Rising’s big night cancelled

By Rhonda Dredge

The gates were firmly closed on The Wilds when Southbank News went to press, with hopes dashed of a reopening while the ice was still cold on the rink.

The bamboo was standing tall, the tunnels ready, the immersive experience for the people of Melbourne on hold.

Then the state government extended the lockdown for a week and a “POSTPONED” became a “CANCELLED”.

The rink was booked to some other venue and a couple of days’ grace never eventuated, let alone “the surge” that had been promised.

Lighting engineers and roadies were some of the most disappointed people connected with cancellation of the event at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

“I would just love to have seen some people through it,” said one roadie, getting ready to pack up.

“The light show still goes on at 5.30pm. You might be able to see it through the gate.”

The Wilds was one of many events cancelled at the Rising Festival, funded by the state government, Arts Centre Melbourne and other philanthropic organisations to run from May 26 to June 6.

Some say the festival is jinxed. It was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic and this time around included a heart-breaking $2 million fund for new commissions which hardly got an airing.

Just the Wandering Stars and Ancestral Memory installations on the Yarra are still permissible under COVID regulations and the Flinders Street Station exhibition by Patricia Piccinini will be extended until August.

Sadly, The Wilds was the most ambitious of the offerings at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl since the last lockdown. Like many events, it was sold out, proof of the appeal of this large outdoor venue to the public.

The Live at the Bowl program opened on January 27 with Missy Higgins and included a broad range of artists, more so than in previous years.

Punters have been lucky enough to engage in trance music, laugh with comedians, get tips from cooking personalities, enjoy grunge bands, mainstream singers, especially-commissioned symphonies, and even take heed at a play called hubris, depicting the devastating, dangerous characteristic that often leads to a hero’s downfall.

“The quickest show to sell out was MaRLo, which sold out in a matter of minutes,” Michael Barr, spokesman for the Arts Centre, and a great fan of the venue, said. Private decks for the trance band were priced at $630.

“It’s unique,” Mr Barr said. “It was one of the only venues we could operate under safety procedures. Just a single show was cancelled.”

Unfortunately, it had taken the Tully family from Richmond several months to emerge out of the last lockdown and to find the right kind of event for their family. They had booked for the first Saturday night of The Wilds.

“The Wilds was definitely advertised as a family-friendly event,” mum Emma said. “We were keen to do something with the kids.”

When she received an email offering a refund for the ticket, she was pretty disappointed but rallied at the suggestion there was still some hope of rescheduling.

“They said it would rise again but will it ever get off the ground?” she asked.

Her fears proved to be founded. The lockdown was extended. The kids stayed home, watched Amazonia and had takeaway instead. “It was a big night,” she said.

Our hearts go out to all the artists and workers affected by Rising’s latest cancellation •