Why did he have to die then?

I grew up with INXS, and remember listening to the Kick cassette in the backyard with my sister. I enjoyed their upbeat songs, with great energy and rhythm, but my favourite song of all was Never Tear Us Apart. The video clip for this track was filmed in Prague, and since it wasn’t that long after the Cold War ended, and Prague was still opening up to tourists, I remember being amazed. What’s more, the beauty of the city shown in the clip really imprinted itself on my memory and I dreamed of traveling there – a few years ago I ended up working nearby in Slovakia and loved visiting Prague whenever I could.

But back to the 1990s. I got a bit older and met a guy who was a huge INXS fan and I got to like them even more. In 1997 I was excited: we'd bought tickets to their concert at the Belvoir Amphitheatre outside Perth, my favourite venue. It's outdoors, in the middle of nowhere, really, and is a fantastic place to watch a band.

Shortly after buying the tickets, we went on a weekend holiday to Cervantes, a popular windsurfing spot north of Perth. In the car on the way back to the rented house, after a day at the beach, we heard the news on the radio. Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, had died. As well as being confused and a bit sad, I was also a bit selfishly angry. I’d really been looking forward to that concert. Our money was refunded, but that wasn’t the point. I really wanted to hear Never Tear Us Apart live, out there in the big open space of Australia. Sure, they’ve made a comeback and all, but it will never be the same without Michael Hutchence.