Producers told to up their game for finale
WITH the opening ceremony falling flat of memorable moments, organisers have been told to lift their game for the closing ceremony.
It is understand a host of top Australian pop stars, including Guy Sebastian, Dami Im, The Veronicas, Amy Shark and Samantha Jade will perform.
Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project and Anthony Callea are also expected to be involved, with GOLDOC reportedly telling US-based ceremony producers Jack Morton to do better.
“They thought the opening ceremony was inauthentic, too long and too slow,” an insider said.
The ceremonies have a combined budget of $30 million, $17 million of which is understood to have been spent on the opening.
Rehearsals for the closing ceremony have been underway at the Dream Centre, across the road from Carrara Stadium, where the event will be held on Sunday.
The closing ceremony is considered the less formal of the two events. The opening ceremony alone was to reach a global broadcast to more than 1.5 billion people.
Iconic Working Class Man singer Jimmy Barnes will be on the Gold Coast for a show at the Star but is not believed to be involved in the ceremony.
But don’t rule out an appearance by Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett when Yothu Yindi perform as part of the April 15 finale.
Meanwhile, the Bulletin can reveal organisers approached John Farnham to perform in the opening ceremony. When he declined, musical director Katie Noonan offered the job of singing a snippet of Farnham’s hit You’re The Voice to little-known Brisbane singer songwriter Emma Dean.