Big Night Out

When some family members were unable to attend a local venue Lizottes they offered us their tickets for dinner and a show with The Whitlams. We accepted readily as I wanted to check out the venue and I'm always up for a night out.

One of our cheeky offspring asked if we had heard of  The Whitlams, and I said I'd heard of our former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret but didn't know much about this rock band.

On Tuesday evening we donned our glad rags and headed to Lizotte's, which is set up in an old theatre in Lambton, a suburb of Newcastle, NSW. It was a good venue for a live gig as it's small and most tables would afford a good view of the act up on stage. A much better option for seeing the Whitlams than a huge entertainment centre. We did feel a trifle overdressed as most of our fellow audience members were casually attired. Shorts and a tshirt for a dinner and show - really?

Lizottes - A former theatre

Music themed decor at Lizottes

Apparently our included dinner could be taken between 6pm and 8pm with the show starting at 9pm. We opted for a 7pm dinner; next time we will go later as we didn't need two hours for dinner. I was expecting rather ordinary fare so was delighted with the quality and presentation of our included main course and our shared entree (purchased), the wine we had was a decent drop and wasn't drastically overpriced.

Calamari Entree

Scotch Fillet Main course

We enjoyed the two hour show although we weren't familiar with most of the music and we couldn't understand the words due to poor diction (or sound quality). I was most, impressed with the vocalist/keyboard chap who appeared to be le leader of the band, I loved the energy, enthusiasm and energy of the drummer who put his heart and soul into every number. 

Keyboard/Vocalist

Drummer

I wouldn't know if the guitarists were good or not but the long-haired one was totally engaged and appeared to be enjoying himself. The other chap was a physical presence who just stood and played; I got the impression that this was just a job to him, there was no evidence of any passion or feeling.

Guitarist

Guitarist

And the verdict. We will be following the offerings from Lizottes and look forward to returning for future events. While we enjoyed The Whitlams they are not high on our list for a return gig.

Musicians in the making

Thanks to our two youngest Ballboys who entertained us at Grandparents' Day.

Dockside in Shimizu

We were welcomed and farewelled in great style at Shimizu although I didn't manage to get any pics of the fireworks display on our departure.

Mascato

 20 December 2018

After we got back on board ship yesterday we were entertained by the Mascato Youth Choir from Namibia (https://www.facebook.com/mascatoyouthchoir.admin/) an inspiring performance from a vibrant and talented group of young African voices.

A Piper in the Family

Grandson's first gig with the pipe band. So proud to see him recognising his Scottish heritage.

Songbirds

In the hustle and bustle of a super summer Saturday in Cologne these songbirds found a corner under some trees to perfect thier performance.

German Songbirds

Singing in the rain

A Rainy Serenade in Bulgaria. We came across this chap after visiting an historic church.

Boy Band

A local Boy Band entertaining us on theViking Rinda cruise ship while docked in Croatia.

A Ballboy at school...

 ... making music on Grandparents' Day.

Thanks to the school for inviting us along.

Fanfare in Salt Lake City

Those of you who follow my Geniaus blog will know that I hit the ground running in Salt Lake City. I've had a great time so far meeting up with old friends, organising a dinner for the Aussies who are in town and doing a spot of research.

I also exercised restraint on my visit to Macy's only buying one pair of shoes and a couple of other items. The newly opened City Creek shopping center just up the road from the hotel is very tempting.

The Harvard basketball team, their cheer squad and a Harvard band are also resident in our hotel. I travelled down in the lift this morning with a delightful young man and his trombone. He was kind enough to pose for me when we reached the hotel foyer.

Culture on the high seas

1 December 2012

Boat Building Competition

Needlepoint, bridge, enrichment lectures,deck sports, trivia games, bingo and casino capers are some of the activities available to amuse guests while at sea.

Vocalists, instrumentalists, jugglers and stage productions provide evening entertainment.

Tonight we attended the fourth recital on board given by concert pianist, Panos Karan, an exceptionally talented young man. Even Mr Geniaus who is not a fan of classical music (and tonight it was a heavy Chopin program) enjoyed Panos' performances. A spot of culture doesn't go astray on the high seas.

I am looking forward to attending Panos' lecture tomorrow about Keys of Change a charity he founded in 2010 to promote and establish musical education and its benefits in remote areas around the world.

Pied Piper

 

Beach Band

Didger...

Maltesers