The Telstra Dome gig went fairly well, although the conditions weren't ideal. We were on right at the end of the day, when everyone else was packing up and going home. The day was pretty cold and windy, which meant there weren't a lot of people sticking around. Also the wind caused big problems for our music, as well as difficulty hearing each other. Still, I think we played ok.

In the last couple of weeks I had the opportunity to go to a couple of gigs. Maceo Parker was just before Easter, playing at the Corner Hotel in Richmond. It was a smelly, sweaty pub, standing room only, which normally wouldn't be my first choice late at night after a week at work. Maceo is a sax player, but then he's not just any old sax player. He's from the Old School of funk, having played with James Brown, George Clinton and Parliament, and Prince among others. He and his band played with such a high level of energy for over 2 hours, it's hard to think of the guy as a 65-year old. They would blend the different charts into each other so that you couldn't really tell where they crossed. Solos would weave smoothly in and out of the songs, in itself a kind of contrast with the gritty, hard-edged funk that was always present. It was a great show, Maceo and his band are great performers.

About a week later I went to the Palais in St Kilda to see Harry Connick Jr. with his big band. I hand't heard much of his music from the last 10 years so I wasn't sure what it would be like. Turns out I needn't have worried. He's on a New Orleans jazz/blues kick at the moment, and his show was a great collection of old standards, improv jams and original charts. Backed by an amazing band of 10 horns, and with some impressive arrangements, the show was fantastic. He'd take simple songs like "You are my sunshine" and turn them into something you want to get up and dance to - and I don't dance. He's obviously been playing a long time, and knows how to work the crowd. It was a good night out.