It was a great show 1 : Graham Parker and The Rumour 1978 Wellington Town Hall

One of the first "new wave" acts to hit NZ shores was Graham Parker on the back of the release of his Stick to Me album.  It was the tour down under where he ended up "Squeezing Out Sparks down at Luna Park" and he was debuting a few songs from that next album that night.

I remember my ears ringing on the train home and four encores. The last of which was a solo acoustic  song either "Not if it pleases me" "You've Got to be Kidding" (from memory) with the houselights on.  

He came back a year later (and I did not get there that time and the show was marked by a collapse of the balcony.

When asked what the best show I have seen is and I suggest this one - I am met with blank faces - Graham who? still recall this as one of the best concerts I have ever seen.  However this was a band on top of their game,  At the time they were rated along with Springsteen's E Street Band as probably the best live band around.  There were also great songs like Heat Treatment, Watch the Moon Come Down, White Honey, (Hey Lord) Don't ask me Questions and I remember he also debuted Protection (which the support act, the much under-rated New Zealand Band - Citizen Band recorded and released with Parker's blessing even before Parker's version released).

A few years ago I came across this DVD of two concerts recorded in Germany in 1978 and 1980 and the 78 show is pretty much the show that I saw (without some of the Squeezing Out Sparks tracks) and I glad I found it.  An added bonus is that the boys stumbled across it and liked it.