live music Archives - Albany Creek News

Boondall To Host Massive Attack On Long-Awaited Australian Tour

After 16 years away from Australian stages, Massive Attack will return with a Brisbane performance at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall.

A Rare Brisbane Stop For Massive Attack

Massive Attack’s Australian tour will include three headline shows, with Brisbane listed alongside Sydney and Melbourne.

The Brisbane performance is scheduled for Thursday, 06 August 2026, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. The event is listed for 8:00pm, subject to change.

The show places the Queensland stop in Boondall, giving audiences from Albany Creek, Brisbane’s north and surrounding areas access to the group’s first Australian tour since 2010. The venue sits about 16 kilometres north of Brisbane’s CBD and about eight kilometres north of Brisbane’s domestic and international airports.

From Bristol To International Recognition

Massive Attack began in Bristol in 1988, founded by Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, Adrian “Tricky” Thaws and Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles. The group currently consists of Del Naja and Marshall.

The collective became closely associated with trip-hop, combining hip-hop rhythms, soul elements, dub bass and atmospheric electronic production. Their 1991 debut album, Blue Lines, is often cited as a major work in the genre’s emergence.

The album included Unfinished Sympathy, which became one of Massive Attack’s best-known tracks and reached number one on the Dutch Top 40.

Albums That Shaped The Set-Up For Boondall

After Blue Lines, Massive Attack released Protection in 1994, followed by Mezzanine in 1998.

Mezzanine became the group’s first number one album on the UK Albums Chart and included Teardrop, later recognised by many listeners as the opening theme for the American television series House.

The group later released 100th Window in 2003 and Heligoland in 2010. Across those five studio albums, Massive Attack has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.

Both Blue Lines and Mezzanine appear on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The group has also worked with recurring guest vocalists including Horace Andy, Shara Nelson, Tracey Thorn, Elizabeth Fraser, Sinéad O’Connor, Damon Albarn and Hope Sandoval.

Their awards include a Brit Award for Best British Dance Act, two MTV Europe Music Awards and two Q Awards.

Tickets for the Boondall show are available through Ticketek. Patrons have been advised to avoid unauthorised resale websites because tickets purchased through those channels may be invalid.

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The concert is listed as an all-ages event, and all patrons must hold a valid ticket for entry. General admission standing floor patrons aged 15 years or under are recommended to be accompanied or supervised by an adult.

With only Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne listed for the Australian tour, the Boondall concert stands as the Queensland stop in Massive Attack’s return after more than a decade and a half.

Published 3-June-2026

Brisbane Entertainment Centre Turns 40 With 19 Million Fans, 2,875 Events and a World Ranking to Match

The Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall has marked 40 years of operation on 20 February 2026, having welcomed more than 19 million people through its doors across 2,875 events since opening night in 1986, and holding a Billboard Magazine ranking as the number one venue in Oceania and ninth in the world for its capacity category.

Four decades after ice skaters Torvill and Dean performed to a sold-out crowd of 10,000 on opening night, the entertainment centre that transformed what was a 64-hectare paddock in Boondall into Brisbane’s most significant indoor entertainment destination reaches its milestone in stronger shape than at any point in its history. The venue has delivered record-breaking years since emerging from the pandemic, and with Linkin Park, Mumford and Sons, Hilltop Hoods, Guy Sebastian and the Harlem Globetrotters all booked across the coming months, 2026 is already shaping as another standout year.

For the communities of Boondall, Nudgee, Zillmere, Carseldine and Albany Creek that have grown up around the venue across four decades, the entertainment centre has been a constant presence, a place where first concerts, family outings, school excursions and unforgettable nights out have accumulated across generations.

From Paddock to Global Top Ten

The 64-hectare Boondall site was first announced in 1983 as part of Brisbane’s Bicentenary Project and a broader push to strengthen the city’s bid for the 1992 Olympic Games. Brisbane architect Jacob de Vries designed the building in a star shape, although builders ultimately constructed only two of the four points. Watkins Pacific, now known as Watpac, completed the venue ahead of schedule at a cost of $71 million. The centre opened on 20 February 1986, with Torvill and Dean performing to a first-night crowd of 10,000, and ten additional shows attracting more than 100,000 people during the opening season alone.

Construction of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Photo Credit: Watpac

The ticket prices that night were $22.90 for adults and $15.90 for children. Forty years later, the entertainment centre holds a Billboard Magazine ranking as the best venue in Oceania and ninth globally in the 10,001 to 15,000 seat capacity category, a standing that reflects both the quality of its production infrastructure and the strength of Brisbane’s live entertainment market.

Six employees from the original 1986 team still work at the venue today. Queensland Leisure took on management of the entertainment centre just one month before it opened and has remained involved for four decades. The company now operates the venue under the Legends Global banner, formerly known as ASM Global, following a major international merger. Two of the original board members from 1986 remain connected to the operation.

