Midnight Oil play a beautiful springtime show in Vancouver
written by Emilio Angel
On a beautiful spring evening in Vancouver, Australian band Midnight Oil stepped on stage of the Malkin Bowl accompanied by 2 eagles that were magically sitting on the top branch of a tall tree just at the right time. The weather had come through with blue skies and a delightful breeze despite worries of rain -it’s Vancouver after all.
Playing their first show in Vancouver in 10 yrs, the politically charged band played nearly a 2 hr set, starting off with the hard rock n’ roll of “Red Neck Wonderland” and “Progress. ” Instantly recognizable frontman Peter Garrett garnered a 2 thousand people sing-a-long with “In the Valley” and it was a wonderful experience! The bright sun, thousands of people jumping up and down for the joy of Midnight Oil set the tone for the rest of the evening.
After the first few songs, Garrett spoke about how it took the band awhile (10 yrs) to come back to Vancouver and how he missed this beautiful city, how he was quite happy being outdoors for a show for a change.
“Earth, Sun and Moon” (played for the first time since 1993) was punctuated by Garrett on harmonica; the sound spreading I’m sure across all of Stanley Park. The show was rocking and the audience were jumping or dancing enthusiastically. Garrett let us know he had no intention of leaving early, that this would be a long show and the crowd responded with cheers. Interspersed throughout the tunes, the band gave politically charged discourses; mainly talking about Donald Trump, how much they valued the environmental efforts in Canada, and a couple of hits against the Queen of England. Garrett has had an extensive career in politics, especially environmental protection – he served as Minister of Environment in Australia for 3 yrs.
As the sun set, the stage lights became more visible and it seemed the sound system was turned up a notch to match the party night atmosphere. The band played their best classic songs Beds are Burning, Blue Sky Mine and Dreamworld – clearly the highlight of the night for many casual fans.
The encore had Garrett telling us to “respect nature” and how he is proud of all the people fighting for the cause of Global Warming. The last few songs were played out, the entire venue singing along to Forgotten Years and King of the Mountain. I was incredibly happy after leaving – a show I won’t forget anytime soon and the BEST show of 2017 thus far.
©nightMair Creative.com
all rights reserved
written by Emilio Angel