Andi's account of Melbourne!

René, Pete and Sam have all posted their accounts of meeting with Brian on the Australian tour - and all have been very emotional. It's interesting how deeply this music and this performer have affected all of us, and I'm no exception. My apologies to you guys, and especially to Brian himself, for my overly excessive displays of emotion!

As I posted in my "25 Years of Love" story, just hearing another swing band last year playing "This Ole House," complete with a Gretsch guitar solo, nearly brought me to tears. As that story shows, he's had a huge influence on my life. Living in California, seeing the Orchestra one, two, sometimes three times a year, I took for granted that I'd always be able to see Brian Setzer. It wasn't until I couldn't anymore that I realised how much I missed him and his live music.

Melbourne was my fifth Stray Cats show in 6 months, having seen Senigallia, Paris and the two Brisbane shows. While all the shows were out of this world, none compare to Melbourne. The electrifying performance, the proximity to the band and the company I shared the event with made it really special. One of the things René didn't mention (perhaps because he wasn't aware) is that during Sleepwalk, Fishnet Stockings and a few other tunes in Melbourne, I was teary eyed. Knowing this would be the last time for a long time, feeling like I was seeing history being made, and looking over at these people I'd just met but who I had such a strong bond with, it was all was a bit overwhelming. I won't recount the parts that René has already covered, just the additional details I remember.

At the end of the show, Brian balanced precariously on the edge of the barrier so he could shake Sam and Pete's hands. He looked genuinely touched and overwhelmed by the support. Like René, I was too far away for him to reach. But Brian put both hands to his lips and blew me kisses. I had tears in my eyes. It looked like Brian did too. After he went back onto the stage, Sam hollered to me, "are you crying?!" I said, "Yes I am! I think he was too!"

The meeting was indescribable. But you know I'll try! Here's what I remember:

I took along an assortment of things to have signed, with an appropriate assortment of pens. 8x10 prints of photos I'd taken in Europe. My 26 year old Stray Cats t-shirt. The pickguard of my Setzer signature guitar. A 4x6 photo of Brian and me, taken in 1998. I didn't expect to get all of them signed, I figured I'd work it out depending on the circumstances. I also was aware of the eBay autograph hounds and how shitted off Brian gets about them (rightfully so!), and I didn't want there to be any question of whether or not something he'd signed for me would end up being auctioned. I decided to go for the photo of the two of us as the top priority - absolutely no value to anyone at all except me, and in that case nearly priceless.

We walked over to the crowd and Pete, René and Anu all made their way towards the front. I thought I might hang back a bit behind Pete and René, I really enjoy watching Brian interact with his fans - it is so wonderful to see how happy he makes people (as evidenced by the ridiculous grins on all of our faces in the photos.) But as soon as Brian saw me, he zeroed in on me. "Andi!" he said as he pushed past everyone to where I was standing and put his arms around me. He said, "how are you?" and my emotional floodgates just opened right up. How could he possibly remember, after all these years? He'll never know how much it meant to me, just the fact that he recognised me and called me by name. We embraced for what felt like a long time, and as we hugged I said quietly, "it's so good to see you. It's been so long. I've missed you so much." We let go and I said, "back when we were both living in California, I got to see you two, three times a year in San Diego. (he's nodding and smiling) Now I'm traveling up and down the coast of Australia to see you!" He said, "yeah I know! What are you doing here?"

"I live here!" Then he looked like he remembered something. "You married an Australian?"

"Yep!" (How could he possibly remember all this?! I haven't seen or spoken to him in 8 years! Gotta be the forums.)

"Good for you!" he said. "Where do you live?"

I'm about 4 hours drive north of Brisbane."

"Wow. And you came all this way! How far do you live from here?" (meaning Melbourne)

"Hours. Days."

He laughed and said "days! Thank you."


Remember this?

