Music stars gear up for Sound Relief

Saturday's Sound Relief concerts are not the first time the Australian music
community has united for a good cause.
Wave Aid in 2005 raised $2.3 million for the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami, and
Live Earth raised awareness of climate change in 2007.
But the response for Sound Relief, which is being held to benefit those affected by
the Victorian bushfires and Queensland floods, exceeds support for those historic
events.
In Sydney, one of the biggest bands in the world, Coldplay, will kick off
proceedings at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) just after midday.
Their set will provide one of the early must-see moments, when Chris Martin and co
are joined onstage by John Farnham to perform his iconic hit You're The Voice.
At the other end of the day, Bee Gee Barry Gibb will close the show with some of his
famous hits, as well as a special performance with Olivia Newton-John.
The two legendary singers, who were rehearsing in Sydney on Friday, are expected to
duet on Islands In The Stream, while Newton-John will also sing I Honestly Love You.
Gibb will be backed by some of the country's best musicians, including Jon Farriss
from INXS on drums, in his first major concert in Australia since he performed with
The Bee Gees at Sydney's Olympic Stadium in 1999.
Throughout the rest of the day some of Australia's most popular acts will entertain
the thousands who have paid $75 a ticket for a good cause.
1980s band Icehouse have reformed for the benefit, You Am I and Hoodoo Gurus are
sure to be crowd favourites, while Jet and the new-look Wolfmother will take to the
stage in Sydney and Melbourne.
Dance duo The Presets, US country sensation Taylor Swift, and Perth bands Eskimo Joe
and Little Birdy are among the other big names on the bill.
In Melbourne highlights include chart-toppers Kings of Leon, Kylie Minogue as MC,
and federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett reliving his Midnight Oil days to
close the show.
Promoters are also promising a few more surprise guests on the day, as well as a
"very special and once in a lifetime" inter-city live link-up at 7.45pm.
A last-minute release of 1,000 extra tickets on Friday will give Australian rock
lovers keen to support the bushfire recovery a chance to secure tickets to
Saturday's gig.
Tickets to the Sound Relief concert in Melbourne at the MCG are available from
Ticketek on 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au.
The Melbourne event will be aired live on pay TV station Channel V, while the Sydney
concert will be broadcast on MAX.
Triple J will capture the audio from both concerts to transmit and make it available
free for radio networks to broadcast throughout the day.