four-on-the-floor flat out rock from the get go.  I'm still not familiar with song titles but the set played out with songs rocking harder as the night went on.  There were occasions after some songs, that Sanders, Mike and I looked at each other with jaws agape after some of the most incredible drumming I've ever seen.  A 2 song encore that included Friday Night and David Bowie's Rebel Rebel was a fantastic end to an amazing show.  

Glad I got to see them in a small, but disappointingly only half full venue.  It is a bit of a shame that rock is not as relevant in the music landscape as it used to be, because I truly believe that The Whigs would be one of the bigger bands around if that was the case.  It is a big call to say the 1st show of the year will be the best for 2015, but I can't wait to see someone top that.  When is the next nearby Whigs gig?

The Crap Facts:
This is my 383rd concert.
This is my 5th concert at The Visulite.
This is my 30th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 32nd concert in North Carolina.
This is my 191st concert in the USA.
This is the 3rd time I've seen Amigo.
This is the 2nd time I've seen The Whigs.
The Whigs are the 50th time I've seen a band in Charlotte.

Bateau Bay, NSW to Oxnard, CA

What a day!  I was an emotional wreck leaving Mum's place, as dad drove me to the airport. Amy and The Boys rode with Kel.  And then a mess again as I had to say goodbye to Dad and Kelly at the airport.  After 3 weeks of a high, it all came crashing down in one fell swoop.

Check In on the way home was so much easier than getting here. 14 hours is a long time for those boys to sit still on a flight, especially since we left at 11 am.  But they were champions!  A lot of Thomas, Peppa Pig and World Word was watch and they did get some sleep in.  Though I feel as though I didn't.  Actually can't believe how good I felt when I got off the plane, considering how shit I felt during it.  I sat with Barrett, who wasn't 100% well, and I couldn't sleep or get comfortable.  I swear I had a migraine with only 2 hours left to fly.

Amy and L - SYD to LAX

After the joys of summer, we land at LA at 6am and it is only 37 degrees.  We're still in shorts and t-shirts here.  That was definitely a shock to the system.  Getting our rental car also seemed easier this time.  Maybe we were delirious from the flight and time change.  I don't remember much about the drive to Oxnard to AC's but I remember be grateful to be there, and the opportunity for a late morning nap, was not gong to be missed.

We'll drive back down to LA tomorrow night to stay near the airport so we can get our early morning flight back to Charlotte.  As much as I loved being home at Christmas, I now am, finally, looking forward to getting back into my own house and back into a routine.

Bateau Bay, NSW

This is it!  Last full day in Australia.  It started with breakfast for Amy and I at the Surf's Up Cafe at The Entrance with Barnesy.  After 3 weeks of the summery, outdoor life, I'm sure it's gonna be hard to adjust to the Charlotte winter when we get back.

We bought the boys back down to the water park at the Entrance. We took Mum and Nan with us and met Lindsay and Val, and Dad and Kathleen down there. Wanted the boys to see the pelican feeding, but there were so many people around, it was a miss for them.  The kids got one last ride on the carousel, something Nan so desperately wanted to see.  The kids were only glad to oblige.  Mum drove Nan home, so this was our last goodbye to her.  It was tough.  And hard to explain to the boys why dad was crying.  After Nan Hutch and Granddad Fay not ever meeting the boys, having Nan do so was the most important part of this trip for me.  And makes me resolve to get back sooner rather than later.

 L, Lucy & B - To The Carousel

We stopped for dinner at the Entrance Leagues Club.  Again because there is a play area for the kids to go wild in, while the adults ate.  I like that this is where we spend our last light at home.  I ran into Bairdy, from the old soccer days, it was somewhere Amy hadn't been to (Still can't bring myself to take her to the Ming yet - maybe next trip) and I saw a club that is unrecognizable from when we use to come here as young adults and hang out.

I really am dreading tomorrow.

The rarest of photos - Mum & Dad, Me & Kel and the 4 Grandkids