Australia: Festival Sellouts, Major Artists Announce Tour Dates

CMC Rocks Queensland
– CMC Rocks Queensland

Festivals: CMC Rock Sells Out, Falls Confirms Return, Bluesfest Adds Acts

A surge of confidence in major festivals – from promoters and audience alike – followed Australia’s reaching a 90% single and 80% double vaccination rate ahead of schedule.
Queensland country and roots CMC Rocks (Sept. 21-25) sold out all 22,000 tickets within hours of going to market Nov. 3.
Potts Entertainment, Chugg Entertainment and Frontier Touring so far only announced three headliners – Brad Paisley making his first visit Down Under, Kane Brown and Nashville-based expat Morgan Evans.
The Willowbank Arena event cancelled its 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions, losing A$25 million ($18.5 million) in tourism dollars to the state.
Michael Chugg said of CMC’s 15th anniversary in 2022: “The response has been overwhelming. It’s shaping up to be our biggest and best CMC Rocks so far.”
After a number of reschedules due to COVID restrictions, Secret Sounds confirmed Falls Festival would return to three locations over December 2022 and January 2023.
These include North Byron Parklands in Byron Bay, Fremantle Oval on the west coast, and a new “spectacular and untried” site Pennyroyal Plains in Victoria which is half an hour from surfside Lorne where Falls began 27 years ago.
But the Tasmania leg, in Marion Bay, is scrapped after 16 years. It was always a weak economic link, more because of the pandemic. 
In view of its multi-million dollar tourism draw, the Tasmanian government initiated talks mid-year with Secret Sounds about a return. A financial decision was not reached. 
Bluesfest (April 14-18) in Byron Bay continued to add acts, with The Cat’s Empire, Caravãna Sun and Tijuana Cartel for the first night. The Cat’s Empire, who played 16 times at the festival will play their final show with their current lineup.

Killers, Strokes, Announce Dates
The Killers have confirmed The Mirage Tour 2022 would head Down Under for nine arena and outdoor stops for Frontier Touring. Their last visit in 2018 sold out all 10 shows, while they were to return in 2020. The upcoming tour runs Nov. 21 to Dec. 19.
Secret Sounds has The Strokes, here as a Splendour In The Grass headliner, also at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne July 26 and Hordern Pavilion in Sydney July 28.
Rüfüs Du Sol, Vance Joy, Returning To Tour Home Base 

Rufus du Sol
Don Stens – Rufus du Sol

Aussie expatriates Rüfüs Du Sol and Vance Joy announced tours of the home country.
Los Angeles-based Rüfüs Du Sol, who formed in Sydney, play an initial five massive outdoor venues in the southern spring of 2022 for Fuzzy.
Each show is to a capped 25,000, promising their biggest production yet. 
It hits Brisbane Showgrounds Nov. 26, Sydney’s The Domain Dec. 2, Adelaide’s Ellis Park December 10, Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse Dec. 15 and Perth’s Langley Park Dec. 17.
“We’ve planned four different tours of Australia and New Zealand since 2019 and haven’t been able to announce any of them,” the band said.  
“We wanted to make sure when we announce a show, it’s gonna happen and we are confident this tour is happening and we’re are going to make up for lost time with you all.”
While their North American tour this month sees them play to 70,000 in Los Angeles alone, in Australia their fourth album Surrender debuted at the top of the official ARIA charts early November and picked up two noms at the ARIA awards for best group and best dance release.
Singer songwriter Vance Joy, currently living in Barcelona, Spain, makes his first national run since 2018 with The Long Way Home Tour. Frontier Touring says the 13 outdoor shows are his biggest domestic run to date. Stops include Sydney Opera House’s forecourt and hometown Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl. 
Other major tours, also all outdoors, are by Icehouse and Paul Kelly.
Icehouse is celebrating the 40th anniversary of global hit “Great Southern Land”, Australia’s unofficial anthem used in everything from land rights discussions to its cricket team’s walk-on.
The first five shows, presented in association with Live Nation and Regional Touring, are from Feb. 19 to May 28.
After being scrapped in 2020 due to COVID, Paul Kelly’s Christmas shows Making Gravy return to Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl December 9 and Brisbane’s Riverstage Dec. 18 through Frontier Touring.