Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch
Director: John Moore

In a few words...: Rollicking action, great one-liners and lots of good fun!
Rating: 7/10

"Yippee Ki-YAY Mother Russia" indeed!! 

Sure, it might be more of the same, on a bigger scale and far removed from the United States of America, but "A Good Day to Die Hard," the latest installment in what I think is still the preeminent action franchise in Hollywood, is wildly entertaining. 

If you want explosions, car chases, wisecracks and gun fights, look no further than the fifth movie featuring rugged and sarcastic New York City cop John McClane (played by the irascible Bruce Willis, with an impressive bald dome). This time, McClane finds himself in Russia, ostensibly to support his son, Jack (Australia's Jai Courtney", who has gotten into some trouble in Moscow as a deniable operator with the Central Intelligence Agency - "the 007 of Plainfield, New Jersey, as McClane senior cracks - but famous for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the two McClane's end up in the midst of a botched CIA mission to extract a shady Russian who had necessary intelligence on a high-ranking Russian official which could ruin the man, to America's political advantage.

Yet, somewhat predictably, nothing goes to plan, and father-and-son McClane
- two peas from the same pod, if ever there's been - are thrust into action, as unwilling partners at first, before they bond over the fact that they're both good at doing the same thing: killing bad guys. A terrific car chase through the streets of Moscow and some great shoot outs in between wisecracks and a few double-crosses that confuse the original mission lead to gloomy Chernobyl, for a finale that raises the bar as far as both explosions and hair-raising escapes go. And whilst there were parts of the film different to the prior four, particularly the emergence of McClane's son, filmmakers were very careful not to wreck a good thing. You knew what you'd get going in, and it didn't disappoint.

Setting the film in Russia adds a nice gloomy element. There aren't many scenes with bright sun shine and blue skies, and the prevailing gun mental grey theme as a backdrop to the action involving weapons-grade plutonium and a bunch of violent Russians going up against two equally violent Americans. After the smog-filled Los Angeles, the Christmas snow globe effect of Washington DC, chaotic New York City and a return to the spectacular grandeur or Washington D.C.m murky Russia was a nice touch.

It's hardly rewriting the book as far as action movies go, but I thought "A Good Day to Die Hard" was a worthy addition to the franchise. Maybe the chemistry between Willis and Courtney wasn't as good as what Willis had with Mary Elizabeth Winstead in "Die Hard 4.0" and maybe Willis overplayed the sarcastic/belittling father a little at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself from opening credits to the closing explosions, at all times safe in the knowledge that McClane senior and McClane junior would be just fine in the end.

Review: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (March 22 2013)

Friday 22 March 2013 Allphones Arena Sydney, NSW, Australia

This, my friends, was a show of epic proportions. I was front row, right at the edge of the seats, seemingly close enough to reach out and touch - the heavy security presence aside - Nils Lofgren and Soozie Tyrell. Great seats, great view...and the E Street Band delivered the show of a lifetime. They delivered in spades. Yeah, maybe there wasn't "Jungeland" and "No Surrender," which got a run on Wednesday night, but the raucously fun singalong "Pay Me My Money Down," returned, and got everyone up from their seats in less than the ninety seconds Bruce predicted pre-song. We heard a haunting version of "The River," and a double shot from the Born in the USA album back-to-back in the middle, "Working on the Highway" and "Darlington County" - two of my favourites. So far as I was concerned, this was about the perfect set list, even though it missed some of the songs from Wednesday that I would've given anything to hear.

"We Take Care of Our Own," opened the show - the first time I've heard it live - and there were other cuts from Wrecking Ball in the set again. I can't get enough of "Shackled and Drawn" or "Death To My Hometown." It's one of the great Springsteen studio albums performed live. The title track, though referencing the Global Financial Crisis that's brought American to it's knees, manages to be a happy song. The entire night was one big house party. The crowd was insane. You couldn't not get up and dance and clap and sing and yell. The E Street Band is white-hot at the moment. There isn't anything they cannot do.

"Hungry Heart," saw the Boss come past my seat, on his way to surf the crowd, and I got a chance to slap him a high five. He was back in the crowd later, and I got to do it again. Not sure whether I'll ever wash my right hand again after that. "Waitin' On A Sunny Day," was great; such an uplifting song that raises the spirit in the room just about through the roof. 

