Steely Dan & Steve Winwood- Entertainment Center, Adelaide- Oct 30

By the time Steely Dan finished their two hour set alongside Winwood (singing "Roll With It") the Adelaide audience leapt to its feet having realised what a special night they had encountered. For fans of the popular acts it was a dream come true.

Four hours earlier and Winwood took to the stage with his little ensemble. Starting with and ending his set with Spencer Davis Group classics "I'm A Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin'" got the audience clapping but the vast majority of the set left the fans scratching their head. Whilst I must confess to not being a huge Winwood fan, I appreciated his musicianship and that of his small but effective ensemble. It's also obvious that the years have taken nothing off his voice. But for the bulk of his 90-minute set people simply didn't know what he was singing. Winwood rarely spoke to the audience which I always have felt is a bit of a sin- an audience will be forgiving of you if you hold their hand a little and tell them what's going on. It was well into the set before he finally struck arguably his biggest hit- "Higher Love" which finally elicited a response from the crowd.

When Steely Dan took to the stage there was a rousing cheer. Launching into the title track of their classic "Aja" album, the Dan let it be known that they were here to entertain and thrill their audience. Songs like "Deacon Blues", "Do it Again" and "Josie" were left off the setlist in favour of bigger hits like "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Reeling In The Years" (The latter bringing the main set to a rousing close). Along the way both Donald Fagen and Walter Becker engaged with the audience with jokes about their age whilst keeping the great music pumping. There is no doubting that the Dan has one of the finest backing bands on the planet- a point made by the long, self-indulgent jam session that took over ten minutes (one of the few lowpoints in proceedings) but when it came to doing their job (ie- playing backup) they did it with style and panache. Personally, I would have liked to have heard more numbers from their comeback albums of 2000 and 2003 (we only got the title track from 2000's "Two Against Nature") but the audience didn't seem to care by and large.

Both acts were helped by great sound and Steely Dan were also helped out by some pinpoint lighting work. But as many people starting leaving they were in for in for one final treat as Winwood came out and jammed with Steely Dan for the last two songs to bring the great evening to a close.

This was a night for the people who enjoy their music un-protooled and clean and musically delicious. There will never be another band like Steely Dan and it was great to worship at their altar.

Dusty- Arts Theatre, The Met

The Met continue to break new ground for themselves with this jukebox bio-musical based on the life of Dusty Springfield. The same creative team that gave us "Shout!" have cobbled together the hits of Ms. Springfield within a script that is better than its predecessor but still not stellar.

Like the previous musical, you need a strong lead-one that can pretty much hold the show together. Fortunately The Met has come up trumps with Emma Gordon-Smith. Blessed with a gorgeous figure, killer smile and an amazingly free voice, she commands the stage when singing. Her acting is also more than up to the challenge and she makes the most of the often patchy dialogue she is given. She is also doubly blessed to be dressed in the professional costumes originally created for the show's original star, Tamsin Carroll. Her backstage dressers must be commended for the lightning quick changes they have to do.

Gordon-Smith is joined onstage by a strong band of actors. Belinda Price is wonderful as Mary O'Brien (the young Dusty), Adam Harrison and Fiona Aitken make a great comedy duo as Dusty's best friends Rodney and Peg and it's wonderful to hear Kaye Hamlyn sing again onstage in the role of Dusty's mother, Kay O'Brien. Max Rayner defies some atrocious wigs to bring several characters to life as well. Alisa James as Dusty's lover, Reno, does struggle with the meatier aspects of her character. She sings up a storm, but there seems little connect between herself and the character she portrays.

Jo Hunt has, once again, done outstanding work with her chorus- especially Dusty's backup singers. Her orchestra is generally well balanced but the brass struggled towards the end of the night and intonation got flatter and flatter.

Rebecca Stanley has provided some wonderful choreography to match the various moods of the show.

Director Amanda Rowe has done a great deal of work here and it shows, I hope The Met use her skills again.

Kudos must also be given to David Lampard for his set which is practical and colourful and to the cast who move the furniture around seamlessly, silently and effortlessly so that the action doesn't drop.