I pulled out the photo of the two of us and handed it to him and said, "Do you remember this?" He said, "looks like... Dirty Boogie?" (I found it amusing that he dates photos of himself based on his clothes and hair and what album was out at the time, just like all of us do!) I said, "yep, 1998, when we were both young and beautiful!" Like a true gentleman he lied to me and said, "you're still beautiful." Not knowing how to even respond to that, I asked if he'd sign it for me. He said sure. As he wrote on the photo, I realised if I had anything to say I better say it now. There was a big crowd all wanting attention and it wouldn't have been fair to ask him to sign all my stuff, but I wanted to at least show him. I said, "while you're doing that, I want to show you something. I pulled out my old Stray Cats t-shirt. "I'm 35 years old now. I've had this since I was nine. It's been on 6 continents with me." (I meant six countries, sue me, I was emotional.) He looked at it and said, "wow." I mean really, how does an artist respond to something like that? Then I pulled out the pickguard. "I've started learning to play guitar, too - so I bought one of yours." His face lit up. "Yeah? How do you like it?" "I love it! It'll take me a little while before I can play it like you though." He and everyone around us laughed, and I suddenly became aware that our entire exchange was being watched and I felt self conscious. I didn't care, I had to say the last bit. As he signed something for someone else, I said, "Brian, you know I've been to a dozen of your shows. Tonight is the first time I've ever been moved to tears." He looked up at me, seemingly speechless. The crowd around us said, "awwwww!" I realised he was still holding my photo - he handed it to me and gave me another hug.


Going in for the second hug.

As we hugged I said "love ya Brian" and he said "aw that's nice, thanks sweetheart." I asked if we could get a quick photo, and we posed for Pete. The crowd had more for him to sign, so I moved back and watched. I talked to the security guy who had caught the Brisbane stage jumper. Suddenly I realised I had no idea what Brian had written on my photo, so I looked down at it. It said, "Luv Ya! Much Love! Brian Setzer" The exclamation points look like the number "6".



When we were young and beautiful.

At one stage Pete pulled out a photo of Brian from 1981 to have signed. Brian had his back to me, and I looked at the photo and said, "jeez, look how beautiful he is." Then I touched his arm and said, "and I don't just mean the photo!" Hey, what can I say. Watching him there with the fans, smiling and laughing in his sharp red jacket with those handsome streaks of silver in his hair and sideburns, there's no doubt the guy's still got it. He just looked over his shoulder at me and grinned.

When Chris, the tour manager, handed Brian the cigars from René and started saying "this guy" I said to Brian, "this is Pony - René - from the Hoodoo Voodoo Lounge." I motioned to Pete, René and myself." We're all from the Hoodoo Voodoo Lounge, same as Aussie Sam!" Brian said that Niels keeps him up to date with what happens on the forums since he doesn't have a computer with him on the road, and how Sam had posted that Brian had hurt himself, and he and Sam had had a beer. After Brian mentioned that he'd started smoking again but probably shouldn't, I heard him say "thank you René." He'd made the effort to catch and retain René's name, just as he'd done with me and Pete. Brian Setzer, Grammy award winner, meeter of thousands of people every year, the most underrated guitar genius on the planet. And he knows our names, guys.

Later I saw that Pete and René were standing on the bus stop bench, so I went around to join them to see the view of the crowd and watch the interactions. Brian was there a LONG TIME. The fans were having a ball. Brian seemed to be having a ball. I thought of the naysayers who said Brian was an asshole who never made time for his fans, and even saw one of the complainers standing there, benefitting from the man's time and generosity! As Brian was about to get into his car, I hollered from atop the bench in my loud American voice, "hey ya'll, what do you think of Brian Setzer?" The crowd cheered. Brian looked over his shoulder at all of us, smiled at me, René and Pete as if to say thanks, and was gone.

Before dawn the next morning I showered and had a "healthy" McDonald's breakfast before René saw me off on the shuttle bus to the airport. I flew back to Brisbane, then waited five hours for a 4.5 hour train ride back home to Bundaberg. It was a ridiculous amount of time and money to be spent for a 90 minute performance and a few minutes of face time, but it was worth every bit of it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

When I got home, I sent Niels a message. "I don't know what you said or did, Niels, but after the show last night I was waiting at the back of the crowd to say hello to Brian. He saw me, said "Andi!" and made his way past everyone to come give me a hug and have a chat. Thank you for making my year, Niels. The last few days have been legendary."

