Paul Kelly ProfileThe Melbourne leg of Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy tour was plagued by extreme flooding last night, with organisers almost forced to cancel shortly after the show kicked off.
As The Music’s Bryget Chrisfield notes, punters were advised during opening act Mojo Juju’s set to vacate the venue’s grassy hill and seek shelter to avoid being struck by lightning.
REVIEW: Paul Kelly @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Shortly after that, water gushed down the steps, with drains quickly blocked and frontrow audience members standing in mid-calf deep water and Mojo Juju forced to stop mid-song.
With speakers floating in water, attendees were told to relocate from the Bowl to the GA section, while organises decided whether or not it was safe to proceed.
Around 7:30pm the show recommenced, with Alex Lahey performing at 7:45pm, two hours after she was initially scheduled to go on.
The rest of the show played out in fine form – check out our review for the full rundown.
Here’s a snapshot of the flooding:
Thank you to all those who braved the weather last night in Melbourne. I know people spent a long time left out in the...
Posted by Paul Kelly on Friday, December 14, 2018
Paul Kelly concert....stage amps lost to the rain....⛈⛈⛈ pic.twitter.com/3ZbWP6g7xN
— Meaghan Holden (@Meaghan_Holden1) December 14, 2018
Backstage at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Pic via Frontier Touring/Facebook.
Backstage at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Pic via Frontier Touring/Facebook.
The safety of our customers, team and artists are our top priority. We are sorry about the delay tonight whilst we assessed the safety of our venue after the severe weather. The show must go on and thanks to the hard work of our team, it sure did!
— Arts Centre Melbourne (@artscentremelb) December 14, 2018
