Paul Simon - Live at Sydney Entertainment Centre

The Paul Simon tour heads to the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 2nd April. 

In the wake of the 25th anniversary of his musical landmark, Graceland, Simon will bring fans a performance spanning all eras of his illustrious career: from beginnings in the folk clubs of early 1960s Greenwich Village, to the warm and anthemic fruits of his celebrated partnership with Art Garfunkel and his acclaimed solo career.

Widely regarded as one of the most successful and prolific songwriters of the latter half of the 20th century, Simon has consistently penned songs that are mature and literate, but also melodically engaging.  Lyrically, with an astute political and social conscience, he has at times spoken to the concerns and uncertainties of a generation, yet also focused on the personal sentiment.  

In the early 1960s, the folk revival swept New York City, and a new breed of singers and songwriters introduced a new approach to the craft of creating tunes – at the forefront was Paul Simon.  As the 60s gave way to the 70s and 80s, Simon expanded his musical palette and helped introduce many rock and pop fans to world music with his outstanding release, Graceland. 

Although Paul Simon's unique, carefully constructed contributions to music could be called innovative, he insists that the process has a lot to do with discovery. "I'm more interested in what I discover than what I invent. You don't possess it. You can't control it or dictate to it. You're just waiting. Waiting... for the show to begin."  With that credo, he brings his critically acclaimed most recent album to showcase in Australia: So Beautiful or So What.  

Taking more than a year to perfect, Simon has revealed that So Beautiful or So What reminds him of his very first solo release, his acclaimed 1972 album, Paul Simon.  It has been getting rave reviews, not least from his contemporaries.  “This remarkable, thoughtful, often joyful record deserves to be recognised as Paul Simon’s very finest achievement.” – Elvis Costello

Joining Paul Simon on at this Sydney show is the enigmatic Rufus Wainwright – one of the world’s true original contemporary artists.  Recently in Australia for a national tour, Wainwright once again wooed audiences with his staggering live performances off the back of his latest offering, the acclaimed Mark Ronson-produced album Out Of The Game.  With grace and humour, craft and confidence, the album is a remarkable return to the pop world of Rufus Wainwright – showing his scope of sounds and styles, unified by both his incomparable voice and the lucidity of his vision.

Do not miss out on this rare opportunity to witness Paul Simon with special guest Rufus Wainwright.

View source to purchase tickets

Foster & Allen - Live at the Civic Theatre Ipswich

Ireland’s most famous and successful singing duo, Foster & Allen, are returning to Ipswich. Mick Foster and Tony Allen first toured Australia in 1983 and this will be their 18th trip ‘Down Under’.  These charismatic singers have been performing their unique blend of easy listening and folk music for over 30 years.

Their popularity is proven with sell-out concerts and ever-increasing record sales.  Between them, Foster & Allen have sold 18 million records, making them one of Ireland’s biggest entertainment exports and putting them in the same league as U2, Enya, Boyzone and The Corrs.

Their 23 albums have included the immensely popular The Rambles of Spring, A Bunch of Thyme, Maggie and After All These Years.  After more than 30 years Foster & Allen’s popularity continues to flourish and local fans should book tickets promptly as their concerts always sell well.

Sydney and Melbourne Compete Over Musical Theatre Tourism Revenue

 
Musical theatre is big business in Australia. Significant revenue from international shows has created fierce competition between the New South Wales and Victoria state governments to host the premieres.

Musical theatre is big business in Australia, with international shows a significant source of revenue for both Melbourne and Sydney. Not surprisingly fierce competition has developed between the New South Wales and Victoria state governments to host the premieres.

Theatre Producer Rodney Rigby says regional and interstate tourism to shows accounts for up to 40 percent of ticket sales to some shows such as Jersey Boys, which opened in Melbourne and is opening soon in Perth.

Rigby is premiering an Australian production of the broadway show The Addams Family in Sydney this week: “It's a great deal to have it here in Australia and opening here in Sydney. The timing when shows open is so complicated. It's got to do with the availability of theatres, creative teams."

“Sydney is the home, we are number one for first run musicals in Australia,” says Sandra Chipchase, CEO of Destination NSW, the State government bidy set up to attract major events. "Destination NSW has a very unique strategy to the way we package musicals."

Victoria is downplaying the rivalry.

"For us, it's getting the biggest and the best of the available musical productions that are coming to Australia," says Brendan McClements, CEO of Victoria Major Events Company. "To be perfectly frank, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about Sydney, for us it's really how do we work best with the producers in the West End or on Broadway."

And in the musical tales of two cities, there are plenty.

Melbourne recently host the Australian premiere of the West End's War Horse, heading to Sydney this week, and it will stage the global premiere of King Kong in May; while Sydney recently premiered Legally Blonde the musical and has secured the world premiere of Baz Lurhman's Strictly Ballroom, to open in 2014 or 2015.

Next week, the musical Grease will reveal where it will launch in Australia.

Hosting an internationally renowned musical generates around $3 million a month for the State. The two biggest states, almost head to head in revenue, are NSW with $102 million in ticket sales and Victoria at $91 million. That's in a country that brings in $250 million every year in musical theatre.

Rick Elice, writer of The Addams Family Broadway show, in Australia for the premiere, says "Competition always brings out the best work I think, as long as it's a healthy competition between Melbourne and Sydney. The real winner is the vast numbers of people who have the opportunity to come and see the theatre."

Ellen 'Healthy as a Kookaburra' and Teasing Sydney Plans

Ellen DeGeneres has fully recovered from the bout of flu that delayed her much-publicised Australian visit due to start last weekend, and postponed to this weekend.

