Tag: Powderfinger

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Across the Great Divide on DVD

If you missed Silverchair and Powderfinger’s massive Across the Great Divide Tour, or if you just want to relieve the magic all over again, then you’re in luck.

A special three-disc tour DVD is on sale soon. The first two discs will feature each band’s performances, and the third will include bonus interview footage and a 90-minute tour documentary.

The DVD was filed from the Melbourne shows on September 18 and 19, so if you were there make sure you look out for yourself in the crowd.

You can preorder the DVD now from the Across the Great Divide Shop ahead of its December 1 release.

Image source: Across the Great Divide shop

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Powderfinger and Silverchair Hit Brisbane

Last Friday night seasoned concert goer Lisa Mayer, saw Silverchair and Powderfinger at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. I caught up with her for a chat about Powderfinger’s hometown gig.

Lisa’s a big fan of both bands, but she expected Silverchair’s performance would have the edge. The Newcastle lads opened the show with a rocking set, which included big hits “Without You,” “Greatest View,” and their latest smash “Straight Lines.”

While the band did their best to entertain, the local crowd seemed largely unmoved.

“Silverchair did rock, but the audience kind of didn’t. I wanted to stand up and dance but it wasn’t that kind of audience,” Lisa told me. “Other than that, I was really happy with Silverchair and I didn’t think that I could enjoy Powderfinger as much as I enjoyed them.”

When Powderfinger took to the stage, the audience became “the kind of hometown crowd that a band would be proud of.”

And the band delivered a set worthy of their adoring fans. A stripped-back acoustic version of “Sunsets” was “absolutely spine-tingling,” and “On My Mind” was a surprise with “Midnight Rambler” in the middle. But the real crowd-pleaser was “My Happiness” which encouraged a spontaneous sing-a-long.

Lisa said the song “saw the entire entertainment centre singing along while the band stood in amazement that everyone was singing their own song back to them, full volume. That had to be a spine-tingling moment for them. They all looked so happy to be there, so happy that they were with fellow Brisbanites and playing at the Entertainment Centre for the first time.”

So how much did Lisa love the show? Well, she’s going back to see the bands at the Gold Coast and Toowoomba later this week. Now that’s dedication.

Image source: jeaneeem @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Silverchair and Powderfinger Go Green

Silverchair and Powderfinger are the latest rockers to jump on the green bandwagon. They’ve just announced their massive Across the Great Divide tour will be carbon neutral.

The bands will buy carbon credits from Climate Friendly to offset the 800 tonnes of carbon emissions the tour is expected to generate.

“The Silverchair/Powderfinger tour has invested in renewable energy projects via Climate Friendly, such as wind power, that will prevent exactly the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are generated by the event,” said a spokesperson for the tour.

But the tour’s social conscience doesn’t end there. Across the Great Divide doesn’t just refer to the wide expanse of Australian land the tour will cover. It’s also a reference to the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Aussie children. The bands hope their tour will start people talking about this important issue.

The Across the Great Divide tour kicks off next Wednesday in Newcastle.

Image source: World Wildlife Fund website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Perth Powderchair Gig On, Up! Festival Off

Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Good news? Well here goes.

Last week we reported that Perth’s Across the Great Divide concerts were in doubt, after the council banned the events. Last night this decision was reversed, so the shows at Claremont Oval will go ahead as planned. This will undoubtedly please the 20,000 Powderfinger and Silverchair fans who bought tickets to the September shows.

The news isn’t so great for Michael Franti fans, as his Up! Festival has been postponed until next year.

The shows, featuring Spearhead, Ben Lee, Blue King Brown, and Old Man River, were scheduled for next month. But apparently Michael Franti’s band had other plans.

“There was a scheduling conflict and Spearhead was not able to make it out here. It has been put off until next year,” said Frontier Touring Company spokeswoman Suzanne Snape.

While Michael Franti and the boys should be back in Oz in 2008, Ben Lee fans won’t have to wait that long. The indie folkster plans to announce some solo tour dates soon.

