- Sydney Stadium -

Judy Garland held a nostalgic audience of more than 10,000 spellbound last night.  The stadium will probably never recover from her show.  The old building was treated to the nearest thing to a Hollywood spectacular it has ever had.  The songs were those she is famous for.  When the final notes of OVER THE RAINBOW died, the audience cheered, whistled, stamped their feet and called for more.

The capacity crowd had their money's worth even before she appeared.  Outside cars and people banked up Bayswater Road were greeted by colored searchlights.  Across the road the Municipal Band puffed away it's way through Garland medleys.  So many people crowded the entrance to the stadium that the show started 30 minutes late.

Nobody minded.

10,000 people cheered themselves hoarse last night when Judy Garland gave her first performance in Australia.  The audience cheered every song, every introduction, and everything she did.  Miss Garland was met with waves of applause when she walked on stage, flanked by six policemen.  After the performance hundreds crowded to the stage, with their hands outstretched to touch her.

Sydney Stadium was supercharged last night when a bouncing, bubbling Judy Garland turned on the power of her high voltage personality - and talent.  She was terrific, despite rifts with the musical backing and the hazards of performing among cables attached to the sound equipment.  My favorite of the many songs she sang was AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME.

The musty old stadium will probably never recover from the show held there last night.  Midway through the show, Miss Garland stopped the orchestra and asked if her voice could be heard.  Someone in the bleachers replied:  "It's Judy Garland, that's enough!"

Never has any artist been offered such an abundance of audience good will and adulation.  It was disgraceful that the star had to manhandle an unwanted mikestand under the piano, help the musicians with their gear on and off stage, and fish under the piano for a glass of water or a powder puff.  Like the trouper she has always been, she passed these things off with an easy informality and a few gags.

At Wednesday's premiere concert Miss Garland won the greatest audience ovation in the history of Australian show biz.  She had the house in the palm of her hand from the moment she stepped on the rostrum.

People crowded around her in the aisle as she jostled her way to the stage, touching her, shaking her hand, and trying to speak to her.  At the interval 16 uniformed police held back the crowd so she could get to her dressing room, but this upset her.  She did not want police protection and politely asked that it be withdrawn.  When she left the stage the next time she had to rely on the protection of only her actor friend, Mark Herron, who ushered her off.  She quietly asked the hundreds of people trying to mob her, "Make a pathway for me, please," and they did.

"I can honestly say," promoter Harry Miller said "that I have never worked with an artist who has caused me less trouble.  She's been marvelous, perfect.  She's been pleasant and cooperative and hasn't complained about a thing."

The Beatles may come and go, but the past week belongs to Judy.  Despite technical troubles with the sound equipment, forgotten lyrics and a messy stage she described as "a minefield" the frail figure under the light conquered all.

This is the sort of spirit - the warm, spontaneous affection of a faceless multitude - which sustains Judy today.  I don't think she ever believes that she can count on it; I think she is always moved when she finds it there.  It stirs her and makes her perky, cocky, cheeky.  "I don't care what they write about me tomorrow," she says, pointing a exclamatory finger down at the Stadium press benches.  "You love me, don't you?" she shouts, opening her arms to encompass the world, and the crowd roars in an indiscriminate YES.

A 20-month-old girl stopped the Garland spectacular for five minutes on Saturday night.  She is blue-eyed Joanne Brown, who later met Miss Garland.  Soon after the interval Joanne became restless and started to cry.  Many of the 10,000 people became annoyed and her mother decided the best thing to do was to take her out to the foyer.  Mrs. Brown had to walk past the edge of the stage to the exit and Judy, noticing this, walked to the edge of the stage, promptly stopped one of her numbers, and said to Joanne, "Oh.... oh.... What's this?  Fancy a little girl like you crying?"  Joanne immediately stopped crying and a spotlight was focused on her, her mother, and Judy.  "Would you like to come up on stage and talk to me?"  Judy asked.   After a conference with Miss Garland, Mrs. Brown decided to take Joanne to the foyer entrance to watch the remainder of the show.  Miss Garland then asked the little girl her name.  When told, she said, "Well, I don't blame you for walking out on my show, Joanne, it's not much good!"  The packed house excitedly applauded the Garland-Brown impromptu act.