byootaful

Last week, Phill and I ventured to Melbourne to see Jamie Oliver’s live show at Hisense Arena. Originally, we were booked to see the Thursday night show, but a week before the show, we were contacted by TickeTek who imformed us that it had been postponed to the Saturday night (we found out later this was due to Jamie attending a funeral). Luckily our flights were booked for Sunday, so we would still be in Melbourne on Saturday night.

We were seated on the floor level on very uncomfortable plastic chairs. I wasn’t very impressed with the chairs – mine was in fact crooked and for the ticket price, I was surprised they hadn’t made more of an effort. We were in the last few rows, but we could see the stage quite well. There were two huge screens on either side of the stage which showed close-ups of Jamie and the food he was cooking, which made it easier to see.

Jamie started off with a bang, cooking a scallop dish while playing the drums. Yes, while. At the same time.

Yes, that’s a stove next to him. At one point he turned the scallops using his drum sticks. When he was finished, he invited an audience member to come up on the stage and try it. As the show started at 6pm, Phill and I hadn’t had dinner before coming, so my mouth was watering with anticipation, but since we were near the back and my feet were blistered from my new shoes (WHY do I buy new shoes to wear out to a special occassion when I know they just make me HURT??) there was no way I’d be able to limp up to the stage, whether I was picked or not.

I didn’t realise Jamie Oliver had so many groupies! I mean, I like him and all, but there were women jumping up and down in front of the stage, screaming like banshees every time he so much as glanced in their direction. After each dish, when Jamie selected his audience members to try his food (mostly from the VIP section in the first few rows), women would rush out from all areas, darting up the stairs to the stage, whether they were invited or not. Jamie  light-heartedly commented on the fact that he had called up five people and ended up with twice that on the stage. I briefly wondered what he would do if every person in the audience suddenly swarmed the stage.

It was an entertaining show and it went for about two and a half hours, which was much better than the original estimated duration of one hour fourty-five minutes. Jamie Oliver is a born entertainer, taking everything in his stride, from the 21-year old girl dressed as Minnie Mouse who came up on stage and embarrassed herself to the point of being boo’d by the audience (I actually started to feel sorry for her) and the Italian teacher who corrected his pronounciation of Italian pasta, to the people who rejected the freebies they were being offered and instead requested different things. If I was up there, I’d gladly take anything, but I guess I’m just not that picky.

The highlight of the night for me would have to be the closing dish – lamb curry. Jamie cooked the dish while singing a song which happened to be the recipe. The band “WonderBrass”, who were on the side of the stage throughout the entire show (and very very entertaining), played along. The chorus stuck in my mind:

Lamb curry! You give it to me hot!
Aint no worries when you cook it from the heart!
Lamb curry! You give it to me hot!
Aint no worries when you cook it from the heart!

We went home singing this out loud, giggling as we tried to imitate his accent.

All in all, it was a great night. Jamie is a real entertainer and took everything in his stride, making some delicious dishes and bringing out his fantastic personality. The tickets were a Christmas present from Phill and the whole trip to Melbourne was thoroughly enjoyable.