45, 000 Sydneysiders and 80, 000 Melburnians crammed into their respective cricket grounds for yesterday’s massive Sound Relief concerts.
Crowds at both shows were treated to some extra special performances. Coldplay originally promised an acoustic set, but their electric numbers proved anything but ordinary with the surprise addition of John Farnham to the line-up. The Aussie music veteran joined Coldplay for “Fix You” and “You’re The Voice,” a song Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin called the “national anthem.”
Having living legend Barry Gibb close the show was exciting enough, but to have Olivia Newton-John join him for the Kenny Rogers Dolly Parton classic “Islands in the Stream” was something else. They might not admit it freely, but I’m convinced everyone has a soft spot for that song.
Melbourne didn’t miss out either, with some amazing reformations and international stars. One of the biggest was Midnight Oil, who closed the show.
Their 50-minute set included hit after hit, “Read About It,” “Beds Are Burning” and “Blue Sky Mining” among them.
“You are such a good crowd for such an important event,” Peter Garrett told the enthusiastic crowd.
Initial reports said Kylie wouldn’t sing, but she did anyway, wowing crowds with this beautiful acoustic rendition of “I Still Call Australia Home.” This is another of those songs eligible for the title of honorary anthem – it gets to me every time. This video is preceded by a moving minute’s silence in remembrance of the victims.
Kings of Leon wouldn’t play “Sex on Fire” lest it offend the bushfire victims, yet their mammoth hit “Use Somebody” was well received. From the pop tunes of Gabriella Cilmi to the laidback sounds of Jack Johnson, and the country-tinged duets of Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, it was a concert that delivered something for everybody.
Wolfmother and Jet worked double-time, appearing at both Sydney and Melbourne shows. But they didn’t mind, with Wolfmother singer Andrew Stockdale adding that the event was one of the most significant in Australian music history.
“It just shows what this country does – it gets behind people when they’re down and out,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
Organisers expect the event to raise more than $5 million for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal and Queensland flood victims.