This Month
Forget sex, drugs and rock’n’roll: kale and kombucha take over touring
Frontier Touring has a new-look team, but it’s not the only thing in the music biz that has changed.
- Samantha Hutchinson
March
Seven must-see shows in April
From West Side Story’s Tony and Maria on Sydney Harbour to Tom Gleeson’s return to stand-up in Melbourne, entertainment options are hot next month.
- Michael Bailey
‘Shock the industry needs’: Splendour in the Grass cancelled
Spiralling costs and an over-saturation will lead to a “correction” after the music festival’s shock 2024 demise, according to one promoter.
- Michael Bailey
From TISM to Ben Elton, seven shows you must see in March
Your downtime won’t be a letdown with our guide to some of the best shows happening around the nation this month.
- Michael Bailey
February
What it was like at Taylor Swift’s show on Sunday
The billionaire songstress put in the hard work to maintain a deep connection to her 83,000 fans at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
- Michael Bailey
Taylor Swift takes to the stage, fans, PM go wild
The singer’s sell-out four-concert run has kicked off in Sydney in front of thousands of fans and the prime minister.
- Updated
- Kat Wong and Nyk Carnsew
Qantas puts on A380 as storms threaten Swifties’ dreams
The airline put on the plane normally used for international flights as arrivals and departures were limited at Sydney Airport.
- Updated
- Patrick Durkin
Why smart businesses are Swift-ifying themselves
Bookings for some tourism operators were languishing about 15 per cent below this time last year. Now, everything has changed.
- Samantha Hutchinson
Taylor Swift takes Melbourne by storm as she kicks off Australia tour
The pop megastar opened her Australian tour with a show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of 96,000 delirious fans.
- Updated
- Liz Hobday
‘Taylor has topped it’: Swift trumps Aus Open, NYE in hotels gold rush
Accommodation bookings in Sydney and Melbourne have jumped on this time last year, even as room rates double.
- Samantha Hutchinson
January
- Opinion
- Opinion
Need to get something done quickly? Ask an ageing rocker
The long-haired, morally degenerate yobos of yesterday are showing the outwardly respectable politicians and chief executives how to behave when you have power.
- Shane Watson
The Taylor Swift effect brings $140m windfall to Sydney and Melbourne
It’s the music event that has attracted the attention of the US Federal Reserve. Now Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour is poised to trump Australia’s summer of cricket.
- Updated
- Samantha Hutchinson
December 2023
Pension, sovereign wealth funds pile into TEG’s $1.1b dividend recap
Sources said Silver Lake had lined up the $1.1 billion from five lenders, all of whom signed on the dotted line this week.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
What the Qantas-Ticketek deal means for frequent flyers
The deal, which will allow events to be booked using frequent flyer points, comes as Silver Lake considers its options for the business.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
- Christmas Gift Guide 2023
- Life & Leisure
One man, one guitar, and the music of Africa head Down Under
South African guitarist Derek Gripper will be touring Australia in the new year. Expect the toe-tapping rhythms of Mali (and maybe some Bach).
- Bridget Elliot
November 2023
- Christmas Gift Guide Edition 2023
- Life & Leisure
Just the ticket: the key events in Australia this summer
From the Hallelujah Chorus to Harry Connick Jr, there’s music, ballet, opera and more to kick up a song and dance about this month and into the new year.
- Michael Bailey
Steve Vai, inventor of hair metal guitar, casts spell at Sydney show
Yes, there was some of the twenty-notes-per-second shredding for which the Californian is renowned, but also reminders of a guitar’s versatility when in the right hands.
- Michael Bailey
- Opinion
- Review
Sam Smith brings one of pop’s great voices to Sydney
The voice was supernatural, the songs were stadium-sized, the costume changes were spectacular, but this show still made you feel better in your own skin.
- Michael Bailey
October 2023
Goldman CEO to stop DJing in public after backlash
Critics have long argued that David Solomon’s hobby of spinning tracks as “DJ D-Sol” was at odds with his role leading a Wall Street investment bank.
- Simon Foy
The five things you must see at SXSW Sydney
The inaugural Sydney version of the storied Austin culture and technology conference boasts over 1000 events. Here are some essentials.
- Michael Bailey