Michael Gudinski would’ve predicted it: the Mushroom 50 Live concert was No. 1 in the ratings Sunday night (Nov. 26).
The Seven Network hosted the marathon, four-hour special event from Rod Laver Arena, where the likes of Hunters and Collectors, Missy Higgins, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, DMA’S and The Temper Trap performed hits from their own repertoire, and classics from the Mushroom catalogue.
Published overnight, OzTAM data reveals Mushroom 50 Live was the most-watched entertainment show of the night, capturing 557,000 viewers, with 490,000 tuning in for the late session and 350,000 caught the finale.
Those numbers powered Seven to a big win on the night, as the free-to-air broadcaster came first in both primary (26.3%) and network (33.8%) rankings.
Viewers stayed glued to their TVs, with a repeat episode of The 1% Club Australia cashing in for 171,000 viewers after the one-off concert had wrapped.
The culmination of Mushroom’s year-long 50th anniversary party, Mushroom 50 Live was pitched as “50 Songs for 50 Years,” a tribute to the Melbourne-based independent music group’s greatest stars and most enduring songs, and a celebration of its much-missed former leader Michael Gudinski, who died in 2021 at the age of 68.
Mushroom 50 Live was a partnership with Telstra and ALWAYS LIVE, the state-wide booster of contemporary live music supported by the Victoria Government through Visit Victoria, and spearheaded by MG whose children Kate and Matt, now CEO of Mushroom Group, both delivered speeches during the concert.
Ahead of the show, the indie released Mushroom: 50 Years of Making Noise (Reimagined), a collection of reimagined Mushroom songs, recorded by Mushroom artists and members of the extended family, and led off by Ed Sheeran’s rendition of the Hunters’ “Throw Your Arms Around Me.”
At the special concert, the Hunters’ frontman Mark Seymour delivered his signature song at night’s end, the rocker singing as a duet with Sheeran performing virtually.
Stream Mushroom: 50 Years of Making Noise below.