Undies were thrown

I witnessed a big moment in rock history last night.

I watched Russell Morris sing “I am the real thing” during the last concert of his farewell tour.

What a song!

The crowd went wild. So wild that undies were thrown onto stage.

I’m not kidding. Pensioners were literally flinging their panties at Russell’s feet.

But more about that later.

Let me rewind to Saturday morning.

I got an SMS message that said: “Dad save my new number.”

Seemed totally legit. Not.

Especially since I’m mum, not dad.

I am probably being paranoid, but it coincided with me setting up some new apps and banking details.

I find it terrifying how careful you have to be these days.

And I worry about how many people who are my age or older are getting tricked.

I read a sobering article in The Australian that said: “There are more than 5 million baby boomers in Australia. The oldest cohort, born in 1946, are all just about to turn 80. It is estimated that 50 per cent of people over age 85 will have dementia. The incidence increases year on year.”

That’s a lot of dementia.

I really need to do something about my stress levels.

(Chronic stress can increase the risk of dementia by impacting the brain’s hippocampus and leading to inflammation, which damages brain cells. Stress is also linked to other conditions, such as depression and cardiovascular disease, which further elevate dementia risk.) 

Anyways, enough about that.

We drove up to Newcastle on Sunday to visit my dad for Father’s Day. He’s sick of nursing home food so we took him some Chinese takeaway. I also brought along my portable CD player so we could serenade him with his favourite jazz music.

He loved listening to the jazz music so much that I left the CD player behind for him.

Then we hoofed it back to Sydney to see Russell’s final concert at the Sydney Opera House. We got there with five minutes to spare.

I am a bit sketchy on Russell’s playlist because I was a one-year-old when his biggest hit, “The Real Thing”, was released.

The ground-breaking psychedelic single written by Johnny Young (the Johnny Young of Young Talent Time fame) and produced by Molly Meldrum (the Molly Meldrum of Countdown fame).

I still can’t get my head around that. Johnny and Molly. Wow!

Released in 1969, the six-minute, heavily produced track used innovative techniques like sound effects, instrument layering and a distinctive tape phasing effect, becoming one of the era’s most memorable Australian rock anthems.

Russell was 21 at the time and is now 77.

He’s looking pretty damn good for a 77-year-old and creaks way less than I do at 57.

Also, his voice is still spectacular.

The gig started at 5pm, which was very pensioner friendly. There was a bit of a Seniors Week concert vibe to the crowd, but I kept an open mind.

Oh, and Jimmy Barnes was among them!

Being a one-year-old when Russell had his first hit came in handy at interval. I beat everyone down the stairs and was first in line at the bar.

Five minutes later the queue was heaving with thirsty boomers.

Sydney Opera House really needs to be more cognizant of just how thirsty boomers get and roster on more bar staff when rock and roll royalty are doing farewell tours. There were only two bartenders on duty at the back bar. When the bell sounded for the end of interval acres of people were still waiting in the queue for chardys.

Russell sang the “The Real Thing” as part of his encore set. It was so worth the wait. Incredible. (And also hilarious due to the undie throwing.)

Do yourself a favour and watch the original film clip below …

Song of the day: Russell Morris “The Real Thing”