This was the BEST Hole show I saw all week. It far exceeded my biggest and wildest hopes and expectations. Courtney was in a really good mood, Melissa talked more than I’ve ever heard before, Eric was quiet as usual – but adorably cute and Sam was amazing. And I’m not ashamed to say that I cried with pure joy because Courtney -is- the girl with the most cake and she and Hole continue to inspire and leave me breathless everytime and I will never ever forget that night. So, without any further ado, the review ….

The all-girl Melbourne support band, Litany (who sound somewhere between Sleater-Kinney and L7) thanked Hole for letting them support them and played a good set.

During the interval between Litany and Hole, the Malibu remix was played. Nothing particularly noteworthy about it, except that it has a techno beat (duh)

Eventually, Hole arrived. Courtney came out in the now well-known black leather pedal pushers and stilettos. Melissa had on her trademark boots and a pink boob tube. Courtney made a comment about how similar America and Australia are, but because voting is compulsory for Australians, Australia is the superior country. She then pondered how she could upstage Marilyn Manson, “I’m not going to tear up a bible!” She considered taking off all her clothes as the solution, which received huge appaluse, “I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

Hole then launched into Violet and a couple of songs later it became apparent that Courtney was in a chatting mood, “So I’m up for this part in a movie …” She went on to explain how Nicole Kidman was vying for the same role and that she knew we were probably “conflicted” because Nicole was Australian and we should support her, but when she asked us, “Who do you think should get the role?” national pride was all but abandoned 😉 She kept having a go at Melissa because she reminded her of Nicole with her red hair and proceeded to complain frequently throughout the show, “Every part I go for she gets! … I can tell you this, she would have been mean to me in highschool. She’s so posh … okay, she’s probably really nice, but she’s up for a part that I really, really want!.” Courtney then got worried (for about two seconds) about what the tabloids would say, “Ooh, I bet it’s going to be in the paper that I trashed Nicole Kidman, I’m so excited. Put it in, put it in!” She also grumbled slightly that if she didn’t get the movie role then she’d have to tour with Marilyn Manson for another two years.

Courtney wanted twenty girls from the front to come up and sit on the stage, “I want girls on the stage.” she told the security guy who looked royally pissed. About six or seven girls made it up and Courtney ushered them to the back of the stage, “This isn’t school, okay? Just sit down and shut-up! I’m teaching you a lesson in capitalism.” Melissa made some comment about not wanting them on her side of the stage for one reason or another and Courtney goes in true sarcastic fashion, “Oh no! Not on -your- side, princess!” I chuckled 😉

While Courtney chain-smoked between songs she spotted someone wearing a Kurt Cobain shirt, “You’re making me depressed. Are you trying to depress me?… We all know he’s not here ..that’s such a cute picture though ..” Courtney genuinely gazed for a long while, before the person tried to pass it up to her, “I have the child, I don’t need the shirt!” she scoffed, before realizing what she’d said and then chanted over and over, “I can’t believe I said that! Ohmygod I can’t believe I said that ..”

Courtney harrassed Melissa constantly, wanting her to say “fuck” into the microphone. Melissa just goes, “I do fuck, but I don’t use the word fuck..” (or something like that) Then Courtney wanted her to show everyone her tits, “Melissa’s got beautiful tits. I’ve seen them.” Melissa folded her arms protectively over her chest and refused. Later on Melissa said “sex” and Courtney said that was close enough to “fuck” and they started talking about how they’d both had sex with Billy Corgan and Courtney asked if Melissa was mad at her and Melissa just said she loved Billy and then asked the audience if they liked Billy and there was a mixed reaction. “Speaking of love,” Melissa said, “This is a song by someone we both love … ” The song was “Into Your Arms” by the Lemonheads and Courtney dedicated it to Evan Dando, “Wherever the fuck you are ..” she muttered.

Half-way and Courtney announces, “This is the part of the show where I age ten years.” She tried to explain that the audience “sucks” out her spiritual energy or something and that adds years to her age. “It’s true.” she said matter of factly. “And I want it back, okay?” This left most of the audience convinced that Courtney was spending way too much time with her yoga teacher and new age crystals 😉

Continuing on, Courtney told us that she read somewhere that Australians are supposed to be able to perform the longest so she felt “competitive” and kept getting angry at Eric for not letting her play some extra songs, “We have time!” she told him. Eric just loitered quietly on his side of the stage, occassionaly trying to start guitar intro’s before Courtney told him off, “It’s never gonna happen, Eric.”

Courtney asked if we wanted to hear “Olympia” or “Asking for It”. It’s not too hard to guess which song won 😉 “I wrote this song when I was in a very petty mood. It’s a very petty song.” she told us. It was a really messy version of “Olympia” … like Courtney had forgotten the words or something, but it still rocked, because, hey, Olympia is like every Hole fan’s anthem!

I have to say that Courtney Love must have amazing eyesight, because she picked out some guy on the second floor with glasses, who did not look like he was enjoying himself, nor would he comply with Courtney’s request for him to choose which song they’d play next. She hurled absuse at him and he wouldn’t put his arms up to acknowledge her and she got angrier and angrier, screaming that she’d come up there in a minute. Eventually she relented and said it wasn’t worth wasting her time on that dickhead. Here, here, Courtney.

She told us that she wrote “Doll Parts” in a bathroom after believing that Kurt was cheating on her.

Courtney raved on about “Drag”, the Malibu b-side that Melissa had mostly wrote, and how it was really good and that she’d wanted to put it on the album but Billy Corgan had told tham that it wasn’t “buzz” or something and she wished she hadn’t listened to him because she loved it.

Towards the end of their set, Courtney was visably hot and so she poured water over herself, but then got worried that she’d get electricuted when she played her guitar. Courtney grabbed the female roadie who had given her her guitar by the hand and refused to let her go until she was convinced that she wouldn’t get electricuted. “This is a moment of trust between you and me. We’re bonding.” she said. The female roadie assured Courtney that she wouldn’t get electricuted, “What if I pour water over myself with my guitar on?” No, she’d be okay then too. Courtney finally let her go and the show went on.

They finished with Celebrity Skin, but came back on ten minutes later for an encore. “I had to get changed,” Courtney said, struting around in something I can only describe as a highwire circus outfit or caberet number, turquoise and sparkly. “Is this stupid?” she asked the audience upon her return.

Eric and Courtney performed a beautiful, mesmirising version of “Northern Star” which had a lot of people close to tears (myself included). But before the final chorus Courtney removed her top completely – much to the audience’s delight – and she continued topless for “Paradise City”. “The boys can take their shirts off when they’re hot, why can’t I? I don’t have a problem with this.” she smirked. “I have yet to see her do this anywhere,” Melissa told the audience. “You guys are the winners. This is a special, special city.” Ahhhhhhhhh.

Hole closed with a slow version of the lines, “I’ll be the biggest scar in your back/I’ll be the biggest dick that you’ve ever had …” from Good Sister/Bad Sister and Courtney gave us a ten out of ten as an audience and left us with no doubt that she is the single greatest female rock star of our day and anyone who is fortunate enough to come within her prescence is very very lucky indeed.