AUSTRALIAN country music icon Graeme Connors will take to the stage at Redland Performing Arts Centre (RPAC) tonight (July 10) in a special fundraising concert supporting the Redland Modern Country Music Club.
In a rare collaboration, Connors has agreed to share both the spotlight and ticket revenue with the club, which is raising funds for much-needed upgrades to its Pinklands Reserve facilities, including a new kitchen, bar extension and improved toilet amenities.
Club member Neale Campbell said members reached out to Connors about staging a show to mark the club’s 51st year and support its future.
“It has proved to be a great collaboration and one we are so excited about,” he said.
The concert will also feature performances from club members, who will open the show.
Connors, whose career spans five decades, said supporting others in the music community was a long-standing value in the industry.
“This is a way to pay back and build a musical community,” he said.
It will be Connors’ second time performing at RPAC.
He fondly recalled a previous show held during a torrential downpour that still drew a packed and enthusiastic crowd.
The show is part of his On the Road Less Travelled tour, which reflects on 50 years of songs and stories.
It draws inspiration from his latest book My Lyrical Life, which features 217 lyrics – including those written for Slim Dusty, John Denver, Jon English and others – along with personal reflections on his eventful career.
Connors said the pause caused by the Covid-19 pandemic reminded him of how much he loved the cycle of writing, recording and performing live.
“I loved that pattern and it proved to me that I wrote for a purpose – and that is to play the songs to an audience,” he said.
“Basically, I’m just a bloody show-off.
“Music is a way to connect. It’s a human experience.”
He said his focus had always been on storytelling.
“That’s how I write. I like the song to mean something – more than an emotion,” he said.
“The lyric is 50 per cent of the song and the next part is to match the musical feel.”
The RPAC concert promises a more intimate experience, with Connors shining a spotlight on the narrative-rich songs that often don’t get airtime at larger festivals.
With 19 albums, platinum and gold records, and multiple ARIA, Golden Guitar and APRA awards, Connors has also shared the stage with legends like Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Del Shannon, Dave Allen and Peter Allen.
Tickets are available at rpac.com.au or by phoning 3829 8131.
