Nathan Davies: Which international act should perform at the Adelaide 500?

The hunt is on for an international music headliner for the newly revived Adelaide 500. Nathan Davies writes our wish list – let us know who’s on yours.

LABOR’S back, which means the big race is back.

Which is great news for car lovers, but equally good news for music fans.

Over the years the Adelaide 500, or the Clipsal or the Superloop depending on how old you are, became a fixture on the rock ’n’ roll calendar as well as the Supercar calendar.

Headline acts at the Adelaide 500 have included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cold Chisel, Hunters and Collectors, Shihad, Powderfinger, Hilltop Hoods, INXS, The Angels and more.

The race also gave many up-and-coming and local bands a taste of the big stage, and provided employment for countless roadies, sound engineers, lighting techs and other assorted rock dogs, many of whom have had a very bleak couple of years thanks to Covid.

Newly appointed race chief Andrew Daniels is apparently hitting the phones as we speak, chatting with promoters and agents and scrolling through his no doubt very thick contact book in an attempt to lock down a big-name musical act for the return of the 500.

Daniels, and Labor, would be very keen to secure a rock coup for the return of the race, something as big as the Chili Peppers (which was supposed to be a secret but was leaked when bass player Flea Tweeted the tour poster).

They’re going to want to make sure the race is packed with punters to avoid a Liberal-led “told you so”, and securing a line-up of huge musical acts will be one way of making sure that happens.

So, Mr Daniels, here’s our Adelaide 500 headliner wish list:

Metallica: Picture this – a warm December evening, the sun sinking in the west, a couple of cold beers under the belt and a hush settling over the crowd before the familiar strains of Ennio Morricone’s Ecstasy of Gold rings out across Victoria Park. The smoke clears and the staccato opening chords of Whiplash cause a head-banging frenzy that literally shakes the foundations of the character cottages of Dulwich and Rose Park. Two hours of thrash metal follows. Be still my beating heart.

Chances of it happening: After 2019’s tour was cancelled thanks to a stint in rehab by frontman James Hetfield, the band has promised to return and there have been hints that 2022 will be the year. Given that Metallica can fill stadiums and football ovals with ease it could be a tough call to lock them down, but hey, life wasn’t meant to be easy right?

AC/DC: It would be hard to think of band better suited to a Supercar finale than Acca Dacca. Angus, Brian and the gang’s no frills rock and roll has been a favourite for close to 50 years and there’s some real Adelaide history there too, with the band picking up Bon Scott right here in the City of Churches. Think about the above Metallica fantasy, but replace Whiplash with Hells Bells. How good would it be?

Chances of happening: AC/DC have been through a tough few years, losing original member Malcolm Young – the band’s engine room – to dementia late in 2017. There are no 2022 dates locked in at this stage, and landing AC/DC would be the coup to end all coups. Still, stranger things have happened.

US hard rock metal band Metallica.

AC/DC

Foo Fighters: There’s no doubt that the Fooeys would have been high on the list – they’re touring the country at the same time as the race – but the tragic death of Taylor Hawkins over the weekend has thrown everything into disarray. Hawkins was far more than the Foo Fighters’ drummer, he was essentially the second frontman, the heart and soul, beloved by the band and fans alike.

Chances of happening: Should the band regroup and decide to replace Hawkins and tour Australia in December then there’s no doubt some phone calls will be made in an attempt to lure them to the big race. At this stage, however, it remains to be seen whether the band can continue without Hawkins.

The Rolling Stones: Another band that lost its drummer in the past year, The Stones would be a huge get. Can you imagine Start Me Up, live, at the track? Unparalleled!

Chances of happening: Slimmer than Mick Jagger’s hips, but Daniels has very good contacts from his time at Adelaide Oval (which, of course, hosted Adelaide’s last Stones show). It would be dependent on them being in the country – or at least in the region – at the time.

Foo Fighters

The Rolling Stones

The Killers: The biggest thing out of Las Vegas since late-period Elvis, The Killers are actually slotted to perform at Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa on December 3, so chucking on an extra night to have them close the race wouldn’t be a logistical nightmare.

Chances of happening: Pretty good, all things considered. I think race organisers will probably be aiming higher, but this would be a brilliant back-up.

The Killers

Guns N’ Roses: Unlikely, given they’re scheduled to play Adelaide Oval the week before the race. Pencil them in for a couple of years down the track Andrew.

Guns N’ Roses.

Fleetwood Mac: Right, leaving the rockers behind for a minute and branching off into pop, wouldn’t The Mac be a brilliant addition to the 500? As Tony Harrison says in The Mighty Boosh, “Tusk, in its entirety, with the pauses, as Lindsay Buckingham intended!” Actually, Buckingham has been replaced by Neil Finn hasn’t he? Either way, it’d be great.

Chances of happening: They were out here just a couple of years ago, but they do have a love for Australia.

Fleetwood Mac

Who would you love to see on the Clipsal line-up? Let us know.