Everyone loves the AFL Grand Final, it’s an Australian institution after all. Everyone in the country, whether born here or expat, whether footy fan or indifferent, absolutely everybody has at least one memory of watching the Grand Final.
America might have its Super Bowl, but we treat that like a niche – it’s cute and all, but it’s not really our sport. AFL is the quintessential Australian pastime, it’s homegrown, true blue, and fair dinkum Aussie.
Well, most of it is, anyway. There is, however, one element that has recently become rather incongruous and it’s the infamous entertainment lineup. For those that don’t remember, last years’ event featured Ed Sheeran and Tom Jones.
No one’s denying that they’re both top-notch artists, but if we hadn’t already driven the point home, the Grand Final is meant to be Australian. Even previous years featured venerable Aussie artists like Paul Kelly and Mark Seymour.
So why the change? “They are trying to make it something it is not, it’s not the NFL half time show and never will be,” write the organisers of Rock the Granny, a new campaign looking to rectify the situation.
“The AFL have started some great initiatives this year, kick-to-kick on the ground is back, old-school jumpers are coming back and beer and pie are going to go back to 1994 prices (OK, we made the last one up),” they write.
However, Rock the Granny believe the entertainment is still lagging. “So the plan is simple. Let’s make [Grand Final entertainment] homegrown again. Let’s promote to the world Australia’s amazing new musical talent on our biggest sporting stage.”
“We have a bunch of world class rad bands in this country that have been brought up with the love of footy. Bands such as Pond, King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, and Bad Dreems have been independently touring the world honing their craft and captivating fans across the globe.”
“These are the perfect Australian bands to fire up the ‘G’ before 2015 Granny and deserve more than anyone the chance to perform on the grandest stage of them all. They train hard and play hard in their chosen game of rock and roll.”
If you’re looking to “support the bands that support the game” then “like, share, shout, kick, tackle, shepherd, smother, and specky if you agree” and use the hasthag #RockTheGranny. For more info, head over to the Rock the Granny Facebook page.
