I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night, seeing Grinspoon play at the Redland Bay Hotel for their 20 Years Of Better Living tour was amazing and as always they were just brilliant. By far one of the best bands I have seen live to date. It was not my first time seeing Grinspoon, but my first time at the Redland bay Hotel so had no idea what to expect about the venue, turns out it was also Grinspoon’s first time there too. The gig was outdoors and the cool breezes apparently helped the sound travel the streets of Redland Bay with local residents reporting their houses shaking with the awesome sound that is Grinspoon.
The night kicked off with Good Boy; the perfect band to warm up the crowd. Good Boy always has a good time on stage and Rian’s unique way of bouncing around the stage as he performs creates a happy vibe that reflects out to the audience. Poverty Line was definitely the stand out track from the set, with the crowd going off and singing along.
Hockey Dad were up next and played a good set, especially considering Zach announced to the crowd “I am sick tonight so I’ll need your help guys!” It wasn’t long into the set before their fans started chanting at the guys to do a ‘shoey’ to which Zach responded if someone filled a shoe with cough medicine he would drink it! He was clearly unwell, though it did not affect his vocals or performance. I am always impressed when musicians don’t let being sick get in the way of their performance. Eventually Billy caved and did a shoey, saying it was his first ever, which was a big hit with the fans. Rian from Good Boy got up and did a song with them which was fun to watch, Rian and Zach clearly have a bond between them. Before breaking into “I Need A Woman” Zach announced “This is a song about a whale” which was met by loud cheers and was clearly a favourite with the fans, the song went off as did the mosh. The guys had some diehard fans there, one of which kept calling out “Who the fuck is Grinspoon!? Hockey Dad! Fuck yeah!” the boys from Hockey Dad found this hilarious and said they’ve never heard anyone say that before.
Well sorry random Hockey Dad fan, but we ALL know who the fuck Grinspoon is! Grinspoon hit the stage with huge screams and cheers from the crowd of 2 and a half thousand people.
Grinspoon perform like a well oiled machine. The energy on stage and the connection between the 4 of them is amazing to witness and all of them are brilliant at what they do. Phil was clearly born to perform, always making the show fun to watch with his stage antics and passion for his music.
There was a moment during Bad Funk Stripe where Phil was at the back of the stage having a moment with Kris and the stage became Pat’s, mesmerizing the audience with his guitar and clear enjoyment of playing the song. Throughout the entire set it was clear the guys were all having a great time and loved playing the songs from their first album with the audience loving every moment and singing and screaming along to every word of every song. When I recently interviewed Kris he made a comment about how deafening some of the sing-along’s have been and how awesome it was to hear. The pure joy from the audience was amazing to be a part of and I can only imagine how good it would feel to be on stage receiving that sort of joy and energy coming from your fans.
After all the tracks from Guide To Better Living were done, Grinspoon played most of their biggest hits, starting off with Chemical Heart and finishing up with a fan favourite, More Than You Are. A perfect song to end a perfect set.
Seeing Grinspoon perform Guide To Better Living from start to finish for the 2nd time this year was amazing. For so many fans like myself, this album was a life changer, a soundtrack to our youth and an all-time favourite that still gets played frequently. I also caught the gig in Brisbane at the Tivoli on the 8th of July and at both gigs I was pleased to see such a mix of ages in the crowd. From really young fans to the long term dedicated fans and everyone clearly enjoying the talent that is Grinspoon. Proving that Grinspoon are as big now as they were back when Guide To Better Living was released 20 years ago. So on behalf of all the fans, Thank you Phil, Pat, Joe and Kris for bringing us an amazing tour and letting us join in and sing along with you to Guide To Better Living.