RickInOz

Credit to The King, but I’ll link instead to the surprisingly good JXL remix.

A lateral take on the title of our entertainment for last night. You have to give Adelaide credit for the cultural smorgasbord on offer. Many of the other state capitals look down their noses and liken this city to the equivalent of a backward hicksville. Yet, every year we have a Film Festival, an internationally renown Fringe (the only one in Australia), an Arts Festival (in the broader sense) and host many diverse acts, large and small.

Last night was an unusual opportunity to see a different take on pyrotechnics by Groupe F. Normally used to showcasing at major events like the 2004 Olympics, they were invited to open the Festival with a bang, or rather, lots of bangs.

Quite unlike the typical display, this show didn’t rely on pushing the thrill button with large extravagant multi-coloured starbursts. Instead, imagine a catherine wheel, attached to a man’s back, while he dances about the stage. Or, the fixed conventional catherine wheel … only it’s 10 metres in diameter, and shoots flame as well as sparks.

And the best bit? All of this for nowt. The state government have come in for a lot of stick lately, and some of it appropriately so, but they certainly know how to host a great show, get important avant-garde acts here, and generally raise the profile of the city.

All those who would blithely dismiss Adelaide ought to sit up and take notice. There are a great many good reasons to live here, and not just for the ones that come bottled.

A few photos to finish:

and the rest are here.