SUNDAY 24 April 2005
Venue: Heritage Hotel, Bulli
Setlist
No Connection
California Here I Come
Before I Walk On Fire
Saviour Child
As I Lay Me Down
Mmm My Best Friend
Did We Not Choose Each Other
Walking On Thin Ice
I Need Nothing Else
Lose Your Way
Right Beside You
Mr. Tugboat Hello
Beautiful Girl
Feelin’ Good
Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
The setlist might look similar, but it was actually a very different gig. For starters No Connection was produced with a tempo very similar to the album version, and unlike the hurried frenzied pace of the earlier two shows. But better still, we were there early; we got an awesome table, up close. I was in a better position, but more than that Sophie felt really relaxed and was having fun… and it translated very well to the crowd. When she ran out of room on the stage to perform her energy-infused version of Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, she jumped off the stage and started dancing with audience members. She went back and forth, singing “DAMN!” at appropriate intervals and then motioning for the audience to join in. She did this on many occassions, infact she gave us “one last chance” on two separate occassions (LOL!). Finally the crowd was truly engaged. The room rocked. It was quite simply the best of all four performances. I was so glad we were there.
At the show I met another fan, Vivienne (who, as it happened, turned out to have been at the Sydney show too). She asked to join our table, and provided us with conversation and wedges! It was so wonderful to meet and talk to another genuine fan. And her favourite album is Whaler (as is mine!). I showed the shots I had developed earlier that day, beautiful 8 x 10″ pictures… Two of Sophie, Gigi and myself, and three from the instore performance. (All matte of course – for signing purposes!)
gnome kept saying, “Okay we should go over there and get her to sign stuff now, the line is small.” But I was prepared to stay around for hours. Then gnome said, “Quick.. I think she’s leaving.” She walked past our table, and when she saw us and came over.
“John! Thank you so much,” she declared loudly.
Gigi stood at our table looking at the potato wedges, “Are these good?” she asks…
“They’re cold, but good,” I explained. Gigi took a wedge, and Sophie followed suit.
“Oh wow, what a cute picture,” Sophie said when she saw me getting the photograph out of the bag. Gigi came over and had a look.
“Who’s that?” Gigi said…
I laughed, she laughed, and she said, “Oh it’s me.. no one ever takes photos of me.”
I handed Sophie the silver sharpie pen I bought specially. I was talking to Gigi about the sound engineer (she wasn’t very happy with him) and about taking some photographs.
Sophie said, “Is this for you John?” And I said, “Yes.” She signed, “For dear John.. Sophie B. Hawkins.”
Gigi said at one point, “Just don’t let her talk… if you come to the Ettalong tomorrow she’ll talk your ear off.” I explained that I couldn’t be there, and Sophie seemed disappointed, and from that point on she spoke in her normal voice (and Gigi didn’t seem to mind).
From Left: Sophie B. Hawkins, gnome (back), John Lacey, Vivienne Barrington
Gigi took some photographs of us as a group (Sophie, me, gnome, and our new founded friend Viv). I handed Sophie another note, thanking her for everything and asking her to pass my thanks on to the others. “Australia loves you, and DAMN! so do I,” it said (amongst other things).
“John did you hear I got the lyrics to Right Beside You right in the second chorus?” Sophie asked me. I was surprised to hear her mention it. I had almost forgotten about scribbling them down. It was so funny and surreal, and cool…
Sophie and Gigi had said they were going to wear the hats, but had forgotten. Sophie said they’d take a photograph of them wearing them and put it on the website.
I exchanged contact details with my new friend, and we left the Heritage Hotel.
For More Information On Sophie B. Hawkins, visit the official website here
