2009 could be a quiet year for concertgoers as the economic crisis bites local 
booking agencies.
With the Aussie dollar sitting at a measly 65 cents, it’s becoming harder to attract those big international acts. Tours by Paul McCartney, Madonna, Neil Diamond, Green Day, and Metallica have all been shelved indefinitely.
“We’ve seen a couple of tours blow out,” said Acer Arena’s Don Elford. “It probably has a lot to do with the dollar.”
Luckily for festival fans, the economic crisis isn’t expected to affect the big summer shows like Big Day Out and V Festival.
“We’re lucky because we’ve got the weight of the festival to insulate us from that,” Big Day Out co-promoter Vivian Lees said. “Only a fraction of our bands are paid in U.S. dollars.”
Here’s hoping the dollar picks up soon so we can see more of our favourite acts in Oz! Until then, thankfully we’ve got plenty of fab local artists to keep us entertained!
Image source: David Mallett @ Flickr.com