The Rolling Stones Experience

Gladstone Harbour Festival March 21, 2008

For months leading up to this gig, I’d heard several good reports from other musos and sound guys etc, saying it was a great outdoor gig with a big stage, huge production and, had in the past, had crowds of up to five thousand people.

When we arrived there I wasn’t disappointed, the sound was great with plenty of room on the stage to run around.

The crowd although large was not anywhere near 5000 but a big all the same.

The show was recorded and shown on big screens near the stage just like the real deal.

The crowd were loving it, and we look forward to going back at some time.

Heading for Bundaberg, March 20, 2008

Our next few days away was a trip up north to Bundaberg and Gladstone. The Gladstone gig was actually the first gig ever that the band scored, all the other gigs including Bundaberg came in months later.

Brothers Sports Club at Bundy was a reasonable sized venue, good stage,  good lighting and a very receptive crowd of about 200.

The show went without a hitch and a good time was had by all.

The Rolling Stones Experience at Seagulls Club

So far in the short time The Rolling Stones Experience has been giging,(this is gig number six), playing at Seagulls is definitely the highlight of all the gigs so far.

The Stardust room, being an international venue is beautifully laid out, holds about 1,500 people and best of all has a huge stage that I’m sure was built with Mick Jagger in mind.

P.J. gave us a great front of house sound and the on stage mix was excellent, the lighting and smoke machine made the show complete.

With an audience of around 600 enjoying the night we were stoked with the outcome and look forward to going back to Seagull’s in the future.

Rolling Stones Experience play at Sharks Football Club, Gold Coast

Right from the beginning of getting the band together I’ve had the idea, “when the band gets going we have to play at Sharks”.

Seeing big posters of other bands advertising their up coming shows there made me even more determined.

And then, finally, eighteen months later, here I am  standing in front of a huge poster of
The Rolling Stones Experience, and thinking, “Yep, we made it, let’s Rock n’ Roll !!”.

We got around 350 to 400 people on the night, we had a great time and so did the crowd,
We’re looking forward to going back later in the year.

See the  write up of Rolling Stones Experience at Sharks.

Rolling Stones Experience at Kedron Wavell Services Club

Our fourth gig was our first back in the ‘City’,  Kedron Wavell Services Club

just north of Brisbane is one  of those venues that a band can use as a bench mark.

Good or bad the word will get around the industry, if you packed the place

out and had a great night, or, not many people showed up and you bombed, you

have to live with it.

We had a very good crowd on the night, the show went well and were informed

we would be invited back in the future.

Rolling Stones Experience at Yamba Bowls Club

Well what can I say, it was unfortunate but Yamba probably was the low point of the three gig run.

Only because after three days of rain, firstly like Lismore we were lucky to even get there, as

roads all over the place were flooded, secondly, the last of the campers had given up hope of

seeing the sun during this vacation, thirdly, we ended up playing to about 20 people but looking

on the bright side, the meals were very tasty and over all the weekend was deemed a success.

Rolling Stones Experience Lismore Workers Club

We left Evans Head late Friday morning to head for our next gig at Lismore Worker’s Club.

Luckily we’d had a good run through the show the night before because this was our first

major venue, an important gig, that had sold a lot of tickets.

The thing was, would we get there as, overnight there had been more rain and more roads

were closing.

A one point about half way there we did run out of road, to be faced with a huge lake

a mile wide, Just as we were thinking the worst a SES guy walked up and pionted to a

little back track that would get us there.

A few hundred people couldn’t get into Lismore that day because of the floods but we

still ended up with a good crowd and the night was a success.

The first gig for ‘The Rolling Stones Experience’, the waterlogged weekend!!

‘Well !!’, Geoff (Bill Wyman) said, ‘if we get through this weekend of rain,rain, and more rain, flooded and closed roads and almost empty venues because all the summer holiday makers have flown the coop, we’re off to a good start.’

Meanwhile, I was remenicing, going back in my mind to the summer two years ago, standing on my front lawn with a big smile on my face because I’d just made the decision to do a Rolling Stones tribute show.

Sure enough we drove into Evan’s Head, parked out front of our very first gig, The Illowong Hotel and immediately, we all set off to the nearest Opp Shop to buy coats or jumpers.

That night around 100 turned up to see us, (the hotel had expected between 300 an 400), we got to do a paid rehearsal of the show and the small crowd were in a party mood.

I went to sleep that night feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

After two years of pulling this show together and numerous line up changes we were up and running or dare I say Rolling.