MUSHROOM NAMES 25TH ANNIVERSARY BILL Over 52 acts will appear at major
Australian independent Mushroom Records' 25th anniversary concert - titled
the Concert of the Century - at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds on November
14. These include current biggest sellers including Jimmy Barnes, Deni
Hines, Paul Kelly, Leonardo's Bride and Kylie Minogue as well as the
reformations of its biggest success stories as Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs.
The nine-hour show, expected to
attract 75,000, will be recorded for a 3-CD set and video for Christmas.
Negotiations continue with the Nine Network for a partial telecast. "It
wasn't planned to be that way but it will be an emotional night," says
Gudinski. "It's been a childhood dream of mine to fill the MCG.
Apparently the Sydney Opera House had repeatedly asked for the concert to
be held there. The Sydney Opera House, scene of Crowded House's farewell
show to 100,000, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. "But, really,
Mushroom is Melbourne. I've lived here all my life, my family's grown up
here and so many of the artists are from Melbourne."
The $1 million event is sponsored by telecommunications giant Telstra and
the market leader Sanity music retail chain. Tickets are obtained from
spending $25 on Telstra/Mushroom concert pack of phone cards or the
equivalent of a Telstra phone bills or purchasing one of a series of 2-CD
"Mushroom Story" hits compilations from Sanity outlets. Says Michael
Gudinski, the label's non-executive CEO, "There was no such thing as family
days at rock concerts in my day, but I expect parents who were into Billy
Thorpe to bring their kids who'll be dancing to Kylie." The show is
expected to raise up to $150,000 for the Melbourne Royal Children's
Hospital appeal.
Special staging will be built at the MCG so that the acts will play facing
the scoreboard. Some acts that have performed at the MCG, including
Madonna, Willie Nelson and the Three Tenors, experienced sound problems
when they played with the stage facing the Great Southern Stand
Back To Billy Thorpe Updates/Links