The extraordinary career and lifetime contribution of music legend Russell Morris was recently honoured with two sell out performances at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall and Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall. The concerts sold out in days and the performances were so well received that an encore performance for Melbourne has been added as well as dates in Adelaide and Perth to accommodate the unprecedented demand.
Russell Morris, The Real Thing will take place at Hamer Hall on October 31, Crown Theatre Perth on Saturday November 11 and Adelaide Festival Theatre on Friday November 17.
“Performing my songs in front of a 54 piece orchestra and band in July was a career highlight that I could never have imagined. David Hirschfelder has done a spectacular job turning my songs into orchestral arrangements, they sound truly amazing!”
Two time Academy Award nominee BAFTA recipient David Hirschfelder (Shine, Elizabeth) has arranged the score for the 54 orchestra musicians and the 10-piece band that will accompany Russell as he journeys through a career that started with a remake of Joe South’s Hush and was then took off like a rocket with the rich, psychedelic rock masterpiece ‘The Real Thing’ that topped the charts as man landed on the moon in July 1969.
It will follow his various incarnations – including the hits Hush, Sweet, Sweet Love and Wings Of An Eagle – through to the acclaimed blues trilogy that began with the landmark, record breaking No.1 album ‘Sharkmouth’ in 2012. It rose to the top of the ARIA charts and stayed there two years, becoming his most successful album, and winning the 2013 ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album while going platinum.
In addition to the awe-inspiring music power that emerges from the union of a band and symphony orchestra, audiences will be treated to never-before-heard stories, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the life of the man and his music. Russell is a member of the ARIA Hall of Fame and Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame with a career spanning more than five decades. He was awarded an Order of Australia on Australia Day 2018 for “significant service to the performing arts as a musician, singer, songwriter and entertainer, and as a supporter of charitable organisations”.
The concerts, under the banner of The Real Thing, promise an unforgettable night of musical excellence. The Real Thing – Symphonic Concert, recorded in Melbourne in July 2023, will be released via all streaming platforms on Friday 18th August, with the album set for release on Friday October 6th as a 2CD album set (2LP Vinyl package slated for release soon after). Running for over 2 hours, with songs from across Russell’s extraordinary career,
The Real Thing – Symphonic Concert is now available for preorder via https://greatmusiclivesforever.com
The first single The Real Thing (Live), will be released via all streaming platforms on Friday 18th August.
Russell Morris, The Real Thing
Tuesday 31 October Hamer Hall, Melbourne
Saturday 11 November Crown Theatre, Perth
Friday 17 November Festival Theatre, Adelaide
Melbourne and Adelaide – Tickets on presale from 9am local time,
Monday 14 August and general on sale from 9am local time, Thursday 17 August
Perth – Tickets on presale from Monday 21 August, 11am local time
and general on sale from 10am local time, Thursday 24 August
