Rants n Raves

Well, its safe to say there will be no John Mayer show for Perth this year…. no matter, Perthians are known for their resourcefulness!! We don’t NEED John Mayer to come to Perth to see him in concert, we can make do with our own self-made interactive John Mayer concert in our own living rooms.

Here is the how to guide, bought to you by your very own PERTHIAN – RovingRanter:

SETTING UP FOR THE INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW:

1. Get a John Mayer Live DVD - a bootleg filmed in 3D is going to be our gold standard, but if you aren’t friends with James Cameron or can’t find this exceedingly rare form of recording a Blu-Ray version will do just as well. DON’T THROW OUT THE 3D GLASSES – this interactive concert won’t be any fun at all if you don’t look as cool as you possibly can!! 3D glasses are the gold standard of cool.
2. Hook Up the Surround Sound – if you can’t do this, just turn up the volume on your TV until it feels like surround sound!
3. Hook in the Sub – you want feel as well as hear those awesome base sounds!
4. Disco Ball or Mood Lighting – your pick, they are both acceptable.

GETTING THAT CONCERT VIBE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM:

1. Do you have good friends that are also JM fans? Invite them over – you’re all set
2. No good friends that are also JM fans? No worries, you don’t need friends to have a good time at this concert – its interactive. But why not put yourself out there and invite some musically-oriented friends that may not have been exposed to John Mayer’s music – at the end of the concert you may have made them a new JM fan, wouldn’t that be fun?!?!

Now that you’re all set for the concert (live recording on DVD and a friend-audience) all you need to worry about is the interactive part! Here it comes:

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN JOHN MAYER CONCERT – AN INTERACTIVE LIVE SHOW IN YOUR PERTH LIVING ROOM:

1. Give someone that is not you the remote control, tell them to wait until after the mood lighting has been switched on before they randomly hit play.
2. Turn the mood lighting on and squeal in delight and excitement as you wait for John Mayer to take the stage!
3. Everytime John asks the audience a question, i.e. “How are you all doing tonight?” etc – ANSWER IT with all the enthusiasm you would if you were at a concert.
4. Sing along, dance and when your favourite JM song is played squeal again!
5. ENJOY THE CONCERT!!!!

Costs:
Rental/purchase of Live DVD and friend-audience – $100
Being at your very own PRIVATE John Mayer live show – PRICELESS!

I’m looking forward to my very own interactive John Mayer concert. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Why?

Because John Mayer has the first of his “Australian” tour dates in Brisbane… TOMORROW!!

I was fortunate enough to visit Brisbane last year, it was unfortunate that it was the height of summer when I did! While I love the idea of the tropics, the humidity was bordering on unbearable… but Brisbane has a lot of things to offer that make up for it.

So while John has still not decided to come to Perth YET on this tour, I’m going to offer him  and all of those lucky, lucky people that are flying over to Brisbane from Perth (or whatever city they are from that was not fortunate enough to get a John Mayer show) to see the man himself in concert tomorrow a list of my ten favourite things to do in Brisbane! For the rest of you stuck in Perth or those other unfortunate cities that are not going to get a John Mayer concert, the next blog post (coming right after this one!) is for you! But for now, read on to find out what I love doing when I’m in Brisbane!

The "spiderweb" bridge and views of Brisbane City while sailing over the Brisbane River in the CityCat. Nice.

1. GO TO THE JOHN MAYER CONCERT AT THE BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE – I’ve never been to a John Mayer concert (hence my annoyance at Perth missing out), but there are somethings you just KNOW you’re going to love.

 2. Catch the Ferry to South Bank – What better way is there to see the city than sailing over the Brisbane River… its an even better journey at night when the city lights sparkle on either side of the river. Magical.

 3. South Bank – The cultural hub of Brisbane and one of the most beautifully developed foreshores I have ever seen. Take a stroll through the Arbour and try NOT to be arrested by its beauty and design… I DARE YOU!

4. Have a Steak at the Plough Inn- Seriously, BEST. STEAK. EVER. Cooked to your liking and served on a massive platter of chips and salads. Make sure you take some muscle along with you, the plates are heavy! Order a steak, salivate while you wait (this happens involuntarily) and when its done, plough inn!

5. Visit the Krispy Kreme Store in the City - Like the John Mayer concert, Perth does not yet have a Krispy Kreme franchise. Up until last year I spent over 20 years not knowing what I was missing out on. BEST. DONUTS. EVER.

6. Visit the Eels at the City Botanic Gardens- If you look closely enough in the ornamental ponds you will find EELS!  And they will creep you out and fascinate you in a way no other aquatic creature does (this includes axolotls!).

7. Australia Zoo – FUN DAY OUT! One of the most hands on zoos I’ve ever been to. You can feed the elephants, interact with the wandering wildlife and have your picture taken with all kinds of animals. Its number 7 on the list because the commute from Brisbane can be long if you’re taking public transport, but worth the trip no less!

8. Dreamworld- We are all kids at heart and Dreamworld proves it. I had my photo snapped in Shrek’s Swamp after having purchased a pair of Shrek ears that I proceed to parade around in for the rest of the day. Don’t miss the 4D Shrek show – you’ll be in for a treat!

9. Walk Along Coro Drive- That’s Brisbane speak for Coronation Drive (in Milton/Auchenflower) and watch all the tropical wildlife jump out at you (lizards of all shapes, sizes and colours). I developed a theory that these lizards were playing quite an intense game of FROGGER with the human traffic, don’t be surprised when a lizard darts across the walkway right where your foot should have landed had you not seen it!

10. GO SHOPPING IN THE CITY – The shopping in the city is AMAZING! For those that disagree with me, just remember, I’m from Perth.

To all of you that are going to the John Mayer show in Brisbane – have a wonderful time and cheer twice as hard for all us Perth fans that can’t be there to cheer on John Mayer ourselves.

On that note, I’m going to leave you all with a scintillating fact about the Brisbane River: it is populated with Bull Sharks! Don’t fall in!

‘Night Peeps!

Ranter Out