Off the record - Craig Box

I enjoyed Rockstar: INXS as live rock covers, played by a talented band, with sometimes some crappy singing in front of it. I came to enjoy the competition too (enjoyed it far less after the New Zealand Herald published the winner over four weeks before it aired in New Zealand). INXS's subsequent world tour included four dates in New Zealand (and has so far lasted almost a year, unlike the planned Rockstar: Rock Star Supernova "world tour", which they added a Canadian date to in order to qualify), the third of which I attended last Sunday.

I bought the tickets about three months ago; last week, I stressed for an hour after having lost them. I have three other sets of tickets in my drawer at work, and I turned the office upside down looking for them. I then convinced myself that I didn't actually buy any, but my friend Joe, who I was going with, must have bought them. Then I remembered him paying me for his, etc. Thankfully they turned up in my big stash of shows-I've-seen tickets (between the Rolling Stones and a Black Caps vs WI Twenty20 game).

The last time I went to the Logan Campbell Centre was to see Oasis, in 1998. I can only assume it's got smaller since then! Great venue though, well shaped and coloured - would suit theatre as well as rock. The opening band was Autozamm, who we arrived too late to see most of, but were still good as ever. Mixed a bit too loud for the event.

I was asked how INXS were by a few people: I found it very hard to tell my opinion. I thought I'd sum it up in numbers:

• Number of songs off Kick played: 6 from a possible 12
• Number of songs off Switch played: 7 from a possible 11
• Number of other songs played: About 6, including "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
• Age of lead singer: 33
• Average age of other band members: 48
• Average age of the women in the audience: Hard to tell.. probably 35
• Number of beards on stage: 2.5

2.5 beards? Well, Andrew Farriss obviously has a full beard, so that's one; Kirk, Tim and JD really only qualify for half-each. Kirk however would make a fantastic entrant during Movember.

JD seemed a little too cliched rockstar. "It's fantastic to be here in Auckland Noo Zeeland, two nights, peace and love to the world, man". There was also some strained gangster-rap-esque lyrical riffs between songs, which might have been INXS back catalogue that I wasn't familiar with. However, the band was tight, the vocal delivery was pretty good on the old stuff and great on the new stuff, and without having seen a Hutchence-lead show to compare it against, it was a good night out.