Honky Tonk Highway

Had to put in a whole day's work before I'd get my second dose of Fred Eaglesmith and, as Murphy's Law would have it, our publication decided it would throw a couple of spanners into my plans. Even if we finished on time, I knew I would miss the opening act, Karl Broadie, another young up-and-coming talent from the Central Coast - which seems to be home to almost all the worthwhile country music talent - in this State at least. As it happened I arrived just in time to see Willie P. Bennett take a bow for what I was told was an excellent addition to Bill Chambers' set. Dan Walsh was also on stage and Bill played another two songs and that was the openers. The Bridge Hotel is one of the constants in Sydney's music scene and has been home to many of the local and overseas blues acts for almost 30 years. It's a medium-size room with a few old posters on the walls from acts which had passed through over the years. The floor is concrete but still has that unmistakeable odour of stale beer pervading the air. Didn't seem to worry the throng of punters who had turned out to see Fred. This was the biggest crowd I've seen at one of Fred's gigs and it all looked good for another great night.

I had been so disciplined the previous night and had successfully written down most of the set list (sorry for the errors!) and had managed to record the show on my old cassette recorder and had also managed to take a few pictures, which I'll try to upload to my photo host page later. Tonight was going to be my night of fun and frolic with the road warrior and his band of merry musicians - although I did put my little old digi-camera into my pocket just in case. By the time Fred began his set, I was already half-way to my hedonistic target and it wasn't until the second song that I thought I could also take down the set-list. Scratched a few words on a page and then tried to think of the name of the first song Fred had sung so well only a few minutes before, only to realise it wasn't going to come through! That was it - I was going to enjoy and ONLY enjoy! Somewhere along the night Fred played Big Hair, He's A good Dog, among others, and it was all going really well until Fred was well into that drinking song, Do You Drink Too Much? when one of the locals decided to jump up on stage and join in! That Kasey Chambers! - You just can't keep her away from good music! It was right about now I wished I had decided to record this show as well but it was too late to even worry about it. I did remember the camera but I was way away from the stage and behind rows and rows of standing punters who all seemed to grow a couple of inches the moment Kasey mounted the stage. Bugger! I held the camera as high as I could over the heads and clicked a couple of times and the results are as much as one could expect - dark and almost useless - but good enough to prove she and Fred had sung together. Fred asked Kasey to stay and she obliged but before they could begin Fred starts telling a long and side-splitting story about Kasey and their meetings and the obvious admiration he has for the kid. They then sing one of the most beautiful versions of Wilder Than Her I've heard. There's no doubt these two have performed together more than once. Kasey was looking so cool and relaxed and was smiling her head off so much I thought she might lose her lip pin! It was a great gesture by Kasey, not only to keep supporting Fred but to drop in to give some of her fans a little bit of a local pub appearance. I'm sure she enjoyed the night as much as we did. Good on you, Kasey!



Fred MUST have told some really funny stories but my addled brain will never recover all of them now. I do remember the whole room laughing until they cried every time he went on one of his verbal rampages. There was one story I can partly recall about his kids and drugs and booze and parties and the ironies of them not knowing what he did as a youngster!! It also hit me that, until Kasey joined Fred on stage he hadn't repeated ONE song from the previous night. He eventually did repeat Drive-In Movie (this time with the band rockin' along) but the others, if any, have gone. I tried to keep an eye on each individual player as they did their solo spots but the night took its toll and the performance will go down as one of those "holistic" shows where the ". . . sum of all parts is greater than . . . etc". In other words I was away with the pixies and the music was tingling in my ears and the appearance of Kasey and the many, many newbies who came along to see the big Canadian do his thing. Managed to snap a couple of silly stage shots later in the evening but nothing really brilliant. Make up your own mind when I eventually get them uploaded.

The show was over just as the whole thing was warming up - to me, anyway - and there was a measurable buzz going around the room. All this and only one serious heckle all night which made Fred call a halt to his last story of the night. Managed to have a few words with Dan Walsh as he was collecting his gear (which seemed, mostly, to be packed in bottles over the bar!) and I offered my compliments on his handling of the idiots from the previous night's debacle at The Vic. I was startled to hear the fools had hung around after everyone had left and had tried to carry on where they had left off as the band was loading the van. Without going into much detail, Dan said they managed, with the help of some security person, to get rid of them without further ado. Wanted to ask Dan about that blue-light thing he used the night before as he was using the slide on his metal-jacketed guitar. It looked almost like a laser-style effects module which hovers obove the strings or pickups to really bend the notes. Anyone know about that?

All night my friend had been asking me if I could arrange a photo of her and Fred. Said I would if everything was right. Felt a strong presence around me and turned around to see Kasey chatting to one of her fellow singer/songwriters, Beccy Cole and immediately my mate decided a photo with Kasey would be just fine as well! I have been on speaking terms with Kasey for many years but mostly allow her to go about her busines but thought she wouldn't mind just this once. For those who haven't had the pleasure, Kasey is like talking to one of your own kin. She's so open and courteous and always with a smile on her face and tonight was no different. Then we set out to see what Fred was up to. Where else but the merch desk up at the back and he had already signed countless items and the mob was thinning considerably. Waited for the right moment and lo and behold Fred obliges in a trice and friend was truly happy! Had a short chat with Fred about the last tour and the drive back from Newcastle and he's gotta be the most laid-back guy doing the international music circuit. He even hung around while I tutored my friend on how to click the camera so I could get in on the act as well. Earlier I had asked Fred about the version of Hallelujah he sang on the CMT show and why only two verses. Fred's reply, in the way only this guy can do it, was: "Hell, man, they were the only two I knew!!"

And that was it as we made our way out to the beer garden with a hope in our mind that Fred and the Squirrels might join us for a few after-show drinks. No such luck, this time. The excitement and energy levels were overflowing and the only cure was to quench them with more booze and some chatter amongst friends about the concert and the band and the last two days and not hearing Lucille or Flowers In The Dell (again!) and countless other songs I'd like to hear live. But we all agreed it had to be one of the best nights this ol' pub has seen in many years. In Fred's own words: "It sure was GOOD!!"