Calling all Aussies---If you were, André
If you were André, how would you plan your trip to Australia?
Please reply to this question before you read the other replies to insure your thoughts are only yours & not someone else's
Please include:
A list of cities you think André will visit
Put in order the cities of his itinerary
How many concert he will perform in each city
What is the seating capacity of each venue you think André will use
What famous people or politicians, do you think will attend
Which concert in which city, will you plan to attend
Dear Bill, Christine here from Townsville in North Queensland Australia. Here are my answers to the questions you have asked about Andre's tour down under. He will visit Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
With the way his popularity is here at the moment I think he will need to do 2 concerts in each city. People in Australia are used to traveling huge distances, especially to attend something they are really keen on. I would think there will be people attending his concerts in more than one city. From what I know each concert will be held outdoors in a large stadium. Being that we are sports mad, it stands to reason it will be one of the main sporting venues in each of these cities. That being the case, they can hold a massive amount of people. I'm not sure on exact figures, and I know I will probably be corrected on this, but I would say the capacities would be anywhere between 20,000 up to about 50,000, maybe more. As far as politicians attending, being that it won't be for anyone's political gain, I wouldn't count too much on it. At the moment he wouldst be known to the majority of them here. But maybe by this time next year he will be and he may get a few attending, purely for the spectacle and the love of the music. I am definitely attending the concert in Brisbane, which is about 1400 Kilometers South of where I live in Townsville. My mother lives in Brisbane and we are going to the concert together. If I had the time and the money, I would go to every one of them. (In my dreams!!) I think Andre need not be worried about filling seats, the fan base is huge and growing all the time. I imagine there will be lots of people coming from overseas as well and making a holiday of it. Love to all. Christine
Hi Christine ,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I'm envious of the fact André will be visiting Australia, but am concerned & wondering if he will visit Arizona. He normally visits in early Dec. In 2008, he will be somewhere down under.
Brisbane is the home of Mirusia , one of the soprano soloists, so I sure there will be multiple concerts scheduled for Brisbane. Go here if you want to read a review of Mirusia's CD.
Which town do you think André will visit first, & last....ie, the sequence of his trip?
I'm sure everyone will be looking at all of the replies to this topic, Thanks for being first.
Oh, I forgot to list the sequence of which cities he will visit first and last. I think he may work his way around the coast, otherwise he would be going back and forth to each city. So I think he will have the first one in Brisbane, then to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and lastly Perth. Will only know if that is correct when he posts the itinerary and venues on his official website, which hopefully will be soon as the tickets go on sale next month in November. Love to all. Christine
Hello Christine: I know what you mean about going to all the concerts. Wouldn't that be fun? I don't know about the large crowds though, I like smaller arenas and prefer Theaters with real seating and good acoustics. That might be a thing of the past, as Andre is so popular worldwide.
I think you are right about people making a holiday of it. They would get to see a concert and visit your beautiful country all at the same time. It certainly sounds good to me.
My father in law attended the World's Cup in Sail Boat Racing years back. He enjoyed it so much; he returned 3 more times just to visit!
Hi,I live in Perth ,WA and have family in Melbourne and Sydney so it's possible I could be at three concerts without any trouble at all, so I'm lucky. Because of the distance from WA to the Eastern states, this would preclude lots of us from attending a concert, so I'm hoping that there will be at least one concert in Perth. This would mean that many of the country people would be able to come to a central venue in Perth. I'm sure a suitable outdoor site could be arranged and as the weather here is much more reliable ( beautiful summer nights ) than Melbourne or Sydney, it would be the ideal place for it. I must admit though that the Sydney Opera House is a wonderful venue also and I would imagine that will be used by Andre. I know he will enjoy being in Australia and we will enjoy having him as our guest.
Ok Bill, I've written this WITHOUT looking at one reply. These are my words.
We’ve all heard which cities that André will visit in Australia. I would add one in the northern portion of the country, but I don’t see any city that has over one half a million people. To make the effort that André would have to make in a smaller city would not be economical, I’m sure. So the cities that André will visit are Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. I’ve listed them in the order that they would be visited by André and the JSO. I would have one concert in each city except Sydney in which I would have two concerts because I feel the venue seems to be the smallest one in these major cities. Is Sydney the most popular city in Australia? I feel it may have a capacity for more than one concert.