A haunting, "My City of Ruins" seems to transport the crowd somewhere else, somewhere where we can walk with ghosts. The emotion in Springsteen's voice is there for all to hear. There's no escaping it. Not that you want to. The tribute for those E Streeters not with us any more never fails to make your spine tingle. You just have to watch Springsteen to see how much those guys, the Big Man and Phantom Dan, meant to him. And to the band.

Fill-in guitarist Tom Morello won more fans over with another searing rendition of "The Ghost Of Tom Joad." How can you not love that? Watching him ring every last skerrick of sound of out his guitar is an incredible thing. So was hearing "Badlands", and then the hauntingly epic "Thunder Road", which closed the main set - there was a very short break; the band didn't even leave the stage this time - and paved the way for a song that, as Bruce said, they didn't play very often. But they played "Born in the USA" with epic gusto tonight, and the crowd repaid the favour, belting it out like there was no tomorrow. And there may as well not have been, the way this night was progressing.

Two lucky ladies got to dance with the Boss during "Dancing in the Dark". The tributes were back for "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and, because no one wanted to go home, Bruce played on, ripping through an energetic version of "Rosalita" to end the night, and by then, there wasn't a soul who hadn't been moved by the great power of music, which the E Street Band and their legendary singer have so expertly harnessed. If there's a better rock and roll act out there, I'd like to know who it is!

My ears are still ringing! I'll never forget tonight!!

Review: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (March 18 2013)

Monday 18 March 2013
Allphones Arena
Sydney, NSW, Australia

Bruce Springsteen hasn't toured Australia in 10 years - a long decade that saw the release of five albums, some with the famous E Street Band, some as a solo artist (featuring various E Streeters) and one with the Sessions Band that spawned a whole North American & European tour of it's own.

Ten years ago, I wasn't a Springsteen fan. That's not to say that I didn't know the big songs, the anthems like "Born to Run", "Born in the USA" and, to a lesser extent, "Hungry Heart" and "Dancing in the Dark". I'm late to the Springsteen party, having only really realised what a brilliant, life-changing musician the man they call the Boss is in about 2009. So, whilst other fans have lamented a decade without a Springsteen tour to Australia, I've only been waiting four years, clinging, hoping - praying, even - on and to every shred of a rumour of an Australian tour. As far as that goes, I'm a relative newcomer.

Now, though, I'm a fan, all the way. I love "Jungeland" and "Bobby Jean" and "Lonesome Day" and I went to the show hoping to hear rarities like "Murder Incorporated," "I'm On Fire," or "Racing in the Street." I was pretty sure I'd burst into tears if we got so lucky as to hear so much as a snippet of my all-time favourite Springsteen tune, "No Surrender" from Born in the USA, let alone the entire song.

Every one of the 12,000-odd fans who packed the Allphones Arena on Monday night doubtless had a collection of songs they wanted to hear above all others. And although it's pretty certain that each one of those collections would differ wildly - after all, we're talking about an artist who's been releasing music for the best part of fourteen years - I cannot imagine that anyone who watched the Boss and his E Street Band, all sixteen members of it, on Monday night would have gone away disappointed, even if you wished he'd played more stuff from "Born to Run" and less from the new "Wrecking Ball," or whatever.

And Monday dragged on, as all days at the office do when you know something amazing's going to happen in the evening. There was a sense of great anticipation in the venue, a hum of excitement in those final minutes leading up to the start of the show. Finally, a decade of waiting for a lot of diehard fans, had come to an end, and we were about to see that most famous of New Jersey rock and roll outfits half a world away from the bars and clubs that made them into superstars, yet here, close enough to reach out and touch, or so it seemed.

We'd been teased and spoilt by epic reviews and great set lists in Brisbane. I figured that if a review of tonight's first (of three; Wednesday and Friday to come) Sydney shows describing an event half as good as what was written about the opening night in Brisbane in the papers tomorrow, we'd be in for a rare event. You know what? It was better than I could've hoped: the best music experience of my life, bar none.

This was a show of great power, the most intense three hours plus of rock and roll I've ever heard. NIne days ago, I saw KISS and Motley Crue. Springsteen could scarcely have been any further from those guys. There's no theatrics here, just a bunch of brilliant musicians on a stage in the middle of an area, led by one of the greatest rock and roll songwriters who's ever walked the face of the earth. Combined, it's a musical experience that rivals few others - if any at all! And we caught them all on a night that, surely, will be etched in the memory of every one in the room.

