Tickets go on sale Tuesday August 7 for legendary Sugar Man RODRIGUEZ 2019 for his return to Australia.
“Australian audiences hold a very special place in my heart, so I can’t wait to return down under in 2019.” ~ Rodriguez
The legendary singer-songwriter will bring his iconic blend of folk and psychedelic rock to our shores for a run of six massive headline shows plus three very special a day on the green events.
Joining RODRIGUEZ for the day on the green shows will be XAVIER RUDD, BUSBY MAROU, PIERCE BROTHERS and introducing ALICE SKYE. The tour plays Sirromet Wines, Mt Cotton, QLD on Saturday February 9, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, VIC on Saturday February 16 and at Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley, SA.
There will be one Sydney show, Tuesday February 5, 2019 at the ICC Sydney Theatre, with special guest SARAH BLASKO.
RODRIGUEZ has had strong ties to Australia and New Zealand ever since his music gained airplay locally in the mid-1970s, long before the rest of the world caught onto his talent thanks to the Oscar-winning film Searching For Sugar Man. He first toured Australia and New Zealand in the late 1970s and later returned to Australia in 2014, then again in 2016 for a run of 14 concerts selling out shows around the country, and also released the classic live album, Rodriguez Rocks – Live In Australia (out now through Inertia).
The Searching For Sugar Man documentary follows RODRIGUEZ’s celebrated history that began in the bars and clubs around Detroit in the 1960s. Drawing inspiration from the city’s post-industrial urban decay, RODRIGUEZ recorded and released the albums Cold Fact (1969) and Coming From Reality (1971), which produced hit songs Sugar Man, I Wonder and Cause. These releases went largely unnoticed in the US, despite Cold Fact being certified five-times platinum in Australia and Coming From Reality peaking at number 24 on the ARIA album chart.
Thanks to bootleg recordings and word of mouth, Cold Fact found its way to South Africa where its counter-culture lyrics resonated with the country’s politically alienated youth. Without a telephone, and working factory and construction jobs to support his family, Rodriguez remained oblivious to the fact that he was bigger than Elvis in South Africa.
Nearly five decades after the release of his debut, Rodriguez’s incredible vocal and musical skill is finally being heard by audiences around the world, including festival audiences at Glastonbury and Coachella.
“It (Cold Fact) is one of those rare lost albums that turn out to be a genuine classic.” – Pitchfork
