Well since we’re in city redevelopment mode at the moment, perhaps it’s time to have a nostalgic look at The Entertainment Centre, which I think is slated to be replaced by the “Spiderman’s Undies” building in the foreshore redevelopment we looked at yesterday. (And will return to I’m sure). It does have a certain something this building, although it doesn’t have the same class it had when it hosted the collapsing Miss World Universe event, The Moscow Circus, or Tiny Pinder. I’m not sure, is it to be saved or demolished? I hope saved. Still looks better than the Fed Square lookalike for next door.
The Worst of Perth 
whilst the memories of cliff richard concerts and disney on ice should forever be remembered, i think it best this one goes. you’re right though, the one they are building next door is hardly an improvement.
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I saw Dire Straits there in (I think) 1982. the ticket was $17.90, and a tray of fast food on Murray St afterwards was $2.10, so a big night out was exactly a redback.
In the 1990s I took my father to see Reservoir Dogs at the cinema there. no number of Whoppers were able to shock him back into coherence after watching that.
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I love the Entertainment centre, she is going to be knocked down unfortunately, but I shall always remember her in full orange ringed glory
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Umm, pedantic mode, but it was Miss Universe (and yes the videos are posted in the Suggest thread), my memory was actually seeing the live telecast of the opening of the centre where Charlie Court did a Waltz with Snow White.
also another major event was Yorkie’s first day on 6IX, back when Seven owned it and they had a simulcast of the event.
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Sorry frank Yes.
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disney on ice, wizard of oz on ice, ben cousins… anything ‘on ice’ was here!!!
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Went to see Metallica there in 98. Worst. Acoustics. Ever.
Might as well go and see a band performing in a tin dustbin.
OK for the Moscow Circus, Miss Universe, Perth Wildcats etc. but as a music venue the place was a chocolate teapot.
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Alligance at the aftershow ripped out a better Master of Puppets than METALLICA …
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Oh, the Moscow Circus. When a circus was a circus: performing bears, and some guy sticking his appendages into the mouth of a lion. No artistic, choreographed, costumed namby-pamby-ism.
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It’s going to be knocked down to make way for the link to northbridge with sunken train lines i think.
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Most enduring memory of the Ent Cent was emerging from the Thunderbirds movie and nearly being run over by my brother-in-law’s car being stolen by hoons. After that we always referred to the carpark as “Commodores are Go!”
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I vaguely remember some story that when Stokes wanted to get rid of it he offered it to the State government for $5 mil, land and all. Gallop, of course, knocked him back because he considered it a dud deal. Top job, Geoff.
On a side note… Is anyone planning on mentioning the new train stations? I used the Bull Creek one for the first time today. The ticket machines were broken and a handwritten sign informed people to pay at their destination… right. The station itself was a lovely modernistic design incorporating the aesthetically pleasant colour combination of bright yellow, reddy orange, and brown; the colours one would expect to see in vomit after eating too many M&Ms.
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i saw the band Presidents of the United States of America there.
I cant believe this venue outlasted the band.
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good riddance!!
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I went there to Fat Cat’s birthday party. He was turning 7. Actually I think I went to a couple of his 7 year old birthday parties…
Does anyone else think that Percy Penguin was under-rated?
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for my money Percy Penguin was the star of that show,
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In regards to the ‘Intellectual Bogan’, maybe you should take a course in audio and acoustics, you might actually start to know what your’e talking about then.
I was based at the venue for aprox. 20 years, and saw a lot of shows come and go. Strange that a company as discerning as Cameron Macintosh Productions would choose the Entertainment Centre as the preferred venue for Phantom of The Opera and Les Miserables above the other venues if the acoustics were so bad. By the way, Phantom pre-sold $9 million worth of tickets for the season before it even opened.
There were only a couple of problem frequencies in the venue, one at around 120 Hertz, and another up around 4KHz from memory. A good sound engineer would be able to suss them out quickly, and work around them, not insist on driving the system so hard at those frequencies that it caused problems.
the problems were purely based on internal structures, and with the amount of steel etc in the roof to allow rigging points to fly the shows you like to see, it’s not suprising that a few frequencies would cause problems. Too many uninformed people canning things or venues without knowing anything about what causes things in the firt place.
And yes, I’ve been doing sound for about 35 years professionally in Australia and overseas so I do know what I’m talking about.
