New Music

What Went Down At The Fortitude Music Hall's Grand Opening

Jul 27, 2019

7 min read

What. A. Night.

On Friday we went along to the official opening party of The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane and can safely say, from the minute we entered the venue, the majority of us were won over by the precision and planning that has gone into making this one of Brisbane's BEST live music venues. For a heavy music fan, at first, I felt out of place as this joint is decked out with so much culture and class throughout both levels, it was as if we were transported back in time, however, once you position yourself on the ground floor in the mosh, you can easily see how this venue will appeal to any/all types of music fans.

There's plenty of space (much larger than that of other venues like The Triffid, Eatons Hill and the Tivoli) with plenty of vantage points to check out what's going on, on the stage in front of you, which is elevated high enough so even the smallest attendees can catch a glimpse. But, if you're not a fan of being down in amongst all the action, the upper levels give plenty of viewing space around the huge arena with added levels behind the balcony, meaning you won't have to peer through gaps in people's arms, you can stand up on a higher level and get a better view. And that's the thing that makes this place so special, it's made by music fans with the intention of pleasing as many attendees as possible. There's nothing worse than going to a show and not being able to see for the majority of the night (for whatever reason), but I feel The Fortitude Music Hall (or The Forty which we're abbreviating it to) will solve that issue completely, especially when it comes to the multiple bars and bathrooms, meaning, fewer lines and more time watching the bands/acts you're there for.

After formalities and photos ops, I headed into the mosh for DZ Deathrays as I wanted to see how a heavy show would feel up close to the action but with a mixed crowd (I'm guessing A LOT of the patrons weren't familiar with the ferocity that follows at a DZ gig), the moshing was kept to a bare minimum with only a small section of the pit erupting into a push/shove session during the band's infamously dangerous song 'Gina Works At Hearts' which was performed at a much slower speed in comparison to previous times I've seen the lads playing live. But there was a crowd surfer (the venue's very first, what a title to own for life to that bloke), plenty of sing-a-longs and most importantly, a surprise semi-reunion from Powderfinger members Bernard Fanning and Ian Haug who joined the band on stage alongside Sahara Beck to perform 'On My Mind' much to the approval and uproar of those in attendance. It was definitely the highlight of the night for most of us!

DZ Deathrays + a semi-Powderfinger reunion = Best. Night. Ever. Spewin if you missed it!

Posted by Wall Of Sound on Friday, July 26, 2019

Ball Park Music sounded great but during this point I was off taking advantage of the free bar services and chatting with the Wall of Sound crew, all of whom agreed the new venue was amazing and that we couldn't wait to get stuck into some of the upcoming gigs which will be mind-blowingly good to experience through the doors... Looking at you Architects, Grinspoon and Birds of Tokyo!

Get yourself to a gig, support this new venue (and those in your local area) and keep live music alive across Australia. Congrats to everyone behind the scenes at The Fortitude Music Hall and thank you for having the WoS Crew along on opening night... See you in the pit soon! xoxo

Words by Browny @brownypaul

Photo Gallery by Charlyn Cameron. Insta: @chuck_stuff
Please credit Wall of Sound and Charlyn Cameron if you repost photos

DZ Deathrays + Jeremy Neale

Bernard Fanning & Ian Haug (Powderfinger) and Sahara Beck (performing with DZ)

Ball Park Music

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Dave McCormack and Patience Hodgson

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Venue + Crowds

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forty opening