This may not look like much but it means a lot to me. It's a photograph I took with my cellphone of Joe Jackson and his two accompanying musicians at the Teatro at Monte Casino, Wednesday 4th June. And if you don't know who Joe Jackson is (and a frighteningly large amount of people don't), Google him. Because quite frankly having to describe who he is diminishes his brilliance. Suffice to say that it was an absolutely fantastic evening - even though my mate Owie did remark on the large amount of balding pates in the audience. I never actually believed I'd ever see "Is she really going out with?", or "Steppin' out" performed live and in person by Joe Jackson. Not to mention a bunch of other songs pared down to musical purity with just piano, bass, drums and JJ's tremulous voice - which he blamed on the altitude and which, amazingly, imrpoved as the evening went on. Pure magic.As opposed to the next international live act of the week, Counting Crows. I'd missed them the first couple of times they'd visited South Africa and was determined to see 'em this time round. Of course, seeing "Mr Jones" performed live can forgive a lot. But not stumbling about mumbling the words in a kinda Bob Dylan way. So, ya know, sometimes sell-by dates are accurate, and sometimes not.
But back pedalling to the concert of the year - and possibly the decade - the Cola Fest was just about as good as it can get. Every band was fantastic in their own way, with Muse head and shoulders above the lot. I don't think I've ever seen so many awestruck faces in one place.
So the moral - if there is any moral - is that if you're brilliant it doesn't matter how old or young or pretentious you are; you're still brilliant. If you're good but start taking it - and the audience - for granted, you quickly become crap. And it's an extremely tough task to climb back out.
