Music
John Paul Young to perform the Vanda and Young Songbook
Pop icon John Paul Young will celebrate the music of Vanda and Young on Saturday February 27 at The Palms at Crown Melbourne.
Click here to purchase tickets now.
Vanda and Young, the former Easybeats members, are two of Australia’s most prolific songwriters with the soundtrack to many peoples’ lives punctuated with hits written by the duo.
The pairing of John Paul Young with Vanda and Young was a masterstroke. Many of JPY’s biggest hits – Love Is In The Air, Yesterday’s Hero and I Hate The Music – were written by the pair, which makes it poignant that it would be John Paul Young to perform a concert of Vanda and Young’s best work.
The music you will hear will be varied. As well as writing hits for John Paul Young, the songwriters wrote a lot of the Easybeats’ best known songs and wrote and produced many AC/DC albums and hits.
To hear more about this exciting performance we went straight to the source! Check out our Q&A with John Paul Young.
Ticketmaster: Thank you so much for joining us. We are really excited to see your performance of the Vanda & Young catalogue. Can you tell us about what the audience can expect at your show?
John Paul Young: It will be a condensed look at the music and life of two of the greatest success stories in Australia’s history.
Ticketmaster: Vanda & Young wrote and produced so many brilliant songs – including many of your biggest hits. Can you tell us about working with such prodigious talents and explain what drew you to performing a concert featuring their music?
John Paul Young: Now that the show has become a reality the question should be why didn’t we do it earlier? The guys are great to work with and were only a very positive input in my life.
Ticketmaster: What is your favourite Vanda & Young song to sing live?
John Paul Young: Too hard to call. Every night has its own subtle differences. I only wish I could bottle that certain something that could happen in any given song on any given night.
Ticketmaster: Many of the songs you will perform have had such an impact on music; they made up the soundtrack of the 60s, 70s and 80s. What do you think it is about these songs that make them so iconic?
John Paul Young: The one common denominating factor for me is it was fun, fun to listen to and fun to play.
Ticketmaster: Do you think your performance of Vanda & Young’s songs will be even more meaningful for you and the audience given the recent death of their Easybeats band member, Stevie Wright?
John Paul Young: This is bitter sweet, but at the end of the day in some way we will be celebrating Stevie’s life.
Ticketmaster: George Young is the older brother of Angus and Malcolm from AC/DC and we know Vanda & Young produced many of the band’s most iconic hits. Will you be performing any Acca Dacca songs?
John Paul Young: Only one iconic AC/DC song to illustrate the varied talents of the dynamic duo.
Ticketmaster: If you could turn back time and make one Vanda & Young song your own, which would you pick?
John Paul Young: For purely monetary reasons? Seriously there is only one that has brought pleasure to so many – Love Is In The Air. And it ticks both boxes!
Ticketmaster: Are you excited to perform at The Palms at Crown Melbourne? The venue really has an intimate feel, which makes the audience a part of the show. Is that exhilarating for a performer?
John Paul Young: The audience is always on side in these great venues, they are there to soak it up and this great music makes it so much easier to achieve satisfaction on both sides of the curtain.
Ticketmaster: One of your biggest hits Love Is in the Air had a major revival in 1992 thanks to Strictly Ballroom. You must have a special place in your heart for that film?
John Paul Young: Absolutely it was manna from heaven so to speak, with my God-like character in the video thanks to Baz and co and once again the vision of Ted Albert.
Ticketmaster: Thanks again for talking to us and best of luck with the show!
John Paul Young and The Allstar Band The Vanda & Young Songbook will be performed at The Palms at Crown Melbourne on Saturday February 27. Click here to purchase tickets now.
