Queens rock V Festival Sydney
- Apr 07, 2008
Living in Canberra means a trek up to Sydney for festivals and the like. This can be a cumbersome experience, particularly if the mode of transport is bus. This time I was lucky enough to score a lift and the trip began with a coffee - a very nice skinny flat white from Tonic, a little café bar in Civic that I've never been to before, but will definitely go to again. But yes, I love a good road trip, and love to talk a lot of crap. Combine the two and it's fun city for me (maybe not so great for others haha).
When I go to festivals, I go for the music. (You're probably thinking, 'yeah, derr...' But festivals can be so much more than music - hanging out with friends, getting trashed, making new friends, sneaking into VIP sections etc etc). I can't tell you how many times I've wandered around a massive venue alone, set-times around my neck and highlighted, looking like a total nerd with no friends. Pfft, who cares - I always make friends on various barricades, in toilet queues, at the bar. I may be alone but I'm never lonely!
I have a particular preference for being on the barrier around the pit. Something to hold on to, usually have a bit more space in front (but this is a trade-off, always some sweaty dude's body pressed up tight against my back), and still close enough to be part of the gig, not just watching it. So this is where I find myself for Queens of the Stone Age. I'm pumped. The dude next to me looks like he's going to try to jump the barrier...'Dude, don't even go there,' I warn him. 'If you're gonna jump, do it next to someone else.' He looks at me, a little surprised. 'Nah man, this is the best position! I'm stayin' right here!' We bond over our mutual love of the Queens and mutual distaste for barrier-jumpers.
So yes, the Queens. And Josh Homme.
If the word 'sex' hadn't already been defined by Wikipedia, my definition would be Josh Homme. He's sex on legs, sex on a stick, sex on everything. And when he says, 'I wanna fuck every one of you here tonight', not only do I believe him but I think, hmmm, maybe somehow it will happen? (Zara, please, please tell me you got some Homme-lovin' with your backstage artist pass!) Man, this guy... hmm. I think I need some quiet time, please excuse me.
The Queens are slicker and sexier than Valvoline, and have the complete package. Tight. Grinding. Rolling. Pounding. Heavy. Sounds like sex (sorry, it's on my brain, clearly). It's rock 'n' roll heaven and for those suckers who missed it, you really missed an awesome performance.
The crowd screams every word to No-one knows, Sick sick sick, Little Sister, Go with the flow... my throat starts to feel a little hoarse. I wait patiently for Feel good hit of the summer... I'm still waiting dammit.
The new-look lineup does the job, I defy anyone to spot a weak link in this crew. Perfectly blending hard, edgy rock with soaring and even tender melodies, Homme's voice melts the crowd while Joey Castillo on drums makes sure there's no let-up in intensity. On the big screens we're treated to lots of closeups of Homme, Castillo and his tatts and the rest of the band, all doing their thang... and when the camera pans back to show the surging crowd, I fully realise just how many people worship the Queens.
I don't want it to end, but it of course does. Fantastic gig... and the Pumpkins still to come...