The venues I’ve chosen for André’s concerts are:
The Bassendean Oval in Perth, which seats 22,000…or…I would have it in the Subiaco Oval, which has been updated to hold 60,000 people. I feel this is extremely large, however, if André is to bring his Vienna stage to this area, then this would be perfect, especially in a new territory such as Australia!
Adelaide would be the Entertainment Centre, which holds 11,000 people. It’s the largest in Southern Australia.
In Melbourne we have the Rod Laver Arena, I’d go with “stage 3”, where the seating capacity is 9,400 people for an end-stage event. I would have to go with the Entertainment Center in Sydney. It’s holds a capacity of 11,542, not including the “legal” standing room area which holds another 2,500 people. Then we have Brisbane, the last of our André tour. Which is called the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and holds a capacity of 11,000 people.
If André were to go for the huge coliseums which holds twice as many people, then I would have to go for the Stadium venues, which hold an average of 22,000 people upwards of 60,000 people. And maybe this is the way to go if we have the Vienna stage event.
These five cities have the largest population in the country with Adelaide being the smallest in population of 1,130,100 people and Sydney has 4,280,900 people.
I would have no idea what famous people or politicians would attend. If I had a choice…they would ALL attend, so that they would “feel” the music that André and the JSO brings to the world. Then they would realize beauty and the love of the music, which finds your soul. The politicians would do everything they could to bring world peace. I hope that someday soon this dream will be fulfilled.
Which concert in which city, would I plan to attend? If I had the money to go to Australia, I would also have enough money to attend all of the concerts in these five cities. I would also have enough to explore these beautiful cities as I visit them for the concerts. Yes, six André Rieu concerts in five cities of Australia…that would make a wonderful vacation!
Hi Marlene ,
That is one heck of an informed reply, considering that you don't even live in Australia. I'm amazed at your knowledge of the names & seating capacities in each city, in a foreign country.
I'm thinking you are better informed than "the Aussies" <g>
Marlene
That was a great post. That took a lot of research. I don’t think I can top that. Hugs
J e a n i n e A n n
Dear friends in Oz. I would think that Andre will bring the Shonnbrun sets from the Vienna concert to Australis, which would mean that the concerts would be in the stadia venues,
much like Leipzig, Dusseldorf & Brussels
I have read that the sets will be enroute to Australia, that will take 3 months by sea. My Aussie fans are in for a really magnificent concert. The whole crew & cast plan to play Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, & Perth. They may go west to east which would begin with Perth, & that to me would make good sense. I've not been to Oz, but have read much about the country over the years, including a twelve book history
of the beginnings of the country, by Wm. Stuart Long, who shares my maiden name. Don"t know if he is a relatiive, but I do know that the series was well researched & most enjoyable. Both Australia & Canada are young countys with much maturing happening. It is kind of like Rome wasn't built in a day
& it takes time for us to grow up. In many ways we are still teenagers trying to find how we can fit with the rest of the world. Australia has a lot of different climates & terrain, from desert to the tropics, & each has its' own flavour. The whole centre is a lot of vacant land, but also the longest straight line railroad from one end to the other. The Aussies, also began the flying doctors, where folks got their medicine from the planes because of the
vast distances between settlements. It is very amazing. Ihave lived in Alberta, for 10 years, & prior some 60 years in British Columbia, so I am aware of distances, & lots of driving time to get from place to place. I am 74, & still young at heart. Last weekend, my
round trip to Edmonton for the concert
was 1,707Km, so the old car/1988 T-bird was put thru its' paces, & I wasn't even weary, when I got home!! Of course I am very healthy, so I count myself very blessed. Hope everyone is well Love Marianne
SYDNEY 3.melbourne 3.adelaide2.perth 1.brisbane 2.sydney 1.seating 60.000 - 80.000.alan jones kerryanne .john howard .john laws.and all of us vips.will attend sydney of course.
Firstly Bill, congratulations on your initiative in introducing this thread, it should prove very interesting. I live in Brisbane and these are my thoughts. Andre did announce that the tour would be from November 24 to December 14 2008, a total of 20 days in Australia. He also said that he would be bringing the replica Imperial Shonbrunn Palace – Ballroom and Ice Skating Rink, so to me, this rules out any of our indoor concert venues.
