allyson and bryan

Russell Crowe Said Hi to Me /



Okay -- first of all, I hereby solemly swear that I am not trying to turn this blog into a chronicle of international celebrity stalking escapades. I realize there's been a bit of a rash of them lately, and ask your forgiveness. Certainly, once we leave Australia, our star radar will be switched off, quickly becoming useless in cities such as Saigon and Phnom Penh. But, until then, can you really blame me for taking advantage of $18 tickets to see a serious A-list actor perform a 90-minute set with painful sincerity three feet from the table at which I sat? You can't! Really. Please. You can't.

So how was it? It was so, so super-fun. The tickets themselves were quite literally 1/4 the price it would've cost us to see David Gray in a huge arena, and when Bryan scouted out the tiny venue (while I got my hair cut, at long last, downtown), he decided we'd go in for the full dinner-plus-show package, still available two hours before Russell himself went on. Thus, we ended up securing a spot in the very first row right next to the stage, thus allowing for some excellent photo ops. The opening act was something I've never seen before: A one-man band of sorts who used a foot-operated recording device to create his own back-up music, layering sound over sound to amazing results. He was funny and audience-interactive and I absolutely loved him. Bryan and I both had barramundi for dinner, which we'd been told we needed to try before leaving Australia. We ordered a fine bottle of New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and we made our late train home with time to spare. We also met a great Australian couple who invited us to dinner at their place next week. An A+ night if you ask me!

Oh but how was it, you mean? Like Russell, and the singing? That -- that was okay. I was worried in the beginning, when his opening song included a line something like, "if Jesus asks me to I'd do it all again," but I have to admit that things improved from there. Like I said, sometimes I cringed a bit at his passion and sincerity, and he isn't the world's greatest singer by far. On the bright side, there were a few (more upbeat) songs that I honestly enjoyed; Russell himself was personable and relaxed, telling stories to the small crowd, drinking a bottomless glass of port, and only making fun of Americans once. I also appreciate that he wasn't all uptight about cameras in the venue -- our bags weren't searched at all, and in fact, our tickets weren't even checked. You sorta need to love Australia.

Oh and yeah: Before the show, Bryan and I waited outside in the rain for the doors to open, giggling at the egregious misspelling on one of the slap-dash posters stuck to the door. As I stood to the left of the entrance, pondering our chances of getting a photo with Mr. Crowe, I looked up and there he was in the flesh, approaching the door with one or two of his bandmates. We made eye contact, he said "hi," and then they walked on through to the sound check. It all happened so fast -- there was no time to pull out my camera and try for a Bono, but that's okay. I think maybe he likes me.

So yes, I imagine that this installment completes the Shania-Ashlee-Russell overseas celebrity blog triumvirate. I can't promise that I won't report on any accidental run-ins or random reality TV stars spotted by Bryan, but I will pledge to try to make future entries more focused on culture and travel and adventure and all that good stuff.

I just thought you'd want to know.

stars, they're just like allyson @ 10:39 PM  

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