Spring has sprung, and Melburnians know that means the AFL granny is around the corner. While we don't know which teams are playing yet as the final eight are still battling it out for a place in the big match, we do now know who'll be the highly-anticipated entertainment: legendary rock band KISS.
The international rock 'n' roll juggernaut will perform during the pre-game entertainment at the 2023 AFL grand final on September 30, turning the event from exciting to absolutely epic. We can see it already: pumping hit anthems like 'I Was Made For Lovin' You', 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and 'Detroit Rock City', all perfect tunes for the pre-game rev up. The esteemed rockers will surely have the crowd head-bangin' hard.
KISS are undeniably legends of rock — the Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers have released 44 albums and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. They're visiting down under as part of their global tour, playing their last ever Australian show in Sydney on October 7. There's no news yet if Melbourne will also get a separate show to catch the band one last time, but the AFL grand final is arguably the next best thing.
"KISS will bring the energy and their trademark showmanship to Grand Final Day and put on a great, great show for the 100,000 fans at the ‘G and millions watching around the country," says AFL executive general manager Kylie Rogers. "Their reputation speaks for itself, they are responsible for some of the best live shows in music history and we know Gene, Paul, Eric and Tommy will absolutely rock the MCG pre-game."
The rest of the entertainment line up is set to be revealed soon, but no doubt there'll be some other big names on the bill. With just under a month until the big day, footy fever is no doubt taking over the city this month. Here's what you need to know about watching the big match on the day, or if you're thinking of hitting up a pub or bar to get amongst finals fever, here's our list of the best ones to go to.