A few weeks back you might remember I went to the Britney Spears concert. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t brilliant either. Last night I went to the Lily Allen concert. It wasn’t bad. It was fucking brilliant. Lily wiped the floor with Britney, and threw in one of her songs (which she performed live and better) for good measure.

Festival Hall can be called an iffy venue at the best of times. In my experience (I’ve seen Muse, Pete Murray and The Presets at Festy) the venue is akin to a big shed with no climate control, a dirty-grungy feel and poor accessibility. However, the acoustics are pretty hard to match and for an ‘intimate’ venue (when compared with the likes of Rod Laver Arena) the crowd vibe is pretty unique. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I had general admission tickets and within minutes of the music starting I was taken back to the days of my youth (yes, I know I am only 25, I’m talking like 18) when vodka based lolly water and a nightclub was the best part of my weekend. Being in seats might be civilised but being in the crowd where the heat is oppressive and your personal space is invaded really gives you that concert feel.  

Miami Horror started the night – I have to confess I didn’t know who they were until I Googled them – and got the crowd geared up for an awesome few hours of entertainment. Their hit, Sometimes, finished up their set and a brief (ok, it felt like forever when you are standing in the Festival Hall hotbox) 15 minutes later, Lily Allen was on stage. She wore a black and silver long sleeve mini dress with runners, her short bob loose.

Lily Allen at Festival Hall. Image thanks to Herald Sun

Lily interacted with the fans, chatted between songs and bounced around the stage like the pop star that she is. All the favourites were there – Smile, Who’d Have Known?, 22 and The Fear – while she also showed her talents at others songs, covering the Kooks’ Naive, the SOS Band’s Just Be Good To Me and Britney Spears’ Womanizer, where she wowed in a leopard print skin tight frock.

While Lily spoke of Melbourne being a bit special to her, she also confirmed that this was one of her last solo gigs for a while and thanked the fans for their support. Her encore was sublime, starting the frenzy with Womanizer, hitting the right notes with Fuck You and finally ending with Not Fair. It was an amazing erformance and one which the predominately female crowd resonated with.

I loved the concert, it definitely makes my top 3 and you might say I have been converted to the joys of the general admission ticket. Everyone else might be taller than me, there might be beer spilt on my feet and I might spend most of the two hours on my tip toes but the general admission crowd are the essence of any good concert and they certainly know how to party.