Australia: Storm Postponed, Eminem, Pink, Sydney City Limits

Live Nation Expands City Limits To Sydney

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After establishing the City Limits festival brand in Auckland, New Zealand in March 2016, Live Nation is expanding it to Australia in February.

Inspired by Austin City Limits, Sydney City Limits will be staged at Centennial Park. It will be produced by Australian promoter Secret Sounds (which LN acquired in December 2016) Austin-based C3 Presents and Live Nation itself.

Auckland City Limits, which drew 25,000 previously, returns March 3 to Western Springs stadium, and presented by Auckland promoter CRS Presents with C3 Presents and Live Nation.

The two events will share Beck, Justice, Grace Jones, Phoenix, The Avalanches, Tash Sultana and The Libertines, with Vance Joy as an exclusive to Sydney and George Ezra and Peking Duk as one-offs for Auckland.

Storm’s Inaugural Sydney Show Postponed

Shanghai-based A2Live has postponed the inaugural staging of its Storm festival in Sydney set for Dec. 9  at Parramatta Park.

In a Facebook post, organizers attributed it to the “adverse weather conditions” which saw the Shanghai stop in September canceled.

“We’ve been working around the clock to make the original event date work, but it is just not possible.

An announcement on a rescheduled date will be made soon.” Ticket holders will have an automatic upgrade to VIP tickets for the new date, but can also request a refund.

Eminem To Donate Court Winnings To Relief

Eminem will donate the $412,000 that his Detroit publisher Eight Mile Style won Oct. 23 in a New Zealand court case against the NZ’s National Party for using a “Lose Yourself” sound-alike.

Through the Marshall Mathers Foundation, the rapper promised to donate the first $250,000 to the StockX-Eminem Hurricane Relief Fund for victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma as part of a wider fundraising initiatives, which included dollar-for-dollar matches to fans’ donations.

The song was used without permission by the Party during its 2014 election campaign.

Tours: More Pink shows, Bryan Adams Returns

Following Pink manager Roger Davies mentioning in a recent Pollstar interview that more shows would likely be added to the singer’s Australian leg of the Beautiful Trauma World Tour, Live Nation announced three new shows Oct. 30.

They were her fourth show at the Perth Arena July 7, and two more at Melbourne Rod Laver Arena Aug. 28 and 29. This brings the total of Australian shows to 33.

Frontier Touring has Bryan Adams back in January for a limited regional run. This includes his first shows on Queensland’s Bribie Island (Sandstone Point Hotel, Jan. 9) and the Gold Coast (Convention Centre, Jan. 10) and two A Day On The Green winery shows through Roundhouse Entertainment in Victoria Jan. 12-13.  The dates take place after Adams plays the region, with previously announced four shows in New Zealand January 2 to 6.

Lupe Fiasco is confirmed for six theatres and clubs through Australia and New Zealand Jan. 11-19 through Select Touring, Blue Murder and Slingshot.

Dua Lipa, already announced to open for Bruno Mars’ six shows in March as part of his 24k Magic World Tour 2018, will do two headliners as part of her The Self-Titled Tour. Live Nation has her at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre March 12 and the Big Top at Luna Park, Sydney, March 21.

Thievery Corporation was added to the lineup of WOMADelaide in March 2018.

TEG Live has U.S.-based Australian singer songwriters Rick Price and Jack Jones on eleven theatre dates May 3 to 27, behind their Top 10 Sony Music set California Dreaming, which pays tribute to classics by The Mamas And The Papas, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Eagles, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, The Byrd and, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Already announced as the promoter for the upcoming Jack Johnson tour, Chugg Entertainment also has Canadian singer songwriter Bahamas for three club dates Dec. 4-9. 

Matt Sayles / Invision / AP – Pink
Pink is in the swing of things during the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Aug. 27.

LN Confirms Download Debut In Melbourne

With speculation rife in Australia, Live Nation’s president of UK Touring Andy Copping confirmed to IQ magazine that the UK’s Download festival will be held in Melbourne next year.

The only details available are that  it will be through LN’s Australian affiliates Secret Sounds and Unified.

David Byrne drops out of NZ Festival

David Byrne, who was to play a one-off show Feb. 26 at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre as part of the New Zealand Festival, has bowed out of the gig.

No reason was officially given. The festival’s artistic director Shelagh Magadza said organizers were “disappointed,” but the cancellation was due to circumstances outside the festival’s control.

The NZ Festival runs Feb. 23 to March 18 and includes Grizzly Bear, Cecile McLorin Salvant & The Aaron Diehl Trio, The Staves, Thundercat and Perfume Genius in its music component.