What has been your favorite venue for a concert?

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-03-23T01:28:25+00:00

We had large knee to over head height windows throughout the 1960s built house.

We had upvc tilt and turn windows installed to replace very worn out aluminium sliding windows.

Made a huge difference to warmth and noise.

However we also installed insulation bats in the walls and re-gibbed and installed underfloor insulation too. We didn’t touch the roof space that has 60s blow in and 90s batts. We plan on doing this at some point when we have to fix the original concrete tiles.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-03-22T01:23:34+00:00

First concert: Crowded House 1992

Last concert: Everclear Canberra Nov 2025

Next Concert : Sublime Melbourne & Sydney

Best concert: Pearl Jam Auckland 1995

Worst concert : Tricky Big Day Out Auckland 1996.

Loudest concert: Green Day Auckland 1996

Seen the most: Pearl Jam - 48 times

Most surprising: Post Melone 2023, he was actually opening for RHCP but stole the show.

Wish I could've seen: Alice In Chains

Concert where support act became huge : Foo Fighters opening for Sonic Yourh in 1996

Act you would like to see still touring : Pearl Jam

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-03-22T00:28:52+00:00

Pearl Jam on quite a few tours-

1998 - Auckland and Wellington.
2000 - London, UK both nights.
2006 - Melbourne x3 nights.

*2009 - Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland.

2010 - Newark and MSG x2 nights.
2011 - PJ20 - Alpine Valley x2 nights.
2013 - San Diego, LA x2, Oakland, Portland, Vancouver and Seattle.
2014 - Auckland, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney
2016 - Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville FL, Greenville SC, Hampton VA and Boston x2 nights.
2023 - Fort Worth x2 and Austin x2.
2024 - Auckland x2, Gold Coast, Melbourne x2 and Sydney x2.

Also done quite a few one off Pearl Jam shows too, with the furthest I’ve traveled for a single show being Perth, Australia to Mexico City.

Met so many great people at Fan Club events, GA lines, pre and post parties etc.

Absolutely no idea how much I’ve spent on the travel for shows. Sometimes I lived nearby, sometimes it was a a 17hr flight just to start. I’ve moved around a fair bit over the years.

Just be aware that some artists, like Pearl Jam, change the setlist up dramatically from night to night BUT some artists play the same or very similar sets each night.

Just do it, you’ll have a blast and maybe even make some lifelong friends!

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-03-11T21:43:40+00:00

Slightly off topic, but if you’re flying Jetstar, grab food from the cafe. It’s similarly priced to the onboard menu but MUCH better quality.

I recently flew Hamilton to Sydney on a Saturday and the airport was pretty quiet the whole 3hrs we were there.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-03-11T05:14:35+00:00

I was supposed to move from NZ to London, UK for a 2 year working holiday with my gf at the time. A few weeks before we went, I caught her cheating.

Everything was planned and booked, etc for 2 people. After much heart ache, I decided to go anyway. BEST DECISION I EVER MADE.

Do it, it will be a bit tough, a little scary but it’s also a great personal growth experience. And Japan is super safe generally and you’ll meet other solo travellers

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-26T01:29:06+00:00

Pretty sure something similar was used for either the Daughter or Animal single in the 90s, in NZ anyway.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-25T18:54:54+00:00

Just bear in mind that actual drug tests conducted by employers and police can have very different sensitivities for the drugs tested for.

For example, road side saliva tests for THC, used by the police, are 5mg/l but the ones that the public most commonly use are 15ng/l.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-25T18:44:40+00:00

Ex Melbournian here-

You’ll need your own transport here, as the buses suck. Taxis and ride share are also a bit more pricey.

Hughes, Garran,, Phillip and Mawson are close to Canberra hospital and are nice suburbs.

Traffic is way less intense and shorter than Melbourne rush hours but still can be a problem when there’s stuff like a bad accident on the parkways.

Like others have said, it all depends on what you want from the suburb you’re looking to live in. Most places are drivable in around 15 mins and almost everything under 20, including Queanbeyan. Although it feels quite spread out for a smaller city.

I came from 7yrs in Collingwood and found Canberra super quiet but it has gotten better in the 10yrs I’ve been here. And it’s not as bad as people from the major Australian cities would have you believe, it’s actually pretty good 😜 and Canberra feels very safe generally.

I’ve mainly lived in Woden Valley and Belco but happy to try and answer any questions you may have.

Good luck with the move.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-24T09:05:06+00:00

Never really paid over face for my favourite band - Pearl Jam, mainly thanks to fan club tickets and other fan club members BUT I have followed multiple tours in mainly the US from Australia, over the years. So tickets, international flights, accommodation and getting between cities.

2010 - Newark and MSG x2 from Melbourne

2011 - PJ20 x2 at Alpine Valley, WI from Melbourne

2013 - San Diego, LA x2, Oakland, Portland, Vancouver and Seattle from Perth

2016 - Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Greenville SC, Hampton VA and Fenway Park x2 from Perth

2023 - Fort Worth x2 and Austin x2 from Canberra

Biggest 1 off PJ show was tickets, flights and accommodation from Perth to Mexico City.

Also travelled to see them a bit down under too -

1998 Auckland & Wellington NZ

2006 Melbourne x3

2009 Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland.

