News October 11, 2023

Mushroom Group Unveils ‘Once-In-a-Lifetime’ 50th Birthday Concert

Senior Journalist, B2B

As it blows out 50 candles, Mushroom Group will celebrate its milestone with a special, one-night-only event in Melbourne this November, featuring Jimmy Barnes, Frente, Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly and many other artists who’ve shaped the indie juggernaut.

Announced today, the Mushroom 50 Live concert is set for Nov. 26 at Rod Laver Arena, with a line-up of over 20 artists performing 50 songs – one for each year Mushroom Group has existed.

Mushroom 50 Live will “pay homage” to the legacy of the company built by the late Michael Gudinski, aged just 20 at the time, and now run by his son Matt, as CEO, and the party will “also look to the future, showcasing the next generation of Mushroom artists who will make their own mark on the Australian music landscape in the years to come,” a statement reads.

Performers will dish up a selection of original songs and Mushroom classics, from “Working Class Man,” “Holy Grail,” “Sweet Disposition,” “Riptide,” “Hoops,” “It’s Only the Beginning,” “Before Too Long,” and “Living In The 70’s,” and more, with special pre-recorded messages to play out on the big screens.

“This is going to be an incredible once-in-a-lifetime night, to commemorate 50 years of great Mushroom music and Australian talent,” Matt Gudinski comments in a statement.

“The Mushroom family is determined to bring together a special evening for all involved. With more than 20 artists performing as part of the event, this will be a true celebration of Australian music and a showcase our thriving local music scene and its history. I know my late father would be very proud of what we are putting together.”

Mushroom 50 Live is the culmination of a year-long procession of birthday treats, which have included the release of a series of reimagined singles, featuring stars covering Mushroom classics; retro merch; and the theatrical release of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story.

It won’t be the first time Mushroom has loaded up its birthday cake.

In 1983, the music company hosted its 10th anniversary party with the Mushroom Evolution Concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

And in 1998, the record-breaking Mushroom 25 Live concert at the MCG which was, at the time, the largest ever ticketed concert in Australian music history, with 73,000 people in the stadium.

Fittingly, Ed Sheeran, a member of the Mushroom “family,” now has the record at the G, which he broke on consecutive nights earlier this year, with attendance of 105,000, and then 109,500. Those dates and others for Sheeran were produced by Frontier Touring, a division of Mushroom Group.

Mushroom 50 Live is a partnership with Telstra and ALWAYS LIVE, the state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victoria Government through Visit Victoria, and the brainchild of Michael Gudinski.

The Telstra Plus presale commences Friday, Oct. 13 at 2:00pm AEDT, before the Frontier Touring members presale begins Monday, Oct. 16 at 1:00pm AEDT.

General public on sale is Wednesday, 18 October, 3:00pm AEDT.

With every ticket sold, $2 will go towards Support Act’s Ausmusic T-Shirt Day campaign.