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You may know what you are talking about sir, but you are very boring.
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An educated, fact-based response!
Well said Paul 👍👏👏👏👏👍
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In the true interests of recycling a small slice section(say 45degrees) of the exterior circumference should be saved and incorporated into Spidies Undies on the new foreshore development!!! – just a thought!! You could call it the Wedgie!!
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There Intellectual Bogan that’s you told. Your ears couldn’t possibly have heard right because you haven’t done a course in audio and acoustics.
Maybe all concert goers should be required to submit such a qualification before purchasing tickets to live music at any venue.
Oh Paul I hope you’re not married; please can we meet up, you sound like such a barrel of laughs. I’ll be at the bar with an unlit cigarette, the one wearing ear protectors.
I’ve got one word to say to you all:
ABBA.
1977, I was in the audience, 9th row, at the bomb scare concert!
Then the bomb scare incident was documented for posterity in ABBA: The Movie, which I eagerly took in at the cinema in the Ent Cent a couple of years later. There was a building in Perth on the screen in a major international movie! Well Swedish anyway.
Then during the early 90’s ABBA revival I went to see ABBA: The Movie at an ironic late night screening at the same cinema, now called something arty, and there it was again… we were IN the Ent Cent and there on the screen at the cinema in the Ent Cent WAS the Ent Cent. “Everybody screamed”.
It also had a groovy underground bar – the type that’s rare in Perth now because we’re supposed to sit in concrete beer gardens or behind unshaded glass so as not to miss a moment of sunshine.
I also have fond memories of camping out for a night to get David Bowie Serious Moonlight tickets in 1983. Boy that was a crap concert. (But I’ll accept a correction if I’m wrong about that Paul, as I am not qualified to comment).
I am really sad to see it go, I don’t care what the acoustics are like.
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Lisa,
I went to the ABBA Concert as well, the Saturday Arvo concert, in the second last row, alas it was not the Bomb Scare, which I think was that night – my mum, my sister and Brother in Law went, and my sister who was scared of heights pt on such a scene, the SJA people took her and hubby to the disabled section.
The night club in question was named Robbo’s – after the late Perth Radio Announcer Alan Robertson, and was initially dedicated to playing 50’s and 60’s music.
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Yeh Robbo’s that’s right. It was a failed alternative venue in the 90’s too, which is when I went there. Bring back underground bars! In this weather we need them.
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ah yes where else were we to go in the 80/90’s to see such seminal Australian acts such as Skyhooks, Debra Conway, Perth Wildcats and Kylie Minogue.
I’m waiting for some bright young thing to start a blog that lists ALL the band that played there.
let me start… ummmm…
Bon Jovi
Phil Collins
Kiss
ACDC
The (very stoned) Beach Boys
Robbie Williams?
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i can add to that list.
Sex Pistols
The Beastie Boys
The Smashing Pumpkins
De peche Mode
Meatloaf
Inxs
Harlem globe trotters (many times)
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oh yeah and it used to have a pretty decent cinema in the days before Paradiso et al.
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Mez,
Robbie played Subi Oval, unless it was when he was in Take That.
You can add Elton John and the MSO – I went there, despite having the flu, and the next next night elton cancelled cos of his sore throat.
Chris Rea
WASO Proms, which were part of the Festival of Perth.
Flintstones on Ice.
The Oz Concert.
Sherbet – which filmed and screened as part of a Countdown special
Jesus Christ Superstar – the Farnham version.
THe Sandover Medal where they actually invited the fans and was such a debacle it was never repeated again – it was WORSE than inviting wives/girlfriends.
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Hey Frank, I think I sat behind you at that Abba concert. To add to the list of acts, I think I may have seen the Mikado, Olga Corbett and Aussie Crawl and of course Fat Cat at the Ent centre
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And who remembers the Customised Entertainment Centre Ice Cream Buckets with the photo on the pack ?
I’m pretty sure that because the Centre was built by both Michael Edgley & Channel 7, it was especially designed and was at one stage flagged to be used as a Television Station.
In fact during the licence hearings for Ch 10, I seem to recall one of the applicants had such a plan. Also, before Stokes closed it, there were plans to use the Ent Centre to present the News, similar to Ch 7 Sydney with Sunrise.
