Editorial: Have fun, listen to the music

Since the Mission Estate Winery Concert line-up was announced this week I have seen some familiar responses emerge - effectively from people whose own expectations of the main act were not delivered.

A couple reminded me of the reaction to the announcement in late 1998 that the Beach Boys would be taking the stage in February the following year.

The usual lines were rolled out - that they had done their finest works 30 years previous, and Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson were no longer in the mix and that the last thing of significance, Kokomo, was a whole decade earlier.

And so it came to pass that the Beach Boys (or Beach Boy as some dubbed it) came to the hillsides of Napier and delivered - a superb and memorable concert.

People had dressed for it accordingly. On that evening there were more Hawaiian shirts in Greenmeadows than there were in Honolulu.

Lulu ... there was another great performance in 2001 as she opened the event for the still-rolling Hollies.

She was so lively, so strong of voice that it was generally agreed she should have been the main act.

Yet there had been similar pre-concert "past her prime" comments launched about.

Even Rod Stewart got the borax from some people for making a second appearance seven years after rolling out one of the best Mission concerts in 2005.

Among many old sayings there is one which is often used at this stage of concert proceedings - "you can't please everyone".

Indeed you can't, as the texts and Facebook remarks clearly reveal.

One caught my eye as it mentioned the Mission line-up was a good reason to detour to Taupo instead to see a three-band show being staged there.

Three bands familiar by name only.

Not by all the names of the group members. That is not the original Lynyrd Skynyrd and that is not Jefferson Starship ... the latter, without Grace Slick, is like having the Stones turn up without Mick Jagger on vocals.

Buy, hey, they will probably be good and put on a fine show.

As will the five individuals who will take the Mission stage.

These are not people emerging from retirement for a final fling Downunder. These are experienced musicians who have played hundreds, thousands of performances and who have honed those performances into audio and visual art.

And as many are saying - we know a lot of the songs.

Music is subjective, but all I can say is that a lot of the music this line-up has, and will deliver, is rather fun.

And for a Mission crowd, isn't that what it's all about?