A 10 For The Ten Tenors

Always a fan of food, wine and music events, my parents, Steve and I made the trek Tomich Wines (in the Adelaide Hills) on Saturday night for The Ten Tenors.

What a great event.

The food and wine and the fact that it was held amongst vineyards was enough to get me to go along, but the fact that The Ten Tenors are a world class act, made the night a memorable one.

As the first big vineyard event that Tomich Wines have held (given that most of their events happen at the cellar door on King William Road), I think they need a big round of applause.

The food offerings were first rate. The wine was spectacular. The toilets remained clean and toilet paper stocked throughout the evening. The staging was first rate - something I would have expected to see at a major concert, rather than at a winery event. The location was beautiful - nestled next to some vines and magnificent gumtrees, on a nice flat piece of paddock with room for future events to grow. There was plenty of room for parking and you didn't have to walk for miles to get to the venue. The only thing that could have been improved upon was the signage - a few of us stopped at the winery gates, only to realise the actual concert was being held further down the road in a back paddock. It was easy enough to figure out though.

As for the entertainment. Well. Let me tell you. It was entertaining. The Ten Tenors are an incredibly talented bunch of guys. Mostly young, dashing, suited up fellows with a sense of humour, their show kept the audience riveted throughout the night, despite the threatening rainclouds which threatened to spoil the evening.

The guys started with some traditional opera numbers, of which I don't know any of the names, and then moved on to an 80s medley which the crowd adored. We heard a wide range of songs and genres, which ensured that there was something for everyone. And those voices. Wow.

I have to say though, the masses of middle aged women, swooning over men their son's ages, was a little amusing. The line for autographs at the end didn't move, as each woman tried her charms on the Tenors while they politely tolerated the slightly wine-fuelled adoration.

If Tomich Wines put on another event at their vineyards, do yourself a favour and go.

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

The Australia Day Long Weekend. It didn't quite happen (thanks to the holiday bizarrely falling on the actual day this year rather than a Monday) but thanks to the power of being my own boss, Glam Adelaide and Glam Digital closed on Friday as well, giving us four days of R&R. So what better way to relax than jam packing as many events as possible into the four days.

Thursday we had a Triple J Hottest 100 Party (what's more Aussie than that!) followed by the free Australia Day concert in Elder Park. With record crowds and a great vibe, I'm happy to say that the Adelaide City Council is really coming in to its own when it comes to putting on fantastic events for the community.

We were lucky enough to have media passes into the Lyrics Lounge at the Festival Theatre, so we were able to watch the concert from a great vantage point.

Adam Gilchrist, Francis Wong, Mayor Stephen Yarwood, Rikki-Lee, Stan Walker, Cat Southern, Houssam Abiad and a host of Adelaide faces attended the event and got in to the spirit, although I think I was the only one wearing the Australian flag (on my t-shirt).

The best part of the day though? Being able to spend it with my friends and family. Ivy even got into the swing of things and had a chew on the Aussie flag which was draped over her pram.

The fireworks show at the end of the night was spectacular. Not the short show I expected - rather a full blown major event style display. Everyone loved it, and I'm pretty sure the guests at the InterContinental Adelaide would have had the best view!

If you get the chance next year, definitely check out the concert & festivities in Elder Park.

What a great city and country we live in. I'm proud to call myself Australian.