Sydney Summer Nights - sometimes

Sometimes summer nights in Sydney are close to
perfection.
In the space of two weeks I attended two separate
events that couldn't be more different, but in some ways sum up what Sydney has
to offer.
One was dinner at Dunes restaurant at Palm Beach with
two Australian actor/filmmakers - Anna-Maria Monticelli and Yahoo
Serious.
The other event was the reunion one-off concert of much
as a I hate the word but it does fit - iconic Aussie band Cold
Chisel.
Held at ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park, the concert was the
culmination of the Sydney Telstra 500, which combined V-8 supercars with rock
and roll.
This turned out to be one of the best rock concerts
I've been to (and I've been to a lot), perhaps because it was unexpectedly
enjoyable. And I remember seeing now-grandfather-of-one Barnesy climbing up the
scaffolding at concerts when he was a much younger performer.

We''d already heard that Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss and co, who disbanded in 1983,
did an amazing warm-up gig at Clovelly Bowling Club earlier in the week, but the
energy and musicianship that night bowled us all over.
Chris Cheney, the lead singer of one of the earlier bands, The Living End, said they
were "honoured" to be playing at the same gig as Cold Chisel.

The enthusiastic crowd of around 80,000 was friendly and easy-going, singing
along with every well-known song.
They continued their good humour on the train home, even though we were packed in like
sardines.
On an earlier gloriously warm night, we sat in the open-air part of Dunes eating oysters and seafood as a jazz band entertained.
The restaurant sits in between the red sandhills that flow down to the surf beach and the grassy surrounds of the Pittwater side of the peninsula, overlooked by Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
Yahoo Serious and Monticelli are both northern beaches locals and love this beautiful
part of the world.
But it wasn't all sweetness and light.
Monticelli spoke with sadness about her film, Disgrace, not being selected for
an AFI Award nomination.
The AFIs have short listed a range of great films, including Balibo and Samson and Delilah but many are astounded that Disgrace based on the masterpiece by South African-turned-Australian writer J M
Coetzee got passed over.
Monticelli wrote the screenplay of the
film, starring John Malkovich, and directed by her husband Steve
Jacobs.
She says it's been sold to more than 20 countries
worldwide, received great reviews here but she still would have liked more
recognition from her peers, not just for the film itself but also for the
acting.
Is it because it's set in South Africa? I asked.
She shook her head, she really didn't know.