We had the primary school fete on Sunday. The usual stuff - stalls selling things made and donated and grown by parents, great food courtesy of the parents with more interesting backgrounds than us aussies, and lots of music. We had to build two stages on the Saturday because there was such demand. Being the inner west, every second parent plays in a band and many wanted to strut their stuff. Some of them were very good and I'm sure I recognised a few people from pub bands in the 80s.
They were eclipsed by the second last act. It was Damien Leith - the Irish bloke who won Idol some years ago. He's got a kid at the school. He did some Roy Orbison stuff and a few other things including Hallelujah.
I was having a laugh with him afterwards about the first time he did that song at a school thing. It was an end of year BBQ at the pre-school attached to the primary school.
Picture this.
It was one of those beautiful, late afternoon, Sydney summer days.
We were under the big trees in the preschool playground and Damien brought his guitar along.
He had just won Idol.
First song was hallelujah.
The little kids were all sitting on the ground in a semi circle at his feet.
The mums were standing up the back swaying and swooning (I don't recall them doing that in his presence before he won Idol).
The dads were up the back thinking: 'Yeah, so he can play a guitar and sing like and angel. Big deal.'
He really nailed that song.
Hit every note perfectly.
Even a few of the dads started swaying.
There wasn't a sound apart from his guitar and that voice of his.
The last note faded and there was utter silence.
It was spellbinding.
One of those moments you carry with you in your head for years.
Then a little kid down the front piped up:
'Can you play something louder?'