The longest tour of Australia ever?

[STING2]

Well, according to this particular website, Dire Straits played 50 shows in Australia in 1986 on their Brothers And Arms Tour. All of the shows appear to be in arena or stadium sized venues. If this is in fact true, this has to be the attendance record for any tour of Australia. I was wondering if anyone down under could confirm if the following information is correct about this tour.



7 February King George V Oval Hobart Australia
8 February King George V Oval Hobart Australia
12 February Westlake Stadium Adelaide Australia
14 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
15 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
16 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
17 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
18 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
19 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
20 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
21 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
22 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
23 February Sports & Entertainment Centre Melbourne Australia
24 February Myer Music Bowl Melbourne Australia
25 February Myer Music Bowl Melbourne Australia
26 February Olympic Park Oval Melbourne Australia

1 March Mount Smart Stadium Auckland New Zealand
2 March Mount Smart Stadium Auckland New Zealand
5 March Athletic Park Wellington New Zealand
7 March Addington Showgrounds Chistchurch New Zealand
10 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
11 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
12 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
13 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
14 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
15 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
16 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
17 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
18 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
19 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
20 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
21 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
22 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
23 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
24 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
25 March Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
27 March Queen Elizabeth II Stadium Brisbane Australia
29 March Sound Shell Rockhampton Australia
31 March Showgrounds Mackay Australia

2 April Showgrounds Townsville Australia
4 April Showgrounds Cairns Australia
8 April Showgrounds Darwin Australia
13 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
14 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
15 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
16 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
17 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
18 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
19 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
20 April Entertainment Center Perth Australia
23 April Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
24 April Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
25 April Entertainment Center Sydney Australia
26 April Entertainment Center Sydney Australia

If this information is correct and all these shows were sellouts, not even the current Vertigo tour would be able to beat these attendance numbers. I hope someone from OZ will be able to confirm are deny this.

Here is the website where the info came from:

http://www.arrakis.es/~ubik/tour_dates/tour_dates.htm

Just click on the dates with the "Brothers And Arms" tour.

 

[tiny dancer]

 

[timothius]

Well Mt Smart Stadium was built in 1989 so I'm going to lean toward no.

 

[typhoon]

BROTHERS IN ARMS.

BROTHERS IN ARMS.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

New Zealand is not Australia.

 

[Axver]

I've nothing to contribute except:

5 March Athletic Park Wellington New Zealand

 

[STING2]

Well Mt Smart Stadium was built in 1989 so I'm going to lean toward no.

Is there anything else you find inaccurate or strange or was that particular point the only thing?

 

[STING2]

Re: Re: The longest tour of Australia ever?

I've nothing to contribute except:

Were you at that show?

 

[STING2]

New Zealand is not Australia.

I don't recall anyone claiming that it was, and in the list it states New Zealand. There were four shows there which is certainly not unusual. What I found unusual was the 50 shows that took place in Australia.

 

[timothius]

Is there anything else you find inaccurate or strange or was that particular point the only thing?

Thats the only thing. There seems to be a lot of evidence that this actually did happen, I'm guessing ticket prices were amazingly low - that is the only way you could do 21 nights in Sydney etc.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

New Zealand is not Australia.

the new zealand shows are not part of the 50 shows sting2 mentioned. i counted to double check

although i've seen this mistake made elsewhere on the forum

 

[indra]

I wonder if they actually played all those nights or if they just had the venues reserved for all those dates. It seems like a tremendously grueling tour if they played every night.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Well that Adelaide show (at Football Park, West Lakes, not:
Westlake Stadium Adelaide Australia ) was supposed to be the record for attendance at a concert in Adelaide, well until this month's Vertigo show which will have reportedly 60,000 people attending.

I think the Dire Straits record was 55,000 or something.

As for the multiple Sydney and Melb Entertainment Centre shows, U2 in the past have done 8 or 9 or thereabouts at each. On everyone single one of their tours.

 

[Axver]

Re: Re: Re: The longest tour of Australia ever?

Were you at that show?

Wasn't even born. But I'm from Wellington, I loved Athletic Park (RIP), and Dire Straits are one of my favourite bands. So the combo is certainly worthy of a in my opinion.

 

[GibsonGirl]

Re: Re: Re: The longest tour of Australia ever?

Were you at that show?

It would be quite amazing if he was at that show. Impossible, you might say.

EDIT: Damn, we posted at the same time, Axver!

 

[typhoon]

I wonder if they actually played all those nights or if they just had the venues reserved for all those dates. It seems like a tremendously grueling tour if they played every night.

Little known fact: Mark Knopfler is a cyborg.

 

[Axver]

As for the multiple Sydney and Melb Entertainment Centre shows, U2 in the past have done 8 or 9 or thereabouts at each. On everyone single one of their tours.

Pretty close. For Sydney, they did 5 Entertainment Centre sellouts and 8 on Lovetown. For Melbourne, they did 5 (I think sellouts) at the Entertainment Centre, but the 7 Lovetown gigs were at what's now Rod Laver Arena.

I must say I struggle to believe that ANY band could play twenty shows of such size in Sydney on a single tour.

 

[indra]

Little known fact: Mark Knopfler is a cyborg.

