There’s something very likeable about Shannon Noll that’s got nothing to do with him being a musician or an ironic celebrity; it’s his phenomenal talent at being adequate.
In the final round of Australian Idol 2003 Shannon Noll famously lost to Guy Sebastian, and forever cemented his place as the winner. While Sebastian went on to behave like an intolerable American and release a bunch of junk no one can recall, Noll faded but was never forgotten. And now, all these years later, Australians have collectively remembered we love the guy and the ghost of his flavour saver, and the Shannon Noll Renaissance in on.
This is why I ended up heading out to something called the York Resort, which is a pokies megaplex in a fringe suburb called Lilydale. Everything was beautiful.
Tickets were $40, which seemed a bit steep for a set list that put “What About Me” at the very end. But the mood was electric and bar served full bottles of champagne.
The demographic included a strong cougar turnout, a sprinkling of ironic jerks like myself, and some guys who probably got into Noll via the Reclaim Australia Facebook page.
This last bit wasn’t a joke. Pretty soon into the set Shannon made a speech about the diggers who fought for our country, just so the government could sell land off the Chinese. This was met with rousing applause from the crowd.
This photo features double Noll and it’s incredible.
The crowd loved it more than any crowd has ever loved anything, including The Beatles or UN food deliveries. This guy got up.
Shannon Noll has become buff. Shannon’s backing band have not become young.
This here is why Shannon gets an Australian renaissance and Guy moved to Utah, or whatever. It’s because Shannon asked two of his mums to sell merch. Yes, they’re both his mums because that how much Noll gets family.
Breaking glass is popular at a Shan show.
Then there was this out the front. I took a photo because in some ways it summarised our national character and supreme love for Shannon Noll. It said: Australia hates a winner or anyone thinks they’re a winner so watch your mouth cunt.
And if you can remember that, you’ll be ok.
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