ALWAYS LIVE and Face to Face Touring are proud to present Australian music icon Tina Arena live in concert alongside co-headline Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer and cultural touchstone, Richard Marx. Exclusive to Victoria, they will be performing with special guests including Oz music legends Daryl Braithwaite, Kate Ceberano, Southern Sons, and 1927 at Mornington Racecourse on Saturday 7th December.
Tina Arena is one of Australia’s highest selling artists of all time, selling more than 10 million albums worldwide. Her landmark second solo album Don’t Ask was released in 1994 which included one of her biggest hit singles to date Chains. The song cemented Tina Arena’s status as a powerhouse in the global music landscape with its hauntingly crafted lyrics and emotionally charged vocals that only she can deliver. The album has become one of Australia’s biggest selling of all time. It gained ten x ARIA Award nominations and won five including ‘Album of the Year’.
Richard Marx is a prolific singer, songwriter and producer whose career spans four decades long and boasts an extensive list of accolades. He has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and to this day, remains the only male artist in history to have his first seven singles reach the Top 5 on the Billboard charts. Over the course of his stellar career, he has written and produced hits for a roster of artists that include Keith Urban, Hugh Jackman, Josh Groban, Barbara Streisand, Kenny Rogers, *NSYNC and Luther Vandross, of which he and Vandross won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for Dance With My Father.
Richard Marx’ influence remains steadfast in popular culture today, having written, performed and released countless worldwide No. 1 albums. These include the self-titled debutRichard Marx, as well as Repeat Offender and Rush Street, all of which have spawned massive hits such as Hold On To The Night, Should Have Known Better, Don’t Mean Nothing, Endless Summer Nights, Satisfied, Right Here Waiting, Keep Coming Back and Hazard. Over the decades, these songs became staple tracks that continue to dominate airwaves globally and in turn, have stood the test of time. Marx has achieved a seven-year string of triumphs that rivalled any in pop-rock music history.
Daryl Braithwaite is an iconic Australian singer/songwriter and ARIA Hall Of Fame Inductee. As the frontman and vocalist for the 1970s band Sherbet, Braithwaite rode a wave of local and international success with songs such as Howzat and Summer Love propelling the band to superstar status.
Braithwaite went on to embark on a highly successful solo career which included a No. 1 ARIA Album Chart for his album Edge (1988), featuring the hit singles As The Days Go By and One Summer. Braithwaite’s 1990 follow-up album Rise included the single The Horses which reached No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart and to this day remains an anthem for generations of Australians. In 2020, he joined a host of local and international artists to perform at Fire Fight Australia, Concert For National Bushfire Relief in front of an audience in excess of 70,000 at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.
Iconic artist Kate Ceberano has been electrifying stages with her presence for over four decades. 11 platinum and 8 gold albums, 10 Top 10 albums, 15 Top 40 singles, 3 Countdown awards, 5 ARIA awards from 20 nominations (9 X for Best Female Artist) and over 6000 live performances.
I’m Talking’s platinum debut, Bear Witness, brought Kate‘s jaw-dropping voice to national attention via their five Top 20 singles and is enshrined among Rolling Stone’s Top 200 Australian Albums of all time. There’s her record-breaking run with John Farnham in Jesus Christ Superstar, her triple Platinum smash debut solo pop album Brave, her Platinum selling jazz album You’ve Always Got The Blues, her 2014 induction into the Australian Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, Kate was a force of nature from day one. Kate Ceberano. Australian entertainment royalty and a bona fide national treasure.
Southern Sons, the iconic band from the 1990s are returning to their roots and revisiting the songs that kickstarted their music careers, bringing music lovers a nostalgic journey through their timeless hits. Original members Jack Jones, Geoff Cain, and Peter ‘Reggie’ Bowman will come together to deliver an unforgettable experience, featuring chart-topping classics like Hold Me In Your Arms and Heart in Danger, among others.
Southern Sons’ debut self-titled album, which received an ARIA nomination, soared to the top of the charts, captivating audiences with hits like Heart in Danger, Hold Me In Your Arms, Always & Ever, and Waiting For That Train. The release of their first single, Heart in Danger, in 1990 solidified their position as a formidable force in the music scene, dominating charts for years to come. Their 1992 album, Nothing But The Truth, continued their streak of success, featuring singles such as Lead me To Water and You Were There. Additionally, threeSouthern Sons tracks were included in the acclaimed 1993 Sydney Dance Company production of Beauty & The Beast. The band’s third and final studio album, Zone, released in 1996, showcased a guest appearance by Men At Work’s Colin Hay on the lead single, Don’t Tell Me What’s Right.
Way before Australian Idol and The Voice existed, a wily kid named Eric Weideman was talent-spotted after a scorching performance on Red Faces for Hey Hey It’s Saturday!Weideman teamed up with former Moving Pictures songwriter Garry Frost, his brother Bill Frost and James Barton to form 1927.
They gigged until they were tight then landed a hit with smoky, rocking chugger That’s When I Think of You. It was the first single taken from debut album …ish (1989), followed by yearning power ballad If I Could, a song that still blindsides you with its vulnerability. They weren’t done, releasing You’ll Never Know and Compulsory Hero, all from …ish which topped the album charts and helped the band win at the 1989 ARIA Awards for Breakthrough Single and Breakthrough Album.
Next came The Other Side (1990) which went to number three on the ARIA Album charts backed by soaring pop hit Tell Me a Story. 1927 disbanded and things went quiet, but the music remained until 2009 when there was a demand for 1927, people wanted to hear them play those jams live. The demographic of the band has changed and developed. The songs have managed to reach a new generation of music fans – punters who know greatness when they hear it.
This event is part of ALWAYS LIVE, a 17-day state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria. From Australia’s hottest emerging artists to the international and Australian acts you know and love, memorable Music Moments are made each year with ALWAYS LIVE, only in Victoria, November 22 – December 8, 2024. Program out now – visit alwayslive.com.au for program and ticket details with more to come!
TINA ARENA & RICHARD MARX
‘DON’T ASK…AGAIN 2024’
Saturday 7th December – Mornington Racecourse, Mornington VIC
Pre-Sale: Friday 16th August 10:00am AEST – Monday 19th August 9:00am AEST
General Public On Sale: Monday 19th August 10:00am AEST
Tickets at Ticketmaster
