There is a lot that can be said about Stone Music Festival. What happened to the event before tickets went on sale was something quite telling of the nature of the current industry, and what happened after tickets went on sale perhaps showed the organiser's lack of foresight, albeit a strong ability to adapt. And unlike two other festivals who were cancelled in the last week due to low ticket sales, not to mention existing in a genre where artists tend to drop off like flies, to all the credit of the Stone Music Festival organisers, they still got the event off the ground, and by all indications - a few gripes from some early ticket purchasers aside - everyone in attendance had a great time. I was only able to attend the second day, but here are my thoughts on the fantastic music of the day - and as for the rest of my thoughts about of the event as a whole, I'll save that for a separate editorial.
I arrived at ANZ Stadium early to catch King Farook on the festival's outdoor stage, which was by all evidences an afterthought and a lost opportunity in every respect. There were some incredible performances out here that the majority of punters missed out on. Farook were certainly one of them, and showed off a huge amount of energy in their tough slot, jumping in amongst the small amount of punters who had arrived early, easily impressing each and every one of us.
Gypsies and Gentlemen followed, a solid rock and roll band who were reminiscent of Birds of Tokyo - the sort of high energy, almost anthemic rock, laden with catchy riffs that you would unashamedly tell all your friends you listen to. Though the inclusion of the acoustic guitar in the mix was a seemingly surprising choice, that worked all the same, and the band delivered an impressive set. Los Angeles'Illumination Road were given the duty of opening the main stage next, once again with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, with the lead vocalist - Chris Ayden - on the former. Chris has a solid and commanding voice, with tracks like "Evil" and their current single "What We Say", which closed the set, proving particularly memorable. A young band with a bright future (pun intended), the band certainly made the most of their early slot.
The Hiding, who I last caught at CMJ in New York last year, impressed back on the outdoor stage with solid tracks like "Million Miles Away". The music is driven by both the keys and the guitar, all with an international sound behind it. This could work just about anywhere, and so it's no surprise that they've received a good deal of attention in the US. Moving back onto the main stage, Mark Seymour and the Undertow immediately stood apart from the lineup so far, with Mark's love of Irish folk music coming through in the infectious track "Lorelei" opening things up, something which could have easily emerged from a late night drunken jam at an Irish pub in the Melbourne CBD.
Though Mark's earlier work certainly carried the tone of a folk storyteller, it's definitely been with his latest material that he's been able to explore his influences thoroughly. And calling Seymour a talented storyteller is an understatement, with newer songs like "Castlemaine" showing that the acclaimed Australian songwriter remains as important today as he ever was. But naturally, it was his earlier material which got the crowd singing along, such as "When The River Runs Dry" and the anthemic "Holy Grail". It was my first time seeing the great man in action, and the set was an early highlight of the day.
Shannon Noll has never done it for me, and seeing him live for the first time today didn't change that. But to his credit, he's stuck with what he knows, and he's managed to make it work for him for a the last decade. "Get Loud" opened things up, with "Shine" and the Matchbox Twenty-esque ballad "Lonely" not far behind. "Big Black Shiny Car" got people singing along, and "Switch Me On" showed off his fine skills as a performer. And then "What About Me" reminded us all of what brought him into the scene to begin with. You can't argue with the level of consistency that's followed.
Three piece Chase The Sun were another solid choice, and I only wish more people went outside to see them. They know how to rock out, and the bassist is a gun. Diesel, meanwhile, slowed things down, with a gorgeous backing vocalist (Mark's daughter Lily), talented band and incredibly impressive guitar moments on Mark's behalf. "One More Time" opened things up, ahead of the impressive slide guitar work on "Don't Need Love", one of his earlier tracks. "Tip Of My Tongue" had everyone singing along and the epic "Cry In Shame" closed the set, which he promised was usually even more epic: "we have to keep it to a few minutes tonight but there are 12 to 15 minute versions floating around online!". Needless to say, he kept the song going for as long as he possibly could, and not a single person in the crowd moved an inch. An inarguable talent.
