NEWS
Tickets on sale 9am Tuesday 18 August
Media Embargo until Sunday 9 August
This year celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Motown – America’s greatest record label and global music
icon. To mark this momentous occasion, Producers SEL have reunited the the legends of Motown music in
a once-only world premiere event – The Motown Event – Celebrating the Hits of Motown!
The Motown Event will star THE FOUR TOPS, THE TEMPTATIONS, MARY WILSON OF THE
SUPREMES, MARTHA & THE VANDELAS and THE MIRACLES – artists who delivered some of the
biggest hits of their era and shaped music as it is today. The performance will also star SIX TIME GRAMMY
NOMINATED American artist JOAN OSBORNE, and iconic Australian soul singer and guitarist IAN MOSS,
and a very special guest in JIMMY BARNES. Jimmy of course needs no introduction to soul music having
had two multi-platinum albums of soul music, with a third to be released later this year.
The Motown Sound went worldwide in the 60s and that sound still resonates today with nearly 200
Number1 songs worldwide! Everybody young and old remembers the Motown hits… These Motown
songs are so good that they continue to dominate commercial radio play lists half a century after they were
recorded. Classics include Ain’t No Mountain High Enough; My Girl; Reach Out, I’ll Be There; I Heard It
Through The Grapevine; Heatwave; You Can’t Hurry Love; Baby Love; Stop in the Name of Love; Baby I
Need Your Loving; What Becomes of the Brokenhearted; Dancing in the Street; Money (that’s what I Want);
What’s Going On; and River Deep, Mountain High. The music of Motown connects generations – incredibly
it is the music of today, yesterday and tomorrow!
Motown’s music hits continue to feature worldwide in TV and radio commercials, in hit television series
(like Scrubs) and in major Hollywood big screen movies. Everybody remembers The Big Chill, Little Miss
Sunshine, My Girl, You’ve Got Mail, Something’s Gotta Give to name but a few, which all built scripts around
Motown hits. Motown music continues to provide great inspiration to today’s biggest pop and R‘n’B stars,
and gives hope to everybody around the globe.
SEL Director and Executive Producer, Tony Cochrane said “Without question, this is an absolutely unique
and timeless concert of some of the greatest songs from the truly outstanding Motown catalogue and the
original artists who brought these songs to life. It is a real privilege to be presenting this once in a lifetime
concert extravaganza”.
The most challenging aspect of producing this event has been to work out the final song selection from
over 200 number 1 Motown hits! Nearly every song in the show has been – and some on more than one
occasion – a number 1 hit. This concert is going to be a great night of celebration and fun for all ages.
Everyone will sing along!”
The Motown Event features over 35 of the biggest selling songs of all time. All Artists will have their
own feature part of the show and they will come together for the Finale. These legendary voices will be
backed by a world class 12-piece band directed by Chong Lim, with state-of-the-art staging and lighting.
The Motown Event promises to be an outstanding and unforgettable performance, not to be missed.