Coming off one of the harshest summers’ Australia has faced, the Fire Fight Australia concert looked to provide some well-needed relief.
On Sunday, ANZ Stadium was an escape from the harsh reality that Australia has had to face over the last few months. With almost 150 fires burning in Australia during January, the Fire Fight Australia concert looked to kick off the rebuilding process, raising $9.5 million altogether.
Stretching over 10 hours, the event was hosted by comedian Celeste Barber and featured performances from Queen, Peking Duk, Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy and Baker Boy, ultimately featuring 22 acts.
Throughout the concert, many performers took their time to acknowledge the firefighters, while others took digs at the Australian Government. Australian singer John Farnham singled out ‘Ross the Builder’ as he thanked the firefighters for their efforts.
“Thank you to the fireys […] Seriously, thank you. I have the honour and privilege to know a few of these guys. Ross the builder, I won’t give his last name — I don’t want to embarrass him — but he was in Merimbula as a captain. We’ve sat down over a couple of beers and he’s told me about this, the pressure that he felt sending some of those volunteers into danger was a real deal for the man. It really affected him. But he was brave enough to be able to pull it off, and his people didn’t let him down,” said John Farnham.
Regardless of his absence, Scott Morrison did not go unscathed during the event with comedian Celeste Barber expressing her frustrations against the Prime Minister. “As Aussies, we band together because we have to look after each other — ‘cause it turns out people at the top don’t”, said Barber, who has raised $52 million through social media (and receiving some backlash for it).
On a lighter note, Indigenous singer and dancer, Mitch Tambo performed a rendition of Australian classic, You’re The Voice, singing the entire second verse in Gamilaraay. Following his rendition, firefighters took the stage to receive their much-deserved appreciation from the fans.
Queen almost performed their iconic 22-minute Live Aid set with Adam Lambert exerting his role as frontrunner for the band. The performance also featured footage from their original performance, showcasing Freddie Mercury’s iconic stage presence.
Performances from Baker Boy, Daryl Braithwaite and Alice Cooper helped pull Australians together to recover from the now scorched 12 million hectares. All in all, the Fire Fight Australia concert was a pivotal step in bouncing back from the nightmare we’ve just went through as we commemorate those that have lost lives, family and property.
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