The 55-year-old talk show host is as "healthy as a kookaburra", in her own words. Does that mean she's breaking out in laughing fits at inconvenient hours of the early morning?

"I'm feeling much better and I'm ready for my trip this week!" Ellen tweeted to more than 17.6 million followers. "The doctors say I'm healthy as a kookaburra."

Ellen whipped up more Aussie excitement with her following tweets.

"I'll be in Australia in three days! And I've got big plans for Sydney on Saturday. Don't miss it," she wrote a few hours ago. What could these secret plans be, hmm? Any guesses, TheFIX readers?

Of course, given that Ellen's trip is sponsored by vitamin company Swisse, she managed to throw a plug in for the brand.

"I've got my Swisse energy tablets for the plane. This time I won't get the flu when I flew," she wrote. Let's hope no rumours emerge claiming she faked her illness to promote Swisse. Ellen would never do that!

Ellen has plans to meet her fans in Sydney and Melbourne. More details on her visit will be announced soon.

We're so excited! Hope the flight goes well for her and wife Portia de Rossi.

Room On The Broom - Ipswich Civic Theatre

The team behind The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child return with songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up – and their grown-ups.

How the cat purred and how the witch grinned, as they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind.

The witch and her cat are flying happily on their broomstick – until a stormy wind blows away the witch’s hat, bow and wand. A helpful dog, a bird and a frog find the witch’s lost things, and they all hop on the broom for a ride. But this broomstick’s not meant for five and – CRACK – the broom snaps in two!

When a hungry dragon appears, who will save the poor witch? And will there ever be room on the broom for everyone?

Robert Plant Live at the Sydney Entertainment Centre

Following the announcement of his appearances on Byron Bay’s Bluesfest and the West Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Fremantle, Chugg Entertainment are today thrilled to confirm that rock legend Robert Plant will also be performing, along with his band the Sensational Space Shifters, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on Thursday 28 March.

After life with Led Zeppelin, Plant began putting his wide-ranging musical fascination to good use on solo albums with Jimmy Page and in recordings with bands like The Honeydrippers, Priory of Brion and Strange Sensation.

Plant continued to expand his horizons with the 2007′s collaboration with Alison Krauss on Raising Sand and in 2010, he released an album with the Band of Joy co-produced by his band mate Buddy Miller (electric guitar, baritone, 6-string bass, mando guitar) and with fellow musicians Darrell Scott (acoustic guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin, banjo, accordion, pedal steel and lap steel guitar), Byron House (bass), Marco Giovino (drums and percussion) which also received 2 Grammy® Award nominations.

The Sensational Space Shifters are his latest project, a loose band "inspired by the roots music of Mississippi, Appalachia, Gambia, Bristol and the foothills of Wolverhampton and drawing on influences collected in a lifetime of meander and journeying." Along-side Robert are his semi-regular guitarist Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara from Gambia, Justin's Ritti - playing partner in their duo Juju.

Exciting audiences around the world, Plant presents songs from his early days in Led Zeppelin to his more recent adventures in the heart land of the US, in dizzy collisions of rhythm and power. His current companions have created a performance that digs deep into the roots of the blues, turning ancient, dark music that inspired so much of British and American rock on its heard. He mixes crazy trans-rhythms and psychedelic to create a powerful and unique adventure.

BAND LINE UP

Robert Plant - vocals, harmonica
Juldeh Camara- ritti (one-stringed African Violin), kologo (African Banjo), talking drum, vocals.
Justin Adams - guitar, bendir, vocals
John Baggott - keyboards
Liam "Skin" Tyson - guitar, vocals
Dave Smith - drums and percussion
Billy Fuller - bass guitar, vocals


WHEN: Thursday 28th March 2013
TIME: Starts at 7:30 PM

Jason Mraz Live in Sydney

Love Is A Four Letter Word, released last year, featured the heartfelt single I Won’t Give Up, following its quiet debut on Mraz’s site, quickly proved itself to be an undeniable pop smash of the new year. One week from its release in the US, the song debuted in the #1 slot on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart, with sales surpassing 225,000. Not stopping there, it also garnered over 2.5 million YouTube hits in the first week with numbers now surpassing more than 20 million.

One of the modern era’s most gifted pop troubadours, Jason Mraz’s extraordinary musical journey has taken him from coffee houses to stadiums all over the world, with two GRAMMY® Awards and six nominations already to his credit. His 2008 album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things was an indelible global blockbuster, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications in 21 countries around the world. The lead single, I’m Yours, holds the record for being the longest-running song in the history of the Billboard “Hot 100” chart. In Australia, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things is certified double platinum, and the hit single I’m Yours is certified three times platinum.

Mraz spent much of 2011 road-testing the songs from his latest album, touring alongside his longtime friend, percussionist Noel “Toca” Rivera. The worldwide trek – which included performances in North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia – saw Mraz celebrating music’s lasting power to inspire change and help others through global citizenship. Among the journey’s many highlights were multiple sold out shows at such iconic venues as Australia’s Sydney Opera House, New York City’s Carnegie Hall, and Spreckels Theatre in Mraz’s adopted hometown of San Diego.

Joining Mraz at these special shows will be US sensation, Zac Brown Band. With nine hit singles and two platinum-selling records under their belt, the news of their return to Australia comes just days after receiving a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Country Album for their latest release Uncaged.

Tuesday 26 March 2013
Starts at 7:30 PM