Napier had two major parties going on to celebrate New Years. Both of them required driving to get there & back, so I decided to go for the free gig rather than paying out. And I'm not unhappy with my choice. The City Council official event was held right on the sea front and consisted of an open air concert from 8:30 followed by a firework display at midnight.
The gig started with a band called "Hit List" - apparently a local group who have made it quite big on the circuit doing covers of all sorts of music (I would verify that, but you try google searching for a band with that name!). We had major hits from pretty much every decade since the '60s and were encouraged to sing along and clap, the usual stuff.
At about 10:30 some guy called John Rowles took to the stage. And boy did the crowd go wild. This guy was handing out long stemmed roses from the stage, mopping his brow on a handkerchief and then throwing it out. I kid you not, there was a crush at the front of the stage of women (and men and children) trying to get his attention. It would have been understandable had the guy been in his 20s or 30s, but this guy was easily in his 60s (sorry, Dad, it's just wrong!).
Well then he began to sing, and it all became clear. He is the Tom Jones of New Zealand, in terms of voice, repertoire and stage act (hip grinding included, although his style is not as smooth as Sir Tom's). He even mentioned the great man in a way that implied they had met and been friends in the past. But then he did the same with Elvis, so a cynic would wonder..... But unlike most NYE parties, the closer we got to midnight, the slower the songs he sang and the more people cheered. As an outsider looking in, it really was quite a strange experience.
Anyway, the time arrived and the fireworks went off.
Happy New Year!
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