Garry Van Egmond, Giant of Concert Promoting, Dies at 82

Garry Van Egmond, the concert promoter who helmed Dire Straits’ record-setting Brothers In Arms tour in 1986 and was AC/DC’s go-to man whenever the rockers embarked on a homecoming tour, died Saturday morning (April 6) following complications of recent surgery. He was 82.

“TEG is deeply saddened to announce the passing of TEG Van Egmond’s Garry Van Egmond,” reads a statement from TEG Group, the Sydney-based tech, live entertainment and ticketing giant, which acquired Van Egmond Group in 2020.

Based in Melbourne, Van Egmond chalked up more than 50 years in live entertainment, selling more than 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

He helmed several of the biggest concert tours of Australia including Dire Straits in 1986, Jesus Christ Superstar in 1992, Riverdance in 1997 and AC/DC in 2010.

Few tours will ever come close to the box-office draw that was Dire Straits Brothers In Arms run, tickets for which were snapped up by 1 in 15 of the entire Australian population — a feat that was listed in the Guinness World Records.

In Sydney alone, more than 250,000 tickets were shifted out of a national total in excess of 900,000.

Also, notes TEG, Bette Midler’s The Divine Miss M Tour of 1978 sold out 72 performances.

In 2010, AC/DC’s Black Ice Tour, produced by Van Egmond Group, became the fastest selling concert in Australian history selling over 520,000 tickets in under three hours, with the trek going on to sell over 760,000 tickets in Australia and New Zealand.

AC/DC

These achievements, notes TEG, are a “testament to Garry’s ability to meticulously plan and execute all aspects of successful promotion from marketing through to logistics.”

Today, comments TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones, “the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond.

“Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time.”

Fifa Riccobono, former CEO of AC/DC’s music company Alberts, remembers Van Egmond as “a pleasure to work with. A great promoter and a wonderful human being.”

Garry is survived by his daughter Katie, son Christo and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.

TEG Van Egmond is run by managing director Christo Van Egmond, who reflects on his dad as a “true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with. He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years.”