Talk about bringing the power of the music down on us! From the opening Irish jig - a belated St Patrick's Day nod - of "American Land", we roared through the Springsteen landscape, hearing gems like "Prove it all Night", "Adam Raised a Cain" and a ripping, magical, uplifting "Hungry Heart," during which the Boss, a nickname so well earned on this night, surfed through the crowd and back onto the stage.

There were sombre moments, too: a soulful rendition of "My City of Ruins," that poignantly featured spotlights shining on empty stage, where Clarence Clemons and Dan Federici once stood. It's a wonderful thing that the E Street Band continued, and even more wonderful to have another Clemons on stage, Clarence's nephew, Jake, who is as gifted as his uncle was, and the same hulking presence, even at the back of the stage.

Our whirlwind trip through Springsteen's Americana continued. We heard the drum-fused epic, "She's the One" from Born to Run, the haunting title track from The Rising, another raucous Irish jig in "Shackled and Drawn", but perhaps the highlight of the main set was a moment from the Sessions Band days, a rampant, jubilant "Pay Me My Money Down," rivaled by "Waitin' On A Sunny Day," for which he pulled a young girl from the crowd, and handed her the microphone to sing the chorus. The Boss.

By that point in the show, I couldn't see anyone who wasn't up on their feet, clapping, and loving every single second. Springsteen does that, and he effortlessly switches guises: guitar god one moment, soulful preacher the next, big band leader, folk hero and back to a rock and roll legend. All in the space of a little more than two hours. Time flies; it goes by far too quickly. You don't want it to end. The main set ended with Tom Morello losing himself in "The Ghost of Tom Joad," a song - or, at least this particular rock version of it - that seems as though it was made with the Rage Against the Machine guitarist, filling in for Little Steven Van Zandt, in mind. Even if that wasn't the case, Morello made it his own. His playing defies belief. You have to see it to believe it...and even then, you really don't, or can't. It's mesmerising beyond words.

It's the encore that really, really, really got the crowd going. "Thunder Road," began it, but it was "Thunder Road" like you've seldom heard it before, sung by 17,000 strong. It sends chills up and down your spine. By now, the only people sitting down are either disabled or they're just not feeling it - and how could you not be feeling it tonight?

With the house lights all the way up, the rousing radio anthem "Born to Run" shook the foundations of Allphones Arena. The crowd sang it with the Boss. Hell, we could've sung it without him. So, too, "Dancing in the Dark," where the obligatory woman is pulled up out of the crowd - there were hundreds of would-be Courteney Cox's out there tonight, waiting and hoping to see the outstretched hand in their direction - and the two Springsteen anthems were separated by a totally rockin' "Seven Nights to Rock."

Fittingly, the show that no one wanted to end, did so with the band's - and, particularly, Springsteen's - autobiographical song, "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," complete with an extended intro, during which the Boss is up on Roy Bittan's piano, and featuring, also, a wonderful collection of photos of Clarence Clemons and Dan Federici, flashing on the big screens after the immortal line, "Well, they made a change up town, and the Big Man joined the band!" There's applause, and your skin tingles. Another epic moment in a night full of them.

It's over too quickly. Three hours went by, seemingly, like three minutes. You hang around hoping that the Boss will come back, wanting "Jungeland" or "Glory Days" or "No Surrender" just to top off what's been an unforgettable rock and roll extravaganza. 

Well, there's always Friday night... I can't wait already!

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Brisbane Set List

Brisbane Entertainment Centre
March 12, 2013
Brisbane, Queensland

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. Firehouse
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. Calling Dr. Love
7. Outta This World
8. Psycho Circus
9. I Love It Loud
10. Crazy, Crazy Nights
11. War Machine
12. Love Gun
13. Rock & Roll All Nite

Encore:

14. Lick It Up
15. Black Diamond

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Sydney (Allphones Arena) Photo Gallery

The greatest rock and roll show of my life: Motley Crue & KISS!!!! Need I say anymore????

Motley Crue explode onto the stage!

Impressive laser light show

Vince Neil (vocals), Tommy Lee (drums) and Mick Mars (guitar)

Waited a long time to see the 360-degree drum roller-coaster.