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Crowded House
Fleetwood Mac
Chris Isaac
Jimmy Barnes/Johnny Diesel
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I saw Disney On Ice there, too. January 1975.
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What really pisses me off about the loss of the ent cent is that there is nowhere else to go to see a concert! I am so so sick of having to pack a picnic meal – in a soft bag, no eskis allowed and a 50 x 50 cm pillow – no picnic rug allowed, every time I want to see a band.
Do you remember the good old days when you could just go to a show and not have to go early to fight for a place; not have all your belongings searched on the way in; not need sunnies and sunburn cream for the first two hours and then a large jacket for when the easterly wind kicked in later on; not live in fear of the concert being canceled due to rain (with no refund) and wonder of wonders expect to find a chair when you got to your alloted place.
I know I am getting old and crotchety but wouldn’t you also like to see a concert in August or July occasionally instead of having to choose between your favourite performers because a lack of time and funds prevents you seeing thirteen of them in a four week period over summer.
I don’t care either way about the Entertainment Centre itself but I just wish an alternative was made available before they closed it down.
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i saw the power rangers live there. it was awful. i really like the entertainment centre, and i will be sad to see it go, mostly because i am o young to know the glory days yall are mentioning, and it sounds so good. i also agree, underground bars are where its at!
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And I actually like the building. It is really much better than the proposed new building. The suggestion from the Bedford Crackpots to save a slice is cool.
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True lisa, I’m obviously a tone deaf moron. All those bands I’ve heard in other venues and which sounded superb must also have got it entirely wrong.
I also fail to see how pre-sales of tickets give any indication whatsoever of what a show actually sounded like when it happened.
I’ll just have to continue to go and see bands at Burswood (as long as it lasts) which might be a concrete bunker but which actually seems to allow the audience to enjoy much better (if technically incorrect) sound quality.
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@15 Paul
“And yes, I’ve been doing sound for about 35 years professionally in Australia and overseas so I do know what I’m talking about.”
“….doing sound…” is what audio techs are about. Unfortunately it has little to do with good quality sounds and even less to do with music.
In my early years I tuned pianos and harps (no, not mouth organs – the real ones with lots of strings) on the classical music scene. No digital electronic aids in them there days, just a couple of tuning forks and a damned good ear for comparative pitch.
In the years since (lots of them) I have encountered very few mixer/amplifier operators who do not have measurable hearing deficiencies and even fewer who are prepared to admit to the problem of permanent auricular damage resulting from the high pressure levels experienced during their work.
Oh! Sure, there are lots of electronic aids available to the sound tech., but they can never truly indicate how the music actually sounds in the different areas of an auditorium, especially as they are often set up without there being bums on the seats. (Together with the all the other bits of the human entity, of course.)
And to those who remember the Ent Cent as a particular nightmare in this regard; I entirely agree with you. (To those who do not; I sympathise on the ‘cloth ears’ :D
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a venue that people don’t complain about the acoustics. Burswood comes to mind as the most frequent.
Speaking of underground bars. The Wizbar, under a food court on I think Hay. We may have discussed it before.
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Paul @ 15 – Wow! Hell hath no fury like a geek lambasting the ignorant masses.
I saw the Baby Animals there, mainly because I had a gigantic crush on a girl. Struck out, but the concert actually wasn’t bad.
I also went to see ‘Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill’ (the Russ Meyer movie) at the Lumiere Cinema there, and wore my ‘Faster Pussycat’ (the godawful 90s LA hair band) t-shirt. Man, I thought that was super cool of me. Looking back, I suspect I may have been wrong, and it was probably not very cool at all.
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Tiny Pinder! hehe. you rememeber him? where is that guy now?
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Maybe back in the clink…had a few er, problems with girls who said no wasn’t it?
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Search for wildacat rap post if you’re a Tiny fan Jeff. You’ll be glad you did .
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Acoustics pssheeoouwi!
One of the best venues in Perth for acoustics has to be the Concert hall – they (the Paul’s of the world) have the sound worked out perfectly there so acts from pop to piano are a joy to listen to. But as a venue it has to be one of the most unsympathetic to the queueing audience. Winding around those art brut columns waiting for some puffed up usher to allow entry- “ding ding ding – the show starts in 10 minutes”
Nope not for me, I miss the ease of the old icecream cake. Hanging around on the front steps, camping out for tickets, trying to glimpse Ace Frealy out the back loading dock and the mad scramble to be at the front of the stage, there was no point in sitting down AND I remember being able to get pass outs! C’mon Kerry, save a bit of history – maybe donate the letters E,N,T,C,E,N,T to the museum.
