July was a busy month for me interviewing various people who came to entertain us this summer. I had never met the band INXS. I talked mostly with one of the founding brothers, John Farris. The group originally was made up of John, his brothers and lead singer Michael Hutchence. Michael died in 1997 and the band did not perform together for a year after that.  For many years the voice that fronted the band was Nova Scotia’s J.D. Fortune. Worldwide sales for the band have reached 30 million. INXS played at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and here in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics last year. A terrific group and the third highest selling band from Australia in sales in North America.

Next up was The Steve Miller Band. They played at the Red Robinson Show Theatre and what a tight sound they offered. I couldn’t help but notice their sound operator had it down to a science. At no time during the night did the instruments overwhelm the lyrics. You could understand every word, although Steve Miller’s hits are so familiar the audience can sing along to most of them.  This band usually plays bigger venues so the stage set was really outstanding and added a lot to the experience.