The Famous Spiegeltent

Ok, I have kept you in suspense long enough. Sorry folks... life gets in the way sometimes!!

So... I went to the hairdressers first thing in the morning - I had John this time who is Irish and a bit deaf which makes for some confusing conversations! He is also very rough... and, he has never got my fringe quite right. I think I will have to make sure I don't get John in the future. I managed to fix the fringe at home later in the shaving mirror with hairdressing scissors I keep for such emergencies. Phew!

I spent a lot of the day practising and before I knew it it was time to get ready. I glammed up in the new frock I bought in Brisbane for the occasion - black strapless with a pink beaded floral design on the front. Sounds gross but looks stunning! Yes even I do say so. And, it was quite chilly so I was able to wear the extremely glamorous Alannah Hill coat Adam gave me for my birthday. I didn't expect to be able to wear this in December, it is fake fur, a deep pinkish red, very wintry but worked with my outfit.

My taxi was half an hour late so I was a bit panicky by the time I got there, but they were still setting up the drums and I really wasn't needed. Rebecca introduced me to the other band members - Ross, the bass player, and Ian, the drummer. Or Kit and Caboodle as Rebecca calls him. Ross was funny, he had been joking about what a bitch I am and how he's going to freeze me out of the band, before he'd even met me. Ian was very lovely and friendly. They were both GREAT to play with. It's amazing how different it is playing with different musicians, especially ones as experienced as these guys. During sound check we didn't have much time, but ran through the songs I was doing and they ran pieces of a few other songs as well. Ross and Shane offered some suggestions which I tried to incorporate, and they seemed pretty happy with things. The sound in the Spiegeltent is quite weird, the foldback wasn't very powerful, and I couldn't hear much piano or vocals. Funny since I was playing on a huge grand piano. But once you get drums in the mix you tend to lose those frequencies. While we rehearsed, Harry (their son) wandered round taking digital photos of us. Official photographer extraordinaire!

The show was a sell out, and soon it was time to let the audience in. We were all a bit nervous I think, and hovered between the storage area behind the stage, and the "band room", a little portable room behind the tent. Rebecca looked lovely, she had on a silky dress in a similar colour scheme to mine. Shane got changed into a great shirt, a country style black number with a red and green floral design studded with diamentes. Rebecca proceeded to call him Mr Fancy Shirt for the rest of the night.

At the last minute Shane said to me "I hope you're not offended but I don't think you should play Nobody Breaks This Heart Of Mine. It's just that the band doesn't know it very well and we always stuff it up." I was slightly disappointed as I had worked hard to learn the song, and it was my favourite recording on the album, but I understood exactly what he meant. As we hadn't had the chance to rehearse it properly with the whole band, if they mucked it up and I played what was on the CD, or vice versa, it would sound terrible. Plus, this was the song I was least comfortable with anyway, so that would certainly relieve some stress. I told him it was cool.

The Spiegeltent is an incredibly intimate venue, a round room lined with mirrors with most audience members seated in rows in the centre, and booths around the perimeter. The audience were seated, with all the seats full and lots of people standing at the back.



"Ladies and Gentlement, would you please welcome to the stage, Rebecca Barnard!"

It was on. The four band members filed onto the stage and I stood somewhat awkwardly to the side, waiting to be invited onstage. The audience could mostly all see me, but there was nowhere for me to sit so I just had to ignore them and watch the show. I did so, sipping champagne to calm my nerves.

Rebecca was on fire. She is hilarious onstage, completely comfortable with herself and the band, and most importantly, the audience. She's not afraid to be a dag, something I've always admired her for, but she can also be very quick and witty. I noticed even my dad was laughing at her banter. He can be a tough nut to crack, I was impressed.

They started fairly upbeat, meaning "Nobody Breaks..." a slow sumptuous jazz number, was stunning. I was so glad I wasn't playing it, it was perfect as it was, really minimal and heartbreaking, really. I had tears in my eyes by the end.