Niels swears he didn't tell Brian anything, that he legitimately remembered me.

The years of love just keep adding up. Thank you all for being a part of it.


Still beautiful.

I should mention my haggard appearance in the Melbourne photos is Pete and Brian's fault. Pete's because from the moment I arrived in Melbourne we had to rush off to drink beer (thus I didn't have a chance to do my hair or put on any makeup!) and Brian's because I'd just spent 1.5 hours jumping up and down, screaming, crying and sweating over his performance!

I'm okay with that.

Gee, I got teary reading that beautiful story Andi. Youre so right Isn't it so so amazing that he remembers our names and faces, like you said, he meets thousands of people. He's such a special guy and you summed it up beautifully.
I hope Brian knows that he has a tight knit group of Aussies down here who love him and wouldn't swap the WORLD for what he did for each and every one of us!!!

Once again, so beautiful Andi.

Your a doll,

Sam

Hi Andi.

I'm totally speechless. Reading what you wrote just made my very teary. You are a very beautiful person, inside and out Thanks for adding what you saw. I just heard Brian say thank you, It probably didn't register that he said my name. Everything came flooding back when I read you message. I can clearly hear the whole conversation in my head. I have never felt closer to anyone than I felt with you, Pete, Sam and Caroline (Doesn't compare with Anu though ) I really mean it when I say it was a privilege and honour to be next to you as this unfolded.

It was a special night, one that I will cherish forever with people who have a special place in my heart.

Lot's of love,

René

Whew! Okay, enough weeping. Let's talk guitars or something!!!

Just the look on all our faces throughout the show was priceless!!! And when Brian stood on the speaker and reached over and shook our hands at the end of the show...WOW!!! Things dreams are made of... One important thing I forgot to mention was the small wave Brian gave me during the first song Rumble In Brighton!! It was like " Hey Sam " Man I get faint just thinking about it....Never in my wildest dreams did I think any of this would happen...We are blessed.

cool story thank you for sharing

andi wrote:

I should mention my haggard appearance in the Melbourne photos is Pete and Brian's fault. Pete's because from the moment I arrived in Melbourne we had to rush off to drink beer (thus I didn't have a chance to do my hair or put on any makeup!) and Brian's because I'd just spent 1.5 hours jumping up and down, screaming, crying and sweating over his performance!

I'm okay with that.

Hahahaha!!

I NEVER made ya drink!

Great to hear ya put that story so beautifully Andi. Like we said that night, everything needed to sink in and register fully. We all had our great experiences and the company I kept that week end topped it off for me.
Love and cheers, Pete.

P.S. For the record I was ready to go out again after, we even saw a sign saying Andy's Adventure on the LCD screen on the corner opposite the Flinders Street Train Station, but I did the gentlemanly thing and escorted andi back to the hotel where Rene and Anu were already. Damn couch, too comfy!

andi wrote:

then waited five hours for a 4.5 hour train ride back home to Bundaberg. It was a ridiculous amount of time and money to be spent for a 90 minute performance and a few minutes of face time, but it was worth every bit of it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
[/i]

It is true that fan's life is not a long quiet river:
Months pass between the purchase of tickets and the D-Day!
That of past before the concert to have the best place in front of his idol!Then that of past to be waited after the concert to try to meet him!
Or it would be only to perceive him one minute!
It is there that the luck intervenes... it is also necessary to find the good place where to wait!

Dear Australian friends you are the most fortunate fans of the world.

Loves.

HI!
noobie ahoy

I met you, Andi, aaannnddd Pete?? at maccas
Epic night aye??

I travelled upto Sydney and went to both shows there and went to the first and last melbourne shows.

17 and I've seen Stray Cats more then alotta people I know!
Still, Epic Epic Epic Epic story..LOVED it!!
Lucky that he remembers you haha...It all makes sense now.. when our group was talkin to at maccas I was like "whoa...no way did she fly from all the USA ((your accent))"
Still, Brisbane is epic as!

