A sizzling array of international acts and festivals will make this the longest and hottest summer for Perth music fans, yet one leading Australian promoter fears the touring industry has peaked.
Superstars such as Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp, Sting and Stevie Wonder will play Perth in coming months, with Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Coldplay, AC/DC and other big-name acts rumoured to be planning concerts here early next year.
The festival circuit is even more crowded than last summer with established events such as the Big Day Out, Southbound, Summadayze, Good Vibrations and West Coast Blues and Roots being joined by dance-pop extravaganzas, Global Gathering and Stereosonic, which fall a week apart in late November. At least three more major festivals — another dance event, a reggae concert and a multiple-day alternative music event — are expected to be unveiled soon.
Then there’s the popular A Day on the Green outdoor concert series and the eclectic mix of overseas and local acts at the Perth International Arts Festival’s Music Box from February 13 to March 7.
It seems our thirst for live music cannot be quenched, yet veteran promoter Michael Chugg believes that — because of the skyrocketing cost of living — this could be the last tidal wave of summer shows.
Mr Chugg said demand had begun to dry up for some gigs on the east coast, with the Great Escape festival cancelled due to poor ticket sales.
“Since around 2001 people have started to go to seven to 10 concerts a year and I think with the economic downturn . . . people will be going back to one or two,” he said. He would wait until the end of summer to say whether the festival bubble had burst but predicted some big events would fail with only the established brands with strong line-ups guaranteed to survive.
“I wouldn’t be writing off the festivals but I think some of the festivals will have trouble if the line-ups aren’t right and some of the tours will have trouble,” he said.
Local promoter Brad Mellen said all his shows, including John Mellencamp, Alicia Keys, Delta Goodrem, Global Gathering and Summadayze, were selling strongly and he would announce four more.
Finding suitable venues was more of a problem and he criticised Perth City Council’s decision to limit festivals on its major reserves.
Source: http://www.thewest.com.au/
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