Roady4Roadies, an event that raises awareness of the vital role road crews play in live entertainment, will continue again this year.

CrewCare, a charity which describes itself as “dedicated to improving the well-being of Australian technical and creative live production professionals and their families”, will seek to raise funds for Support’s “Crew” Fund Act during this year’s festivities. They will host live music and family activities on May 1 and 7, in eight cities.

The next episode gets a good word from Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes in a video promoting the event. Barnes spoke about his experiences with the road team, describing how he observed their commitment to live events throughout his touring years, and the industry support provided by Roady4Roadies.

“Quite often when bands go on tour, they end up going at each other’s throats and we don’t like each other — but we still like roadies,” Barnes said.

“Roadies are the guys who drive the truck all night, drive to the next gig, set up in the hot sun, spend all day putting the gear back together [after] you destroyed it the night before, and you got everything back to go on stage [and] the show is perfect, because that’s what they do every day.

Watch Barnes’ full post below:

Events will take place in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart on Sunday May 1 and in Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin and Newcastle on Saturday May 7. Further details on this year’s ambassadors and live entertainment for each event are expected to be announced soon, with tickets available. here.

In a press release, Mark Svendsen, director of specialist crew supplier Gig Power, discussed the financial implications of the global pandemic on crew companies like his. “For 20 months, revenue fell 95% and expected results were devastating,” Svendsen said. “We have lost more than 80% of our casual staff.

“We hope to bring in new people and attract some of our older employees, but it will be a long road to recovery for Gig Power and the people who work with us.”

Last year’s Roady4Roadies event saw Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate) and Missy Higgins take part as ambassadors for the cause, along with Brian Ritchie and Vika & Linda from Violent Femmes.

The Roady4Roadies 2022 dates are:

MAY
Sunday 1 – Adelaide, Coopers Stadium
Sunday 1 – Hobart, the salty dog
Sunday 1 – Melbourne, Palais Theater
Sunday 1 – Perth, Lake Monger Country Club
Saturday 7 – Brisbane, The Triffid
Saturday 7 – Darwin. Darwin Entertainment Center
Saturday 7 – Sydney, Hard Rock Cafe