Canberra Crowds Flock to Australia Celebrates Live

The Earlybird team were excited to be organising the Australia Celebrates Live concert again this year, and we are proud to announce the event was a hit!

On Wednesday the 25^th of January Canberra crowds flocked to the lawns of Parliament House, eagerly waiting for the annual concert to kick-off. The event started with the Australian Of The Year Awards at 6pm, where Geoffrey Rush was officially titled the Australian of the Year by Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. At 7:45pm the Australia Celebrates Live concert began, however keen punters got in early and promptly set themselves up, complete with picnic baskets an Australian flags, in the best vantage points on the lawns so as not to miss any of the action. This year also featured a ‘Family Area,’ located on the hills of Parliament House. A glass and alcohol-free zone, the Family Area filled up quickly as it was the perfect spot for people to sit and enjoy the concert and big screen in a more relaxed environment.

Classic Aussie rockers INXS headlined this year and had the crowds singing along to their well known rock anthems. The band also treated punters with a debut performance of their latest song ‘We Are United’ which suited perfectly with the Australia Day theme of the night. The Potbelleez and Sneaky Sound System were popular among younger punters, as both acts had the crowds up and dancing with their internationally successful dance-floor hits.

Alternative rock heavyweights Spiderbait also treated the audience to a new release, as well as a couple of their old favourites including ‘Black Betty’. Katie Noonan and The Captains wrapped up the huge lineup for 2012, performing songs from their 2010 release ‘Emperor’s Box’ along with a well-received cover of Midnight Oil’s ‘Bed’s Are Burning.’

Myf Warhurst and James Mathison kept punters entertained between acts, which had the crowds, both at the event and watching at home, singing and dancing well into the night.

The event was an overall success with crowds, the biggest the event has seen, being well behaved as they enjoyed the biggest and best Australia Celebrates Live concert to date.