Happy Easter 2011

Well it's certainly been a busy Easter school holidays following a family full of child sickness, intermittent family re-location from one set of inlaws (to prevent cross contamination germ fest) to the other set of inlaws/grandparents and impending (and now overdue) uni assignments. Phew.......does anyone else have time management issues?
So why not procrastinate a little further and take up the offer of babysitting and just go out? I'm sure all would agree fun times with a drink or two make the juggling acts not quite so insurmountable?

Anyway over the Easter weekend, besides the chocolate fest, I managed to take in a Jimmy Barnes concert on the Central Coast. Yes a great merger between Barnsey and the Central Coast - a win-win relationship for all I think!!

Now the promotion for 'Barnsey on the Green at the Bateau Bay Hotel' does not quite conjure up the same image as a 'Day on the Green in the Hunter Valley' however the enthusiasm by the crowds that visited didn't seem to mind the difference between The Entrance Rd and the Broke Rd. I suspect there was a lot less wine swilling and more beer and bourbon swilling at the Bateau Bay Hotel!

On arrival 'at the green' for the outlined show I came across police gates, beer tents, outdoor stage, scaffolding, lights and your Barnsey loving crowd of various ages!! It was your (albeit) smaller version of the 'Big Day Out' Central Coast style!!

The afternoon was promoted as a 'family affair on the green' so there were your picnic style revelers with fold out chairs amongst the sea of empty plastic beer cups and cans of bourbon/rum premix!! (still very much a 'big day out' norm....)

Probably noted were two thing of interest and mild amusement - 1. - the girls wearing their tank tops, skirts and heels - possibly not the best choice when dealing with more like a muddy quagmire after more recent rains- (but you can always find friendship at the end of the night after Barnesy?!) and two - the afternoon show's apparent highlight by 6pm quite possibly being Noiseworks- reach out and 'punch' somebody-crowd favourite complete with police interludes....

And hows this for a story - people were setting up folded chairs with their wine/beer in eskies outside the venue in the carpark and along the street...(love the little 'aussie battler' trying to save a buck or two)! The show started with an old crowd pleaser 'I'd die to be with you tonight' and it rocked! There was shoulder dancing, arms waving, drinks swinging in unison for the good ole sing-a-long and of course air guitar from many of the local male population. Where else would 3,500 people be on Easter Saturday on the Central Coast?

It was a fun night! and probably one of the Easter highlights for many coasties. Mahalia Barnes doing a cover of 'Proud Mary'- Creedence was a definite highlight and man can she sing!!



Too all- 'Happy Easter!'