#7 Midnight Oil, Spark Arena

9 September 2017

I saw Midnight Oil back in 1988 when they were touring with Diesel and Dust, performing on a hot summer night at the Mt Smart Supertop with Joe Walsh and Herbs. It was a time that I recall a lot of rednecks from the back blocks thinking that if they owned a kickarse album they could be born again land rights activists, at least until they went back to Mum and Dad's farm for the university holidays.

I'm being a bit harsh. Diesel and Dust came at a time when land rights issues were still relatively fringe, and there's nothing like some seriously catchy music with heart to shine a harsh light on things many would rather not talk about. And it's typical of Midnight Oil's determination to challenge on issues that matter.

So moving ahead 30 years, the concert at the Arena opened with Redneck Wonderland and took us through a succession of hits, with a bit of thematic arrangement. We had the New Zealand dedicated set, with Shipyards of New Zealand and Put Down that Weapon; an injustice set, with tracks like US Forces and When the Generals Talk; and the land rights set with Dead Heart,  and Beds are Burning. All these were interspersed with tracks from across their recording history. Not to mention a deliriously-received Kiwi tribute with Counting the Beat to lead into the encore.

The performance was a procession of uncompromising anthems, with their trademark industrial sound. In the dark and dangerous times that we face, it's good to be reminded that those tracks from the 80s that rallied against injustice haven't gone away with the new world order. 

And even from the lofty heights of the Arena's top storey, it was freaking good kickarse stuff. Dead Heart brought tears to my eyes, Blue Sky Mine was a cracker, and Forgotten Years lifted the roof.