Also, I am going to assume that Andre will not be touring New Zealand at the same time, so I am taking into consideration, that a large contingent of New Zealanders will make the trip to either Brisbane – Sydney or Melbourne to see a performance. Airfares from NZ to these cities are less than $500 return, and given the huge following Andre has in NZ , I would not be surprised to see up to 25,000 New Zealanders flying in.
I think Andre will open his tour in Sydney for two (2) concerts at Telstra Stadium which has a capacity of 80,000 people. Because of the size of the staging, it will effectively wipe out some seating across one end of the stadium, but, this will be compensated by seating in the main arena area’s, so capacity should remain at normal levels. This applies to all the venues I have chosen.
Andre will then go to Brisbane, again for two (2) concerts at Suncorp Stadium with a capacity of 52500. Suncorp is the home of State of Origin Football and by far Australia’s most intimate stadium, and Andre and Suncorp will create an unbelievable atmosphere.
The spotlight will then move to Perth for one (1) concert at the Subiaco Oval which has a capacity of 43,000.
Then it will be Adelaide’s turn at the AAMI Stadium with a capacity of 51500 people.
The tour will wind up in Melbourne with two (2) concerts at the Telstra Dome which has a capacity of 56,000 fans.
Collectively, the above tour gives access to about 475,000 fans out of a population of 21 million to see Andre in concert.
As for Celebrities and Politicians !! – Celebrities, yes there will be plenty. But Politicians
no, sorry, we are having National Elections in 5 weeks time, so the pollies will be well and truly in hibernation by the end of 2008.
But I will be there at Suncorp.
to Bill, in reference to Marlene's comment. One word: Awesome! Bill, I do second your comment that Marlene is better informed than some Aussie. I admit I cheated, I did read the comments and if I can get/afford a ticket I hope it is not Telstra Dome. I fear even with new glasses I might not be able to see the stage.
Just keep up the fantastic work you are all doing on this website.
Kindest regards, Sigrid
Hello Sigrid: I love to hear from the Aussies directly as well as from Fans & Friends Around The World. Your input is always welcome.
Marlene is known for research and diligence. She keeps herself informed! (And being kind, she informs the rest of us as well.)
I would enjoy seeing photos of the venues as well as the town/city they are in. Perhaps some background information.
I see Sigrid has expressed concerns about my choice of Telstra Dome in Melbourne. Sigrid, I chose it, in a very narrow decision over Olympic Park and purely on the merits of capacity, but, personally, if I were a Melbournite, I would prefer Olympic Park.
Sally - Here is a website with photo's and details of all Australian Venues.
You can easily use the "search" to view them by city.
Have fun, Cheers.
http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/
Thanks for the link Sigrid . I'm going to be spending some looking at the various venues in Australia.
I'm going to go out on a limb & bet that André will first perform in Brisbane. My guess is based on the fact that Mirusia is from Brisbane & a concert in her home town would probably be most widely publicized across the country..... a concert & story about a local girl that made good on the international circuit.
Such publicity, I think would promote & prompt others to buy tickets in other cities. Yes, André is internationally known, but Mirusia is perhaps the newest National celebrity . That & the fact that Mirusia has performed in New Zealand should draw a lot of New Zealanders.
I think it makes a lot of economic sense to begin his tour in Brisbane. I'm just wondering "how many" concerts will be needed in Brisbane to accommodate all the people that will want to attend André concert.
I have also just concluded that since the entire Australian tour is traveling in unchartered waters, & since he will be performing concerts in 5 cities over a 20 day period of time; that Andre will be flexible in scheduling the number of concerts in each city depending on the number of people that want to attend a concert in each city.
Quite frankly, I think there will be multiple concerts in each city.
Hi Bill. My guess as to where André will commmence his tour. 1 concert in Perth. 1 Concert in Adelaide, 2 in Melbourne,1 in Brisbane, and at least 2 in Sydney. All in that order.
Hi Fred,
What city, in Australia, do you live? And which concerts will you be attending?
HI BILL. I hope to attend the Perth and Melbourne Concerts, Perth is my home city.
