Playing to 20,000 people is no sweat for Sydney trio Rufus Du Sol
‘It’s not lost on us; we’re continually pinching ourselves,’ said keyboardist Jon George. ‘This is special, and this is exceeding our wildest dreams of when we first began.’
No matter what happens at the ARIA Awards this month, Sydney alternative dance act Rufus Du Sol will be a winner.
Two days after the annual celebration of Australian music excellence is held on November 24 – where the band is a finalist in seven ARIA categories, including best group, best pop release and album of the year for 2021’s Surrender – Rufus Du Sol will play the first of seven outdoor shows back home.
With more than 150,000 tickets sold across Australia and New Zealand, it will be one of the year’s biggest tours by an Australian act.
Since it emerged from Sydney in 2010, Rufus Du Sol has become one of the nation’s leading live music exports. Now based in Los Angeles, the ARIA chart-topping group recently wrapped a US tour before similarly huge crowds who were drawn to its pounding beats, emotive vocals and absorbing light show.
“I think we did 20,000 people each night for four nights last week, including San Diego, San Francisco and the Hollywood Bowl,” keyboardist Jon George told The Australian.
Many musicians would seriously consider sacrificing a limb to perform to a crowd of that size even once. When he started the group with his friends Tyrone Lindqvist and James Hunt more than a decade ago, did he ever imagine the group would be playing to 20,000 people regularly?
“It’s mind-blowing, for sure, and it is funny to be able to casually say that now,” George said with a laugh. “It’s not lost on us. We’re continually pinching ourselves and taking in the moment, between each other, just to say: this is special, and this is exceeding our wildest dreams of when we first began.”
Touring can be punishing on the body, as a life of poor sleep, constant motion, and questionable food and drink consumption can easily derail careers. To combat that lifestyle, Rufus Du Sol has adopted an exercise regimen more akin to a professional sports team than your average stadium-sized music act.
They travel with a personal trainer, who leads their daily workouts, ice baths, sauna sessions and group meditation.
To get the blood pumping right before showtime, though, there’s one tried-and-true song on the band’s backstage playlist.
“We’ve been playing AC/DC’s Thunderstruck to pump us up before we go on stage, as we do a ginger shot, and get in the mood that way,” George said.
The ARIA Awards will be held at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 24 and broadcast on Channel 9 and YouTube. Rufus Du Sol’s Surrender tour will begin in Brisbane on November 26.
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