Oscar-winning heart-throb Russell Crowe and his band Thirty Odd Foot Of Grunts kicked off their tour on Sunday night at their hometown bar in Coffs Harbour, 360 miles north of Sydney. And while the band is looking forward to a 14-stop North American jaunt, Russell was keen on warming up the group down under.
The Gladiator star called the owners of the Coffs Harbour Hotel two weeks ago to discuss the plan. “He said: ‘I want to do you a favor… I want to play the band there instead of in Sydney’,” says hotel partner Ray Alaban. “It’s a favor to the whole town. He’s trying to put money back into the town which is great. You can’t knock that can you?” The hotel sold 1,000 tickets priced at just £3.60 in a few short hours.
And while the Coffs Harbour gig was to be TOFOG’s only Australian outing, Russell and the boys surprised eager fans with a Saturday night appearance at Sydney’s popular jazz club The Basement. The band took to the stage for a quick two-song gig which capped off the evening’s Australian Online Music Awards.
Following the Coffs Harbour show – nearby Russell's expansive ranch – TOFOG jetted off to Austin, Texas, where they’ll jump-start their North American tour, which includes sold out stops in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
