Anthony Callea Bringing Australia Together Again

Anthony Callea Bringing Australia Together Again
Image: Anthony Callea

Over the last 18 months Australians have been forced apart as we all entered into periods of isolation and lockdown. So when Anthony Callea began planning his first post-COVID tour there were two words which immediately came to the forefront as the perfect tour name, and hence the Together Again tour was born.

The Together Again tour will see Callea kicking things off in Melbourne over four straight nights before then heading to South Australia, Penrith, Wyong, Newcastle, Tweed Heads, and ultimately closing out the tour in June in Caloundra in Queensland.

When speaking to Star Observer ahead of the tour Callea explained that live performance is his “number one love”. So to have that taken away was devastating for him personally but also for the entertainment industry as a whole.

“I’m so grateful to be able to walk back on stage again, especially after the year and a bit that the entertainment industry has gone through,” Callea said. “The entertainment industry has been decimated over the last year and a bit. So to see it coming to life again and to see people supporting live entertainment again is a beautiful thing.”

When asked if this sense of isolation was the inspiration for the name of the tour Callea answered, “Absolutely! I wanted something that encapsulated the past 18 months and that idea of coming Together Again as a nation to support each other was captured perfectly in those two very powerful words.”

Given that it has been so long since he last performed (Callea’s last concert was in January, 2020) he explained that there were some nerves there.

“There is that deep nervous situation going on in my head at the moment… but I think that is a beautiful thing because if you’re not nervous about something than you should give it away.”

For this upcoming run of shows Callea says fans will feel his “passion for music and singing” in his performance, but they should also expect to hear a lot of stories. This storytelling side of his show sometimes gets him in trouble with his parents Callea revealed.

“I also do talk a lot on stage as well, which get’s me in trouble from my parents when they come to my shows because they say all I do is ‘talk and talk and talk, but I say to them ‘that’s not my fault, I’m Italian and love to chat.'”

On a personal level the idea of bringing the country Together Again has a added level of depth for Callea. 2021 marked 14 years since the young man that we all met through Australian Idol came out to the world as a gay man. During our conversation Callea reflected on the progress both we as a nation and he personally have made in that time.

“I love that fact now that I can live the life that I live, be happy in my own self and be in a relationship with Tim [Campbell].”

According to Callea the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia in 2019 was “a really beautiful moment” which saw himself and Tim celebrating with martinis in their lounge room at 10am.

If Anthony and Tim are able to simply walk up and live their life happily and by doing so have a positive impact on other people that it was makes them the happiest.

“If my decisions have a flow on affect for other people without even trying that is a really privileged and beautiful position to be in, I love that,” explained Callea. “I love it when parents of children who are gay reach out to say that I’ve helped them understand their children or opened their eyes to new way of thinking.”

In closing Callea asked that “if you’ve got the opportunity and the means to support live music please don’t hesitate to do so. Personally, I’ve never looked forward to a tour more, so if you can support us then you’re also helping to get the crew, the theatres, the ushers, and the support staff back into jobs.”

Tour Info: www.anthonycallea.com

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