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YOU risk a range of emotions when, as a 40-something punter, you venture back out to see a band that you first embraced in its heyday more than 20 years ago.
Sometimes it's straight out disappointment. (The lead singer has lost it.)
Sometimes there's a warm glow of nostalgia that can paper over many of the cracks. (They were older and wider, but still good.)
And sometimes it's bliss. (Mondo Rock.)
But seeing Dragon is a different beast altogether.
I saw the band at Gosford in April, and for me, it was a mix of surprise, relief, and the best kind of nostalgia.
Surprise that the "new" lineup is so engaging and their new material so good.
Relief that Dragon had not become a tired old covers band that merely goes through the motions to churn out the hits recorded by the previous line-ups.
And perhaps best of all, I was happy to take an unconditional nostalgic journey back to another time and place, largely because the great old songs were given new life by a line-up at the top of its game.
In short, Dragon were fantastic.
It's true that only bass player and founding member Todd Hunter survives from the Dragon line-up we remember from the 1970s and 1980s.
Not that it concerns him in the slightest.
"The thing about being in a band is you're always looking forward," Hunter told the Lakes Mail.
He reformed the band in 2006, bringing in singer Mark Williams, drummer Pete Drummond, and guitarist Bruce Reid.
"That makes this the longest running line-up so far - by quite a long time," Hunter said.
Williams is a perfect fit.
A multi-instrumentalist and a captivating singer, Williams shifts effortlessly from guitar to keyboards to energetic frontman.
Drummond, too, mixes his work on the drums with some synth play and lead vocals.
Reid and Hunter stand steady and still as the elder statesmen and masters of their craft.
All of the old hits - including April Sun In Cuba, Rain, Still in Love, Are You Old Enough, and Celebrate - are revisited.
But it is the new material, including Rainy Day, Don't I Look Like Jim, and Heart of Gold that suggest there's plenty of fire left in this Dragon.
■ See Dragon in concert at Morisset Country Club on Saturday, September 13, at 8.30pm. Tickets cost $30. All seating has been sold, and there is now standing room only. Phone 4973 1100.