Brian Setzer is sooooooo nice so pumped about it all and meeting him and getting a photo

Hey there Deadcat Kaye!

I remember, we'll see ya at Kustom Kulture Week End in a few weeks.

17 and seen the Cats 4 times? Half ya luck! Good to see ya taking advantage of it and enjoying every minute!

Cheers Pete

Hey Deadcat Kaye, it was great to meet you. Thanks for joining us over here in the lounge Good on you and the other TLE fans that are diggin' on the Cats. I though we were cool 'cause we got the 19 year old Kid Setzer and 16 year old webelvis, but you guys have got us beat with 15 year old Ben reed over on the TLE forums!! Like I said, just shows ya'll got good taste in music. Stray Cats introduced us old folks (35, old? F*%k off!) to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, just like TLE introduced you guys to Stray Cats. It's the ciiiircle of liiiiiife! (okay, I'll stop now)

Epic is definitely the word for the night. I have lots of memories of hanging out with Le Setz, but Sunday night takes the cake. And no, I didn't fly out to Oz just for the shows, been here for about 3.5 years- but I do live in Bundaberg so it was a fair hike to Melbourne! Like I said though, the experience was worth every bit of it.

Aussie_Sam wrote:

...We are blessed.

Yes, you are. We are all blessed by being fans of such great guys. I really think so.

Hey Andi and all you lucky Aussie cats,
great tales,superbly written and heartfelt by us all I'm sure.
Yeah I'm a 42 yr old big bald mother who is moved by your tales!So pleased for you all.
We all share the love for the greatest Rockin' band the planet has ever seen....even though most of it doesn't realise!
I know EXACTLY how you felt after years of dreaming of not only seeing the Cats perform in your country,but to wonder if you would by chance get to meet your heroes,even for a fleeting moment.For you all to have the experience beyond your wildest is fantastic and we all share your excitement.
Your enthusiasm and good nature has certainly enriched the forums.
Obviously,for those of us who had tickets for the cancelled European tour,there is a tinge of envy on what we missed.But we live in hope that those gigs will one day be rescheduled.Never say never eh?

Raising a glass to y'all.
Cheers
Steve

andi wrote:

Hey Deadcat Kaye, it was great to meet you. Thanks for joining us over here in the lounge Good on you and the other TLE fans that are diggin' on the Cats. I though we were cool 'cause we got the 19 year old Kid Setzer and 16 year old webelvis, but you guys have got us beat with 15 year old Ben reed over on the TLE forums!! Like I said, just shows ya'll got good taste in music. Stray Cats introduced us old folks (35, old? F*%k off!) to Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, just like TLE introduced you guys to Stray Cats. It's the ciiiircle of liiiiiife! (okay, I'll stop now)

Epic is definitely the word for the night. I have lots of memories of hanging out with Le Setz, but Sunday night takes the cake. And no, I didn't fly out to Oz just for the shows, been here for about 3.5 years- but I do live in Bundaberg so it was a fair hike to Melbourne! Like I said though, the experience was worth every bit of it.

Haha I didn't get into Stray Cats through TLE, but ALOT of the folks on the TLE forums did,
Both bands just happen to be my favourite band and when i was noobie to the whole music scene I discovered how it's all connected!
hehe

The youngest 'Cats fans I've seen, is these 2 kid, under 10, see these stray cats stickers I had (i got em printed up) and where really enthusiastic and wanted one each! I was but it was awesome...Poor kids probably missed out on seeing them though

I don't think my life could get any better for awhile.
Seeing those shows has tempted me so much to travel overseas...It'ld be worth it so badly

Aussie_Sam wrote:

Just the look on all our faces throughout the show was priceless!!! And when Brian stood on the speaker and reached over and shook our hands at the end of the show...WOW!!! Things dreams are made of... One important thing I forgot to mention was the small wave Brian gave me during the first song Rumble In Brighton!! It was like " Hey Sam " Man I get faint just thinking about it....Never in my wildest dreams did I think any of this would happen...We are blessed.

Dude I remember that! You looked at me and shouted "Pete, did ya see that, he recognized me!!" Or something like that, I know it made your night! hahaha!!

