Bimbadgen Estate, Hunter Valley
Saturday 18 February, 2023
Reviewer and Photographer : Kevin Bull
Well what a crazy ol’ day it was in the Hunter. From 40 degrees in the early afternoon to being cancelled due to wild winds and lightning strikes only 6 hours later, it was a day that had it all. To begin with, car air-con was the winner on the way north. It was already too hot to get there early, so a quick beer at the Kearsley Hotel felt just right. If we had arrived during lunch, I could have grabbed a burger for about $8 more. I’ll have to remember that for next time.
Prior to everything going belly-up, we were all having a great time. Sure it was hot, but most brought along their solution, be it a simple fan, a misting spray bottle, or just a few extra trips to the bar. Opening the stage happens to be Joe Sumner, Sting’s son, which turned out to be a real treat for us all. Armed with just a guitar and some wonderful songs, it was noticeable that he was connecting, people were listening rather than it being just background music prior to the main act. Everyone around me nodded with approval when asked what they thought.
As we wait for the sun to dip behind the local hills, James Reyne arrives to reminds us to just how impressive his song catalog is. This is a crowd that knows all of these songs, singing at full voice with ‘Errol’ and ‘Downhearted’. We were all there for Reyne, and a standing ovation following the closer ‘Fall Of Rome’ was 100% deserved.
As we wait for Sting, over our shoulder a storm was brewing. We could see the dark clouds, and were checking the radar on our phones. There was hope that what had already hit Sydney and the Central Coast would somehow go around us. Personally, I photographed the first two songs of Sting, and walked my camera gear straight to the car. I wasn’t going to risk it.
Considering we only caught the first 7 songs, what we saw of Sting only makes me believe that we have missed out on a really great show. When you get ‘Message in a Bottle’, ‘Englishman in New York’ and ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ as the opening three songs, we’re well on the way to a winner. He also looks fighting fit for a 71 yo, with a physique that would be the envy of… me. And I can’t sing so that’s strike two for me.
You see everything was going fine. Sting was in fine form, we caught some songs from his new release, The Bridge, then in the middle of ‘If I Ever Lose My Faith in You’, the wind picked up and within a minute we had the lighting rig swinging. It didn’t look good, you could see that Sting had been given the heads up, and on the song’s finish, he apologised and off he went. It wasn’t surprising to be honest, and within 15 minutes, the night was called off and we were filling out as quick as possible before the rain really hits hard.
Back in the car with a towel and beer, we laughed. You couldn’t have dreamed that one up.