The Acts, the Records, the Moments

The entertainment centre’s 40-year program has spanned international headliners including Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Elton John, Metallica and Madonna alongside homegrown artists including Cold Chisel, Kylie Minogue, Keith Urban, Paul Kelly and Powderfinger, as well as family productions including Les Misérables, Disney on Ice and The Wiggles.

P!NK holds the record as the venue’s most frequent performer with 32 shows, including 11 in a single year in 2009. Metallica drew the largest single crowd in the venue’s history, with 14,454 fans in attendance in 2010. The entertainment centre has handled some of the heaviest touring productions in the industry, including How to Train Your Dragon which weighed 98 tonnes, and has accommodated as many as 35 trucks for a single show. From Leonard Cohen performing at 79 years old to JoJo Siwa taking the stage at 17, the venue has genuinely spanned generations of artists and audiences.

Brisbane Entertainement Centre — Photo Credit: Google Maps

Beyond concerts, the entertainment centre has been woven into Brisbane’s broader civic life in ways no one planned. It also operated as a mass vaccination hub during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and later served as a sandbag depot ahead of Cyclone Alfred in 2025. Producers filmed all three series of the original Australian Gladiators there in 1995, and organisers staged the Lions International Convention at the site. Over the years, the centre has also hosted conferences, gala dinners, religious conventions and trade shows, drawing millions more visitors beyond its ticketed events.

Meanwhile, the Sports Centre at the entertainment centre, which opened in 1997, has hosted approximately seven million people of its own. Boondall Railway Station opened in 1986 specifically to support access to the venue, and the 4,000-space supervised car park remains one of the largest single-venue parking facilities in Brisbane’s north.

A Full Circle Moment and What Comes Next

In one of the more poetic turns of the anniversary year, Torvill and Dean, who opened the entertainment centre on its very first night in 1986, returned to perform multiple shows in 2025, bringing the venue’s first four decades to a close in the company of the artists who began them.

The 40-day anniversary celebration running from 20 February includes a competition offering four groups of ten people the chance to attend an event of their choice across the next year, with entry by sharing a favourite entertainment centre memory on the venue’s Facebook page. Tickets must be used by 1 April 2027, and VIP parking, drinks and snacks are included for each winning group.

Upcoming shows at the entertainment centre include Linkin Park on 3 and 5 March, Hilltop Hoods, MGK, Mumford and Sons, Jimmy Carr, Carl Barron and the Harlem Globetrotters. The full event schedule and competition details are available at brisent.com.au.

Published 1-March-2026.

Anastacia’s Eatons Hill Concert Ends With Heartfelt Tribute To BeBe Gunn

Photo Credit: Anastacia/Instagram

Anastacia’s concert at Eatons Hill Hotel became a highlight of her Australian tour when the singer acknowledged Brisbane drag performer BeBe Gunn during her final east-coast show.

Background and Tour Context

Anastacia returned to Australia in 2025 to celebrate 25 years since the release of her debut album Not That Kind. The Not That Kind 25 tour featured shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Her Brisbane performance on 29 September 2025 at Eatons Hill Hotel concluded the tour’s east-coast run, featuring the pop star’s well-known hits, including I’m Outta Love.

BeBe Gunn’s Connection to the Music

Brisbane drag artist BeBe Gunn attended the Eatons Hill concert in full drag and later described the night as one of the most meaningful experiences of her career. She has long performed Anastacia’s songs, forming a strong personal connection with the artist’s music.

BeBe Gunn recalled growing up in a single-parent household where Anastacia’s cassette played daily on the way to school. Attending the show alongside her mother and sister allowed her to relive those early memories.

Recognition from the Stage

During the concert, Anastacia took a moment to recognise BeBe Gunn from the stage, thanking her for her creativity and contribution to performance culture. The acknowledgement drew applause from the audience and reflected mutual respect between performer and fan.

BeBe Gunn later shared footage from the event on social media, expressing appreciation for the recognition and support from friends who joined her at the venue.

Community and Artistic Impact

The Eatons Hill Hotel concert showcased the connection between international artists and Brisbane’s creative scene. BeBe Gunn reflected on finding comfort and hope in Anastacia’s music, highlighting how messages of resilience continue to resonate with audiences.

For Brisbane’s northside residents, the event also reaffirmed Eatons Hill Hotel’s role as a prominent live-music venue hosting major acts while supporting local artists.

Outlook

Anastacia’s final Australian performance at Eatons Hill Hotel combined nostalgia, artistry and community spirit. Her on-stage tribute to BeBe Gunn provided a fitting close to her anniversary tour and a lasting moment for Brisbane’s live-music audience.

Published 7-Oct-2025