Following on from the success last year of the inaugural ‘Live At The G’ series that saw the likes of Little Red, Stonefield, and Airbourne, playing in front thousands of crazed footy fans at the MCG in Melbourne.
This year the AFL, with support from Frontier Touring and Production, Southern Cross Austereo, Level Two and Cherry Rock, are set to play host to even more local musicians as they gear up for the launch of a new footy season this week.
The move comes as the peak sports body is no doubt keen to distance themselves from previous musical indiscretions, such as the Meat Loaf debacle last year that saw the AFL engaged in a mud slinging campaign against the singer after he blamed his appalling Grand Final performance on the AFL being ‘jerks‘.
Kicking off the new musical direction this weekend to christen the start of the 2012 Premiership Season will be three Australian music legends, playing a few songs before the bounce and again at half time given great exposure to local musicians to crowd numbers usually reserved for some of the biggest touring bands in the world.
Thursday night kicks off with Tex Perkins and the Dark Horses playing in front of over 70,000 people at the MCG Richmond v Carlton blockbuster, then on Friday night Melbourne stalwarts and footy fans, Even, rock it out in front of 80,000 Hawthorn and Collingwood fans at the MCG.
Saturday night will see passionate North Melbourne fan Tim Rogers play to the North Melbourne v Essendon game at Etihad Stadium, at the same time young indie Queensland outfit Hey Geronimo will herald the opening of the season at Metricon Stadium when they play to the crowd at the Gold Coast Suns v Adelaide Crows on Saturday night in the Gold Coast.
Hey Geronimo have also been tapped on the shoulder by the AFL who have used their single ‘Why Don’t We Do Something’ for campaigns by the Gold Coast Suns, Sydney Swans, Brisbane Lions and Greater West Sydney Giants.
The AFL is holding an official launch of their music programme in Melbourne in a few weeks where they are expected to announce a whole slew of local artists for matches across the country through out the premiership season.