Back outside, Dallas Frasca, with a topless male guitarist who'd tapped up his nipples especially for tonight's performance, gave us what was without a doubt the most truly rock and roll set of the day, with her Zeppelin inspired jams and peacock leggings. She easily won over the crowd, bringing them to the front of the stage and jumping in amongst them all, getting everyone moving in the process. "One Man Woman" was a highlight, and she praised the festival organisers for "giving it a go" and supporting local rock music. Touche. I'm not the only one who considers her the day's standout.
Since his days with the fro, Guy Sebastian has carefully and cleverly adapted himself into a talent who can get away with producing the sort of music that he wants to, while throwing in the odd commercial rap-infused track to ensure he remains relevant in all markets. The music that he's embraced is that of soul music, and with a fantastic band behind him, a myriad of positive songs and an impressive stage presence, he definitely won me over with a contagiously energetic set. Highlights of the set included his duet with former X Factor contestant Angel Tupai for the track "Armageddon", which also saw both singers get onto the drums, showing that Guy truly knows how to work a crowd. I also thoroughly enjoyed Sebastian playing the role of Lupe Fiasco in their track "Battle Scars". The set closed with the popular "Like It Like That", with a brief Macklemore interlude thrown in for good measure, showing that even when he's up there putting on a soul inspired production, his finger remains on the pulse of what sells records these days; an impressive combination. I'm proudly a convert to Guy's live shows. Well done sir.
Icehouse were next, and put on what has become a fined tuned rock show from the veteran Australian entertainers. All the classics was pumped out in the hour long set, from "Hey Little Girl" to "Electric Blue" and of course "Great Southern Land", which got everyone on their feet, while Iva and saxophonist Glenn Reither impressed everyone on the raised platforms on either side of the stage. A cover of T Rex's "Get it On" was a highlight and the effortlessly catchy "Nothing Too Serious" ended the set on a truly fun note. Michael Paynter also impressed, featuring on vocals for "Man of Colours", while Iva played the Oboe.
Tonight was Billy Joel's first concert in a long time - we're talking years. He made a brief appearance at the 12-12-12 concerts last year, but that hardly counts, so it may have been understandable when Joel admitted in an interview that he wasn't sure if he'd still cut it live, and if he didn't, he'd bring his live career to an end. Thankfully for fans of Billy, in spite of a few hiccups which made him seem more human than just a performer (or as he called it "an authentic rock and roll fuck up to show you we're all playing our instruments up here!" during "The Entertainer"), it was clear the Piano Man still indeed "had it", and in between some great banter, in just over 90 minutes Joel performed some nineteen songs, reliving some of his classic live moments and giving so many of us that singalong of "Piano Man" we'd always dreamed of. It was everything we could have hoped for and more.
Whatever the organisers did to get Aerosmith, Van Halen and Billy Joel all onto the same bill, let alone the myriad of local and international talent behind them, shows that the Stone Music Festival organisers definitely have the connections - or at the very least the money - to keep true to their intentions on delivering this festival once again next year. And here's hoping they do. If they get the balance right, they could create a truly world class event here. But it's clear there's going to be a lot of convincing of the public to do to get there...
Even Billy wasn't quite sure why he was a part of the festival, and what it had to do with the biker film: "Why did they have the piano man headline a festival named after a biker film? We all know the piano man is a biker anthem after all!". He then played an improptu cover of "Born to be Wild" until he ran out of lyrics he knew. This said, "Highway To Hell" featuring his roadie Chainsaw has been a part of his set for a long time now - though tonight's surprise appearance of Jon Stevens from Noiseworks into the mix was a nice and unexpected addition. So maybe he's more suited for it all than he realises. And here, for your enjoyment, is the rest of the hit filled setlist.
Billy Joel Setlist:
Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Pressure
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
The Entertainer
My Life
Allentown
Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf cover) (Partial)
Don't Ask Me Why
Zanzibar
She's Always a Woman
Keeping the Faith
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
The River of Dreams
We Didn't Start the Fire (Billy Joel on guitar)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover) (with Jon Stevens and Billy Joel on guitar)
It's Still Rock and Roll to Me (Billy Joel on mic only)
You May Be Right
Only the Good Die Young
Piano Man