‘Birdman’ Tony Hawk to fly high at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall in a world-first
For one day only in the Queensland capital, skateboarding hero Tony Hawk will fly high above a crowd of fans at a world-first event to be held in one of Brisbane’s major music venues.
For one day only in the Queensland capital, skateboarding hero Tony Hawk will fly high above a crowd of fans at a world-first event to be held in one of Brisbane’s major music venues.
By installing a custom-built 3.65m “vert ramp” inside the Fortitude Music Hall, and adding skate demonstrations, live music and video gaming, event organisers have assembled a unique tribute to Hawk in which the man himself will be a star performer.
The US athlete’s name and virtual avatar helped repopularise the sport more than two decades ago, when the first edition of the mega-selling Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS) game series was released in 1999, complete with a soundtrack heavy on punk rock and alternative music.
When this multi-layered proposal to mark the 25th anniversary of the game was first put to the bloke otherwise known as “Birdman”, how did he respond?
“I thought it was ambitious but a great way to celebrate 25 years of our THPS legacy,” Hawk, 55, told The Weekend Australian.
“Authentic skating and iconic music are key factors of why the series has endured all this time. Bringing both elements together for a live audience will be a sensory overload, and I’m here for it.”
Secret Sounds Venues head of bookings Mark Gibbons, who is a producer on the event, has been patiently nursing it to fruition across several years of planning.
On Saturday, across two sold-out shows – all-ages in the afternoon, adults only at night, respectively – he and his team at the Fortitude will be among the 4000 or so attendees watching this dream come to life.
“I liked the thought of being able to put a ticket on sale, and people get to imagine a completely different world,” Gibbons said.
“They’ll be walking into something that you wouldn’t see anywhere else in the world: this is an exclusive, one-off event that probably won’t exist ever again, so it’s a really special one for us to work on.”
Hawk will be among 12 athletes from his Birdhouse team to skate on the newly installed vert ramp – as well as a crew of local Queensland skaters – as rock bands play on stage and live footage from THPS fans playing the iconic game are broadcast on a big screen behind the band.
As for starring in an unusual show held on the other side of the world from his birthplace in San Diego, Hawk remains humbled by the journey that brought him there.
“It is a huge honour,” he said. “I never imagined travelling the world, performing in front of crowds or working on video games in my early days of skating – and I certainly didn’t think I could still be a pro skater into my adult years. I’m thankful for all of these opportunities, and I take none of it for granted.”
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