‘A living wake’: Iconic Brisbane live music venue’s final night

Three members of one of Queensland’s best-loved bands have taken the stage to farewell an equally iconic live music venue as The Zoo prepare to shut its doors.

• 75+ photos: Fans rock out at Zoo

Three members of one of Queensland’s best-loved bands have taken the stage to farewell an equally iconic live music venue.
Hundreds of people packed into The Zoo in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley to farewell The Zoo, which is closing after 32 years.

Powderfinger’s Jon Coghill took to the stage for the first time in four years and was joined by fellow band member Ian Haug to belt out the band’s hit (Baby I’ve Got You) On My Mind, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. Guitarist John Collins was also on hand.
In other scenes, dance company Bring a Plate ‘flash-mobbed’ their way through the crowd to

King Stingray’s hit Mikumana.

John Collins, formerly of Powderfinger, playing at The Zoo, Fortitude Valley. 7 June, 2024. Photo: Grace Kessels.

The Zoo’s co-founder Joc Curran said last night’s gig would be like “a living wake”.

“This is a way for us to say thank you to all the staff and everyone who has loved it and Brisbane as a community,” she said.

“Everybody is incredibly sad it’s shutting down, but we are just going to do what we do best and dance it out.

Ms Curran said almost anybody who had ever worked at the venue would be performing on Friday night, with 68 performers and 24 acts.

“Tickets to this event sold out in four minutes, so yeah there’s a lot of love in the room for it,” Ms Curran said.

Concertgoer Camerla Stahlman said she and friend Jennie Templeman attended the venue routinely about 20 years ago.

Ian Haug plays at The Zoo in Fortitude Valley. Photo: Grace Kessels.

“They used to do all sorts of things so this was where all of our friends used to hang out,” Ms Stahlman said.

“We’ve seen all the greatest bands here and some of them have come along tonight which is awesome.”

Ms Templeman said they had great memories out dancing and catching up with friends at The Zoo.

“Carmela used to work in a store nearby so it was super convenient and we always had a good time,” she said.

Opening on Ann St in 1992, The Zoo has been a huge hit with music fans, hosting performances from local and international acts.
Coghill said it was “sad” to see the venue close. “The Zoo was so instrumental in helping a lot of bands when it was up and coming and it was a bit of a breeding ground, a fantastic place,” he said.

“We played a lot of venues, the Zoo was one of the best. There were a lot of venues back then,” he said.

Australian rock band Powderfinger bid farewell during at the end of their final ever performance together at the Riverstage in Brisbane in 2010.