RockWiz Live - December 2022
Dec. 4th, 2022 10:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waitingmanLast night, Long-Suffering Partner surprised me with 2 tickets to RockWiz Live at Sydney's State Theatre RockWiz is a long-running Australian TV music quiz show, where ordinary audience members have the chance to appear alongside Australian & international musicians in a 2 team game to see who is the biggest music nerd. The show also features a live band & performances by the musical guests & has always been filmed in the Esplanade Hotel in Melbourne, a well-known music venue pub, so it always has the atmosphere of a great live gig. Of course, I've been watching the show for many years, doing that possibly annoying thing of answering most of the questions on my couch, before a lot of the contestants on the actual show do... so when the show started going 'on the road' over a decade ago, playing at various theatres & music festivals around the country, L-SP made it her mission to get me on there. Last night, on our 3rd attempt, I made it
We were looking for a Ladies Room in the heritage-listed theatre, when one of the show's hosts, Brian Nankervis, appeared at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a megaphone, announcing that anyone who wanted to win a 'wild card' entry into the pre-show elimination rounds should follow him. So of course we did - to a relatively quieter upstairs section of the theatre where about a dozen of us vied to be the first 2 people to 4 correct answers. I was the first & the guy to my left was second. We were into round 2!!
L-SP had snagged great seats in the 3rd row from the front, on the aisle, so more or less front & centre. It would have been great just to see the show from there, but soon, Brian appeared on the stage & announced that there were contestant entry cards hidden under select seats throughout the theatre. Once those had been found, all of us were taken backstage & separated into 3 different groups for the official 'heats' to be held on stage in front of the audience. My group went first & included the guy who'd been next to me earlier. We both did well with questions, but he was then asked to do a bit of live-band karaoke to 'Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones & went down a storm, proving that Mick Jagger's not the only elderly gentleman with moves like Jagger. I had my doubts that I'd get through to the live show now...
Backstage again, we stood in a small group as the other groups went through the same thing, though we couldn't see everything going on, as we were told to stay out of places where the audience could see us. This meant that I missed seeing a sparkly pink-jacketed guy do what sounded like a great karaoke version of 'Suspicious Minds' during the 2nd round & an older lady in the 3rd group verbally sparring with host Brian, then apparently got out of her seat & began dancing around & causing septuagenarian chaos. When we were all called back on stage for the final contestants to be announced, she was still scuttling around the stage, pressing contestant buzzers & singing along to the intro music. Somehow (Midazolam??) they corralled her into line & the final 4 who'd be in the actual show were announced - a loudmouthed American teenager, a quiet 20-something who'd been on my opposing team in my round, the sparkly pink-jacketed Elvis singer... & me. Another teenager was given the role of onstage roadie - whose main duty is to periodically display team's progressive scores on large cards throughout the show, so he at least got a small taste of fame! The gentleman with Mick's moves was apparently a close 6th, so was given a consolation piece of RockWiz merchandise & returned to his theatre seat along with the others
L-SP waved goodbye to me from her seats as we 4 contestants were once again taken backstage, provided with drinks & given a rundown of what was expected of us, other than just answering questions - the main gist of which seemed to be don't dominate by answering too many questions, or talking too much, don't interrupt other people speaking, don't hassle the hosts or the musical guests & just allow the show to run smoothly. I took note of that first instruction, drank my water & looked around backstage, as various stagehands & a few people dressed like they were going to be on the show, wandered through from their dressing rooms to the 'Green Room' (we weren't allowed in there!!). Part of the show is when the musical guests are given a 'Who Am I' kind of introduction, which we contestants are expected to buzz in with the, preferably correct, answer. One of the guests was a relative newcomer & host Brian was worried that no one would guess her identity, so he took me aside & told me... though I wasn't to make it look too obvious that I'd been fed the answer. More on that in a minute... Then the show's 'main' host Julia Zemiro emerged from her dressing room & came over to meet us. As is always the case when you meet a TV personality, she was a little shorter than she appears on TV, but was engaging & friendly when talking briefly with all of us individually. This was where the loudmouthed American teenager began to show signs that he hadn't listened to the briefing we'd received not 10 minutes earlier about not talking too much & not hassling the hosts. For now though, Julia took him in her (shorter than expected) stride, then headed to the wings as the stage band struck up the familiar intro music & the show began
A minute later, we were shepherded on stage in our 2 teams. I was paired with Jeremy Dylan - the sparkly pink-jacketed channeller of Elvis, with the quiet 20-something Aiden & Quinn the loudmouthed kid on the opposing team. Julia then effected introductions, asking each of us what our first live concert had been (Me: Thin Lizzy in the Sydney Opera House forecourt in 1978) & what was the first music we bought with our own money (Me: David Bowie's 'Heroes' album). With 2 answers like that, host Julia came over & said "Justin... have my babies!". With L-SP in the audience, how am I supposed to respond to that?!? "What am I supposed to do with them?" got a laugh from the audience & both hosts. Julia proclaimed that I was likely to get some attention from the ladies tonight, to which I responded, looking out to where L-SP was sitting "You hear that, Honey?" which got another laugh, especially from host Julia, who feigned heartbreak that I was 'taken'. Quinn the teenager got a laugh when he said the first music he bought was 'Spotify'... which counts I suppose, but he then kept talking about it until Julia was able to cut him off when he paused minutely for breath. Then it was time for the first musical guests to join our teams. As Julia began her 'Who Am I' intro, co-host Brian caught my eye & gave an almost imperceptible nod. I was just about to press my buzzer, when my teammate Jeremy beat me to it & gave the correct answer - a young 60s soul-inspired singer singularly named Wilson. After she performed one of her songs with the stage band, she came over to our table & warmly greeted Jeremy. I though it was because he'd guessed her name, but upon being questioned by host Julia, he revealed that they knew each other & had met when they were both living in Nashville... & no, neither had known the other would be here tonight... honest!