All up, this is a wonderful show with an enormous number of highlights- especially if you're a fan of Dusty Springfield.

Casting matters

Podcasting has been around for a while I must admit, but I came into it fairly recently. About two years ago I received a little tweet from one of my favourite comedians, Wil Anderson, that he was starting a podcast with his mate Charlie Clausen called Thirty Odd Foot Of Pod. 55 episodes later and it is one of the must listen things I do every week.

The great thing about podcasts is that they are usually free and easy to access via itunes or a podcatcher program on your laptop. After a few episodes you really feel you know the hosts and their foibles well. There are many sorts of podcasts but my top three are all Australian and all hosted by comics. They make me laugh a lot and they also get you thinking. Here are my three favourite podcasts-

TOFOP- http://tofop.com/

The above-mentioned podcast is an amazing clash of minds. Wil Anderson is a sharp, edgy comic and has the ability to pull a gag out of every orifice in his being. Far from being a "straight man", Charlie Clausen also proves his abilities as a comic, even though he isn't one. These two are kindred spirits and frequently surprise each other with their observations. Over the course of their show they have a number of topics ranging from the political to the downright weird. My favourite discussions have involved Kathy Bates and a time machine, the demise of the Black-Eyed Peas, the argument that ensues when Charlie admits to never having heard Radiohead's "OK Computer" Album and anytime that Justin Hamilton has been on the show. It can get crude often so it's not recommended for the faint at heart (John Deeks warns of such a thing at the start of the podcast in more recent times).

The Little Dum Dum Club- http://www.dumdumclub.libsyn.com/

Comedians Karl Chandler and Tommy Dassalo may not be household names like Wil, but they are an amazing double act. Every week (mostly) they are joined by fellow comics and they carve out a brilliant podcast that threatens to go anywhere- and usually does. Like with TOFOP, there is a real sense of friendship here and it shines through. I discovered these guys when I was in desperate need of a serious laugh and in many ways they, along with the other podcasts, shook me out of a really bad place. My favourite episodes include Shaun Micallef, Robyn Butler & Wayne Hope, Anyone For Tennis?, Bart Freebairn and Kate McLennan. Their two episodes where they have no guests are also priceless. Not as rude as TOFOP but can still get down and dirty when needed.

Can You Take This Photo Please?- http://canyoutakethisphoto.com/

One of Australia's funniest men, Justin Hamilton, doesn't just flex his comedic muscle on this podcast but proves himself to be a wonderful interviewer in the style of Denton and Michael Parkinson. His partner in crime, Bron Robinson, often has no choice but to sit back and laugh- a lot- and it's so infectous a laugh that you smile regardless of what is being said. Like Dum Dum Club, Hamilton brings in a guest every week and discusses life with them. Mostly these are comics but every now and then he throws in some other people. Actress Hannah Norris appears twice and each time it is an acting masterclass. A young actress talking about her process of preparing roles is a rarity these days and I recommend any aspiring young actor hear these podcasts (plus you get a lot of penis jokes thrown in for good measure). Guests like Rove and Tim Ferguson absolutely shine in this format. I walked away from the chats with Wil Anderson and Charlie Clausen with an even deeper understanding of them then I did listening to TOFOP. Also listen out to Tony Martin's interview (all done to piano accompaniment in the background) about life in the D-Generation and the Late Show.

I would love to know which podcasts you guys listen to as well!

Buddy- Arts Theatre, Marie Clark Musical Theatre Company

Marie Clark has a tough act to follow after its astounding production of "Miss Saigon" earlier in the year. It's fair to say that this little company has worked hard, very hard, to try and punch above its own weight for a number of years now. "Buddy" has some great positives and a few negatives.

The cast give it their absolute best. The show has many wonderful performances, headlined by the brilliant Dominic Hodges as the iconic rocker Buddy Holly. Hodges looks the part and does a pretty good impression of the man's unique voice. His accent is consistent and his charisma on the stage is pretty good as well. He may be lacking the absolute final polish on his concert persona but for the most part it is an outstanding performance.

