TOP GEAR LIVE.
February 19, 2010

Last night I attended the NZ leg of the Top Gear Live World Tour, after being passed some complimentary premium tickets to the show by its promoters. This is the second time the show has been to Auckland, and the penultimate stop in the tour that began in England late last year. The entire event encompassed a live theatre show (the main event) featuring original Top Gear UK presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and NZ motorsport legend/V8 supercar driver Greg Murphy, a static motor show, and live stunt driving/drifting demonstrations on a specially built outdoor track. I didn't manage to see any action on the outdoor track, but made it for the theatre show and motor show.

The opening act of the theatre show. Fire and brimstone... and a WRX. They should've left the car burning for longer.... hey, I'm jus sayin'.

Perhaps the biggest eye opener for me in the theatre show - a rather impressive 4WD heli (4G63 powered... Swift?) on an elevated platform, about one storey off the ground. Pretty scary to be swinging your car around on a platform that size that far off the ground. Would've been nice if he had straightened up his front wheels though. Still. B-A-L-L-S.

In the end, I thought the theatre show was essentially a rehash of last year's live event, but with a few extra features added as 'padding'. I could've sworn I heard some of the same recycled jokes from Clarkson the year before. No doubt, there were some rather comical scenes during the show and the trademark TG 'lads' banter between the presenters, but judging from the audience participation and reaction to a lot of the presenters' cues I don't think I was the only person in the arena who was wondering the same thing. Then again, the '09 show did sell out rather quickly, so I suppose it gave the people who didn't get a chance to see it the last time a second chance. Other enjoyable moments were the TG stunt driving team, but I almost had to stab myself in the eyeballs when the "Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift" sequence came on. I did enjoy May's commentary throughout the show though, a lot more amusing than Clarkson rabbiting on about breasts throughout the 90 minute show. Don't get me wrong - I love a pair of airbags as much as the next guy, but honestly, it was funny the first five times. A little creepy the following twenty times. Extremely awkward when I was sitting behind a family with two 10 year old boys.

After the theatre show it was off to the motor show wing, or the "Prestige and Performance hall". I personally thought it was rather lack lustre this year, with less manufacturers, a few strange trade stands (inflatable figurines?), and not so many private collections or vehicles compared to the year before. Some nice gems littered around the halls though - a fleet of replica (and maybe a couple genuine?) AC Cobras, more Hemi powered vehicles you can shake a stick at, and a stunning Ferrari 275 GT4 on the Shell stand. The things I would do to that car if it were a woman.

Without seeing the live driving action during the day, I would say that if you had been to last year's show, and aren't a TG fanatic, then perhaps your hard earned coins would be better spent at your local gas station filling up your beloved car with the most premium of 98RON fuels. In fact, just for those in that proverbial boat, here is a link to the finale of the theatre show. Don't click on it if you don't want to spoil it for yourself. Please. Don't. However, if you do have the spare change lying around, have nothing to do this weekend, or didn't get the chance to see the show the year before, it's certainly worth the journey and the ticket price.

On ya James.