Tens of thousands of Australians filled the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Sunday for the Fire Fight Australia concert to celebrate national spirit and coming together after the recent brushfires.
As of this week, the fires in New South Wales that destroyed more than 13 million acres and 2,400 homes are reportedly under control. It’s estimated that 1 billion animals have been killed as a result of the fires.
The ten-hour event sold out in less than a day upon its announcement.
All proceeds from the concert will go directly to support The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), an organization working on the ground with Australian rural communities affected by the disaster, supporting them to rebuild.
The line-up included 5 Seconds of Summer, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Buble, John Farnham, k.d. lang, Alice Cooper, Amy Shark, Tina Arena, Baker Boy, Conrad Sewell, Daryl Braithwaite, Delta Goodrem, Illy, Grinspoon, Guy Sebastian and Queen with Adam Lambert.
Among the many incredible performances throughout the day, two of the biggest highlights came from openly queer artists.
k.d. lang delivered a haunting “Hallelujah” that brought the entire stadium audience to a standstill. The singer famously intoned the Leonard Cohen tune at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but clearly living with the song over the ensuing years has deeply enriched lang’s take on the piece. And the voice remains undiminished.
Adam Lambert and Queen stole the night with a spectacular, take-no-prisoners performance of “We Are The Champions.” We’ve seen Lambert with Queen before, but his vocals were not to be believed here.
Australian music royalty and longtime LGBTQ ally Dame Olivia Newton-John took to the stage for the first time in two years joining veteran Aussie star John Farnham on “Two Strong Hearts” near the end of the evening.
And Australia’s unofficial national anthem, “You’re The Voice,” served as the finale for the event with Farnham being joined on stage by Queen’s Brian May and Mitch Tambo.
According to reports, the event raised just over $9 million. For those interested, you can still donate by clicking here.
FOX has announced it will air highlights from the star-studded event in the U.S. on February 29 on FOX.
https://twitter.com/7NewsAustralia/status/1228997490780696577
There were goosebumps as @QueenWillRock + @AdamLambert performed the band's 1985 Live Aid setlist at @FireFightAU, closing with the iconic 'We Are The Champions'. #FireFightAustralia #7NEWS https://t.co/kjZunKuuuK
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) February 16, 2020
