A little over a month has passed and I’m still pouring through the photo galleries and struggling to pick and choose what to edit out, without taking away from the incredible energy and stage presence felt by a packed Enmore Theatre from both bands. In the meantime, Jet has just been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame – what a fabulous conclusion to their 20 year celebrations.
The much awaited tour by 2000s rock darlings Jet was an incredible celebration of now classic rock tunes that indeed celebrated their success and 20 year anniversary of their seminal album, Get Born. Sydney’s Enmore Theatre was filled to overflowing with enthusiastic punters of all ages. With such a big milestone performance, the choice of support acts was indeed a challenge. Who could sufficiently entertain a crowd seemingly only there to see the headline act? It seems that Goldman’s Music haven’t lost their touch since separating the indie management and label that was Winterman and Goldstein and Ivy League Records. They clearly have an ear for what will work, having managed and released some extremely successful indie artists including The Vines, 78 Saab, The City Lights, Youthgroup and countless others, including Jet. Their star is still shining brightly with comparative newcomers Pacific Avenue signed to Goldmans and what a perfect opener!
I was really looking forward to seeing the young Wollongong boys perform live after having listened to them all over the Triple J airwaves in the months leading up to the tour. They were nothing short of amazing as a live act and I enjoyed hearing them even more than I had on high rotation through my stereo. So much youthful energy especially from bass player Jack Kay, bounding all over the stage and through the audience, it was clear the young artists were enjoying themselves as much as the screaming young girls in the front row. Indeed, just as they left the stage after a heart filled performance, one young teen just behind me burst into tears which was a little reminiscent of Beatlemania all those years ago.
Jet took to the stage soon after and it was clear how much the audience had waited to see them after all this time. Every song was met with the crowd singing all of the lyrics which only brought the energy in the room to new heights. The generous set was filled with all of the Get Born material and was met with enthusiasm for the band’s first shows in 5 years. Hardly surprising considering at the time of release, Get Born bagged six ARIA Awards and went 9 times platinum in Australia, making it one of the top 5 highest selling Australian rock albums of all time and selling over 5 million copies worldwide. I was a little disappointed that we were only allowed to photograph the first 5 songs given the occasion (although that’s generous compared to the usual 3), but that kinda worked in my favour…the photo pit quickly emptied but being slower to pack up my gear than the other media meant that I was still in the pit when frontman Nic Cester sat right in front of me for an intimate performance of their hit “Look What You’ve Done” which took out APRA Song Of The Year in 2005. I dutifully kept my pro gear in my bag but filmed instead on my phone – how could I not? Surely that’s why he chose the spot directly in front of me right? Nic Cester, Cameron Muncey, Chris Cester and Mark Wilson all original stalemates were joined by Louis Macklin and Pete Marin for the tour. Aside from a stellar performance by the seasoned pros, it must be noted that the lighting and sound were a brilliant accompaniment and really enhanced the overall experience.
