Aussie celebrities jump on the vaccination bandwagon: Read their message here

Some of Australia’s biggest performers have joined forces for a national campaign to encourage Aussies to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Launching Monday, September 6, the #VaxTheNation campaign “aims to ‘stop the interruptions’ and open up the nation’s devastated entertainment sector,” The Age reports. Since the coronavirus outbreak last year, live events have been put on hold.

Jimmy Barnes, Troy Cassar-Daley, Daryl Braithwaite, Human Nature, Powderfinger, Paul Kelly and comedian Celeste Barber are among the big names who are supporting the campaign, which is led by the newly-formed LIVE Alliance (Live Industry Venues and Entertainment). LIVE Alliance is made up of representatives from Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), Live Performance Australia, Australian Festival Association, Live Nation, Frontier Touring, the Mushroom Group and TEG.

“Now is our moment,” LIVE Alliance said in a statement on the campaign website, alongside a video which showed old snippets of sold-out shows. “It’s time to soak up all the live entertainment we’ve been missing.‍

‍”That incredible feeling of singing along to your favourite band in a crowd of thousands, arms around your mates under an open sky. Hearing an entire audience laugh alongside you at a sold-out comedy show. Feeling the passion at your local theatre, or getting lost in the beauty of a classical symphony performance…

“These are things that just don’t work on screens. We need to experience them IRL [in real life].‍ It’s been a long road to get here, but the end is in sight. With a vaccinated nation, live events can and will happen. We’ve missed them. They’ve missed us. Let’s roll up our sleeves, get vaxxed and bring them back.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy threw his support behind the campaign, writing on Instagram: “Vaccines save lives and they’re incredibly safe. That’s why my family and I chose to get vaccinated as soon possible.”

 

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A post shared by Jimmy Barnes (@jimmybarnesofficial)

Media personality Russel Howcroft added: “We have managed to pull together a powerful campaign via generosity of spirit and a burning desire to rock on. Huge thanks in particular to Powderfinger and the inspired leadership of the LIVE steering committee.”

The campaign push comes a couple of weeks after Qantas released an emotional ad convincing people to get the Covid-19 jab. The ad, which is set to the Tones and I song ‘Fly Away’, shows a dad missing his daughter, a mother hoping to take her children to Disneyland, and a couple planning their destination wedding. Watch the ad here.