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Speaking of AC/DC – here is the Perth Now photo gallery of the Bon Scott Statue.
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/large-gallery/0,25537,5029641-5013959,00.html
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Was I secretly hoping it was going to be terrible? Well yes and no. I want it to be good, yet my blog hopes it’s bad. That preview looks like the blog will be very happy.
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RE: Bon Scott statue photo gallery
“FINISHING TOUCH: He’s still in pieces, but Bon Scott’s statue, held here by fans Amber Shergis and Prue Healy, will be unveiled at a tribute concert next Sunday…”
Well, if one of the girls is holding up Bon’s microphone, I can’t imagine what piece of him the other one is holding.
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The Wizbah, my favourite underground bar.
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The Wizbar was only allowed to serve wine, not beer I remember. I saw Paul Kelly there i think.
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I saw Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls at the Wizbah! It was a tiny crowd. The next time he played in Perth it was a sold out gig at Cantebury Court
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I saw him at Wizbah too.
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Saw the Police at the Ent Cent twice in about 18 months in the 80’s who were very good, but nothing, NOTHING will ever beat the Cramps at the Cantebury Court (sadly now Myers or some other abomination) opposite the Court hotel, Beaufort…a lot of black, mascara and…….”Can your pussy do the dog?”
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[but nothing, NOTHING will ever beat the Cramps at the Cantebury Court (sadly now Myers or some other abomination) opposite the Court hotel, Beaufort…]
It is now a Rick Hart Superstore after previously being a Myer Megamart.
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Cramps, Jesus and Mary Chain and New Order were there. (CCt) Never saw the boxing there though.
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Let’s not forget The Cure at Ent Cent.
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Canterbury Court, Wizbah, The Equator…
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Oh and World Championship Wrestling at the Ent Cent- that was beeeezaaare!!!!
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Johnny Diesel & The Injectors. I think I was about 7 years old.
Re: Metallica – aren’t they the kind of band that would demand the sound be pushed to the levels of a landing lear jet, despite the fact that it will make everything sound terrible?
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“Re: Metallica – aren’t they the kind of band that would demand the sound be pushed to the levels of a landing lear jet, despite the fact that it will make everything sound terrible?”
Nope. Contrary to popular belief, sound quality trumps sheer volume for any band that’s progressed beyond the level of 15 year olds in their dad’s garage, even hard rock/heavy metal outfits. I’ve seen quite a few bands in a wide variety of different venues and the only time the sound quality ever sucked badly enough for me to think seriously about walking out/demanding a refund was the case mentioned. More usually, even in apparently “difficult” venues, sound quality has been superb.
World class acts employ world class technicians. After all, even we ageing rockers think that our hundred dollar a ticket outlay entitles us to be able to hear something more than a mass of high-volume white noise.
Recent example: Burswood Dome is a concrete box. I can think of few locations less promising at first glance. At the Iron Maiden gig there a couple of weeks ago, every note was audible and distinguishable in spite of the volume.
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Bon Scott Statue update.
Courtesy of our favourite (NOT) Daily Rag.
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=59779
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Re-formed Sex Pistols, 1996. The perfect venue to emphasise the sheer sordid cynicism of the entire exercise. They sounded fucking great, too.
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Frank, that teaser makes it look like it will be OK. That will be a disappointment for TWOP readers. It’s no Yagan by the looks.
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It horrifies me that their is actually an organisation that plasters posters every now and then attempting to SAVE the PEC..
I do agree that part of the unique though ugly facade be saved, or at least the style somewhere.. as an homage to it.
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And here is some audio of Abba Live at the Ent Centre.
And THAT Metallica Concert.:-)
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You’re the link King Frank. Did you get to the SMS “Corey” party, or did it turn into a damp squib?
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[You’re the link King Frank. Did you get to the SMS “Corey” party, or did it turn into a damp squib?]
Didn’t go – (I’m in a wheelchair fro a start), but heard it on the scanner – despite a few people taken in for breath tests and some people in theIKEA carpark just talking – it was a damp squid – officers were released by 10pm.