Jeremy then correctly guessed the other team's guest before they did - an Australian country artist named William Crighton, who won an ARIA award (Australia's Grammys) this year... at a ceremony attended by Jeremy. This guy is obviously well-connected in the music industry - I was glad he was on MY team...
With the 2 teams now complete, the quiz began. Mindful of the 'don't dominate' instruction, I answered a few questions quickly, but then sat back a bit, only buzzing in a couple of times when nobody else on either team did. After 2 themed rounds, the score cards displayed by our young roadie-for-the-night revealed my team was ahead by 5 points. This was also time for a change of musical guests/teammates & another 'Who Am I' from host Julia. She'd barely started when our man Jeremy buzzed in with the correct answer - lead singer for the Preatures, Isabella Manfredi. Turns out that - surprise!! - they knew each other & she had stayed at his place in Nashville when the Preatures were touring the USA... & no, neither had known the other would be here tonight... honest! I really have to move to Tennessee!!!
Our opponents new teammate was a comedian who has been supporting Alan Carr on his Australian tour - Nikki Britton. The quiz began again & I did much the same as before, answering a few quickly, but trying not to do too much. Then it was time for Contestant Karaoke with the band. Quinn the teenager did a good job of Pat Benatar's 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', but Jeremy wowed the theatre with a great version of the Angels 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?', to which the entire audience responded in the by now culturally iconic fashion... if you're Australian, you'll know what I mean... The progressive score now had my team 30 points in front. Isabella turned to me & said "That's a bit better!" I admit I was a bit relieved as well...
Another teammate change for my team & this time we got a comedian as well, so Jeremy didn't have to name him... Cameron James. When he sat down, I leaned over & asked him if he'd stayed at Jeremy's place in Nashville as well, like everyone else on my team so far... which host Julia overheard & said "Good question Justin! Has Cameron stayed with Jeremy as well?" which got a good response...
The final rounds passed in a bit of a blur, but I was pretty sure we'd done well, though the questions were interrupted on a few occasions by Quinn the teenager, who seemed to have got a shot of adrenaline from his karaoke performance & was now doing everything we'd been told to NOT do - talking over people, interrupting the hosts & being an all-round pain in the backside. When the final scorecards were revealed, my team had won by 35 points, but the way Quinn saw it, his team had won, so whooped & celebrated so much that even host Julia was confused & congratulated his team. Never mind... WE knew who'd won. After a couple of musical numbers by Isabella, William & Wilson, all of us took a communal bow & headed backstage. Jeremy was immediately collared by all the people on the show he knew, Quinn was still talking at anyone who'd listen or couldn't get away fast enough & I just stood quietly to the side & was kind of ignored... which was fine really, there was enough showboating going on without me having to add to it. I was about to find an exit when host Brian came up & congratulated me & thanked me for sticking to the brief. Host Julia then came over & thanked me as well, saying I'd been very funny. I noticed neither of them went anywhere near Quinn
A stagehand then led me to a sidestage room with an exit back into the theatre. As I left, there was a small round of applause from the show-related people in the room, which was quite affecting - moreso than any applause or laughs I'd heard from the stage during the show. I emerged into the by now mostly empty theatre, to find it also empty of any sign of Long-Suffering Partner. As I wandered the auditorium looking for her, a few stray audience members also congratulated me on my performance & mentioned what a pain Quinn had been. So the audience knew who'd really won too! I found L-SP out in the Foyer, talking to a couple of people we'd met on a car rally a few months earlier - turns out they were RockWiz fans & one of them had been an onstage contestant a few years ago. As was fast becoming normal, they said I'd done well, had been funny & that Quinn was a dickhead. To celebrate the win, I bought a t-shirt at the merchandise stand & we left. At the lifts to the car park across the road, a couple more people spotted me & were complimentary. Really, I was just relieved that I hadn't done badly & hadn't drawn attention to myself too much, or been a pain in the backside, or a dickhead... Job done!!
