Tag: ACER Arena

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Acer Arena One of the Best … Apparently

Acer Arena has made the Pollstar top 10 best venues in the world list for the third year running. The Sydney venue is considered on a par with iconic spots like Madison Square Garden in New York, The Staples Center in Los Angeles, and O2 Arena in London.

The accolade caps off a stellar 2008 for the arena, which attracted the likes of Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Andrea Bocelli, Bon Jovi, and Billy Joel last year.

“Despite many reports of a worldwide recession, 2009 has started extremely strongly with Top Gear Live this coming weekend exceeding all sales expectations (ten shows), as are shows like Coldplay (four shows in March) followed in the same month by Kings of Leon and The Who then Pussycat Dolls (two shows in May), Crusty Demons (June) WWE Live (July) and Andre Rieu (two shows in October),” General Manager David Humphreys said in a statement.

“Acknowledgement in two internationally respected industry magazines is the icing on the cake and a great reward for the team that made these events happen.

“We have been Australia’s leading indoor concert arena for a number of years and look forward to maintaining the same high standards and quality events in 2009.”

I thought the same thing last year, but I’m a little amazed. Things always seem to run smoothly at Acer, but unless you’re sitting really close to the stage it’s certainly not the place I’d want to see a show. Bigger isn’t always better for the musicians or their audience, and this poll seems to forget that! Give me a small theatre or a natural outdoor winery setting any day!

Image source: E. Yoshio @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sydney’s Acer Arena Named One of World’s Best Venues

Sydney’s Acer Arena has been named the third best venue in the world by Billboard magazine. Clearly the folks at Billboard have never sat in one of the venue’s nosebleed seats, but I digress.

There’s no denying the arena certainly has some pulling power, hosting acts like The Eagles, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Kiss, and Celine Dion in recent years.

Acer Arena was kept from the top spot by London’s O2 Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden. But that doesn’t worry Acer staff.

“The ranking confirms our position in the arena market and we are proud of our place on the world stage,” David Humphreys, Acer Arena General Manager said in a statement.

I’ve made no secret of my love of Lizotte’s, and I’d definitely take a night out there than a visit to Acer Arena any day. I’d also much rather see a show at a beautiful venue like Newcastle’s Civic Theatre, an intimate one like Sydney’s The Basement, or a serene outdoor one like Bimbadgen Estate.

But I’m in New South Wales, and so my experience is limited to my home state. So tell me, what’s your favourite place to see a band and why?

Image source: FUEL Youth @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Santana @ ACER Arena, Sydney – 28 February 2008

Last night I headed out to ACER Arena to catch living legend, Carlos Santana. Before entering the venue I had one big question on my mind: “How would he handle the duets?” There’s no doubt that Santana’s recent star-studded duets album are the key to his latest wave of popularity, but without the likes of Rob Thomas, Chad Kroeger, and Steve Tyler on the tour I wasn’t sure how they’d work, or indeed whether they’d make the set at all. I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

As is typical when you’re contending with Sydney traffic, we were running late and missed most of Blue King Brown’s set. I’m not sure it was a great loss though. They’re clearly accomplished musicians, but the three songs I heard tended to sound the same. I can imagine how the early part of the set sounded based on that.

Anyway, Carlos was the main event, and after a confronting look at the pain of war on the big screen, we were ready for a concert of hope. Carlos was clearly the star of the show. I’ve seen a few brilliant guitarists in my time: John Mayer, Tommy Emmanuel, Pete Townshend, and more. But as good as those guys were, Carlos is in a completely different league. The sounds he gets from that instrument are phenomenal. Dad said he heard somewhere that he has the fastest handspeed of any guitarist, and I think that could be true. Wow.

Carlos mostly lets his guitar prowess speak for himself. He’s a man of few words, but what he did say resonated. He received thunderous applause for his comment that Australia has “high moral leadership,” and his endorsement of Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generation. And we all laughed when he said we could have America’s constitution because they weren’t using it.

While Carlos was the main attraction, he was backed up by one of the greatest bands I’ve ever witnessed. Three drummers, another two guitarists, the brass stylings of a trumpet and trombone all led to one hell of a big sound. Often times I felt like I was witnessing a private jam session as these guys launched into extended solos, improvised and natural. Out front we had two stellar male vocalists in Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas. Their rich soulful voices skillfully delivered Santana’s English and Spanish lyrics.

So back to the question of those duets. If you were a new fan and attended the show based on the strength of those songs alone I think you would have been disappointed. It took until halfway through the show for us to hear a track from Supernatural, the smouldering “Maria Maria.” We certainly weren’t let down by The Product G&B’s absence here. But it was a different matter later in the show when they took on “Smooth.” I know I may be biased as a major Rob Thomas fan, but I really missed his rock and roll rasp. The only other duet that made the cut was the new single, “Into The Night.” It was a sweeter take on this song, but I think I preferred it.

While I love those duets albums, I’m glad most of those songs didn’t make the show. Yes we had Santana, but I think without the added star power of their original singers they would have been a let down.

What we did hear was a whole lot of Santana’s earlier material, which made my dad pretty happy. It was the perfect showcase for these musicians, and ultimately the way this show should be.

Image source: Bsoist @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Bon Jovi @ ACER Arena, Sydney – 22 January 2008

I grew up in the 1980s. It was a decade of big hair, big shoulder pads, and big power chords. And if you were a young girl in the 80s, you probably had a dirty big crush on Jon Bon Jovi.

That was more than twenty years ago, but walking into Acer Arena last night it seemed some things never change. While I spotted quite a few mullets, the hair was a little smaller. I didn’t see anyone wearing shoulder pads. But chunky chords are alive and well. And if the deafening squeals were anything to go by, the very same girls still have the hots for Jon.

The music wasn’t much different either. Sure Bon Jovi are still releasing albums and their newer sound has a more country edge, but that didn’t stop them busting out classic cuts from New Jersey, Slippery When Wet, and Keep the Faith.

Considering their massive back catalogue, opening with “Great Balls of Fire” was an odd choice. But the crowd screamed their approval as they watched Jon gyrate like a yesteryear teen idol. You can only imagine the way the already frenzied stadium erupted when they began their next song, “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Hit after hit followed, punctuated by new songs which allowed us to catch our breath a little.

I’ve often wondered how Jon stays looking so svelte, but now I know. He bounces around like he has springs attached to his feet, jumping around the stage with an energy that would impress men half his age. I think I lost a few kilos dancing along last night, so it’s little surprise he stays so slim.

Just when I was sure I couldn’t stand any more Jon moved from the main stage to a smaller one, right in front of me. OK, four rows of fans separated us, but this was so much closer to my childhood crush than I ever imagined I’d be. I got my second wind as we were treated to an amazing acoustic set, starting with “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and moving into “Blaze of Glory.” Richie joined him on the small stage then for “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night.” I was having such a good time, which only got better when they launched into two of my favourites “Never Say Goodbye” and “Blood on Blood.”

Then it was back to the main stage for more rapid-fire hits: “Keep the Faith,” “Sleep When I’m Dead,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The crowd wasn’t letting them off that easily, and it didn’t take much encouragement before the lads were back for an encore. I struggled to think of the songs they hadn’t played yet, but of course there was more to hear.

We were all back on our feet to enjoy the final three tracks: “Have a Nice Day,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and the obvious closer “I Love This Town.”

Sydney loves Bon Jovi too. They gave us three solid hours of entertainment, and we were all thankful for it. My feet hurt, despite me discarding my high-heeled boots early in the night. My throat was sore from the singing and screaming. Sweat dripped from every pore of my body. I had a brilliant time.