Happy Anniversary, Sidney Myer Music Bowl! We Look Back At 60 Years Of The Melb Landmark

It's one of Melbourne's most-loved live music venues and today the Sidney Myer Music Bowl celebrates its 60th birthday.

The venue was first opened on 12 February 1959 in the Domain Parklands and has seen iconic performances from local (AC/DC, Nick Cave, Crowded House to name a few) and international acts (ABBA, Blondie and Daft Punk are just some on the very long list), including one performance which gained itself the title of the biggest concert ever to be performed in the Southern Hemisphere according to the 2007 Guinness Book of World Records. 

“At Arts Centre Melbourne we take our role as custodians of this extraordinary venue as both a privilege and a joy," says Claire Spencer, CEO of Arts Centre Melbourne.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 2017. Pic by Mark Gambino.

"Celebrating 60 years of high-calibre performances has meant that hundreds of thousands of audiences have had the opportunity to enjoy live music in a stunning outdoor venue, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Sidney Myer Fund, which was established upon Mr Myer’s passing in 1934."

In celebration of the occasion, we've taken a look back at just some of the venue's most memorable moments. 

The Seekers come home and smash the venue capacity record by a lot - like a real lot...

Remember how we mentioned that world record earlier? Yeah, that happened in March 1967 and has never happened at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl again. It's estimated that 200,000 people attended The Seekers homecoming show, in a venue that has a capacity of 13,000. They scored themselves a standing ovation from the much-adoring crowd at the end of Georgy Girl. 

Wings play their only-ever Melbourne shows

Eleven years on from The Beatles playing down the road at Festival Hall, Sir Paul McCartney returned to Aus with his new band for the Wings Over The World tour - their only ever Australian run. McCartney and co played two Melbourne shows (13 & 14 November 1975) at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, and he didn't return again until 1993 for his 'The New World Tour' at the MCG.

Stop The Drop delivers an incredible Aussie line-up

Back in 1983, just one day after the Sidney Myer Music Bowl's 24th anniversary, the venue played host to the Stop The Drop concert which featured the likes of INXS, Midnight Oil, Redgum and more to promote nuclear disarmament. 

Pearl Jam bring some very special guests along for the same song 11 years apart

Pearl Jam's 1995 debut Aussie run saw them play three shows in Melbourne - two at Flinders Park Tennis Centre (now known as Rod Laver Arena) and one at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. They closed the Sidney Myer Music Bowl show with a cover of Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World, a track that has since gone on to become synonymous with the group, and invited one Mr Dave Grohl up to drum.

Fast forward to 2006 and Pearl Jam were back at the venue as part of the Make Poverty History charity concert, once more bringing some special guests with them - Bono and The Edge - to form supergroup UJam.