Finally I was invited to the stage, getting a huge cheer from my fanclub. Mum had bought about 10 tickets and they were all sitting together yelling "Cara!". Also I spotted Hayley down the back with her friend Inneke, who was getting right into it. I clambered onstage quite unglamorously - the piano stool was right at the front of the stage and the people in the front row had their drinks all sitting on the stage, leaving nowhere for me to step.

The band immediately included me in their onstage banter, and with Ross bagging me out to everyone, saying I was a Myspace stalker, I immediately had the crowd on my side. Plus Rebecca told everyone about how she had looked after Chester, so I really sounded like a stalker!!

We started off with the "Bob" (To Make You Feel My Love), which went really well. It's so much nicer playing on a grand piano than the digital one, and Rebecca's delivery was so smoky and beautiful. Then the band came back and we did the other two, "As Free As You Can Be" and "Fortified", which went well. The la la la backing vocals in the first one are heaps of fun, I love singing backing vocals! Most of Shane's last minute instructions flew out of my head but I remembered enough and got a great reception from the audience.

It was over all too quickly and I went back to my leaning position at the side of the stage for the final few songs. The Spiegeltent is run like clockwork, they have 3 shows a night there so you have to finish your set in the allocated 70 minutes or else!

The other Bob - "Boots of Spanish Leather" - brought the house down, just Rebecca singing accompanied by Shane, and then the band came back for the encore "I Hurt". I really would have loved to join in on this one, if we'd had a proper rehearsal I think that might have happened. I had jammed on it once just with Rebecca, and I could have done it quite easily, but I thought it would be a bit presumptuous to climb back onstage uninvited so I stayed put and enjoyed.

Afterwards I congratulated the band backstage, and they all complimented me and said I did really well. They were all glowing with that post performance buzz... this is what we do it for. It's certainly not for the money!!!

I went out and found my mum, dad, aunties and friends, who all thought the show was great and I was wonderful of course! Nothing like your family to stroke your ego. I apologised for only doing 3 songs, they were all there just for me and I really didn't do very much. It would have been more but it just didn't work out. They all brushed it off and said I looked beautiful and sounded great, etc etc. And all went and bought a CD from Rebecca, got her to sign it, and introduced themselves as "Cara's mum", "Cara's aunty", etc.

They invited me to have dinner with them, and Hayley invited me to have dessert with them, but I politely declined. This was a night for hanging out with rockstars. Or adult contemporary stars with kids in tow. But whatever. Rebecca had alluded to going out afterwards so I assumed I was included but thought I'd better check. I asked Shane what they were doing.
"I think we're going to get some food."
I was starving. "Do you mind if I tag along?"
"I'd be offended if you didn't!!"

So that was that.

I joined Rebecca, Shane, Harry, and about7 or 8 other people for Peking Duck at Southbank. Including another female rockstar & her husband and son, a well known radio personality and a pirate. We consumed lots of delicious food and wine and enjoyed good conversation. They were genuinely interesting and intelligent people who had a lot to say and were genuinely interested in me and what I had to say as well. There was so much affection around the table, I felt extremely comfortable and had a great night.

Shane and Rebecca wouldn't hear of me catching a cab home so I climbed in the back seat of their Avalon and they dropped me off on their way over the Westgate. They came in to say hello to Chester, and he was all shy sleepy and cute. I was so happy, the whole night had gone so well and I felt that, whether or not I played any future gigs with these people, we would always have a lot of fondness for each other and I would see them again. I am so happy that I was brave enough that one day to track down Rebecca's email address and write to her.

I sent Rebecca a copy of Casbar's Rock - the mixtape I make every year at Christmas and send to my special people. She called me when she got it and she was so excited.
"They are such great songs!! Did you make this??? Thankyou so much!!"

So hopefully this story is really the beginning of a chapter rather than the end...

Photos pinched from the Spiegeltent website . I will add a couple from dinner later.