Wowh, what a nice story, honestly!
I hope I can meet Brian someday just to get a pic and a signature (and sell it on the Ebay... nope, just kidding!)

Will be there another Farewell Tour? Probably PART 2 or so!
Europe and Oz, now... Japan & USA!

I think Pony mentioned after the Adelaide show feeling a bit depressed after coming off of the big high from the show - I know what you mean, I'm totally feeling it today. I think I'm still processing everything. We went to a BBQ tonight and one of our friends mentioned how quiet I was (which is unusual for me ) I feel like I'm in a fog, I told Dean I think that my brain has been overstimulated and now I just want to stare at the wall for a few hours!

A friend invited a couple of us to go out and do karaoke tomorrow night, and for some reason we agreed- I've never done karaoke before. I already scoped out the place a couple weeks ago and had a look through the available songs, only one looked like a reasonable possibility. What is it?

Rock This Town.

Not sure if that'll get me out of this funk or make it deeper!


EDIT: Now that I think about it, my heart's been overstimulated too.

No worries Andi, you'll be fine.
As for the Karaoke, let's see if there's any song by the Cats.
And as for the BBQ, you can bring some of your Cats records, don't you think?

andi wrote:

I think Pony mentioned after the Adelaide show feeling a bit depressed after coming off of the big high from the show - I know what you mean, I'm totally feeling it today. I think I'm still processing everything. We went to a BBQ tonight and one of our friends mentioned how quiet I was (which is unusual for me ) I feel like I'm in a fog, I told Dean I think that my brain has been overstimulated and now I just want to stare at the wall for a few hours!

A friend invited a couple of us to go out and do karaoke tomorrow night, and for some reason we agreed- I've never done karaoke before. I already scoped out the place a couple weeks ago and had a look through the available songs, only one looked like a reasonable possibility. What is it?

Rock This Town.

Not sure if that'll get me out of this funk or make it deeper!


EDIT: Now that I think about it, my heart's been overstimulated too.

Hey Andi, I told you that you had a good singing voice! Now it's your chance to prove it! Go for it!

Sitting here in Realityville Pete

andi wrote:

I think Pony mentioned after the Adelaide show feeling a bit depressed after coming off of the big high from the show - I know what you mean, I'm totally feeling it today. I think I'm still processing everything. We went to a BBQ tonight and one of our friends mentioned how quiet I was (which is unusual for me ) I feel like I'm in a fog, I told Dean I think that my brain has been overstimulated and now I just want to stare at the wall for a few hours!

A friend invited a couple of us to go out and do karaoke tomorrow night, and for some reason we agreed- I've never done karaoke before. I already scoped out the place a couple weeks ago and had a look through the available songs, only one looked like a reasonable possibility. What is it?

Rock This Town.

Not sure if that'll get me out of this funk or make it deeper!


EDIT: Now that I think about it, my heart's been overstimulated too.

That's a funny thing. I haven't had the same problem like I had after the Adelaide show. I think the mini depression was because they were still playing shows around the country and I wasn't going to see anymore. Then we managed to get to see the last show and everything happened!! Maybe the drop is coming, but I'm still on cloud nine!! Plenty of room up here for everyone else too

Andi, you got to do it, take the Gretsch too, plug it in and blow the place away!!! Now how cool would that be!! You have a great voice, belt it out.

No, definitely not taking the Gretsch out to karaoke - or anywhere out of this house - until I can actually play the damn thing

In any case I'm sure tonight will be fun and maybe I'll snap out of this haze!

Karaoke definitely cures all!

I dragged some girlfriends onstage for the first one and we did "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett. Then later I did Folsom Prison Blues. Not too bad....

Then I remembered that nobody in this country knows how to speak Spanish so I sang La Bamba (bands here attempt it and simply slaughter the lyrics - hell, the written lyrics on the karaoke track were even wrong!!), and it was a hit! People actuially got up and danced while I was singing! Hahahahaha!!!! That was awesome!

The bug has bitten me now. This may have to be a weekly thing. Maybe next time I'll try Rock This Town, after I practice it a few thousand more times