Iggy Pop Played Pipeline Last Night

With the sun setting cooly on a tropical afternoon at Pipeline yesterday, full bar service and delicious parcels of food being carried around on plates by very fetching young ladies, the Billabong Pipe Masters kick-off party was always going to be a good time.

With Billabong heavy into their collaboration with the punk icon, rumours swirled: would Iggy Pop see the stage? A nervous buzz, all about.

“He’s gonna play a few songs” you could hear whispered, in every corner, lineup, food truck and beach on the North Shore.   

Makua Rothman opened with a light set, all Hawaiian vibes, soft falsetto and ukulele serenades drifting through the crowd. Serene moments before a surreal scene.

As Wash took the stage, most were taken by surprise at the stage presence of Mr Creed McTaggart, a natural frontman if ever there were one, and under what must have been just surreal pressure: just above the deck, staring out over the scene, Iggy Pop looked on, before turning and making his way for the stage…

Well, this one’s going on the Wash boy’s refrigerator.

Photography

Duncan Macfarlane

Prior to the show, management insisted Iggy wasn’t playing. But given the chemistry with Creed, it was obvious by the band’s body language that they were about the experience the peak of their musical careers.

The band nervously moved from their original material, to the familiar first licks of “The Passenger,” as Iggy strolled to the front of stage…

I am a passenger

I stay under glass

I look through my window so bright

I see the stars come out tonight

I see the bright and hollow sky

Over the city’s ripped-back sky

And everything looks good tonight…

Iggy Pop at Pipeline, I mean…

Photography

Duncan Macfarlane

The next 15 minutes were phantasmagorical. Unable to keep a lid on the inner child, Ozzie Wright rushed the stage for a dive, where security—unbeknownst of his surf stardom —tore him off stage as Ellis Ericson, Beau Foster and Creed experienced the most surreal 15 minutes of their lives.

When the set finished and Iggy exited off stage, Creed went to the mic perplexed: What the fuck just happened?

Photography

Duncan Macfarlane

Photography

Duncan Macfarlane

Having just watched his dear friends experience North Shore nirvana, still reeling from the set, Ronnie Blakey remarked on the experience of watching Creed and Ellis and the boys fall in line behind Iggy for the three-song run:

“To watch those boys up there just melt like that, to just turn it on with Iggy up front, I mean… did you see that?!”

Next up were Skeggs and according to frontman and one of Stab’s main squeezes, Toby Cregan, their rates just went up significantly.

“We’ve got the party poster—Iggy Pop was our supporting act.”

How do you follow Iggy Pop? Go as hard as you can. Toby Cregan and Skegss.

Photography

Victoria Smith

No one in attendance would argue that Skegs didn’t absolutely send it, knowing the lost cause of following Iggy Pop at Pipeline, the boys belted out their tunes loud and proud, rallying the still-stunned crowd into a frenzy—Taj Burrow and Blakey and Ozzie up front pumping their fists to the drum’s last kick, until 120-kilo plus bouncers swept the party in the nicest way possible and the crowd flowed across the bike path, into the street, and out into the myriad festivities underway along the North Shore.

This morning, there’s a lot of people slowly waking up from last night in a haze, as if it were all a strange dream: Iggy Pop played Pipe last night. Iggy Pop played Pipe last night. Iggy fucking Pop played Pipe last night.

Of all the parties thrown on this stretch of sand…

Photography

Duncan Macfarlane