Sydney string-tingler Plini put on an absolute clinic at Sydney’s Manning Bar last Saturday night as part of his Sunhead Australian Tour.
With the fretboard prowess of John Petrucci, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai and the sardonic wit of Steven Wright and Demetri Martin, Australia’s virtuosic axeman delivers a live experience that is truly singular.
Think a sea of bulging eyeballs as he deftly switches between djenty breakdowns, soaring melodic passages and straight-up awe-inducing shred — backed by a band of fellow prodigious progsters and all-star guests, including his wonderful support acts Mestis (Animals As Leaders) and Serbia’s David Maxim Micic — veering to roaring giggles during the cheeky deadpan banter between songs.
Now I could write a long and rambling blow-by-blow review of the entire evening, or I could just let you relive it through some of the hilarious things that members of the completely turbo and beyond rapturous crowd felt compelled to yell out over the course of the gig.
Here’s 5 direct quotes:
1. “Hey Plini, welcome back to Australia you sick cunt!”
Song finishes. Punter aggressively yells through brief pause of silence:
2. “WOW, THAT WAS GREAT!”
3. “You’re the king, baby!” *wolf whistles*
Plini politely asks the crowd to divide into two sections. Inebriated male punter bellows:
4.”WALL OF DEATH!”
Crowd chants for Chris Allison to return for the encore. Male punter proclaims:
5. “Let the man shit!”
Actually, come to think of it, this may have all been the same one guy…
Anyway, Melbounians can still catch Plini live when his Aussie tour wraps up at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel tonight.
