Australian News 10/17

In the second time in Big Day Out’s 18-year history, it announced a second Sydney show. Ticketing for the first show was chaotic, with Ticketmaster putting them on for sale a night earlier.

High traffic forced a malfunction on the “Buy Tickets” option on the festival’s Web site. The first show sold 50,000 tickets in minutes. About 50,000 tickets for the Gold Coast show went in 20 minutes; 45,000 for Melbourne went in 10.

Frontier Touring and Roundhouse Entertainment have 11 arena and winery dates for Diana Krall Feb. 18 to March 8. She will be accompanied by a local orchestra at each show. Other additions to the tour schedule are first-time visitors from Canada Patrick Watson (January), King Khan & The Shrines (January) and Grizzly Bear (January).

Guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela return December through Michael Chugg Entertainment & Gaynor Crawford for their third visit.

A source told the Brisbane Courier Mail that Powderfinger will announce plans to split and do a farewell tour when their new album is out. Manager Paul Piticco insists the band is booking shows downunder and abroad through November 2010.

The independent country music awards, TIARAs, were axed for 2010 due to the ill health of committee president Rob Brown.

George Michael is tipped to tour here, with a headlining event on New Year’s Eve.

A truck driver has to pay all court costs after he abandoned his claim that he co-wrote singer-songwriter Alex Lloyd’s hit “Amazing” in 1989 on the back of beer coasters in a Sydney pub.

Both La Roux and Slayer were forced to cancel their Adelaide shows when their singers came down with throat problems.

Premier singer-songwriter Paul Kelly’s 30th anniversary as a recording artist sees a dozen names, including Missy Higgins and John Butler, play two tribute shows mid-November at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre.

Two first-time promoters are in hiding after the Blueprint Festival reportedly fell apart with debts of $500,000 and many unpaid acts and workers.