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I knew that new IKEA carpark would be trouble. Talking you say? Young punks.
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And the Ch 7 coverage of the fizzer.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=fu5IvPrALs8
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And Hereeeeeeee’s the Statue in all it’s glory (includes video coverage).
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23271125-5012990,00.html
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Frank, isn’t that Caroline Chisolm?
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Yeah, the profile of the pic doesn’t do it justice – btw, note The Worst’s “article” basically calling a Boganfest.
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Oh fishermans wharf. Must try see it. Hope it has plinth. All these statues they just plonk onto the ground nowadays. very cheap. A great donneybrook sandstone plinth like in the war memorials of old. Much more stylish.
he is looking little stiff however in those photos. Worrying. Very worrying.
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” Roger[ramjet] to Mission control. Over. Roger [ramjet] to mission control. Over.-
Roger[ramjet] to mission control. Have located the offensive object. Seeking permission to destroy. Over.-
Roger[ramjet] to mission control.Over. Do you want me to take out the bon scott statue. Over. Due to stereotypical stance. Stiff and lifeless figuration. As well no leery-eyed toothy grin. Over.-
Roger [ramjet] to mission control. request permission to lock onto the bon scott statue and discharge weapons. Over. Please respond. Roger[ramjet].-Over and out”
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And here is a hirsute Mr Scott circa 1971 just prior to AC/DC.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3q-T2Rg2bc
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Saw ABBA there in my pijamas.
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Frank, that was horrifying.
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i saw
Bryan Ferry
Leo Sayer
Harlem Globe trotters
Rocky Horror Picture show (in the main auditorium not the theatres)
and a Rock and roll dance thing (something to do with Grease)
just to add to the list
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My mum and dad, as far as I remember, saw:
Jethro Tull
Alice Cooper
Roberta Flack
Elton John (countless times)
Rod Stewart (countless times)
10cc
Harry Chapin (I might be making that up)
Looking at that list, I’ve changed my mind, let’s raze it to the ground and sprinkle ground-up Ramones records all over the remains.
Did anyone see Kiss?
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Sold ice creams at Kiss!! Pay was crap!!
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I take it back about Rod. I heard Rod last night, round the corner at ME Stadium. Gee he sounded good. Now I know I’m over the hill.
But how was Kiss?
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Sad! Tantalisingly close to the arena but not allowed in to see the performance – years later my wife told how she tried to scale the walls of the Parmelia Hilton to see them – having no idea what she was going to do if she met them!! She would’ve been about 16!! Scary prospect!
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Ljukey Ljuke – nice gravatar man!! Tasty work!! Will have to keep an eye out for a 120Y for the worst!
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I Saw:
Frampton 1978
Disco Inferno 1978?
Meatloaf ( He had a leg in a cast)
Fleetwood Mac
Dr Hook
U2
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Notwithstanding that I feel a bit like Slartibartfast finally turning up at the Restaurant at the end of the Universe, ( “Milliway’s”, coincidentally, for Old Melbourne patrons ), but since I discovered this blog yesterday I’ve been perusing the archives, and figure I might as well add a few of the Ent Cent shows I can remember to this illustrious list, as per Mez’s suggestion.
So, in very vaguely chronological order :
Dylan ( where we had 2 bongs traversing the length of the 4th row all night )
Lou Reed ( twice, I think )
Alice Cooper ( Welcome to my Nightmare Tour )
Bowie ( Heroes Tour )
The Police ( twice, as Bedfords Crackpot Fraternity mentioned, and they were indeed very good )
The Clash was the last really great gig I can recall attending there. No doubt there were others, but either as a result of my habits at the time, or less than memorable shows, that’s all I can remember off the top of my head today.
Mazarina also mentions the Cure at the Ent Cent, but it was their show at Blazes in Charles St. which I more fondly recall. ( I think Blazes did actually get burnt down in what everyone said was an insurance job, or was that another Perth urban myth ? )
The small crowd in attendance at Blazes did include a handful of punks, but they were mostly bikers, and bogs and rocks, as bogans were known in those days. ( Black ripple-soled desert boots, tight denims and flannies was their uniform ). Anyway, The Cure had just released “17 seconds”, and their moody dirges didn’t go down so well, to say the least. Towards the end of their set the glasses and bottles started flying, closely followed by the chairs and tables, at which point they bailed.
