"It's good to be back".
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No matter which band or artist was on stage at Saturday's This That, they almost all said the same thing.
After four postponements the festival made its return to Wickham Park, and the long wait was worth it for the eager crowd.
If anyone there forgot how great live music is, they would have been quickly reminded by the festival's diverse lineup.
San Cisco played a mid-afternoon set on the main 'This' stage in what seemed like an early timeslot for a band of their popularity, but the top-notch bill ensured the crowd grew with each new arrival on stage.
Playing the more boppy tunes RUN and Fred Astaire, the group then slowed things down with Flaws.
"This is the biggest crowd we've ever played this song to," frontman Jordi Davieson said, before launching into the stripped back tune.
While the atmosphere of a music festival can often make one feel like they could be anywhere, the timing of the set coincided with another important Newcastle event in a reminder of which city we were in.
"The Knights are up 10-2," I heard one reveller repeat to his mate in the crowd several times, competing against the loud speakers to relay the important message.
San Cisco then picked things back up with On The Line before finishing with Reasons.
Client Liaison then lifted the mood even higher, throwing absolutely everything into their performance including costume changes, a champagne spray to the crowd, a flower toss and no shortage of instruments.
The set was high energy from start to finish with hits like Off White Limousine, Elevator Up, World Of Our Love, The Real Thing, House Of Holy and even a funky cover of Deee-Lite's Groove Is In The Heart.
Dune Rats came out to the iconic violin loop of Bitter Sweet Symphony with a "f--- yeah". They thrashed through Scott Green, Up, Stupid Is As Stupid Does, Mountains Come And Go But Aussie Pub Rock Lives On (Forever) and the crowd was also treated to the first ever live performance of What A Memorable Night.
There was no shortage of the band's antics on stage between a shoey and an appearance by red and green faced character Terry in costume for Too Tough Terry.
After a performance at last month's Maori v Indigenous NRL game, Budjerah played to an intimate crowd on the smaller 'That' stage but the fans were certainly given a treat by the talented soloist's soaring vocals. He didn't miss a beat with tracks such as Higher, Wash My Sorrows Away and a punchy rendition of Pyro.
Back over at the main stage, Hayden James and What So Not elevated the party level once the sun went down to finish things off.
Hayden James mixed some of his biggest hits including Better Together and Just Friends, while What So Not brought out DJs Enschway and Luude as well as vocalist Lucy Lucy for his set, which included massive dance tracks Offender - Dimenson and a mashup of his song Touched and Tatu's All The Things She Said.
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