Grinspoon and Paul Kelly perform in front of thousands at Lismore’s flood relief concert

Dorothy R. Barrett May 15, 2022

61 3 minutes read

They are as sick and tired of mud and rain as possible, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of northern NSW residents from donning their wellington boots and ponchos to a charity concert for flood relief in Lismore.

Most important points:

The concert is organized to provide relief to people affected by the flooding in northern NSW. Performers include Paul Kelly, Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens, Lime Cordiale, and Grinspoon. Lismore band Grinspoon says it feels great to give back to their hometown.

Over 10,000 people from flood-stricken parts of the region signed up for free tickets to Sunday’s concert at the still-muddy Lismore showground.

Performers included Paul and Dan Kelly, Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens, Lime Cordiale, and the homegrown band Grinspoon.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the day was meant to give people a little respite from the problems they faced as they recovered from the floods.

“Everyone has big problems right now — whether it’s finance, reconstruction, jobs, or business,” he said.

“It’s just a good day to kick back, relax, listen to great music, and be together.”

Byron Bay band The Buckleys kicked off the concert. (ABC North Coast: Emma Rennie)

Grab your tickets

The One From the Heart tickets were allocated within hours of release, and many residents hoping to score passes missed out.

flood relief

Mr. Krieg said he expected some people not to use their assigned passes and that people operating the gates would let other residents in at their discretion.

“If people who are [flood] those affected want to enter who do not have a ticket, obviously we are human beings, we are not heartless, we will use our discretion to make sure that anyone who wants to be here is here as much as possible,” he said.

Punters didn’t mind donning their rubber boots and dancing in the mud. (ABC North Coast: Emma Rennie)

Grinspoon guitarist Pat Davern said it felt great to give something back to Lismore during such a difficult time.

“Hopefully, it can be a way to repair some of that mental and physical damage that has been done during this time,” Davern said.

“We went to see the house Phil and I lived in when we wrote all those Grinspoon songs, and it went down. It had to be floodproof.”

Pat Davern says many artists call Lismore home. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)

Davern said he knew people would be looking closely at how to protect Lismore from flooding in the future, but he hoped it would remain a “hotbed of creativity”.

“Of course, it’s a low socio-economic area, but a lot of artists and musicians and people like that are attracted to this part of Lismore, and unfortunately, this is part of Lismore that has been hit so hard by the floods,” he said of the flooding. Flood prone areas.

“It’s cheaper to live here, but there’s more to it, and it would be devastating to lose that.”

The audience sings along to the well-known hits of Daryl Braithwaite, Jon Stevens, and Paul Kelly. (ABC North Coast: Emma Rennie)

‘Can I play?’

All the performers who played in the concert were gifted banners on which the concert details were embroidered.

Flags and banners with a red heart on a white background have become a symbol of flood recovery in Lismore, with many hanging from flood-affected homes and businesses in the city.

“We’re just doing this as a thank you to all the artists for coming to support our community,” said banner coordinator Rebecca Ryan.

Rebecca Ryan has provided these banners to every artist playing at the concert. (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)

Daryl Braithwaite said he signed up to play to show his support for those who had lost so much.

“When the call went out, with all my peers and stuff, you raised your hand and said, ‘Okay, yeah, can I play?'” he said.

“And it’s just because you enjoy helping in any way you can.”