It was almost as much fun as a “Quick and the Dead / Audio Damage / Crash kills 4” gig. ( I loved the way they had to change their name after almost every gig, as result of the venues inevitably getting trashed ). Who could ever forget the Governor Broome demolition gig ? They barely needed the bulldozers after that !
A word of thanks, by the way, to TLA, Bedfords Crackpot Fraternity, and to Lisa, for the nostalgic references to the Wizbar, Canterbury Court and The Equator. Those were the days, my friend … we thought they’d never end … la la la la, la la
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RIP Fatcat’s Birthday. :(
I also think Percy Penguin was very under rated.
Speaking of such things, how about some Kenny [e]Chidna as a worst? Easy to drag in Mr Johnston for that one.
Oh… and the debate about Metallica… they probably sounded crap because they are crap. Very ordinary band.
Metros City actually has an awesome sound. Pity it’s wasted on absolute crap music most of the time. :(
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Saw Elbow at Metros – fantastic sound mix. String section clear as a bell played by strings.
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To Ressurect an old thread, Ch 7 Tonight as part of their 50th Birthday Flashbacks porofiled the Perth Entertainment Centre and features Charlie Court declaring the Centre open, but alas no Waltz with Snow White – perhaps that’s being kept for the TV Special.
Enjoy.
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Thanks, Frank. No Dylan, Reed, Cooper, Police or Clash, but I dig Stuart Wagstaff’s audio from 0:30 to 0:35.
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And no mention of why it shut in 2002, or footage of the Miss World stage collapse in 1979…they must be for the special, too…
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DFOC,
The Miss Universe Stage Collapse happened just after thge credits had rolled and the broadcast had finished, so there was no actual footage.
Re the Closure – Seven don’t want to dwell on that for obvious commercial reasons.
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Speaking of it’s demolition, here is the Ch 7 News Report announcing Barney’s plan to redevelop the site.
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I know I’m late to the party on this, but I well remember the Hoodoo Gurus playing a gig there with Hunters and Collectors in the mid 80’s.
A friend and I camped out overnight for tickets, roaming the streets on and off as 15 year olds (or thereabouts) were wont to do. We had told my mother that we were staying at her house and going in the morning, whilst her mother had been told that my Mother had agreed to us camping out. We had a disagreement in the morning and she left before the box office opened, so no tickets were purchased.
I ended up getting tickets closer to the concert and went by myself, as none of my other friends at the time were into rock/live music like I was (and my camp-out buddy was no longer a buddy due to the camp out). Mum wasn’t keen on me going by myself, lucky she didn’t know the real story about the earlier ticket attempt too.
I think it was around that time that I developed my “fuck the rest of you, I’m going” attitude to gigging, that has seen me in good, if at times lonely, stead. Probably why I tend to chat to so many strangers at gigs, whilst friends look aghast.
I have hazy memories of a number of events at the PEC, including many already mentioned. The most painful was Vanessa Amorosi and Savage Garden, as my other half listened to too much commercial radio before we met (have somewhat reformed him – poor bastard), and a few other work acquaintances were fans. Worst. concert. ever. More painful than childbirth (without drugs). Think I developed a tic from spending over two hours in a continuous cringe.
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Pingback: Bye Bye Perth Entertainment Centre « Domestic Blend
Saw:
1977, Lou Reed, supported by (who else) Dave Warner’s From the Suburbs.
1979, Bob Marley and the Wailers, supported by The Dugites.
(both with usual cries of “Get Off !” and “Wankers !” from the audience
during the support acts)
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I saw Lou Reed at of all places The Concert Hall. Can’t remember the support.
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Gangajang and Eurogliders for me 1986 ish.
Tool in late 90s.
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My parents went there to see every 70’s horror that blew into town. Jethro Tull, Alice Cooper, Roberta Flack, 10cc, dunno who else. Rod Stewart and Elton John on a yearly basis, Rod still seems to come here every year.
Then I took over for ABBA 1977. The exterior of the building is in ABBA The Movie. Stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before. Then when the movie came out I saw ABBA The Movie in the cinema inside the ent cent.
Disney on Ice whenever.
INXS and the Models 1982. David bowie 1983. U2 1984 (god they were fucking shit from the start). Elvis Costello 1990.
I was in the support band when Eurythmics played. People do shout fuck off dickheads but at least they were looking.