Up! Festival ticket holders can obtain full refunds from their point of sale.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

New Song Obsession: I Don’t Remember

This week’s song obsession is more correctly a video obsession. Powderfinger’s latest effort, “I Don’t Remember” isn’t a bad slice of Oz rock. However, this film clip featuring a bunch of music loving kiddies proves a lot more entertaining.

This clip is a fantastic parody of the Aussie music industry, centered around the Powderfinger-esque Little Finger. Silverchair cleverly becomes Hi Chair, while Wolfmother are more appropriately called Wolfmummy. And who needs cocaine and cigarettes when you’ve got Wizz Fizzes and Fadds? These kids really know how to party.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Perth Powderfinger/Silverchair Shows in Doubt

Where will Powderfinger and Silverchair play in Perth? That’s the big question after revelations the Across the Great Divide concerts planned for Claremont Oval don’t have council approval.

The Aussie rock groups planned to play two Perth shows in September. The first sold out, and the second show isn’t too far behind. However, we won’t know whether the concert will go ahead as planned until a council meeting later this month.

“We are not against the concert per se,” Claremont mayor Peter Olson told Southern Cross Radio. “We’ve got to get it through the process.”

So what happens if the concert is rejected? Finding a venue large enough to hold the massive crowd on two consecutive nights will be a big ask. Perhaps the promoters should have thought of that before the tickets went on sale.

Perth is regularly neglected when it comes to live music. It’d be a shame for Perthites to miss this awesome show because of red tape and poor planning.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

New Shows for Crowded House, Powderfinger, and Silverchair

It’s hardly surprising, but punters have snapped up tickets for the upcoming Crowded House and Powderfinger/Silverchair concerts.

It took just one hour for Crowded House to sell out Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Friday. The venue seats 14,000, which means an amazing four tickets were sold every second.

They also did a roaring trade in New South Wales and Western Australia. A new Melbourne show is currently on sale, while additional Sydney, and Perth shows will go on sale tomorrow. EMI Music claims these will be the last shows announced, so fans had better get in quickly.

Fans also bought up big when Silverchair and Powderfinger tickets were on sale on Monday morning. Within 30 minutes, all tickets to the bands’ shows in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, and Wollongong were gone.

Continue reading “New Shows for Crowded House, Powderfinger, and Silverchair” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Silverchair and Powderfinger Rock Australia

The hottest bands in Australia, Silverchair and Powderfinger, are joining forces to present the tour of the year.

Powderfinger are riding high on the success of their latest release, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It hit the top spot in its first week in the charts, becoming the fastest selling album in Australia this year. Meanwhile, Silverchair’s double platinum newie Young Modern remains firmly in the top 20, 10 weeks after its release.

The Across the Great Divide tour kicks off in Silverchair’s hometown of Newcastle on August 29, followed by The Finger’s hometown of Brisbane. It will take in every Australian capital city and 14 regional centers, making this one of the biggest tours in Oz music history.

Playing small regional towns doesn’t phase the bands. They’ll take a customised tent on tour with them, allowing them to build a large venue in places too small for entertainment centres.

“Aside from our album launches, these will be our first shows for two-and-a-half years, and the first time we will return to a lot of the regional areas,” said Powderfinger frontman, Bernard Fanning. “We have been threatening to hit the rural places for ages and now we’re getting around to it we are grateful to have Silverchair with us to carry our gear!”

Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies couldn’t resist taking a jab at his co-headliners either.

“It’ll be great to get right around Australia after all this time and if the tickets don’t sell, we can always blame Powderfinger!” he joked.

Poor ticket sales are the last thing this tour has to worry about. Visa holders can obtain special presale tickets on July 2 through www.visaentertainment.com.au. The rest of us will have to wait until Monday July 9 to nab some of the hottest tickets around. Get in quick: this tour is sure to sell out. Check the tour website for ticket outlets and complete tour dates.

Image source: Across the Great Divide website