With the Lions about to front up for their 3rd Grand Final in a row and hopefully down the Cats, I thought I’d share a special Lions story with you all which should explain why they’re my 2nd team (I’m not speaking to the 1st at the moment).
I have been long time friends with Justin Leppitsch’s Dad, Hans and through him have got to know Jus very well. So much so I performed at his wedding some years ago.
It was held at The Tattersalls Club in Brisbane and was a very grand Wedding with the whole team and staff in attendance plus a huge contingent of Canadians who represented the Bride’s side of the family.
Justin had booked my duo (+ backing tracks) outfit for the entertainment. My singing partner for the event was none other than my partner in fun Kelly Wolfgramm.
For the beginning of the reception we were asked to perform background music for guests to mill around while they waited for the Bridal party to arrive from the obligatory photos in the gardens by the Brisbane River. They’d also asked me to play various tracks as each couple were introduced and made their way down a large flight of stairs into the ballroom.
When they were ready, I gallantly suggestion that Kelly go and sit in our bandroom as there was no reason for us both to be up there. However I hadn’t factored in that the speeches would start immediately and I had no way out – I was stuck up on stage for the entirety.
As it turned out it wasn’t so bad, Christie the bride’s, 2 brothers were the MC’s and they were hysterical. They had all these silly games the B & G had to play and were generally a hoot.
At the end of their opening (bear in mind this had just been the welcome and went for almost an hour!!!) they announced, in a rather condescending tone, that back home they had a wedding tradition they always observed and asked everyone to be upstanding at which point the Canadians starting singing their National Anthem!?!?!
At it’s completion they all simply sat down and all eyes turned to me at the opposite end of the room.
The entire Lions team including “Lethal” Leigh Matthews, then coach, were sitting directly in front of me and collectively looked around at me as if to say, “Well come on big fella, what’ve you got – we gotta show these Canooks what we’re made of!” Well my heart rate peaked, there was a pause of what seemed like a millennia and I stood rooted to the spot. I looked around at my song list (I’d been told I had to play dinner music – which seemed very suicidaly lame in the circumstances). My eyes fell to the first track on my player…
I stepped forward, threw my chest out and announced that we too had a National anthem and we too had tradition to observe at our Weddings. The whole team were sitting there looking daggers and like – “you gotta be kidding!!”
I stepped back pressed ‘GO’ and the iconic drums to “Land Dowunder” rang out through the room.
Well, the boys jumped to their feet and up on their tables with all the Aussies following suite and the Canooks sitting in stunned silence, until they remembered they’d heard that song “somewhere” before and joined in.
It was bedlam, everyone singing and dancing on tables waving their arms around.
The Tattersalls Ballroom is about 3 stories high and has gallery around the walls about halfway up. I looked up and all the staff had come out, chefs n all and were singing and dancing along as well.
To the best of my knowledge there are no photos as everyone including the photographers were all in the moment.
The vision from my viewpoint however is engraved in my mind’s eye and stands as one of the greatest saves of my long and chequered career!!!