The rest of the cast ably back him. Sophie Hamilton absolutely shines as Holly's wife, Maria Elena. Blessed with gorgeous looks and charisma, she makes a joy out of, what is, a fairly minor role in the show. Sadly, we are only granted a small hint at her amazing vocal skills. Brendon Liley does a brilliant job recapturing the vibe of The Big Bopper whilst Travis Rae delivers two solid performances as both producer Norman Petty and Ritchie Valens. Cara Brown, Jessica Knights, Kristin Stefanoff, Shay Aitken and Angus Smith all provide memorable highlights in their various roles throughout the night.

Victoria Beal has provided some catchy choreography while Emma Knights has an amazing little ensemble at her command (including Brody Green and Milush Piochaud who double as The Crickets extremely well). Greg Donhardt directs the show admirably for his first outing as director.

The biggest let down of this show is the show itself. One of the first jukebox musicals, it suffers from a lack of plot, poor dialogue and small scenes that mean a lot of blackouts and scene changes, especially in act one. It ruins the momentum that the actors develop and as a consequence drags the show to about 15 minutes longer than it needs to be. Also the creators felt that the only way to present Holly's songs onstage was to either show him recording them or performing them in concert. In a way it's more realistic, but it also limits where and when these wonderful songs can be heard. It's also true that the stage crew were a little slow with their changes which doesn't help things either. It's really the only thing that brings the evening down.

If you are a fan of Holly, or of 50's music in general (as most of the audience were on the night I was there) then you'll enjoy this retelling immensely.

Heeeeeeyyyyy Abbooooooooooott!!!!

Well it certainly has been a long time between drinks for this baton waver. A lot has gone down since we last spoke and I will fill you in on all that in the next few days. Suffice it to say that many things have changed for me and, as always, I have opinions on the world at large that need airing.

But today I want to talk about a string of events that occurred a couple weeks back. My friend, colleague and one of my inspirations, Graham Abbott, left Facebook. I know. The day it happened I'm sure the stocks in Facebook fell, planes dropped out of the sky and Justin Bieber miraculously developed talent. Graham was a prolific user of FB. Almost everyday he was posting either a status or a news article or responding to other people's messages. To me, he proved that you actually CAN have a busy life AND waste time on FB. YAY! But when those nasty boys at FB decided to tell him and everyone else what they wanted him to see well that was the final straw for him. He announced he was quitting the site and it quite literally sent people insane. In hindsight, I'm not actually sure why. As far as I know, Graham is in pretty good health, he still has a phone and email not to mention his own blog. It's not like he's becoming a hermit in the snowy peaks of Tibet. Even I wasn't immune to the shock. I think it was because it happened so suddenly. The change occurred and in less than 24 hours he had decided to pack up his bat and ball and go home. It all seems so ridiculous now when I think about it.

I have long said that you get out of FB what you put into it. In many ways, it has helped me keep in contact with many people I wouldn't normally be able to. It allows me to feel like I'm there with friends. I share their joys, achievements and their misery. I've probably gotten to know people more on FB than I could have in real life (and I suspect many people feel that way about me). Some don't like sharing stuff about their lives and they tend to use FB as a kind of window into the world of others only reaching out when needed. I have set myself my own boundaries. Whilst I occasionally check in at places I'm visiting (like theatres) I simply refuse to check in at home. I'm also pretty sure people don't need to know what food I've just eaten or what colour socks I have on today. More importantly I've decided that my political thoughts and religious thoughts (by and large) will remain my own. Picking a fight over FB seems incredibly cowardly to me. In some ways I admire Graham's guts to leave FB the way he did.

There have been times when I've wondered why I've devoted so much effort into my little corner of the web. But ultimately I'm happy with the people I have as friends and I try and keep things chugging along. The new layout doesn't bother me like it did Graham and that's ok.

Facebook is a slightly less intelligent space now that Graham has gone (at least for me). I didn't agree with everything he said or posted, but that's the thing about friends. You admire them despite the differences. How lonely life would be if we only had friends who agreed with us on everything.