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Re Abba – I went to the Saturday afternoon concert and was in the second last row at the vack and I recall we were being filmed during the singalong part of I think Fernando.
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Of course – the En Cen cinema! I saw Reservoir Dogs for the first time there: I took my father. We emerged blinking into the sunlight and I don’t think he’s been to a movie since…
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All this Ent Cent talk when there’s a magnificent Kardinya Octopus. Bogus.
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Hang on…who supported Eurythmics??
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Wait, what? You were in the band that supported the Eurythmics?
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Yep Lisa was a member of this band:
http://www.brilton.net/html/b/fat_gigs1.html
And check this out:
The Shame :-)
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Ha! I wish. Sadly not The Fat.
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Hmmm. The Ruby Ruby School of Question Avoision, I see.
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Come on Lisa. Give it up. Band?
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Yes, did Models too.
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I wonder If Malcom Turnball helped build that, He Reminds be of Bob The Builder, Acually most goverment people remind me of something on this list
Julia Gillard: A Wet Fish
Malcom Turnball: Bob The Builder
Kevin Rudd: Kin Jong Il (Korea President)
Tony Abott: Mickey Mouse
Nick Xenaphon (If Spelt Right): Is the New Gary from Masterchef!.
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Liberal bot?
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I spent 4 days of my youth living outside the Ent Cent, back in the days before the interwebs, to get Pearl Jam tickets. It gave me some appreciation for Perth’s homeless, as we’d creep behind a shrub for a sneaky wizz, only to discover it was someone’s sleeping spot.
Unplugging the vending machine to hook up a stereo, having mum come by with provisions, dealing with the clowns coming out of Gobbles and heckling us for lining up for Cliff Richard (which was the massive banner across the building). Ahh, good times. Wouldn’t do it again for quids.
I thought the sound was great. Much better than the concrete bouncy castle we’ve had to endure for far too many years. The reverb when The Prodigy played just made it all the more sinister.
The only thing I really miss is the Lumiere Cinema. $6 sunday doubles (BYO arse pillow), and a fantastic balance of new stuff and the odd classic. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be the film tragic I am now (with the BA (Film and TV) to match) without the majesty and cheapness of the Lumiere.
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I have a BA film and tv myself. If only I could go back and do the double major of doctor of philosophy and Geology I SHOULD have done., I could now own a Ggreen ute and 3 homes and know why.
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Embleton is the winner
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& Tom Price/Paris are teh looosers.
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I’m just grateful pubs always need bartenders, even in a recession. Apparently no one will pay to listen to you discuss postmodernity in The Simpsons yet. Maybe one day…
Until then, I’ll keep dreaming of the souped up Lancer with “Little Miss Bitch” plastered across the back. Oooh, ooh, and Playboy seat covers, just to class it up.
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Playboy on the passenger side, old man taxi driver beads on the driver’s.
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ok just doing a quick mental checklist
kiss, david bowie serious moonlight tour, joan armatrading, ian dury and the blockheads, bob marley and the wailers, the police,, the clash, u2, madness, loyd cole and the commotions, dire straights, i know there are more but a bit hungover on sunday morning, the sound differed for each artist some good some bad some like loyd cole excellent. eric clapton, queen,skyhooks, bob dylan with stevie nicks an tom petty and the heartbreakers, paul kelly, alice cooper, the boomtown rats, johnny cash, shakin stevens, adam and the ants, inxs, devo, deep purple, elvis costello, robert plant, the stranglers, aussie crawl, midnight oil, cold chisel last stand, phil collins, simply red, the cure, the smashing pumpkins and the sex pistols they are what i remember with fond memories. rip entertainment centre i now live in darwin and went past a few months ago its a big hole in the ground
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all these old people artists = mulch
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keen to know how the sex pistols gig at the ent cent went for you…
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U2 with BB King “When love comes to town” tour. Tix were $35!! at the ent cent
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El Guisto was also based at the building for many, many years, working as what could be called the ‘rope department’ (hi Paul, how’s things) and support Paul’s comments; that man knows what he is talking about.
And Frank C, most people believe that Miss Universe was the first show…it wasn’t. In stage head honcho ( mister G D) office was a large photo of a little known gymnastics event, complete with tv cameras. The venue was not fully completed at that point.
This info from the mouth of R himself.
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