 And it didn't disappoint.

Nikki Sixx's bass turns into a flame thrower

 Thank YOU, boys! Awesome show!!

 KISS take the stage!

 "Detroit Rock City"

Founding Members - Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and Eric Singer in the background on drums

The KISS Army was out in full force!

"Deuce" - Gene, Paul and Tommy Thayer

"Firehouse"

Eric Singer & Tommy Jam after "Outta This World"

The Demon!!

Gene in the rafters!

Wished happy birthday to his wife, didn't sing "God Of Thunder" 

"I Love It Loud"

Paul on a flying fox

Looking back at the stage

"Love Gun"

Back he goes

Gene and Tommy on platforms out over the crowd

"Rock and Roll All Nite"

Confetti daze

The Hottest Band In The World!!!

Moron stage invader

Eric taking off

Smoky solos

"Black Diamond"

Almost at the end...

The end

 

We love them back!!

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Sydney Review

Allphones Arena
March 09, 2013
Sydney, New South Wales

Link: My Sydney Night One Photo Gallery

WOW!! What a show. Anyone who thought rock and roll was dead and buried wasn't at Sydney's Allphones Arena on Saturday night. What we witnessed there was a veritable extravaganza of rock and roll, at it's wild, loud, partying and hedonistic best.

Australian band Diva Demolition started the night off, and made way for Irish legends Thin Lizzy, with their new - and ultra-impressive - front man Ricky Warwick leading a tremendous set. Clearly, they're a band that, although aging, has a lot left to give. Their sound, musically, is tight, Warwick has a good voice, and never forgets the great Phil Lynott, paying homage to the deceased Thin Lizzy front man on a number of occasions during the show.

Sunset Strip rockers Motley Crue were next, with all the crudeness and sleaze that we've come to expect - and love - from Vince Neill and the boys. Flame, smoke, explosions and the awesome Tommy Lee drum solo, on a 360-degree wheel ensued. Nothing like seeing Tommy upside down, whacking away. And Motley have some good songs too. Certainly enough big hits and singalongs to get the crowd into it. Their set ended and you felt like you'd already gotten your money's worth.

But, for the capacity crowd, the best was yet to come - the hottest band in the world! KISS!! The foursome - founding members guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons, with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer - began with Detroit Rock City, after Thayer, Stanley and Simmons arrived on stage, lowered from the rafters to the thunderous applause of the KISS Army.

Through "Deuce" and "Calling Dr Love" and "Love Gun" and "War Machine," KISS took us on a journey spanning forty years of rock and roll. There were songs from the new album, including the roaring lead single "Hell of Hallelujah," that resonated as well with the audience as the classics did. Simmons' trademark fire breathing after "Firehouse" was bettered only by his blood-spitting routine during his bass solo, a stunt that ends with him being hoisted back into the rafters, to a stage high above the crowd, to sing a song. Sometimes, "God Of Thunder", but tonight, "I Love It Loud."

Not to be outdone, Stanley took a flying fox across to the back of the room for an electrifying version of "Love Gun" before Simmons and Thayer were elevated on platforms out over the crowd during the mega-singalong "Rock and Roll All Nite," which ended the main set. Of course, there was an encore: the bombastic, heavy "Lick It Up" and "Black Diamond," sung by Singer to close out the night. 

And what a night! Rumours of the disintegration of Paul Stanley's voice have been greatly exaggerated. His voice isn't quite as it was in 1987 or 1997, but it's solid, and can reach most of the high notes, still. Certainly, vocally - all four band members sung at least one song - they were more impressive than Motley Crue. 

If there was one disappointment, it was the set list, wherein lay some strange song choices. Unfortunately, no sign of "I Was Made For Lovin' You Baby" or "Shandi," (performed acoustically at earlier tour dates) both of which were huge for KISS in Australia. Not hearing either was a major surprise. They seem to have been standards in this country for KISS tours since each song's inception. This was a major talking point walking out of the gig.

Other favourites like "Strutter" or "God Of Thunder", were left out in favour of some interesting choices, "Crazy, Crazy Nights" and "Psycho Circus," which I could have done without. Also, a shame to have "God Gave Rock & Roll To You" playing after the house lights have come up, rather than during the show. Still, for the most part, and especially because of the introduction of "Deuce", it was a solid set list.

