You kept expecting the kitchen sink to arrive at the Mount Isa Blast because that was the only thing missing from the musical extravaganza that took over the Mount Isa Rodeo Arena this weekend.
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Held as part of the Queensland Music Festival the Blast was billed to be nothing less than the story of Mount Isa and it did not disappoint with miners, cows, acrobats, bikes and bobcats and of course dozens of musicians and singers.
From the moment William Barton appeared playing guitar and didgeridoo backed by a bright orange-red sail behind an ornate stage to the finale where the hundreds of cast members sang their hearts out, it was all class and an enchanting and free hour and a half of entertainment.
Kalkadoon elder Jenny Watts used her welcome to country to say Mount Isa's story is thousands of years old. "We always must remember that under the streets, under the bitumen, under the mines, it was and always will be Kalkadoon country," Ms Watts said.
The show's lead was local songstress Megan Sarmardin accompanied by her band Bulldust and the storyline was about her wanting to leave Mount Isa before finding the magic of home.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Mount Isa Blast was a signature Queensland Music Festival event.
"Across the three spectacular performances, the Mount Isa Blast aims to capture the essence of Mount Isa, by engaging more than 400 enthusiastic locals to create a musical heartbeat for the city," Ms Palaszczuk said.
"We hope the Queensland government's year of outback tourism inspires droves of tourists to discover the wonders of Mount Isa."
The show's writer and director David Burton said the Queensland Music Festival had partnered for two decades since the original two bobcat shows and the Blast honoured the old shows.
"The Mount Isa Blast is a unique mix of the old and the new," Mr Burton said. "It is an excavation of Mount Isa's history and beauty."
Musical director Steve Russell worked with the Mount Isa Community Ensembles which provided the orchestra and Kate Hartley of Outback School of the Arts and local schools organised choirs for the event which was conducted by Warwick Tyrell.
Songs included Slim Dusty's Isa Rodeo, part of Symphony of the Inland Sea, Bulldust's own I've Had Enough and Bobcats and Backhoes sung by Cath Purcell backed by the Spinifex State College String Ensemble.
The Mount Isa Blast continues Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are free and can be picked up here.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
