Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The movie came out on Thursday, and I’ve seen it twice already! It’s a fun, vibrant and enjoyable escape from reality.

If you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll want to get to the cinema to see this sequel.

I still think the original is the best, but I think this is one movie that the more you watch it the more you love it!

Directed by Ol Parker.

Written by Ol Parker, Richard Curtis, Catherine Johnson and Judy Craymer.

Starring Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Cher, Julie Walters, Jeremy Irvine, Andy Garcia, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, Celia Imrie, Jessica Keenan Wynan, Alexa Davies, Helene Cardona, Naoko Mori, Omid Djalili, Panos Mouzourakis, Togo Igawa, Sonia Dorado, Debra Leigh-Taylor, Alexandra Ford, Susanne Barklund, Amelia O’Loughlin, Gerard Monaco, Lampros Kalfuntzos, Maria Vacratsis, Anna Antoniades, Dale Branston, Gino Picciano, Jane Fowler, Kathryn Akin, Israel Ruiz, Natalia Campbell, David Handley, Paul-Adrien Ferre, Alim Jayda, Ava Brennan, Maria Despina, Tom Wheatley, Yasmin Harrison, Duncan Smith, Dawn Buckland, Jake Moyle, Gaston Dellaferrera, Zara Treherne, Constance Jerome, Omari Bernard, Filiz Fairweather, Sarah Cortez, Shannon Meehan, Tamara McKoy Patterson,

Here is a link to the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again trailer.

Michael Bolton – 22/06/2018 – Sydney

I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Bolton on Friday night at the State Theatre on his Symphony tour. Michael performed with the Sydney Lyric Orchestra, and also had Australian singer Silvie Paladino join him on stage for a series of duets.

From his first song you knew Michael hadn’t lost any of his voice. Below is the setlist from the evening.

Stand By Me

To Love Somebody

(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay

Said I Loved You But I Lied

You Don’t Know Me

To Make You Feel My Love

How Am I Supposed To Live Without You

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

The Prayer

Nessun Dorma

Georgia On My Mind

Hallelujah

You Are So Beautiful

When A Man Loves A Woman

How Can We Be Lovers

Steel Bars

Time, Love And Tenderness

Soul Provider [encore]

It was great to see Michael had a great sense of humour, working with the audience throughout the night, from Marriage proposals, to raucous laughter.

In the end I would definitely see Michael again, I’m still considering buying a ticket to see him again this Wednesday night at the State Theatre.

Priscilla Queen Of The Desert

Last night I went with some friends to see Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, at Capitol Theatre. We all loved it!

I’ve seen the movie quite a few times over the years, but have never seen the stage production before. I absolutely loved it and would definitely go again. If you are on the fence about whether to go, just go you won’t be disappointed.

From the performances, to the music and those costumes, I loved it.

The cast received a standing ovation, which I’m sure they’ll get every performance.

Starring Tony Sheldon, David Harris, Euan Doidge, Jakob Ambrose, Blake Appelqvist, Michelle Barr, Angelique Cassimatis, Lena Cruz, Xander Ellis, Mitchell Fistrovic, Robert Grubb, Samm Hagen, Tom Handley, Haydan Hawkins, Luke Jarvis, Joe Kosky, Leonard Mickelo, and Cle Morgan to name a few.

I’m off to listen to the soundtrack, shake your groove thing,yeah yeah!

For more information on the musical here is a link to their website.

Ice Cube – Sydney Opera House – 27/05/2018

Last night I went and saw Ice Cube live at Sydney Opera House in the Concert Hall. I loved it.

From the moment Ice Cube came on stage, he had the crowd on their feet and he brought it! No support acts just Ice Cube and WC.

Though Ice Cube’s son O’Shea joined him on stage for a few songs, the audience loved it. O’Shea acted as his father in the movie Straight Outta Compton. O’Shea even did the Aussie catch cry with the audience, Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi.

It was a phenomenal walk through Ice Cube’s earlier music from NWA to AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. He would provide an introduction to the song, including the audience from the time it was released to now.

I would definitely go see Ice Cube again!

The Book Of Mormon – Lyric Theatre Sydney 15/05/2018

The musical comedy is written by Matt Stone and Trey Parker the creators of South Park. Definitely don’t take anyone you think maybe offended easily, as it pokes fun at religion (incase you couldn’t tell).

Whilst not my favourite musical, as a musical comedy it was very clever and had me laughing, especially with the pop culture references.

The musical is currently showing at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, tickets are on sale right up into July.

