Sound Relief promoter Michael Gudinski’s charity concert for farmers

Michael Gudinski is working on a charity event for drought-stricken farmers on the scale of his historic Sound Relief concert, which raised more than $8 million for Black Saturday victims. See the acts the gun music promoter has access to.

Michael Gudinski holds up a $7,159,760 cheque after the 2009 MCG and Sydney Sound Relief concerts.

Michael Gudinski is working on a charity event for drought-stricken farmers on the scale of his historic Sound Relief concert.

Sound Relief, which took place at the MCG 10 years ago this week, raised more than $8 million for the victims of Black Saturday.

“The music industry is renowned for getting behind charity and helping out. And it’s really the greatest thing for me, to be able to give back and pull something like that together,” music promoter Gudinski said.

HOW SOUND RELIEF CAME TOGETHER IN FIVE WEEKS

PICTURES: SHOCKING IMAGES SHOW EXTENT OF DROUGHT

OUR FARMERS’ BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL LAID BARE

“If you think that I’m not thinking about doing it again, doing something for all the farmers in Victoria, well watch this space.

“I’m not going to try and repeat Sound Relief, but there’s something I’m working on at the moment with a few people.”

Farmers in the Giffard West region of Gippsland in Victoria are doing it tough. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Gudinski said it was too early to discuss bands or venues, however, the promoter has access to the biggest names in music, having toured The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Midnight Oil and Kylie Minogue.

Sound Relief, which ran simultaneously in Melbourne and Sydney, featured Kylie Minogue, Coldplay (with John Farnham), Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon, Jack Johnson, and Barry Gibb with Olivia Newton-John.

“It’s probably my most proudest moment,” Gudinski said. “I still get emotional thinking about it.”

Michael Gudinski with Kylie and Dannii Minogue at the MCG Sound Relief Bushfire Benefit Concert in 2019. Picture: Frontier

Gudinski revealed a secret donation from the late Leonard Cohen helped motivate him to start working on Sound Relief.

“We were in Perth on the day of Black Saturday. Leonard came up and asked me for a chat. He said ‘Michael, I’m very concerned about all the fires and devastation going on’. I told him we were playing a show within a kilometre of those fires just a few weeks before. He made a donation that was over six figures.”

The MCG donated the venue, 450 staff worked for free, bands played for free and no free tickets were given away.

“It’s the biggest music event in Australian history as far as making money goes,” Gudinski said.

“There were over 80,000 people at the MCG that day and there wasn’t a single fight.

“There was nothing but love in the air.”

[e-mail]