Backstage with the promoter at A Day On The Green
Michael Newton is the cofounder of one of Australia’s longest running and loved music festivals. He’s also a big music fan.
A Day On The Green cofounder Michael Newton says every show is a joy for him, but hearing the opening chords of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain alongside the crowd of 18,000 was a next level experience.
“When Fleetwood Mac opened the show…everyone knew the song and was immediately taken in by it and by the band,” Michael shares.
It’s that dynamic between act and audience, he says, that creates the electric atmosphere of a live performance.
“I mean, that’s what it’s all about for an artist and what it’s all about for an audience too, right?” he says.
As a promoter and producer, he says he gets an immense level of satisfaction working in a team environment and being able to pull off these big one-day festivals.
This year’s summer season will see four huge A Day On The Green Events in South Australia with headliners Take That, Missy Higgins, The Teskey Brothers and The Script perform at Peter Lehmann Wines in the Barossa Valley, which, with the Northern Expressway and ticketed transport available, is now more accessible than ever.
They’ll be supported by a roster of festival favourites, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kate Miller-Heidke, Band of Horses, CMAT, Calum Scott and others.
And it doesn’t end there – Fatboy Slim will take over Peter Lehmann Wines in March, transforming it into the ultimate summer rave!
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The original music festival in a winery, A Day In The Green has staged around 550 shows across Australia and New Zealand since launching in 2001, and Michael reckons he’s attended about 500 of them.
It’s a formula that works, hence its longevity while other festivals have faded away, been cancelled or had a tough run, especially of late.
Live Nation Entertainment – that owns Splendour in the Grass, Harvest Rock and Falls Festival – made the news lately for the stranglehold they have on Australia’s live events and ticketing industry.
Michael says being a public company they’re going to operate very differently to independents.
“They’ve been very aggressive in the last four or five years, buying up a lot of touring companies and festivals,” he notes.
“Some of my friends are at Live Nation and they’re really good people, but it’s a global company with shareholders, so it’s a different model.
“They’ve got different pressures than we might have and that’s the way they operate, but the people who work there are great.”
He believes staying the distance also comes down to basics.
“If the headline artist is right, the [supporting act] package is right and the ticket price is right, people will respond well,” he says.
Using wineries means everyone benefits from the cross-pollination between wine lovers and music lovers, and the acts are enticed by the relaxed vibe of the venues compared with a stadium performance.
It also provides a great economic benefit to the local community around the winery venue.
While there are challenges to hosting a music festival in a greenfield site – literally everything has to be brought in, from portaloos to stages and rigging – for music fans and Michael the experience is unquestionably worth it.
“Sitting in the sun at Peter Lehmann’s on a beautiful day, watching four or five bands with your friends, and being able to eat and drink is, in my opinion, better than going to a show at an entertainment centre,” Michael says.
As you’d expect, the music he listens to at home is diverse; “everything from soul to rock and roll to classical and country”, he says. “A good tune is a good tune, however it comes.”
In previous years, The Killers, Elton John, Blondie, Florence + The Machine, Elvis Costello, Joe Cocker, The Chemical Brothers, B-52s, Robbie Williams, Crowded House and Kylie have all graced the stages at the various wineries.
Getting the world’s biggest artists on board can see the negotiations take up to two years, with “a lot of money” and “very astute management” coming into play.
“Then, once the show is confirmed, for artists at that level there’s quite big requirements for production, staging and everything happening backstage.
“Over the years, we’ve learned to accept what those artists require…because that’s what the show is about…and you can rely on them to pretty much sell out.”
Michael still has plenty of dream shows he’d love to do, Tom Petty (RIP) was among them.
“Neil Young, we did one show with him and it was incredible…Bob Dylan would be amazing…and Imagine Dragons would be fun,” he says.
“I just love putting on shows.”
See the full lineup for this year’s summer season of A Day On The Green at the website.
Transport to and from Peter Lehmann Wines is easy with LinkSA buses departing from locations across Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley. Festival goers can book a seat here.
A Day On The Green
Peter Lehmann Winery
Para Road, Tanunda
More info and tickets