By Damien Murphy
It is the great Sydney musical question: Can dance power beat executive power?
Premier Mike Baird, already facing an insurrection within his ranks and in the bush over his proposal to ban greyhound racing, has also alienated a huge swath of city twentysomethings.
Many of them gathered in Sydney on Sunday to fight for their right to party.
The Keep Sydney Open rally urged the Baird government to rethink its policies on nightlife and lockouts.
Keep Sydney Open spokesman Tyson Koh said the Baird government's imposition of a lockout on venues and clubs had not only alienated young people but destroyed opportunities for live music while allowing the two casinos to open their doors.
"Is that what NSW has become? We just sell out culture to the highest bidder," he said.
"We will not allow young patrons to be turfed out of the inner city in favour of boring, old rich people that don't know how to have a good time. Well that's not what we want and that's not why we've come here. We want a better city for everyone."
The depth of the discontent was revealed by the numbers who attended the rally.
Police estimated the crowd at 3500, organisers put it at more than 7000.
Either way, in a time of demonstrations in support of same-sex marriage, refugees and greyhounds, the Keep Sydney Open rally attracted one of the bigger turnouts in years.
The good-natured protest signs were a broad attack on the premier and his policies. Some samples:
"Real late not real estate"; "Bairdy did a Baird Baird thing"; "We hit the dance floor not each other"; "Night mayor not night mare"; "Make Sydney late again (pace Donald Trump)".
Mr Koh disputed some statistics used to justify lockouts, saying an often-quoted report that alcohol-related trauma at St Vincents had seen a 25 per cent reduction in cases only amounted to two cases per month and in reality alcohol-fuelled violence had intensified in Kings Cross while assaults around Star Casino in Pyrmont had doubled under the new regime.
The rally started in Belmore Park in the CBD, where organisers did a brisk business selling $20 T-shirts with the slogan "Keep Sydney Open". Protesters then marched to Taylor Square to hear speeches and take part in a massive street party while DJs, Touch Sensitive, Ariane and Paul Mac took turns at the turntable.
Sydney councillor Jess Scully told the rally participants were indicative of the diversity that made up Sydney.
Hip-hop artist Urthboy said the last time a government had acted similarly to the Baird government was when 6 o'clock closing was imposed but at least it was across-the-board and not allowed exceptions that had been granted to casinos.
Hayley Mary, of The Jezabels, described the lockouts as an attack on culture.
Rock singer Jimmy Barnes allowed rally organisers to put up a supportive video message in which the former Cold Chisel frontman said he made a living playing live venues around Sydney but attendances had dropped 40 per cent since lockouts were introduced.