VIA PRESS RELEASE | Colin Hay, the celebrated frontman of ’80s chart-toppers Men at Work, has announced a special virtual benefit show of the band’s hits (and some surprises) on Sunday, November 1. The show will feature the L.A.-based artist and his touring band.
Tickets are on sale now, and include both a group and a VIP option for a virtual meet and greet. The net proceeds will benefit three organizations supporting Americans’ Right to Vote, as well as the independent venue and touring associations that are working so hard to bring more Federal Aid to the millions of people who have lost their jobs and whose venues face potential permanent closures from the coronavirus pandemic. “I am lucky to still be able to write, record and play music for a living,” Hay says. “I will have something new to release very soon. Some 40 years ago, this was my aspiration. I wanted to be in a great rock band and tour the world. My dreams came true. That was a long time ago, though sometimes it feels like just the other day.
“I toured last year as Men at Work, and it was a truly great experience. Touring is obviously on hold for the foreseeable future, so I offer this virtual concert with my band, of my favorite Men at Work songs, 40 years on. You don’t even have to leave your house, which at the moment, is still a good idea.”
The Scotland-born, Australia-raised singer-songwriter and lead singer, songwriter and frontman of Men at Work tours as a solo artist and also as Colin Hay’s Men at Work. Hay toured internationally with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band in 2018 and 2019 and a Hay-penned song, “What’s My Name,” not only made its way onto Starr’s most recent album but became the title track. Hay is currently working on a follow-up to Fierce Mercy for an early 2021 release on Compass Records.
ABOUT COLIN HAY | Colin Hay is beloved both for being Men At Work’s celebrated frontman, and for the solo, more intimate, potent live shows he has performed extensively over the last quarter century. The range of artists who cite him as a muse or who have found themselves on stage with him in the past year spans the genre landscape from heavy metal to Americana to Cuban masters of rhythm and beyond. His inclusion as a playlist favorite for acts as disparate as Metallica and the Lumineers reflects his continuing relevance and broad appeal. It is, however, his growing legion of fans throughout the world, to whom Hay feels the strongest allegiance. “They have kept me going all these years, and may they long continue to.”
Hay has also made his mark as a thespian over the years. He made his debut with the Melbourne Theatre Company playing Feste in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It was his second stint in theater, the first time being part of the cast of the musical Ned Kelly, just prior to the formation of Men At Work. He has also appeared in the much beloved TV show Scrubs, played Barry in the Irish/Australian comedy film The Craic, appeared as Zac in the Australian comedy Cosi, and most recently played a role in the American TV show The Resident.
He is the subject of the 2015 documentary film, Waiting for My Real Life.
