Leo Sayer, Ross Wilson, Dave Gleeson booked for Rise Up!

Some of the biggest names in Aussie music history will hit the stage in Adelaide after an idea born from talks in a local pub became a big deal for the city’s musicians.

It’s been a rough couple of years for Adelaide’s music industry, but a concert planned for next month aims to help forget all the troubles and raise some much needed cash.

Rise Up! 2022 will feature Leo Sayer, Ross Wilson, The Angels’ John Brewster and Dave Gleeson, John Waters and many more, with proceeds going to industry charities Support Act, Crew Care and Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation.

Pop legend Leo Sayer.

Rock icon Dave Gleeson. Picture: Matt Turner.

Muso and promoter Rob Pippan said the seeds were sown at a recent entertainment industry summit at the Arkaba Hotel.

“It was evident from promoters, artists, behind the scenes workers and venues that the combination of lockdowns, complex Covid plans for venues, plus upright consumption and dancing restrictions had significantly affected the entire music and hospitality industry,” Mr Pippan said.

“It had set thousands that work in it on a disastrous path of not being able to trade properly, and make sustainable livings.

“Tens of millions of dollars of earnings in the busiest trading quarter of the year have now been lost,” he said.

Pop legend Sayer, who had smash hits with songs like You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and I Love You More Than I Can Say, said he was looking forward to Rise Up!

“It’s always a pleasure doing gigs for Support Act,” he said.

“This show will host a fabulous roster of colleagues and friends sharing the stage in Adelaide. We will all be celebrating our continued good health, while we join together to assist the health of our comrades.”

It was a sentiment shared by Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock frontman Ross Wilson.

“We’re looking forward to joining the great line-up of rockin’ artists at the Rise Up concert,” Wilson said.