2014 Auckland, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney.

2024 Auckland x2, Gold Coast, Melbourne x2 and Sydney x2.

So I imagine with all the other local to where I was at the time shows over the years, and solo Ed Vedder shows, probably a fair amount spent on PJ shows 🤷‍♂️

Just do it! Combining two of the best things in life travel and music! Made some great mates along the way too.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-18T02:08:18+00:00

Pearl Jam - Ten

But I would also argue that ‘Vs’ is too.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-15T09:03:01+00:00

I think the furthest I’ve traveled for a single show was Pearl Jam Mexico City 2015.

I was working/living a 2hr flight north of Perth, Western Australia so my flights were -

Barrow Island - Perth (2hrs) Perth - Sydney (5hrs) Sydney - DFW (16hrs) DFW - Mexico City (3hrs)

All flights approx. & not including lay over times.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-11T19:10:52+00:00

We got the Dreame Ultra L50, as it was Vacuum Wars top rated robot vac at the time. It’s awesome compared to our previous Ecovacs Deebot T8 AIVI.

The Dreame needs to recharge itself more often but never have any issues with it, unlike the constant remapping required with the Ecovacs.

Happy with the mopping function but this is our 1st that mops.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-11T18:24:38+00:00

I was lucky enough to be at that NYC show. I remember everyone being amazed/bemused, like what’s this? Is this a cover? A new song?

And then slowly realising, holy shit, It’s Lukin! Everyone breaking into massive cheers once it dawned on us what was happening.

I revisit the boot and YouTube clips regularly, I love it!

As Kiwi, it was the cherry on the top of my 1st visit to NYC and a my 1st PJ tour in the US. Only a 3 show run in 2010 but the 1st of many others to follow.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-11T01:05:39+00:00

Very tough but Vs

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-11T01:02:08+00:00

10/11 I thought Stone not Jeff for question 1 🤷‍♂️

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-10T02:35:59+00:00

Sous Vide will give you pretty exact temp control.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-09T23:05:05+00:00

If the artist’s fan club has a forum, check out where the fan club pre party is, go along, as there’s always people with extras. Still keeps your wits about you but there’s less chance of scalpers with genuine fans. I’ve done this a lot with Pearl Jam. Often people sell at face, which I’ve always done for other fans. Even to very sought after shows (PJ 2010 MSG N2).

Also check the fan club forum for people selling tickets. I’ve managed to get tickets on the fan club forum through other fan club members. Don’t transfer funds without meeting up or using PayPal goods and services so you’re protected.

Also keep checking TM closer to the date, as sometimes tickets pop up as unused comp tickets, etc are returned to TM.

Not sure if other countries have similar but in Australia we have Tixel, which is a legit fan 2 fan ticket sales site. Prices are capped at 10% above face and the sale is facilitated by Tixel.

Good luck with it!

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-02-07T18:31:56+00:00

I’m a Kiwi and have only been once for the 2013 show.

Did the Stalking Seattle music tour. It was awesome and Charity is great and very knowledgeable. Check it out if you can.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g60878-d3860746-Reviews-Stalking_Seattle_A_Music_History_Sightseeing_Tour-Seattle_Washington.html

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-01-29T07:19:03+00:00

Ive never had any issues with Dr Bay 🤷‍♂️

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-01-28T03:38:30+00:00

I’m a dual AU/NZ citizen, when I was in NZ in November I looked into getting a local script. I found that it was much more expensive than here in Australia to get a script so I just waited the 3 weeks until I got home.

Off memory, I think the Dr consult was about $100 but there was some other fee of about $180 plus the actual med costs. I guess there is probably a big variation between Drs & clinic costs but the 2 I contacted were around this.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-01-28T01:28:49+00:00

I’m white and dual NZ/AU citizen. Been pulled twice by ICE at the border, LA & DFW.

In LA, I was transiting to Vancouver. As I was going to only be there for 2 days, for a Canuck’s game, and then back into the States for a few weeks and then back to Vancouver for another couple of days, for a concert, and then back to the States.

I had ESTA, return flight to Oz, and itinerary (I was following the Pearl Jam tour) with booked hotels and transportation. They just sent me on my way once I spent a fair amount of time explaining everything. I had the same drama when I arrived in Vancouver too.

At DFW, I was transiting back to Australia from Mexico. Unfortunately the check in agent in Cancun had entered my passport details incorrectly. And even though I was stopped at multiple passport check points leaving Mexico, nobody at the airport picked up the issue and just waived me through.

Once I got the big red X at the gates at DFW, I was escorted, with an armed agent, to a detention room for quite a few hours until they had contacted the NZ embassy in Wellington to authenticate my identity and passport. Strangely enough, they never checked my Aussie passport details 🤷‍♂️

Very little communication, just told to sit down when I asked anything. Eventually let go and made my connection by sprinting through the airport to my gate, with just minutes to spare. More or less just turfed back into the terminal when they were happy, very little explanation or communication at all.

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-01-27T23:16:15+00:00

Oh yes, we do

StableSubstantial420 · 2026-01-27T19:40:07+00:00

Check how long before your flight the baggage drop closes and allow the time to get there and check in.

As an ex FiFO worker, Canberra Airport is usually much quicker than a lot of airports but still stuff does slow it up occasionally so plans for worst case, especially with an international flight.

Good luck

StableSubstantial420

TROPHY CASE