AFL viewers wanted ‘woke’ Grand Final halftime show featuring non-binary singer G Flip and First Nations artists performing ‘bland’ covers: ‘You sign a $4.5 billion TV deal and we get this ?’
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The most diverse and progressive half-time show in AFL Grand Final history has been judged by viewers as ‘worse than Meatloaf’s disastrous 2011 performance.
Australia’s First Nation artists were thrust into the spotlight at halftime of the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne on Saturday, but some disgruntled viewers called it a “vigilante” move designed to “tick boxes”.
While Australian rock band Goanna headlined the performance with their 1982 hit Solid Rock, they were joined by indigenous artists including Christine Anu, Emma Donovan, Tasman Keith and William Barton.
The most diverse and progressive half-time show in AFL Grand Final history has been saved by viewers, with many calling it “woke”
Indie rockers The Temper Trap also performed with Indigenous stars Budjerah and Ngaiire.
Adding more diversity to the break line was non-binary singer G Flip, who uses they/them pronouns and is currently dating American reality star Chrishell Stause from Netflix’s Selling Sunset.
G Flip opened the performance with a roaring drum solo before later returning to interject Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl.
Christine Anu and Emma Donovan were then introduced with an incredible didgeridoo solo which bled into Goanna’s Solid Rock.
Adding more diversity to the halftime line-up was non-binary singer G Flip, who uses they/them pronouns and performed a drum solo before singing Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl?
While many viewers were no doubt happy to see underrepresented minority groups put front and center, others called it “woke” and said the vocals weren’t up to scratch.
– This halftime show was pretty bad, it felt like they were trying to be woken up. Was it just me?’ complained one.
‘Terrible halftime show at the @AFL grand final. More on checkboxes and then entertainment! We get lectured everyday about it coming into sports,’ tweeted another.
‘This waking halftime show was terrible. If you’re going to leave, at least be good,’ raged one.
‘The AFL’s half-time entertainment is about running Indigenous politics. The group is terrible. So predictable,’ said another.
Earlier this month, the AFL renewed its domestic broadcast deals with pay-TV network Foxtel, free-to-air broadcaster Channel Seven and telco Telstra, penning a seven-year contract worth a whopping AUS$4.5 billion.
It was quite a change from previous Grand Final halftime shows.
In 2021, alternative rock band Birds of Tokyo performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
Before that, Sheppard performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
The organizers pulled out all the stops for the halftime show this year.
English pop legend Robbie Williams opened the grand finale with a rocking set list that included all his greatest hits, as well as a cover of John Farnham’s The Voice.
He was later joined by Delta Goodrem for a duet of his song Kids.