From Lynda:

My report on the AFI Award Show, as seen from the Members Lounge.

We caught the live feed of the AFI Awards in the Members Lounge tonight, then bailed on the afterparty in favour of watching the delayed recorded broadcast. Two chances to see the band perform are twice as good as one chance. We arrived late for the live feed of the show and wound up missing the first part, then got back late and wound up missing the same first part again. I was told there was a number "that revolved around a telephone" that Russell did with, I think, Paul Kelly, and I hope someone else caught that and can describe it. For all of the part of the show I did see, there was a telephone situated prominently next to Russell as he performed his hostly duties with suave charm and boyish humour, and much of the evening's laughter was more or less "phoned in" by various presenters and winners, mostly at Russell's expense. Russell took every good-natured barb and jab with a smiling grace that he made look effortless.

On a night that largely belonged to Look Both Ways in terms of award-winning, Russell himself won an AFI award - for Best International Actor. From what I can tell, there are no nominees for this one; it is simply awarded and the recipients don't seem know it's coming. Emily Browning, the young actress who was in the Lemony Snicket, movie seemed shocked by her win as Best International Actress for that movie, but Russell took it all in stride with his usual twinkle on what wound up being a very busy night for him, having "a few other things" on his mind, playing all of his roles - host, musician, and AFI-award recipient - to perfection. Talk about a Renaissance man.

I thought he did very well as host for this one, playing it quite a bit straighter and more seriously than he had the Craft Awards the evening before, though not completely so, especially that comment about Hugh Jackman, who could not be present at the awards because of filming in Canada, unfortunate per Russell because "it's fucking cold in Canada right now". There was a very broad hint of the possible film-to-come when Russell made a comment after a taped segment (from where she's at work in Baltimore) from Nicole Kidman where he told her "see you next year, and don't forget your sunscreen". Russell also did a nice turn speaking Italian; Russell sounds quite nice when speaking Italian.

The band was quite purely and simply hot. It was fun to watch the faces of the people in the AFI Members Lounge as the show-ending song started - ar first a bit of the eye-rolling "oh, here goes Russell again" attitude was noticeably apparent - but it did not take long at all for Testify to have its way with most of those standing around the television screens. There was foot-tapping and bouncing and a few raised eyebrows and even more smiles to be seen on the faces around me. The instruments sounded great - this is the third time I've heard them play live and being able to hear the drums so well this time definitely made it one of those third-time's-the-charm experiences. Same with the way they played the solo: As much as I am an appreciator of lead-guitar work, on this song, giving the lead to the keyboard player (Stuart Hunter, of course - who could possibly not know who it was playing that inspirational lead run on the keys?) was a brilliant notion and a great sound. I could hear Stewart and Murray, but not see them well at all, since the fellow up front and his duet partner (Marcia Hines, I think, is her name, and Russell is very right in saying she has a great set of pipes, and she and Russell sounded wonderful together) were quite rightly catching the lion's share of the cameras' attention. Which is not to say that I didn't want more than those few shots directed Alan's way, but what the cameras did show of him did a very good job of showing him at his most determinedly directed and fiercely focused. Russell sang Testify like a man who knows he has everything it takes to make both song and crowd belong to him, and it was a confidence that did not miss the mark when it came to the group watching him at the AFI Members Lounge. The only thing that's more exciting to experience as an audience member than performance pleasure is performance respect, those moments when you can feel the people around you being moved and persuaded, perhaps even a bit conquered, by the artists on stage, sometimes even when they may have least expected to wind up reacting that way.

Here's to being able to see more of that persuasion - as well as more of that conquest - in the shows to come.

From Lynda:

I just got back to the hotel from the AFI Craft Awards, and before changing into sensible clothing and heading back out for a pint, I wanted to write a few words and say that Russell did a splendid job as host. I am still getting used to how utterly charming he is, quick-witted and wickedly funny, with that devastating giggle as the deadliest weapon in his arsenal. And he uses wonderful words such as "shambolic"; it's very hard not to think well of someone who talks that way. Russell got quite a few witty comments and asides in - he says them so fast that it's difficult to keep track of his rapid-fire humour - and there was quite a bit of joking all around about speeches being too long and running the risk of being cut, all said with many chuckles, and a few times eliciting that wonderful giggle. Russell has a giggle worth the effort of eliciting.

The show was done well, despite being a little stuffy (as in hot) and a bit odd in the big "permanent tent" in which it was held. Lots of interesting conversation about the resurgence of the Australian film industry and many friendly people, the latter of which seems to be very much the norm in Melbourne. It was especially interesting to see Christiane Kubrick there at the awards after having spent the better part of the day in the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).

There was a quite good number done by Nick Cave and his band, I am guessing a song from his movie The Propostion (which was the evening's big winner at these craft awards); I like the way Nick Cave plays piano - he plays it much the same way Alan plays guitar, with power and command and intensity. Best of all was Russell's show-ending performance of Testify (and one of the AFI officials announced that the song will be released next week on sanity.com.au). The band, introduced as The Ordinary Fear of God (though I prefer The Ontololgical Following Of Grace, myself), was comprised of Russell, Alan, Dave, Dean, Stewart Kirwan, GBS's own Murray Foster on bass, and I don't know who on keyboards but it was not Stuart Hunter.

They played it very well. Russell is one hell of a performer; I love the way he moves on stage, smooth and sexy, a cocky sway of his hips coupled with a boyish twinkle in his eyes. He sang (and swayed and twinkled) with perfect assurance and command; it was his song, his stage, his band. That band backed him beautifully (though I still wish the drums would be a bit louder, same as I wished at Le Thor), with Dean getting the extended lead solo and Stewart playing an urgent and stirring horn. Murray did what Murray always does on bass, as steady and sure as ever, if maybe just a bit less calm than usual the first time out with this band.

I've never made any pretenses or excuses about how much I think of Alan as a performer; these sorts of opinions are always subjective, and, in my subjective opinion, the performer I've seen over the past four years with GBS is the best I have ever seen on any stage. All of the focus and passion and intensity (along with that well-pounded guitar) that make him that most excellent of performers with GBS are amply evident with Russell's band, and the addition of what is a special chemistry between Alan and Russell (there was one moment during the song where Russell looked over at Alan and smiled, which sparked an answering smile back from Alan that made for an electric exchange of pure performance joy that was itself a joy to be able to witness) gives their joint performance a unique and fascinating power of its own, equal to but very different from the dynamic to be found on a GBS stage.

I have no comparison to how Russell was on stage before this combination of personalities and talents happened, but I have more than a passing familiarity with Alan's performance away from Russell, and there are ways in which Alan is a very different kind of performer with Russell's band than he is with GBS, a difference that goes beyond the change in roles from being GBS's front man to becoming Russell's stage lieutenant and comes more from that interaction of personalities, much like the difference in chemical reactions when there is a change in the mixture of elements. As much as I respect and admire what takes place on the stages with which I've become famliiar over the past years, and as highly as I think of the man who has been performing to a standard that so few others have ever reached, I am discovering an even greater respect and admiration for that man when he shares the stage with Russell Crowe. He is impressive - focused and serious and intense and committed - and I am proud of him; they are both impressive, and if they keep on the path I've seen them on in Le Thor and now in Melbourne, they are going to have much to be proud of themselves. And this will be one heck of a tour.