Tickets for the Fire Fight Australia arena spectacular, coming to the ANZ Stadium on February 16, sold out within hours of going on sale. Which is hardly surprising, considering the headliners for the fundraiser include Queen, Alice Cooper and Tina Arena, plus a stack of other top-shelf acts.
However, if you’re one of the unlucky people who wasn’t able to get their hands on one of those 70,000 coveted tickets, all is not lost. Another, even bigger musical benefit is in the pipeline, and the rumours of who’s set to appear are exciting to say the least.
In an interview on January 14 with the ABC, Michael Gudinski, the founder and chairman of juggernaut entertainment producers Mushroom Group, said there were big plans in the works for a multi-city, all-star tour to raise money for the bushfire relief efforts. The tour would visit five major Australian cities and possibly also New Zealand, Gudinski said.
While the music industry legend said it was “too early” to officially spill the beans on the line-up, he hinted at the artists that were likely to appear, including Sir Elton John, who has already donated $1 million to relief funds, British chart-topper Ed Sheeran, and two of the first megastars to donate to bushfire charities, Kylie Minogue and Pink.
Arguably the biggest star that Gudinski is in talks with is the Boss himself, rock icon Bruce Springsteen, whose management has allegedly already sent a note expressing his interest.
While nothing is yet official, and dates for the performances are yet to be announced, Gudinski has shown fine form in the past staging fundraising concerts, such as the Sound Relief gigs that raised money for those impacted by the 2008-2009 Victorian bushfires. So keep your fingers and toes crossed that Gudinski can pull off what could very likely rank as the most epic musical line-up in Australian history.