More than 400 Australian performers have joined forces with leaders of the live entertainment industry for a national campaign urging people to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
Each year and no matter the weather, Aussies road trip down the Great Ocean Road for Falls Festival, hit up the Forum to see their favourite artist, line up for that sold-out comedy show, book a plane trip to Byron for Splendour in the Grass, or book out every AirBnB possible in Bendigo for Groovin’ The Moo. We would thrive on that incredible feeling of singing along to your favourite band in a crowd of thousands, arms around your mates under an open sky.
It’s now been nearly two years since we’ve had any of these things, two years since we’ve experienced live entertainment like it was.
With the aim to get the live industry back on the road, more than 400 Australian performers have joined forces with leaders of the live entertainment industry for the #VaxTheNation campaign, urging people to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
The key takeaways
- #VAXTHENATION is urging Australians to get vaccinated in order to bring forward the restart of the live entertainment industry
- The initiative includes a nostalgic television commercial that aims to remind all Australians of the joy of live music and events
- The campaign is also backed by more than 400 performers including Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Amy Shark, Archie Roach and Midnight Oil
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Kicking off on TV on Monday, the #VaxTheNation campaign includes a nostalgic commercial that aims ‘stop the interruptions’ and open up the nation’s devastating entertainment sector, reminding the public of the joy live music can bring, featuring images of outdoor music festivals, big crowds, smiling fans and the song ‘My Happiness’ by Powderfinger. The campaign calls on those missing the music, the friendships, the pit family, the portaloos, the wrist bands and that amazing feeling of being alive to roll up their sleeves to bring forward the restart of the $36.4 billion live entertainment industry.
The campaign also sees the likes of Paul Kelly, Amy Shark, Tim Minchin, Hilltop Hoods, Birds of Tokyo, Briggs, Jimmy Barnes, Midnight Oil, Ocean Alley, G Flip, Celeste Barber and Troy Cassar-Daley among the hundreds of artists, bands and performers supporting #VaxTheNation, lending their voices to a coalition of tour promoters, ticketing agencies, theatre, opera and dance companies, industry associations and peak bodies.
“The impact of the pandemic on Australia’s world-leading music, theatre, comedy and live entertainment industries has been truly devastating,” said LIVE Alliance members in a statement, a body that includes representatives from ARIA, Live Performance Australia, Australian Festival Association, Live Nation, Frontier Touring, the Mushroom Group and TEG.
“Getting vaccinated is the crucial step fans can take which will allow us to join together and enjoy the unbeatable magic of live performance once again.”
Check out the #VaxTheNation commercial below.
Head to the #VAXTHENATION website for further details and info on where to get your jab.
