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| The Nine Network's one-hour TV special of the 2SM Concert of the Decade concert finally found its way to me more than 29 years after the event! Here are many image grabs from the footage to give you an idea of how perfectly the special captured the energy and colour of the day. I have been searching for myself in the crowd as I know exactly where I was standing, but as yet I haven't spotted me. Can you see you? |
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SHERBET
The headliners of the show, Sherbet had already fizzled out by the end of '79 and Daryl Braithwaite had gone to Los Angeles to try his luck. He flew back especially for the show. His black t-shirt and skinny jeans foretold the band's metamorphosis to The Sherbs the following year. But on this day they were Australia's biggest pop sensation all over again, singing "Summer Love", "Howzat", "Matter Of Time" and "Another Night On The Road" with their usual fervour. The TV special only featured "Howzat" and "Summer Love" but every moment was pure magic. |
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DRAGON
Marc Hunter had left Dragon (sacked due to drug issues, in fact) but reunited with his group for this show. Looking back on these photos of a band that eventually lost its two key songwriters in tragic circumstances, it's amazing to see how young and beautiful Marc was, and how focused and serene Paul Hewson looked. They were both dark spirits, but on this day, the Dragon sunshine was shining as they sang "April Sun In Cuba". |
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JON ENGLISH
He'd had a phenomenal decade, spending about half of it playing Judas in Harry M Miller's production of Jesus Christ Superstar (which I saw numerous times), and the other half starring in the TV mini-series Against The Wind, recording hit singles and in 1979 releasing a double-album greatest hits set cannily titled English History. He was super hot and, as the footage shows, young and extremely black-eyed. His medley of "Turn The Page", "Six Ribbons", "Hollywood 7" and "Superstar" was mesmerising. And I want that t-shirt! I wonder if Jon still has it... |
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HUSH
Hush had broken up in 1977 so this was another reformation especially for 2SM. How young and spritely they all look here! They performed "Glad All Over" and "Get Rocked", and Keith Lamb's magical comment about "200,000 people singing" was one of my favourite moments of the day. |
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RICHARD CLAPTON
He'd had some highly-acclaimed songs and albums in the second half of the '70s, but for this big day he chose – or maybe the concert producers requested - his biggest radio hit, "Girls On The Avenue". The thick locks of hair, the cherubic face, the sunglasses... and 29 years later he hasn't changed! |
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MAX MERRITT
I was never a fan of "Slippin' Away" but the audience listened in quiet reverence as Max performed it, and then rocked along to "Let It Slide". Max was based in London at this time but flew back for the 2SM gig. |
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TED MULRY GANG
Loveable larrikins they were, and they had jolly good fun playing the silly but perennially catchy hit "Jump In My Car" on this day. Gary Dixon and Les Hall are joking around on either side of Ted, who looks in such good shape here; it's poignant to watch knowing that he suffered such a sad, premature ending. |
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JIM KEAYS
I'd almost been too young to know the Masters Apprentices in their heyday, so when Jim Keays took the stage I knew I knew "Turn Up Your Radio" but I really didn't know much about the singer. Having gotten to know him in later years, it's amazing to look back now on this performance in 1979. So young and lean and ridiculously energetic! A fantastic performance. But who on earth are the guys in his band? Check out the one in the last pic. |
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NEALE JOHNS
My lasting memory of the former Blackfeather singer Neale Johns at the Concert of the Decade was his stirring performance of "Seasons Of Change", one of my favourite classic Australian rock songs. However on the TV special the producers chose the bigger hit, "Boppin' The Blues". He had the All-Stars (featuring the yummy Rockwell T James and the boppin' piano player Warren "Pig" Morgan, plus Sherbet's Tony Mitchell) on hand to ensure a great rendition, but those red overalls are totally unforgiveable. |
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STEVIE WRIGHT
The most memorable and moving part of the Concert of the Decade was the mindblowing performance by Stevie Wright of "Evie (Parts 1, 2 and 3)" with members of John Paul Young's All-Star Band as back-up, plus Sherbet's Tony Mitchell on bass and the talented, sexy Hammond sisters, Lindsay and Chrissie, of vocal duo Cheetah, on backing vocals. Stevie's career and life had gone off the rails already so this was a momentous one-off comeback that, fortunately, was preserved for posterity in a 12-minute clip from this concert special that has been broadcast on TV music shows ever since. |
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THOSE LEFT OUT...
Not on the TV special for reasons unknown were Marcia Hines, Norman Gunston, Ol '55, Colleen Hewett, Captain Matchbox, Mike Rudd, Doug Parkinson, Split Enz, Jo Jo Zep, Russell Morris, The Mixtures, Stars, Bob Hudson, Kevin Borich, Skyhooks (sans Shirley) and more. Or perhaps they were on the original broadcast special but not on the version that finally made its way to me in early 2009. If you know of any more footage of the 2SM Concert of the Decade, you know what to do... Please let me know! |
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