Their stageshow, full of blood and fire, sparking guitars, levitating drum kits, rising platforms (and an unexpected surprise for the band: a stage invader), is slick, their sound perfect. It's one hell of a concert experience. No one went home disappointed.

Link: My Sydney (Night One) Photo Gallery

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Sydney (Night One) Set List

Allphones Arena
March 09, 2013
Sydney, New South Wales

Link: My Sydney (Night One) Photo Gallery

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Deuce
4. Firehouse
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. Calling Dr. Love
7. Outta This World
8. Psycho Circus
9. Bass Solo
10. I Love It Loud
11. Crazy, Crazy Nights
12. War Machine
13. Love Gun
14. Rock & Roll All Nite

Encore:

15. Lick It Up
16. Black Diamond

Link: My Sydney (Night One) Photo Gallery

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Melbourne (Night Two) Set List

Etihad Stadium March 06, 2013
Melbourne, Victoria

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Calling Dr. Live
4. Firehouse
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. Christine Sixteen
7. Outta This World
8. Psycho Circus
9. Bass Solo
10. I Love It Loud
11. Crazy, Crazy Nights
12. War Machine
13. Love Gun
14. Rock & Roll All Nite

Encore:

15. Lick It Up
16. Black Diamond

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Melbourne (Night One) Set List

Etihad Stadium March 05, 2013
Melbourne, Victoria

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Calling Dr. Live
4. Firehouse
5. Hell or Hallelujah
6. Christine Sixteen
7. Outta This World
8. Psycho Circus
9. Bass Solo
10. I Love It Loud
11. Crazy, Crazy Nights
12. War Machine
13. Love Gun
14. Rock & Roll All Nite

Encore:

15. Lick It Up
16. I Was Made For Lovin' You
17. Black Diamond

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Adelaide Set List

Clipsal 500
March 03, 2013
Adelaide, South Australia

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Hell or Hallelujah
4. I Love It Loud
5. Psycho Circus
6. Calling Dr. Love
7. Firehouse
8. Crazy, Crazy Nights
9. Out Of This World
10. Bass Solo
11. God Of Thunder
12. War Machine
13. Shandi (acoustic)
14. Love Gun
15. Black Diamond

Encore:

16. Lick It Up
17. I Was Made For Lovin' You
18. Rock & Roll All Nite

KISS - The Monster Tour 2013 - Perth Set List

Perth Arena
February 28 2013
Perth, Western Australia

1. Detroit Rock City
2. Shout It Out Loud
3. Hell or Hallelujah
4. I Love It Loud
5. Psycho Circus
6. Calling Dr. Love
7. Firehouse
8. Wall Of Sound
9. Outta This World
10. Bass Solo
11. God Of Thunder
12. War Machine
13. Shandi (acoustic)
14. Love Gun
15. Black Diamond

Encore:

16. Lick It Up
17. I Was Made For Lovin' You
18. Rock & Roll All Nite

Traveler: Photo Gallery: Washington D.C.

Another series of photos taken with my Sony Cyber Shot digital camera in late November of 2010 at Washington, D.C. The fall colours are astounding, making an already picturesque and beautiful city even more so.

(Click on each photo for a larger view)

Statue of General Winfield Scott Hancock across the road from the National Archives.

Looking up Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol Building. On the left, 501 Pennsylvania Avenue is the Embassy of Canada.

The Embassy of Canada on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Originally designed by William Thornton, the United States Capitol, meeting place of United States Congress, sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.

Washington D.C.'s version of Union Station, a metro and Amtrak rail hub at 50 Massachusetts Avenue.

United States Capitol Building from the steps near Peace Circle and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.

Morning fog blots out the top of the Washington Monument.

From across the National Mall, the Washington Monument rises from above the trees at sunset.

The white-washed walls of one of the most famous buildings anywhere in the world. The White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, America's House.

Part of the circle of American flags around the base of the Washington Monument.

View down the National Mall to the Capitol Building from the Washington Monument. The tower of the Smithsonian castle is visible over the trees on the right.

Looking the opposite way to the photo above. World War Two memorial, the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Monument itself.

From the observation point at the top of the Washington Monument. World War Two memorial, the Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Monument and the Potomac River.

The White House from the observation deck of the Washington Monument. Lafayette Park in the background.