When Richard Clapton told us the party never ends, he meant it.
Richard Clapton, or Ralph as he’s affectionately known, is celebrating 50 years as one of Australia’s foremost singer/songwriters with anniversary shows at the State Theatre in Sydney on Saturday, 15 April and the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Friday, 19 May.
With a songbook featured in the soundtrack to two-plus generations, including Girls on the Avenue, I Am an Island, Goodbye Tiger, Capricorn Dancer, Down in the Lucky Country, Deep Water, High Society, Blue Bay Blues, Glory Road and Angelou, he really is responsible for some of The Best Years of our Lives.
Richard Clapton’s 50th anniversary shows
- Saturday, 15 April 2023: State Theatre, Sydney
- Friday, 19 May 2023: Palais Theatre, Melbourne
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“I can’t believe it’s 50 years since “Prussian Blue”. I had one foot in Southern Germany and another foot in Chippendale, and life was so good in the Lucky Country,” Richard says.
“Gough Whitlam was our Prime Minister and the Sydney Opera House was officially opened. I had been away for several years, but when I returned in 1973 there was an amazing embryonic contemporary music scene busting to get out of its shell and take the world by the tail. The explosion of original Australian creativity, that seemed to happen all of a sudden, was awe-inspiring and kickstarted me into a burst of creative energy.
“Since then, I have released over 20 albums and I couldn’t possibly guess at how many gigs I’ve played, but I think I’ve played every square inch of this wide brown land.
“Fast forward to 2008 when Marc Christowski first presented me at The State Theatre in Sydney. This has become an annual pilgrimage for the fans who come from all over Australia and in fact, the world to be part of Richard Clapton at The State.
“And what a great ride it’s been! So… welcome to the party that never ends!”
Richard Clapton and his merry band of old mates / excellent musicians will be playing the whole show (two sets).
Ticketmaster members can secure pre-sale from 10am on Thursday, 16 February until 9am on Monday, 20 February (local times). Grab tickets here.
