June 1988, Club 1235, Miami Beach, Fla.
It was a show done on a lark, partly because we didn’t really believe Midnight Oil was playing a club on Miami Beach. I was in college at the time, home for summer break, back in the day when Internet was not part of the world, so we heard things from world of mouth. Midnight Oil at Club 1235? Really? OK then, let’s check it out.
At this point, Midnight Oil was on a sudden rise despite having been around for more than 15 years. Diesel and Dust, from 1987, produced several singles (including “Beds are Burning,” “Dreamworld” and “Put Down that Weapon”), and word got around the live act was something to see. Peter Garrett, the 6-foot-4, bald lead singer, was a whirlwind of energy any time he was on TV, whether singing live or being interviewed. And remember, the U.S. was under the spell of Australia in the mid- to late-1980s (Crocodile Dundee had plenty to do with that), so American audiences were quick to embrace the Aussie band.
Did we walk up and get tickets? Sure did, and walking in was sort of a high school reunion, as there were many people we knew right away (I believe I was with my friend Karl, but I can’t be too sure). If there was an opener I can’t recall, there were no assigned seats, and I always wondered why they played this place. A spot down the way called the Cameo Theatre was much more used to concerts (I’ll documents some of those show later), while Club 1235 was big for a club but not quite right for a music venue.
It turned out well, though. The band was smart enough to load up the show with Diesel and Dust songs, because what else did U.S. audiences really know? I heard “Power and the Passion” (from 1982’s 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) on WVUM, but not much else filtered through from the band. But you know what, it didn’t matter that we didn’t know the songs — the Oils played with such verve and power it was hard to deny them their due. I distinctly remember the performance of drummer Rob Hirst, an original member who co-wrote most of the band’s songs with Garrett and guitarist Jim Moginie, as one of greatness. The drums, it turned out, were hugely important to the band’s sound, as Hirst’s influence was the backbone to what gave the music a crackling urgency.
“Dreamworld,” my favorite Midnight Oil song, was as good live as I dreamed it in my mind. The song, about the destruction of Australia’s coast from overbuilding, was as pertinent in Florida as it was Down Under. Garrett nearly shrieked “Your dream world will fall” at song’s end to the roar of the capacity crowd. I always wondered what he thought of Miami Beach after hearing him play that song.
“The Dead Heart” was another highlight, as was “Sell My Soul,” “Arctic World” and “Power and the Passion”. “Sometimes” and “Beds Are Burning” brought the set to a proper end, though “Beds Are Burning” wasn’t the highlight I expect most people thought it would be, proof of my theory that the audience’s favorite song is not usually the band’s favorite song.
I woke up that morning not knowing I would see a show, and at the end of the day was witness to a memorable one. Sometimes, as the band sings, you’re shaken to the core.