Here is a link to the Book of Mormon trailer.

Tully

This is a beautifully unglamorous portrayal of motherhood, (not that I’m a Mum mind you), of a Mum about to give birth to her third child, and the first 6 months after.

But I came out of this film with such empathy for all my friends who are Mums. Though I wouldn’t recommend this film for a Mum who is looking for a night out away from the kids….

Charlize Theron is great in this movie.

From the Director Jason Reitman and Writer Diablo Cody of Juno, one of my favourite films.

That being said I’m not rushing out to see this movie again. I’ll watch it again but not sure when.

Here is a link to the Tully trailer.

Midnight Oil 1984 – Special Q and A Screening – Sydney

This documentary follows the Australian band Midnight Oil through 1984. It’s a limited release and only in cinemas for a week starting 10th May.

It was well put together and really took you back to the 1980’s, from fashion, politics and of course music.

The Question and Answer session after the film was very enjoyable. Rob Hirst (drummer) was joined onstage with Ray Argall longtime collaborator with the band, and hosted by Sean Sennett (journalist and musician).

I was only 7 in 1984, so I never saw them live, but I remembered them from that time from their music to their politics.

It was great, and what I most enjoyed was after their concerts the band would be back stage drinking Earl Grey & Chamomile tea. Very different from most other rock bands of their time.

Here is a link to the Midnight Oil 1984 trailer.

Jimmy Barnes Working Class Man (Songs and Stories) – Sydney 02/05/2018

I’ve listened to Jimmy Barnes on and off for many years, but never seen him live. So I was happy to get a ticket to his current show Working Class Man Songs and Stories.

This was the first time I’ve been to the Sydney Town Hall for a show. I can’t say I particularly liked the venue, not for a show (no leg room in the seats!)

After so many years, Jimmy’s voice hasn’t lost anything. He came on at 8pm, no support act just Jimmy and some musicians.

He takes you on a virtual tour of his life beginning with Cold Chisel To now. From videos, photos, telling stories and performing songs throughout the evening.

There was an intermission halfway through, which was good if you wanted to stretch your legs, get a drink etc. In the break we spotted Peter Fitzsimmons and Lisa Wilkins in the crowd, pretty cool.

After intermission Jimmy was back to it.

He spoke of his first book working class boy.

I’ll definitely be reading both of his books now. I loved hearing the story behind the man. He pulled no punches, took the blame for his bad decisions.

It was great how he spoke of his past, and getting help. I think this was truly brave, and should happen more often.

You forget how many people he’s worked with over his career.

If you were expecting a concert you may have been disappointed, but man he can still sing like he used to.

At the end of the night, you join him in thinking how lucky he is to be alive. But most importantly you love him just a little bit more than before. The love for his family and friends shines through.

The show was supposed to finish at 11, but we got a little bit more leaving at 11:30.

Nothing Compares 2 U – Sydney Opera House 28/04/2018

Wow what a great show! In the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, with members from 5 Prince bands, all eras and a lot of Prince artists are shown. Featuring Tyka Nelson, Princes sister.

The bands are: New Power Generation (NPG), The Family, The Time and Purple Rain.

I was lucky enough to be 5 rows back from the stage. We were on our feet dancing and singing for most of the show.

It was as close to seeing Prince as you could get now.

The costumes and energy was fantastic!

It was a very tight show, with an intermission and no support act. They had you involved and loving it from the first song to the last!

Their voices were amazing, though my favourite would have to be Shelby J!

Throughout the show you got to meet and see each of the members perform solos either vocals or instrumentals.

I would go see any of the bands separately or together in a heartbeat.

Do yourself a favour and see these guys live if you have s chance, you won’t regret it!

Here is a link to the website for Nothing Compares to Prince.

The Script – 20/04/2018 Sydney

My very first time seeing The Script live, and I will now be going to see them every time they come to Australia!

We had General Admission tickets, and they were great (off to the left just one person in front), not as good as my friends on Saturday night in Brisbane (she was front & centre).

You see some bands live, like them but prefer their music off the album, not so with The Script. They are full of energy and are better live.

From surfing the crowd, to singing two songs from the stands amongst those sitting, they truly engage with the audience.

I even managed to get a guitar pick from guitarist Mark Sheehan!

Check out Danny’s crowd surfing below.

At my favourite venue Sydney’s International Convention Centre (ICC), Theatre. They folded back a section of the chairs/stand and gave more room to the floor for General Admission, first time I’ve seen them do this, though to be fair it’s only my 5th time there seeing a concert.