Cassidy has just turned 60 and has also recently retired, decades after penning her first letter to Wheeler about their shared love of Split Enz.
“I grew up seeing them, every time they came to Sydney I was there, front row. They got me because they were just so odd. There was a lot of odd music in the 70s but they just had a strange mix of catchy tunes, weird subject matter and I loved how they dressed up,” she said.
“I just adore them, they’re still my favourite band after all these years.”
Christchurch’s Barb Watson, 61, was also revelling in a “bucket list moment” after seeing Split Enz play shortly before the band broke up in the 1980s.
“I love the energy. There are people from my age all the way down to 18-year-olds and we all know the words. The idea that music really permeates us as a culture is really apparent here,” she said.
“I actually met my husband at a Tim Finn concert in Lyttelton when he was playing at the Harbour Light Theatre. My now-husband’s brother was playing guitar for him, so there’s a little bit of a connection.”
Watson was enthusiastic about the young fan base and older festival crowd.
“I haven’t felt old. At an event like this I don’t think it matters, everyone is enjoying the music. I’ve got good shoes, I’ve got my rain poncho, I’ve worn my hat, but comfortable shoes are a defo. There’s a lot of skin on display here today, I think they’re really brave, I wouldn’t be doing it,” she said.