This was our 4th time downunder since 2003, and the first time during the summer! It wasn't ridiculously hot, but certainly warmer than on previous spring/fall trips. We played the usual venues in Melbs, Adelaide & Sydney, and festivals in S Victoria and Gold Coast. In fact we spent New Year's eve in Surfer's Paradise, finished the gig early and were back at the hotel by 9:30 (I fell asleep at 11 and missed the fireworks.) Festivals are always a little tricky, since the audience is 99%
not there to see us. But they seemed to dig it, we do put on a great show that even the non-fans cannot deny!
As always, the people were fantastic, and thanks to a few shows cancelling, we managed some extra time off. The last gig near Perth - a festival - was also cancelled due to wildfires, so we left a few days early.
We also finally played Christchurch after having our gig there cancelled due to the earthquake 5 years ago. Very odd there, the city is still undergoing reconstruction and the vibe is very austere. But I found a cool record store, and a pawn shop with some cheap cymbals, so it was a good visit.
I really love Australia, especially Melbourne and Sydney. My wife was along on our first trip, and we could absolutely see ourselves living there, if immigration was a little easier.
Bermuda