Premiership party at MCGBy Adam McNicol
Tue 04 Sep, 2012INTERNATIONALLY renowned Australian band The Temper Trap will headline a revamped Grand Final day entertainment program which will see fans party on the MCG following the season's biggest game, the AFL has announced.
Australian music icons Paul Kelly and Tim Rogers will also be part of a line-up the League hopes will be a vast improvement on last year's debacle involving veteran American rocker Meat Loaf.
In a major shift from past year's, the AFL will open the MCG to Melburnians for an on-the-ground concert following the Grand Final.
The free concert will be open to everyone, not only those people who were able to purchase a ticket to attend the game.
The premiership team will be presented to the crowd as part of the concert, another change for previous years when the premiers have been presented at AAMI Park or Federation Square.
"The format changes to the pre-match entertainment, the introduction of a devoted half-time show and the post-match celebration event all enable fans to take part in Grand Final day like never before," AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said.
"For the first time ever fans will have the chance to be at the home of football immediately after the biggest game of the year, regardless of whether you have a Grand Final ticket."
Temper Trap will play during the half-time break. That performance will take place on a stage in the middle of the MCG, rather than on the platform on the bottom deck of the Southern Stand where Meat Loaf strutted his stuff.
Kelly and Rogers will be part of the pre-game entertainment.
"After selling millions of albums and touring the world, I'm delighted The Temper Trap are coming home to play on the AFL’s biggest stage," Demetriou said.
"You can't get a bigger Australian band right now than The Temper Trap.
"Our fans have been telling us that they want more Australian music at the footy and we’ve acted on that by showcasing the best home-grown talent all season."
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