Hi Fred: Every photograph I've seen of Perth is so pretty. I hope at some point Andre makes a DVD in Australia. The highlights and extras would be so beautiful.
canberra sydney and melbourne
I have got a couple of queries regarding the Aussie Tour. In an interview I heard on our Brisbane radio with Andre, he said that he all his equipment by three (3). Does this include things like the Palace/Ballroom/Horses and Carriages etc. The set up/dismantle time at each venue will be enormous. Add this to the huge distances between the cities in Australia, approx 1000 km each between Brisbane Sydney and Melbourne (12 hours drive time) and Adelaide accross to Perth is 2700km (30 hours drive) this makes for a logistical nightmare. Andre said it would take 80 Containers to ship it all here, but once here, I would guess it would have to be moved by Road transport. Has a big set up like this been used in USA before?? How does he do it when on tour there??.
Also I should add, that November/December in Australia is the start of our Summer storm season with most of our storms occuring early evening. Maybe all Aussie fans should make a really big effort from here in, and start :-
"Sending Nonne a Sausage" !!!
Hi Bill: I'm just popping in to say what a fun Blog Entry this is. The wonderful fans in Australia can help educate those of us (who live elsewhere) about their country. 
It is like dreaming we are there.
Hi Aussie fans!
This is a great topic so I thought I'd be able to connect with some other Aussie Andre-lovers here!!
I will definately by at Andre's Melbourne concert, I hope he kicks off his tour here!
I have something that may interest some of you... a new, mint condition VIOLIN that is SIGNED by ANDRE RIEU, I personally obtained it during his last visit to Australia!!
It is up for auction on Ebay at the moment, if you're interested the item number is 120174891390. This is a rare item and as much as I love Andre and this violin, I have to sell it to pay for my motorbike registration and I'm only a poor arts student! =(
So if anyone is interested and would like to give one of my most treasured items a good home, Ebay is where you'll find it!!
Thanks!!
Nat =:o)
Hi Bill Arizona
I don't think I would plan his concert on such a large scale even though it will be gorgeous and I will be a definite in attendance in Melbourne. I would go to all of his concerts if I could afford it.
I have "heard" that in Melbourne Andre and JSO will be performing at the Telstra Dome which seats 50,000 and standing room 65,000 - it's huge although some of it can be closed off. I have also "heard" that he is touring Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane as well and he will be in Australia November 24 to December 14 but it hasn't been confirmed. Am also told that the tickets are going on sale in November this year for the concerts in 2008. Will just have to wait and see. I actually got his autograph when he did the promo tour here in early October and I was only about 30cms away from him. He signed my copy of his book and I felt like an awkward 12 year old but he is so lovely and just like he is on his DVD's. Can't wait for him to come here.
Cheers
Pauline - Melbourne Australia
Sorry - I forgot about who will come!!! All the notables in Melbourne like the Premier, Opposition leader, PM (whoever that will be - election next month) and celebraties (including moi)!!! I think he will go to Sydney first, (they always get in first) the my hometown, Melbourne, then it's a toss up between the others. Are you going to come to Oz as I think there will be a lot of overseas visitors. You would be very welcome to stay with us and it will be summer so bring shorts.
Cheers
Pauline - Melbourne
Neither Ticketek or Ticketmaster in Australia have anything up for Andre tickets as yet. I think the logistics of these concerts are taking a bit longer to finalize than first thought.I would be surprised if tickets actually go on sale this month, my guess is maybe sometime in December.
There are so many people in Perth getting to know Andre and the JSO and I think the Aussie tour will be a huge success. I was thrilled when Perth was included because I would have travelled to Sydney. The weather should be warm/hot for the tour.
regards
Trish, Perth, Western Australia
BLOGS?? Sally, I know how to switch this machine on, how to enter my accounts and collect and send my emails. Apart from that I would not have much of a clue.
Best entertainment venues in Adelaide would be, firstly, the Adelaide Oval. Probably the most picturesque cricket/football/entertainment venue in Australia.
It is a true 'oval' shape and is reputed to have a capacity to hold 34,000 people, although I don't know if that is seated. This is an open aired venue of course.
Secondly, the largest indoor venue I know of is the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. This Venue seats up to 12,000 people.
There are many other venues around Adelaide, however they probably hold no more than two to two and a half thousand - certainly not sufficient patrons to justify Andre's attendance is Adelaide.
We hope that we will see the show here in Adelaide one day. In the meantime we will just have to satisfy ourselves with purchasing the dvd's and enjoying same.
Perhaps you could try typing up Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Entertainment Centre and AAMI Stadium for more information.
In closing, I hope that Andre and crew are coming to Australia and that they might also fit in our Adelaide.
With regards,
Alan