Elegantly Wasted (An INXS Concert Review)
They came, they sang, they left. No biggie. Most of their new songs were foreign to me. The crowd was at most 4000. The concert was calendared to start at 8:30 but we arrived there at 8:45pm in typical Malaysian fashion. The opening act - whoever they were - sucked!! Local artistes just don't cut it for me. This band exemplified the ultimate lameness - they sang approx 10 songs, and got us all yawning. Pity though, this crowd didn't boo them off the stage although we did, like how I recalled during THAT Bon Jovi concert in 1995, where local act Lost Souls was intimidatedly booed to get lost. I still every now and then cruelly remind the lead singer of the Lost Souls every other weekend - as the dude now plays in a 3-piece band called SWV - at Waikiki's, usually on Saturdays. :-)
INXS showed up at 9:45pm, and the concert ended 2 hours later. JD Fortune looked like an anorectic druggy. But, to be fair to him, I'm sure that it's been a rollercoaster ride since he won ROCKSTAR. Concerts after concerts. He queerly gyrated throughout the concert and lacked the charisma to gee up the ho-hum Malaysian crowd. I give him 3 years before he proclaims to the world that he's homo. Let's face it, these guys, no matter how kickass JD Fortune's vocalization was, and how instrumentally salutary they were, their songs are nowhere near as attention-getting as Bon Jovi's. If you haven't been to a Bon Jovi concert, you're missing out - Jon Bon Jovi ALWAYS interacts with the crowd - a quality of a true entertainer. The best concert however, goes to Michael Jackson (1996). :-)Notice how I keep divagating from INXS? Well, there's truly nothing to write about. I'm disappointed that they didn't sing "THE STRANGEST PARTY", though they sang "SUICIDE BLONDE", 2 of my favorite INXS songs. 6/10INXS - Never Tear Us Apart, New Sensation, Need You Tonight, Suicide Blonde, Elegantly Wasted, Afterglow, Pretty Vegas, The Strangest Party
even my friend said it wasnt exactly that worth it. I think I had more fun at the wedding the other nite :P
ReplyDeleteOh dear! JD Fortune looked like an anorectic druggy?
ReplyDeleteHow disappointing! :(
Btw, didn't they sing "Afterglow"?
oh, i didnt miss anything then? =)
ReplyDeletelex Well, if I was a big INXS fan, then yes. Also, the ridiculously expensive ticket (RM380) in front of the stage area didn't help, else I would've been bouncing there.
ReplyDeletejemima He certainly did. My friend, who has a huge crush on JD, was kinda disappointed w his "new" look. She even mentioned that his gyrating was kinda gay - OTT. Yes, they sang Afterglow. :-)
larawannabe Nope. And the reason I went was mainly because of the lack of international concerts in Malaysia. But, I probably would've enjoyed it if I was in front of the stage, like how I was at the Scorpions concert in 1996.
I stopped listening to INXS the day Michael Hutchence died.
ReplyDeleteFrom the song list you posted, I don't see "Orignal Sin" which is one of the better INXS songs from the 1980s.
Whatever Fortune can do, he can never recapture INXS'spirit, which is Michael Hutchence, nothing else.
Now where can I get CDs for Cold Chisel?
wombat I don't really listen to INXS. Of course JD Fortune can never emulate Hutchence, but he brings a different dimension to INXS, and swooning girl fans too which help to drive sales...
ReplyDeleteAwww what a shame.
ReplyDeletebtw I just watched INXS mtv...JD fortune is ABIT cun only.
che-cheh Well, he's much thinner than the music videos. Looks like he's burnt out.
ReplyDeletewow, that was a bit harsh. I agree that NO ONE will ever replace Michael Hutchence. He is and will always be remembered by his INXS brothers. I'm sorry but it upsets me when people attack them. I don't think that's what Michael would have wanted, he loved those guys and loved and lived for INXS. Give them a break, they've been through alot. I think that it's very brave of them to continue on. They really have put themselves out there again and are bringing us the memories and music that we love.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that it's very difficult for them to play each night without Michael being there. They're great guys, extremely talented musicians and they are legends. I love them and I would pay to see them again..just to see them smile and hear them play.
I thought the shows that I went to were fantastic. They are heroes for continuing to play their music while others are talking them down. Sometime's character is defined through tragedy.
Keep playing INXS, I'm not going anywhere. Can't wait to hear their new album..I think I smell a number one hit! Believe me this is just the beginning of a new chapter. Rock on!!
And yes they are better then Oasis!
Love and Peace to Michael and his brothers..forever!!
anon Gee, I didn't realise my review was harsh - perhaps you overlooked on the first paragraph - an attack on the bloody awful opening act and though it was about INXS? :-)
ReplyDeleteLike I said, INXS are instrumentally gifted. But JD Fortune lacked charisma and was too gay for my liking.
Thanks for dropping by, and perhaps the next time, with a name? :-) Hell, any band is better than OASIS! The lead singer's a frog! LOL!