Random Play by Graham Reid

I must say I was underwhelmed with the fireworks display as well... a lot of it was ground-level stuff hidden in the trees at the Domain so once the front 10,000 people stood up to get a better view the rest of us took to chanting "Sit down ya wanka" and wondering whether we'd get a chance to see what was going on.

Mind you, my little girl enjoyed herself immensely and that was really why I was there so I can't complain. The fireworks we did see were Oooh and Aaah enough and she enjoyed riding on my shoulders through the crush of people on the way out as much as anything else. I didn't like to point out to her that when she's 15 that'll be a pain - she's four and she loved it.

Cheers

Paul

It seems like a lot of gigs in New Zealand start very late; I find it frustrating to be out on a school night where the band doesn't start til around 11, and finishes after 12.

Yeah, so musicians don't have to get up at 7.30am to go to work, but the rest of us do!

Support bands should be on at 8, and the headliners before 9.30, finished by 11. Not too late to bed, and still time to go to a club if that's what you want to do.

Late starts are dissuading me from seeing bands; I wonder how many other people too?

Late starts are dissuading me from seeing bands

Absobloodylutely. One of my favourite bands of all time, One Million Dollars, are on at AK07, in the Spiegeltent - at 10pm. I would love to go and see them, but I work with young peoples, and I can't justify walking around like a zombie all day. There's a lot of stuff on in Auckland, and I've love to be part of it, but I have to be asleep by 11pm at the latest to feel even remotely okay the next day, so I guess it's evenings in and Survivor/Amazing Race/whatever for me. Oh, but Nathan Haines is on this Sunday at 7.30pm. Now that, I can do...

Speaking of the fireworks. As I was watching the night sky fill up with fumes, smoke and grit on Saturday night I couldn't help thinking that perhaps last week was the wrong week to launch the Low Carbon Diet.

I'm guessing that the 20 odd minutes of AK07 launch emissions neutralised the good any aucklanders acheived leaving their cars at home last week.

Never mind. At least the sky looked pretty for a few minutes.

Late starts are dissuading me from seeing bands; I wonder how many other people too?

/raises hand.

I blame the change in the licensing laws. There was a lot wrong with 10 o'clock closing but at least it made sure gigs kicked off on time...

I blame the change in the licensing laws. There was a lot wrong with 10 o'clock closing but at least it made sure gigs kicked off on time...

whoops, I can claim a wee bit of responsibility for that when we decided, from 92 onwards, to put Nathan Haines & The Enforcers on at 1am, in Cause Celebre, playing through to four or five (or later). As you say it was licensing that forced it. When clubs closed by law at 3am it was an 11-3 set, but when the "man" says you gotta stay open until six.....

As a licensee it was a pain in the butt...you make the same money but over six hours rather than three, with an associated and unavoidable rise in costs.

But it gave us a hell of an edge over everybody else in town.