David alerted me to the fact that Ticketmaster were giving free double passes to this show at Sutton Grange winery, near Bendigo. All you had to do was buy their $20 loyalty card. Although it is a little sad to think of rock legends like these guys needing promotions like this to swell their audiences, it was too good a deal not to take advantage of. I guess their ticket sales had suffered a bit from the promoters choosing a venue that was a little remote from the city, however those of us who made the trek up the Calder were treated to an amazing show in a really appealing venue.

Sutton Grange is, as my mate Rob describes it, the place where 'we used to go rabbiting'. A bit hilly, dotted with majestic river red gums, dry and dusty - typical country Victoria. There is a lake at the foot of the hill behind the stage, probably man-made, then a gentle slope with a lush green grass cover which allowed all patrons a comfortable space with a clear view and good acoustics. Perfect for a pleasant evening's music under the stars.

Simon Shapiro delivered a short, solo acoustic set. This guy has some talent. I had never heard his music before - in fact, I didn't even know his name - but his sound was easy to listen to and his lyrics were pretty good. He's definitely worth checking out and I look forward to hearing him again some time.

Mick Fleetwood strode on stage, an imposing figure, much taller than I had imagined. He sat behind a massive drum kit and really looked the part. The powerful, rhythmic beat was easily identifiable - reminiscent of so many Fleetwood Mac classics. The drumming in Tusk always comes to mind - very distinctive, hypnotic. My feet began tapping almost involuntarily to the rhythm. Rick Vito, who once replaced Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac, was probably the star of this set on bluesy slide guitar and vocals. The set list was essentially taken from the handful of Mac albums released by the band prior to the departure of Green and the arrival of Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Highlights for me were Rattlesnake Shake, Shake Your Moneymaker and Black Magic Woman. The set ended all too quickly - maybe only 45 minutes. I could have happily listened to the blues all night.

I've been a Michael McDonald fan since the 70s. I love all the early Doobies' stuff - the Tom Johnson and Pat Simmons vocals on the first few albums, and then the classic McDonald era that gave us one of the most distinctive, easily recognisable voices in rock. He went through plenty of my favourite Doobie Brothers' tunes - It Keeps You Runnin', I Keep Forgettin', Minute by Minute, Takin' it to the Streets, etc. He's been doing a fair few Motown covers recently and probably the standout songs from his set were Heard it Through the Grapevine and Ain't No Mountain High Enough. I loved the band - a great sax player, Vince Denham, and a young backing vocalist, Drea Rhenee, with an amazing voice. He probably played for about 75 minutes, but I thought his set also ended all too quickly. Pity about the stage light shining on his white hair - it was all a little too bright for my little camera from where I was sitting and I didn't get too many clear shots of McDonald. Still, for what it was worth, I include them here

This was my second Boz Scaggs gig. The first time I saw him was at Rochford winery back in about 2004 or thereabouts when he headlined a show that included Joan Armatrading. He played a heavily jazz-influenced set that night and whilst I enjoyed it, it wasn't the rock tinged performance I would have liked to hear. Therefore, his return to rock and roll on Saturday night was most welcome. Even better was his return to a set list of old favourites from Silk Degrees and subsequent albums from a time when Boz was huge all over the world. He was great - leading from the front on guitar and in fine vocal form. Like Michael McDonald earlier, Scaggs has a voice unlike any other and it was really enjoyable listening to it again. Like those who played before him, he had assembled a crack band behind him and the place really rocked. As the stars came out and the coloured stage lights came on, the hits kept coming one after the other - Lowdown, Harbor Lights, Georgia, etc. Miss Monet was great - a big, big voice and a real stage presence. Boz even handed over one song entirely to her. What a voice. When Boz left the stage I turned to Dave and said 'Lido Shuffle - we haven't heard that one yet. He'll be back.' Dave replied, 'I want to hear Loan Me a Dime'. I wanted to hear that too, but told Dave there was no way he would play a long blues number from his first solo album because not enough people in the audience would know that one. Anyway, he came back and predictably played Lido, which brought the house down, then launched into a 16-minute rendition of Loan Me a Dime. It was awesome - the best song of the entire event - and even to the crowd who had probably never heard it before, it was an absolute show stopper. And that was it - a great night at no cost on the 38th anniversary of my first ever international artist rock concert (Led Zeppelin, Kooyong, Feb 20, 1972 - still remember it like it was yesterday).