The 'too old to dance' man proves otherwise
Announcement posted by Not too old to Dance 21 Oct 2012
'Revolutionary' over 40s' concert hailed huge success
The man who was told he was 'too old to dance' at a Cold Chisel concert last year, proved that fun has no age restrictions at Australia's first over 40s' rock concert in Townsville last night (October 20, 2012).
More than 1,200 'oldies' rocked out at Not too old to Dance, the 10-hour musical time warp that was inspired by Richard Fuller's story and young-at-hearts everywhere.
Event organiser Margie Ryder said: "It was like 'Hail King Richard' out there -- hundreds of people wanted to shake Richard's hand, give him a pat on the back or have a dance with the man that inspired it all.
"I'm over the moon with the feedback we received throughout the day. Admittedly, we had fewer people come through the gate than hoped, but every person who showed up had a good time and that's what Not too old to Dance was all about.
"The highlight of the night was certainly the Choirboys and 1927. Mark Gable in particular gave the crowd a really interactive experience and the crowd gave back 10-fold. That being said, our local bands rocked the house just as hard and I've had countless reports about how great they all were. It was fantastic to round up some of Townsville's best bands -- and Back'n'Business from Toowoomba -- and showcase the talent of our over 40 locals.
"Even before the big acts hit the stage there was a lot of talk happening in the crowd with comments like 'we can't wait until next year' and 'Joe Bloggs will be so disappointed he missed this'," said Mrs Ryder.
"We're yet to make a decision on whether there will be a next year -- there's a lot of due diligence to be done before we can make that call -- but if Not too old to Dance does go ahead again, we'll take some key learnings from yesterday. The big change will be reconsidering the age restrictions to allow everyone over 30 in, with 18 to 29 year olds requiring an over-40 'chaperone'. The last thing we want to do is deny young people who appreciate old music the chance to hear it live."
Not too old to Dance donated a portion of ticket sales to beyondblue to help address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related illnesses. Choirboys front man and beyondblue ambassador, Mark Gable accepted the final donation of $6,310.
"There's a lot of depression among people over 40, particularly the men who don't really want to talk about it. Events like Not too old to Dance help to highlight the illness," said Gable.
"Primarily this kind of event has always been focused on young people, even when we were young. Now all these people have grown up, they'd rather be at home having a nice dinner or a glass of wine or beer, so to get them out to a situation like this is revolutionary."
About Not too old to Dance
In 2011, at a Cold Chisel concert in Townsville, 43-year-old Richard Fuller was slapped with a $450 fine and told he was "too old to dance" after security guards threw him out of the concert for some harmless dancing in the aisle. The incident garnered national media coverage and sparked fierce support for Fuller's case.
Inspired by Mr Fuller's story, Margie Ryder created Not too old to Dance, a charitable event inspired for the thousands of over 40s who enjoy an opportunity to let their hair down and rock on, while supporting a good cause.
Not too old to Dance was held at Townsville's Tony Ireland Stadium on October 20, 2012 from 12pm to 10pm and included music from popular local cove rbands Godfathers of Funk, Live Wire, Alien8 and Midlife Crisis; Toowoomba's Back'n'Business; and Aussie music legends Choirboys and 1927.
Concert goers were required to be 30 years or older and those born after 1972 must have been accompanied by a chaperone over 40.
$10 from every ticket sold was donated to beyondblue to help address the issues associated with depression, anxiety and related illnesses.
For more information and to join the Not too old to Dance mailing list go to www.not2old2dance.com.
Photos will be available for download from 4pm, Sunday October 21. Please credit Stephen Duffie for all photos
Radio grabs are now available
Click to share:
Twitter #not2old2dance
Facebook
More than 1,200 'oldies' rocked out at Not too old to Dance, the 10-hour musical time warp that was inspired by Richard Fuller's story and young-at-hearts everywhere.
Event organiser Margie Ryder said: "It was like 'Hail King Richard' out there -- hundreds of people wanted to shake Richard's hand, give him a pat on the back or have a dance with the man that inspired it all.
"I'm over the moon with the feedback we received throughout the day. Admittedly, we had fewer people come through the gate than hoped, but every person who showed up had a good time and that's what Not too old to Dance was all about.
"The highlight of the night was certainly the Choirboys and 1927. Mark Gable in particular gave the crowd a really interactive experience and the crowd gave back 10-fold. That being said, our local bands rocked the house just as hard and I've had countless reports about how great they all were. It was fantastic to round up some of Townsville's best bands -- and Back'n'Business from Toowoomba -- and showcase the talent of our over 40 locals.
"Even before the big acts hit the stage there was a lot of talk happening in the crowd with comments like 'we can't wait until next year' and 'Joe Bloggs will be so disappointed he missed this'," said Mrs Ryder.
"We're yet to make a decision on whether there will be a next year -- there's a lot of due diligence to be done before we can make that call -- but if Not too old to Dance does go ahead again, we'll take some key learnings from yesterday. The big change will be reconsidering the age restrictions to allow everyone over 30 in, with 18 to 29 year olds requiring an over-40 'chaperone'. The last thing we want to do is deny young people who appreciate old music the chance to hear it live."
Not too old to Dance donated a portion of ticket sales to beyondblue to help address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related illnesses. Choirboys front man and beyondblue ambassador, Mark Gable accepted the final donation of $6,310.
"There's a lot of depression among people over 40, particularly the men who don't really want to talk about it. Events like Not too old to Dance help to highlight the illness," said Gable.
"Primarily this kind of event has always been focused on young people, even when we were young. Now all these people have grown up, they'd rather be at home having a nice dinner or a glass of wine or beer, so to get them out to a situation like this is revolutionary."
About Not too old to Dance
In 2011, at a Cold Chisel concert in Townsville, 43-year-old Richard Fuller was slapped with a $450 fine and told he was "too old to dance" after security guards threw him out of the concert for some harmless dancing in the aisle. The incident garnered national media coverage and sparked fierce support for Fuller's case.
Inspired by Mr Fuller's story, Margie Ryder created Not too old to Dance, a charitable event inspired for the thousands of over 40s who enjoy an opportunity to let their hair down and rock on, while supporting a good cause.
Not too old to Dance was held at Townsville's Tony Ireland Stadium on October 20, 2012 from 12pm to 10pm and included music from popular local cove rbands Godfathers of Funk, Live Wire, Alien8 and Midlife Crisis; Toowoomba's Back'n'Business; and Aussie music legends Choirboys and 1927.
Concert goers were required to be 30 years or older and those born after 1972 must have been accompanied by a chaperone over 40.
$10 from every ticket sold was donated to beyondblue to help address the issues associated with depression, anxiety and related illnesses.
For more information and to join the Not too old to Dance mailing list go to www.not2old2dance.com.
Photos will be available for download from 4pm, Sunday October 21. Please credit Stephen Duffie for all photos
Radio grabs are now available
Click to share:
Twitter #not2old2dance