Well there you go, that explains it.

 

[adambk]

Well that Adelaide show (at Football Park, West Lakes, not:
Westlake Stadium Adelaide Australia ) was supposed to be the record for attendance at a concert in Adelaide, well until this month's Vertigo show which will have reportedly 60,000 people attending.

I think the Dire Straits record was 55,000 or something.

I think the record is 50,000 or something because thats what I have read, that the U2 concert will beat the record by 10,000! Either way this U2 concert is gonna be huge, I cant wait. I am counting down the days now.

 

[STING2]

Does anyone from Australia know if the Entertainment Center in Sydney would have a complete history of all the events that have happened there since it was built?

 

[annabelle]

Found this on the Sydney Ent Centre site
http://www.sydentcent.com.au
media - newsletters - March 2005

seems to confirm the 20 Sydney dates at least. It's hard to believe now just how big Dire Straits were back then.

Dire Straits
Oh oh oh so timely... It's been 19 years since THE most memorable record-breaking tour EVER to come to the Ent Cent. An unbelievable, never to be matched 20 concerts during their 1986 tour. Yes, yes, I remember, Yr 12 at school, prime of my youth, and oh such a distant memory...it won't be forgotten in a hurry, in fact this chick's memory will never fade. Mark Knopfler returned this month on his pat malone, and brought all of those memories back to centre stage. Pardon the pun, but Mr Knopfler, you rock!!!

 

[U2FanPeter]

IIRC, Bowie held the record for 7 shows at the Sydney venue.

On an unrelated note, The beatles played a month down under in June 1964.

u2fp

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

The Straits tourdates are legit - there is a plaque outside the Ent Centre about it as well. It wasnt a specifically cheap tour either - back in the mid 80's, big name tours were few and far between. Really, the big tours were Bowie, Culture Club, Wham!, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson and U2. REM didn't visit until 1989. Bruce did stadiums in 1985 as well - single dates though.

So back then, if you toured here, people came in huge numbers.

And basically, Dire Straits ruled the charts then - BIA was number one for about 40 odd weeks.

 

[STING2]

Found this on the Sydney Ent Centre site
http://www.sydentcent.com.au
media - newsletters - March 2005

seems to confirm the 20 Sydney dates at least. It's hard to believe now just how big Dire Straits were back then.

Dire Straits
Oh oh oh so timely... It's been 19 years since THE most memorable record-breaking tour EVER to come to the Ent Cent. An unbelievable, never to be matched 20 concerts during their 1986 tour. Yes, yes, I remember, Yr 12 at school, prime of my youth, and oh such a distant memory...it won't be forgotten in a hurry, in fact this chick's memory will never fade. Mark Knopfler returned this month on his pat malone, and brought all of those memories back to centre stage. Pardon the pun, but Mr Knopfler, you rock!!!

I notice the website also has a concert archive of everyone who had played the venue. There does seem to be a few mistakes in there. It does not show the 20th show on April 26.

It also mentions that U2 played the venue for the first time on August 9, 1984 and then the regular run in September. The August 9 date is obviously a mistake.



But its obvious now that these concert dates are real.

With a likely average of around 12,000 people per night for all 50 shows, this means Dire Straits played to over 600,000 people in Australia in early 1986. This means that 3% to 4% of the population of Australia back then saw Dire Straits on the Brothers In Arms Tour.

The Vertigo Tour will have 6 shows in Australia and potentially will have between 350,000 and 400,000 people in attendance. I was sure this would be the highest attended tour in Australia, but Dire Straits will still have it beat by a considerable margin. U2 likely could have added more shows if they wanted to though.

 

[STING2]

The Straits tourdates are legit - there is a plaque outside the Ent Centre about it as well. It wasnt a specifically cheap tour either - back in the mid 80's, big name tours were few and far between. Really, the big tours were Bowie, Culture Club, Wham!, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson and U2. REM didn't visit until 1989. Bruce did stadiums in 1985 as well - single dates though.

So back then, if you toured here, people came in huge numbers.

And basically, Dire Straits ruled the charts then - BIA was number one for about 40 odd weeks.

I know the Police did two stadium sized dates in March 1984. The show in Melbourne was the largest "international concert" in Australia at that time. It was also the last Police Concert to date.

 

[intedomine]

I'd be feeling sorry for Mark Knopfler and the boys. Having to spend more than 15 days in Sydney is a horrific thought...

 

[STING2]

I'd be feeling sorry for Mark Knopfler and the boys. Having to spend more than 15 days in Sydney is a horrific thought...

Mark can handle it. He's a cyborg, remember.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

With a likely average of around 12,000 people per night for all 50 shows, this means Dire Straits played to over 600,000 people in Australia in early 1986. This means that 3% to 4% of the population of Australia back then saw Dire Straits on the Brothers In Arms Tour.

Can I just add here that those 3 to 4% do not include me???!!!! MOR shite

 

[indra]

Can I just add here that those 3 to 4% do not include me???!!!! MOR shite

awww...

 

[Angela Harlem]

I got a t-shirt from this tour. I want to write on it:
"Dire Straits Broke Records And All I Got Was This T-Shirt"