Roady4Roadies fundraiser is coming to a venue near you

Roadies, those warriors who operate in the background, keeping the show on the road, and the music flowing, will be celebrated with a special fundraising event.

Announced Wednesday (Feb. 23), Roady4Roadies 2022 is a national event organised by CrewCare to raise awareness – and essential funds – for their critical work.

Spread across two weekends and all Australia’s major cities, the day will raise much-needed money for Support Act's “Crew” Fund.

It couldn't come at a better moment. According to Support Act, Australian music crew numbers upwards of 22,500, all of whom have gone without work over the past two years.

“There has been little support for them,” reads a statement, “other than the extraordinary efforts of Support Act, who have helped thousands in need through their darkest times.”

This year’s Roady4Roadies activities will take place in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart on Sunday, 1 May; and Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin and Newcastle on Saturday, 7 May 2022.

Launching the initiative, Jimmy Barnes pays tribute to the crew. “I’ve been touring since 1973 and every step of that journey we’ve been supported by some of the best, hardest working guys I’ve ever met, in road crews,” he explains.

Bandmates fight, but they all love the roadies. They’re “the guys who drive the truck all night, who drive to the next gig, set up in the burning sun, spend all day putting the gear back together…the roadies are really the guys who make the show work every night," notes Barnes. "They’re the guys who make us look good, they’re the guys we rely on, you rely on.”

The format for each event begins with a healthy walk around the neighbourhood, followed by family activities and live entertainment, with details of Ambassadors and performers to be announced in due course.

The unseen efforts, the lifestyle and hard yakka that is the world of our road crew was brought into focus in Stuart Coupe’s Roadies – the Secret History of Australian Rock’n’Roll, published in 2018 via Hachette Australia.

On Tuesday of this week, Triple M's launched its own National Roadies Day, a fundraising appeal and day of appreciation “for the blood, sweat, and tears our roadies put in day in and night out to bring our favourite concerts to life.”

Tickets to Roady4Roadies 2022 are available for $20 from Moshtix.