Long-Suffering Partner now needs a new Quest & is wondering how she'll top this one... I really don't think she has to - this was a night I'll never forget. Which is why I'm writing it all down now, before I forget it
We were looking for a Ladies Room in the heritage-listed theatre, when one of the show's hosts, Brian Nankervis, appeared at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a megaphone, announcing that anyone who wanted to win a 'wild card' entry into the pre-show elimination rounds should follow him. So of course we did - to a relatively quieter upstairs section of the theatre where about a dozen of us vied to be the first 2 people to 4 correct answers. I was the first & the guy to my left was second. We were into round 2!!
L-SP had snagged great seats in the 3rd row from the front, on the aisle, so more or less front & centre. It would have been great just to see the show from there, but soon, Brian appeared on the stage & announced that there were contestant entry cards hidden under select seats throughout the theatre. Once those had been found, all of us were taken backstage & separated into 3 different groups for the official 'heats' to be held on stage in front of the audience. My group went first & included the guy who'd been next to me earlier. We both did well with questions, but he was then asked to do a bit of live-band karaoke to 'Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones & went down a storm, proving that Mick Jagger's not the only elderly gentleman with moves like Jagger. I had my doubts that I'd get through to the live show now...
Backstage again, we stood in a small group as the other groups went through the same thing, though we couldn't see everything going on, as we were told to stay out of places where the audience could see us. This meant that I missed seeing a sparkly pink-jacketed guy do what sounded like a great karaoke version of 'Suspicious Minds' during the 2nd round & an older lady in the 3rd group verbally sparring with host Brian, then apparently got out of her seat & began dancing around & causing septuagenarian chaos. When we were all called back on stage for the final contestants to be announced, she was still scuttling around the stage, pressing contestant buzzers & singing along to the intro music. Somehow (Midazolam??) they corralled her into line & the final 4 who'd be in the actual show were announced - a loudmouthed American teenager, a quiet 20-something who'd been on my opposing team in my round, the sparkly pink-jacketed Elvis singer... & me. Another teenager was given the role of onstage roadie - whose main duty is to periodically display team's progressive scores on large cards throughout the show, so he at least got a small taste of fame! The gentleman with Mick's moves was apparently a close 6th, so was given a consolation piece of RockWiz merchandise & returned to his theatre seat along with the others
L-SP waved goodbye to me from her seats as we 4 contestants were once again taken backstage, provided with drinks & given a rundown of what was expected of us, other than just answering questions - the main gist of which seemed to be don't dominate by answering too many questions, or talking too much, don't interrupt other people speaking, don't hassle the hosts or the musical guests & just allow the show to run smoothly. I took note of that first instruction, drank my water & looked around backstage, as various stagehands & a few people dressed like they were going to be on the show, wandered through from their dressing rooms to the 'Green Room' (we weren't allowed in there!!). Part of the show is when the musical guests are given a 'Who Am I' kind of introduction, which we contestants are expected to buzz in with the, preferably correct, answer. One of the guests was a relative newcomer & host Brian was worried that no one would guess her identity, so he took me aside & told me... though I wasn't to make it look too obvious that I'd been fed the answer. More on that in a minute... Then the show's 'main' host Julia Zemiro emerged from her dressing room & came over to meet us. As is always the case when you meet a TV personality, she was a little shorter than she appears on TV, but was engaging & friendly when talking briefly with all of us individually. This was where the loudmouthed American teenager began to show signs that he hadn't listened to the briefing we'd received not 10 minutes earlier about not talking too much & not hassling the hosts. For now though, Julia took him in her (shorter than expected) stride, then headed to the wings as the stage band struck up the familiar intro music & the show began
A minute later, we were shepherded on stage in our 2 teams. I was paired with Jeremy Dylan - the sparkly pink-jacketed channeller of Elvis, with the quiet 20-something Aiden & Quinn the loudmouthed kid on the opposing team. Julia then effected introductions, asking each of us what our first live concert had been (Me: Thin Lizzy in the Sydney Opera House forecourt in 1978) & what was the first music we bought with our own money (Me: David Bowie's 'Heroes' album). With 2 answers like that, host Julia came over & said "Justin... have my babies!". With L-SP in the audience, how am I supposed to respond to that?!? "What am I supposed to do with them?" got a laugh from the audience & both hosts. Julia proclaimed that I was likely to get some attention from the ladies tonight, to which I responded, looking out to where L-SP was sitting "You hear that, Honey?" which got another laugh, especially from host Julia, who feigned heartbreak that I was 'taken'. Quinn the teenager got a laugh when he said the first music he bought was 'Spotify'... which counts I suppose, but he then kept talking about it until Julia was able to cut him off when he paused minutely for breath. Then it was time for the first musical guests to join our teams. As Julia began her 'Who Am I' intro, co-host Brian caught my eye & gave an almost imperceptible nod. I was just about to press my buzzer, when my teammate Jeremy beat me to it & gave the correct answer - a young 60s soul-inspired singer singularly named Wilson. After she performed one of her songs with the stage band, she came over to our table & warmly greeted Jeremy. I though it was because he'd guessed her name, but upon being questioned by host Julia, he revealed that they knew each other & had met when they were both living in Nashville... & no, neither had known the other would be here tonight... honest!
