KEY POINTS:
Flight of the Conchords couldn't make it to last night's Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre fundraiser, but Boh Runga and Fiona McDonald more than made up for the comedy duo's absence.
The satirical songwriters were scheduled to perform at last night's event but made a last minute cancellation due to touring commitments in America.
If punters were disappointed, the feeling soon waned as Boh and Fiona took the stage for the first performance of the night.
Quips and insults flew as the pair fussed like an old married couple. After Fiona ordered Boh to tune her guitar and slow down the tempo, Boh outed Fiona to the crowd - announcing it was the former NZ Idol judge's first on-stage performance in six years.
After several false starts, the duo went on to perform Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun, before being joined by a string quartet who accompanied them to a "unique" version of Outkast's Hey Ya.
As Boh tapped away on a snare drum, Fiona did her best Napoleon Dynamite impersonation, banging out the tune on a small, portable keyboard.
Though the informal and intimate performance went down a treat with the audience, later in the evening, Boh admitted the duo probably didn't rehearse enough.
"It wasn't deliberate, that's just what it was like when we practised in my lounge," the singer confessed, laughing.
The comedy continued later in the night with U2 Idol, which saw four eager competitors sound off for tickets to this month's sold-out U2 gig. After a rousing rendition of Beautiful Day (which consisted of mumbled humming until shouting out the chorus) Electric Confectionaires lead singer Jaisi Sheehan took away the prize, which he later auctioned off for the centre.
Entertainment aside, the purpose of the evening was to raise money for special needs children, and host Oliver Driver got stuck in early on.
Rather than give away an intended spot prize, Driver decided to auction it off - without telling anyone contents of the brown paper bag.
After a top bid of $1000, the mystery lot was revealed - a bro'Town prize pack, complete with T-shirt, DVD, calendar and bro' Bars (chocolate and peanut muesli bars).
As Driver asked the bidder if she liked bro'Town, the audience erupted with laughter as the bemused looking woman shook her head.
But the big prize of the night was the Fender Telecaster guitar signed by the Rolling Stones, which, after a heated round of fervent bidding, eventually sold for $35,000 to a phone bidder.
A return trip for two to London, to have cocktails with Hayley Westenra at the Ritz, went for $8,000, while a surfboard autographed by Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and Donovan Frankenreiter sold for $7,000.
The most awkward moment of the night came when a 30-minute private showcase by Dave Dobbyn was auctioned off for $20,000. Unfortunately, the woman who won the bid thought it was $2,000.
Luckily, another generous supporter made good on the offer, relieving the uncomfortably tense room.
As the live auction finished and final bids were placed on the silent auction - which included the chance to have Jaquie Brown personally deliver her homemade Christmas pies - a total of $201,000 was raised for the centre.
At $275 a ticket, it was hardly a cheap night out. But the chance to see your favourite performers make complete fools of themselves: Priceless.
