By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
It must be one of the greatest collections of 1970s and ’80s Australian performers ever assembled on a single stage.
That’s despite one of them being beamed in via video link in a very noughties technical advance.
The Legends of the Southern Land tour features Marty Rhone, John Swanee Swan, John St Peeters and Ray Burgess.
World-renowned guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will be there in virtual reality, Rhone explained.
“Tommy will be halfway across the world yet performing with us in real time, so it’s amazing what technology can do,” he said.
“When the audience sees it they will be gobsmacked. The visual aspect of the show is stunning. People will have a lot to look at.”
Rhone agreed the music of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s with modern technology was a marriage of opposites.
“I’ll even be performing Denim and Lace with myself as a young bloke back in the ’70s,” Rhone laughed.
“Audiences won’t notice any difference – although if they look closely they might notice a few intervening years,” he said, tongue in cheek.
“A bit of make-up, lighting and a smoke machine can create wonders.”
The Legends of the Southern Land tour will also pay homage to artists no longer with us, the likes of Billy Thorpe of The Aztecs, Doc Neeson of the Angels, Jim Keys of the Masters Apprentices, Marc Hunter of Dragon and Darryl Cotton of The Zoot.
“It means a lot to us to be able to pay tribute to guys we shared a stage with for so many years,” Rhone said.
The enduring popularity of the golden hits was a reflection of the times, Rhone mused.
“Music no longer has emotional connection it did back in the ’70s,” he said.
“Everything today is so fast, there’s nothing to feel, nothing to have an emotional experience with.
“In our era it was all so tangible. You had something to look at on an album cover, like photos, cover notes, it became a keepsake.
“These days it’s all up there floating around the ether, probably digitally downloading in the background.”
Part of the catalyst for the tour was Rhone’s own milestone, celebrating his 50th anniversary in showbusiness.
“We’ve all kept in touch over the years, and when we work together it’s as if we’d never been apart,” Rhone said.
“We thought it would be great to go out under one banner based on a great Aussie theme.”
Joining the tour is James Cupples, whose full throttle performances were seen by millions on Channel 9’s The Voice.
Legends of the Southern Land will play Geelong Performing Arts Centre on 2 April.
