There are very few things that unite Australians like sports and music. The hype and enthusiasm that we as a nation have for both major sports games and huge-scale concerts is off the charts. Let’s be real, the only other time we see anyone that excited is when a bunch of mums line up outside Aldi ‘coz they chucked the fancy washing machines on sale.
But honestly speaking, there’s very little else that has that unique emotional and sweeping atmospheric power to unite a nation. So it makes a whole lotta sense that we’d combine the two by having some of our fave artists perform at major sporting events across the country.
Take the Holden State of Origin for example. With hundreds of thousands of Aussies tuning in to watch New South Wales and Queensland go head-to-head over the course of three matches, people are just as hyped for the game as they are for the pre-game entertainment. Best part? Over the last few years, all the State of Origin performances have come from homegrown acts.
And that trend is set to continue this year with Aussie rap fave Briggs hitting the stage as the brand new headline act – so not only will it be an Australian headliner, but an Indigenous Australian headliner at that. And that’s pretty fkn cool.
But why is it so important that we give Aussie artists this epic space to perform? We’re heralding our homegrown acts just as much as we herald heroes of the game, and frankly I’m all for it.
Here’s the deal:
1. It proves Aussie acts are just as good as international acts
Sure, there are stacks of incredible international acts that would’ve been keen to pop on over and play a casual stadium show (goodness knows The Wombats love an Aussie trip), but we don’t always need to do that.
Footy has become an Aussie institution, and our Aussie acts definitely earn the spot because they’re just as good. Some even have international acclaim themselves – just a few years ago the series hosted Grinspoon, Birds of Tokyo and Bernard Fanning, who have all made their mark overseas.
The whole point is to showcase how bloody brilliant the talent here in Australia is, because frankly we’re pretty fantastic when it comes to our music.
2. They get exposed to new audiences
Given that the games will be watched by literally hundreds of thousands of people, as well as broadcast to even more, having Aussie musicians star as the pre-game entertainment means they get a heck of a boost in exposure to new audiences.
And yes, exposure can be a bit of a dirty word in creative industries BUT in this case, it’s pretty damn good. Believe it or not, there’s probably a bunch of folks who’ve never heard of Briggs, yet here he is ready to perform in front of ’em all like a champ.
Just as music fans will be introduced to new footy players (keep an eye out for Kalyn Ponga and Jai Arrow, folks), footy fans will be introduced to new music. It’s a beautiful circle and everyone wins.
3. The scale is unbelievable
Our fave acts very quickly sell out massive concerts all around Australia, but there’s nothing quite like a stadium show where the audience are already hyped up for the footy.
This year alone, there’s gonna be a 15min lights-out show including a laser, projection, audio visual and pyrotechnic display – and that’s before the ball is even in play.
How often can you say that you’ve played a show that was televised and had soaring plumes of fire and lasers? Yeah, not often, I’d say. And that’s the experience that major sporting events bring to artists – it’s a pretty big deal, so let’s give our Aussie faves the chances they deserve.
And naturally, cheer on your fave team in the footy to follow (now that you’re hyped AF). The first match of the 2019 Holden State of Origin is on Wednesday, June 5th at Suncorp Stadium in Queensland – get around it.
Keen.