Jeremy then correctly guessed the other team's guest before they did - an Australian country artist named William Crighton, who won an ARIA award (Australia's Grammys) this year... at a ceremony attended by Jeremy. This guy is obviously well-connected in the music industry - I was glad he was on MY team...
With the 2 teams now complete, the quiz began. Mindful of the 'don't dominate' instruction, I answered a few questions quickly, but then sat back a bit, only buzzing in a couple of times when nobody else on either team did. After 2 themed rounds, the score cards displayed by our young roadie-for-the-night revealed my team was ahead by 5 points. This was also time for a change of musical guests/teammates & another 'Who Am I' from host Julia. She'd barely started when our man Jeremy buzzed in with the correct answer - lead singer for the Preatures, Isabella Manfredi. Turns out that - surprise!! - they knew each other & she had stayed at his place in Nashville when the Preatures were touring the USA... & no, neither had known the other would be here tonight... honest! I really have to move to Tennessee!!!
Our opponents new teammate was a comedian who has been supporting Alan Carr on his Australian tour - Nikki Britton. The quiz began again & I did much the same as before, answering a few quickly, but trying not to do too much. Then it was time for Contestant Karaoke with the band. Quinn the teenager did a good job of Pat Benatar's 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', but Jeremy wowed the theatre with a great version of the Angels 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?', to which the entire audience responded in the by now culturally iconic fashion... if you're Australian, you'll know what I mean... The progressive score now had my team 30 points in front. Isabella turned to me & said "That's a bit better!" I admit I was a bit relieved as well...
Another teammate change for my team & this time we got a comedian as well, so Jeremy didn't have to name him... Cameron James. When he sat down, I leaned over & asked him if he'd stayed at Jeremy's place in Nashville as well, like everyone else on my team so far... which host Julia overheard & said "Good question Justin! Has Cameron stayed with Jeremy as well?" which got a good response...
The final rounds passed in a bit of a blur, but I was pretty sure we'd done well, though the questions were interrupted on a few occasions by Quinn the teenager, who seemed to have got a shot of adrenaline from his karaoke performance & was now doing everything we'd been told to NOT do - talking over people, interrupting the hosts & being an all-round pain in the backside. When the final scorecards were revealed, my team had won by 35 points, but the way Quinn saw it, his team had won, so whooped & celebrated so much that even host Julia was confused & congratulated his team. Never mind... WE knew who'd won. After a couple of musical numbers by Isabella, William & Wilson, all of us took a communal bow & headed backstage. Jeremy was immediately collared by all the people on the show he knew, Quinn was still talking at anyone who'd listen or couldn't get away fast enough & I just stood quietly to the side & was kind of ignored... which was fine really, there was enough showboating going on without me having to add to it. I was about to find an exit when host Brian came up & congratulated me & thanked me for sticking to the brief. Host Julia then came over & thanked me as well, saying I'd been very funny. I noticed neither of them went anywhere near Quinn
A stagehand then led me to a sidestage room with an exit back into the theatre. As I left, there was a small round of applause from the show-related people in the room, which was quite affecting - moreso than any applause or laughs I'd heard from the stage during the show. I emerged into the by now mostly empty theatre, to find it also empty of any sign of Long-Suffering Partner. As I wandered the auditorium looking for her, a few stray audience members also congratulated me on my performance & mentioned what a pain Quinn had been. So the audience knew who'd really won too! I found L-SP out in the Foyer, talking to a couple of people we'd met on a car rally a few months earlier - turns out they were RockWiz fans & one of them had been an onstage contestant a few years ago. As was fast becoming normal, they said I'd done well, had been funny & that Quinn was a dickhead. To celebrate the win, I bought a t-shirt at the merchandise stand & we left. At the lifts to the car park across the road, a couple more people spotted me & were complimentary. Really, I was just relieved that I hadn't done badly & hadn't drawn attention to myself too much, or been a pain in the backside, or a dickhead... Job done!!
Long-Suffering Partner now needs a new Quest & is wondering how she'll top this one... I really don't think she has to - this was a night I'll never forget. Which is why I'm writing it all down now, before I forget it
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Date: 2022-12-04 09:16 am (UTC)Though all it really confirms is that I'm a massive music nerd!!!!