ROCK'N'ROLL Hall Of Famers Blondie and Alice Cooper are bringing their decades of hits back to Newcastle across a massive two nights of live music.
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The legendary US acts were already returning to Australia for the music festival Pandemonium on April 25, but have added their own stand-alone sideshows at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre as part of an extended tour.
Blondie will play at the Broadmeadow venue on Monday, April 22 with support from Australian bands Wolfmother and the Cosmic Psychos.
Then on Tuesday, April 23 the prince of shock-rock, Alice Cooper, returns to Newcastle for the first time since 2017.
Joining the Poison and School's Out hit-maker will be English heavy metal innovators Deep Purple and Perth 2000s rock band Gyroscope.
The Newcastle Herald's review of Cooper's 2017 performance reported that it was "a masterclass in rock'n'roll showmanship. Cooper acted like a veteran conductor, weaving his cane or wand while guitarists Ryan Roxie and Nita Strauss shredded their fret boards."
Pandemonium music festival - which also features Placebo, Wheatus, The Psychedelic Furs, Dead Kennedys, Gang Of Four and Palaye Royale on the line-up - was controversially scheduled for Anzac Day at the Sydney Domain.
NSW Premier Chris Minns then forced the festival to relocate to Cathy Freeman Park at Homebush after concerns were raised by the NSW RSL about the rock event being disrespectful to their nearby traditional ANZAC commemoration service.
Blondie were last in the Hunter in 2017 when they co-headlined A Day On The Green with '80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper at Bimbadgen.
However, the Debbie Harry-fronted band haven't played in Newcastle since their historic first Australian tour in 1977 when they performed at the Civic Theatre and travelled around the country in a school bus.
At the time Blondie were on the cusp of superstardom as pioneers of New York's uber-cool new wave scene.
Famously due to Countdown host Molly Meldrum's passionate support of their first singles X Offender and In The Flesh, Blondie became popular in Australia before they broke in the US and the UK.
"It laid the groundwork for our success in Australia," Blondie drummer Clem Burke told the Newcastle Herald of their 1977 tour.
"It's enabled us to come down there, how many years later, and still have an audience. I wish we'd spent more time down there over the years.
"It's a pretty eclectic billing this tour. It should be fun. We've known Alice for quite some time and played some shows with him back in the day."
Burke, 69, along with Harry, 78, are the only original members of Blondie in the touring line-up. Lead guitarist Chris Stein, 74, is still an official member, but doesn't tour due to health reasons.
Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock joined the line-up in 2022.
A limited amount of junior priced tickets for ages three to 15 will be available to both the Blondie and Alice Cooper shows.
Pre-sale begins on Friday at 9am. General sale begins on Monday from 12pm.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
