It warms the cockles of your heart to see so many people out and about at a gig after such a horrendous couple of years for the music industry. At Rochford Winery in Victoria’s Yarra Valley on the weekend, around 10,000 bathed in the sunshine while watching some classic Australian rock as the Red Hot Summer Tour finally rolled through town. Promoter Duane McDonald’s annual Red Hot Summer Tour has been one of Australian music’s greatest success stories, with each and every gig selling out rapidly.
This weekend the Yarra Valley crowd were treated to a feast of oz rock courtesy of Chocolate Starfish, Screaming Jets, Killing Heidi, The Angels, The Living End, James Reyne, and Hunters & Collectors. Sadly The Baby Animals had to cancel their slot due to illness but the unstoppable Dave Gleeson put in a Best-on-ground, double shift, singing for The Jets then hitting the stage again a little later fronting The Angels with no decline in energy whatsoever. As the sun went down and we returned to a brisk Victorian evening, James Reyne and Hunters piled on the hits creating a red hot vibe, exactly as it states on the show’s label. Photographer extraordinaire Jason Rosewarne was there to capture all of the action for us.
