Dispatches from the Fury Road: Gladstone.

Sometimes you just have to blow one out.

It was a long drive from Mackay to Gladstone, the longest drive of the tour. We barely had time to settle in our hotel before we were up and leaving by 8am. From the backseat I watched as the emerald green trees thinned out and faded into a mix of dirty yellow grasslands. It looked like an older man’s receding hairline that is holding on for all it’s worth. As far as metaphors go, it is one I am totally across.

We were all relieved to find our rooms were spacious and comfortable. As I’ve stated before, when you’re on tour it is hotel roulette. We’re here for two days so being able to spend extra time in this apartment has been a big win. Not only that, but we have a broad range of television stations to choose from, and this allowed me to spend my dusty Sunday morning laying in bed and watching the NBA playoffs.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Last night’s show was another big event and also another locked in audience. Everyone knocked it out of the park and the crowd were appreciative of the broad range of acts on the line-up. I would like to be totally rid of this lingering cold though. It has been right at the end for nearly a week now. It is presents itself in a clearing of the throat and the slightest of runny noses onstage. There’s nothing more exciting than performing and wondering if everyone can see your top lip glisten. I know that I’m fine but all your senses are dialled up to the maximum when you’re performing, so the paranoia is real.

Saturday night in Gladstone meant we felt like we should do something. It can be mildly depressing to consistently retire to your room after a show, so when an opportunity arises, you should grab it by both horns. When I say grab it by both horns, what I mean is grab that microphone and belt out some tunes. Yes, we scratched our karaoke itch finally with a room to ourselves. I hope the establishment checks the foundations because we blew the roof off with our performances. Unfortunately for you there was a “no phones” policy, so no bootleg action will be found online any time soon.

We were still wired after the show so we fought against our better instincts and headed to the local club. Loud music, young people, and some older men and women hanging around the edges who all looked like narcs. I ended up talking to a young lad who was at the show who wasn’t even born the first time I visited Gladstone back in 2005. He asked how old I was and when I told him I was 51, he couldn’t believe it. Bless his cotton socks. Did I mention it was dark in there?

Get me on a night when I’m in a good mood and a little on the tipsy side, and it is game on. Drinks for everyone! In this current economic climate, it feels insane to be buying rounds. Yet I figured when will this group of people ever been in Gladstone again on a Saturday night? That answer is most probably “never”, so I was determined to embrace the surroundings and have a good night.

Drinks!

Dancing!

Pretending you can hear what people are saying to you!

The night had it all. i felt like I needed this. The rest of the tour will be fairly straightforward, and then it is a quick jaunt back to Sydney to sort some work out before flying to Adelaide for family time and gigs. By the end of the night I felt like I’d ticked all the boxes in the brief. Also, while it was well past my bedtime, I didn’t feel wiped out which meant I’d managed to keep myself relatively tidy.

Then it was time for nigh nighs, followed by some early morning basketball, followed by a tasty brunch, and now it is time to get some work done. It is raining outside. A white haze obscures the coastline. It looks like an artist did as much work as they could before leaving the rest of the canvas to be filled in by someone else at a later date. It is perfect weather that inspires you to stay indoors and get shit done.

I’ll just check my account to see how much I spent last night.

YIKES!

I won’t be having another one like that for a while but I’m still glad I lent into the promise of what a big night can offer in Gladstone. In the end it is an investment in fun, an attribute we could all use a little more of in these complicated times.

Justin Hamilton

Gladstone

5th of May, 2024