Make hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes. But Australia's old rock and rollers apparently have a new adage: hit the road while the borders are closed.
And why not? With big international stage acts forced out as the COVID-19 pandemic rages elsewhere, homegrown Aussie talent has a captive audience.
ARIA Hall of Famers the Hoodoo Gurus, 70s icon Richard Clapton and renowned singer songwriter Paul Kelly are among Frontier Touring's wave of domestic talent embarking on national ventures.
And it's not exclusively yesteryear artists. Indie folk songstress Julia Jacklin, hip hop trio Bliss N Eso, the DMA's and Lime Cordiale are also touring.
National border closures are "bad overall for the industry", says Dion Brant, chief operating officer at Mushroom Group, Frontier's parent company.
"A whole lot of our income and opportunity comes from having larger internationals come through. It keeps us buoyant and allows local acts to play to bigger audiences (on the same bill)," he told AAP.
"So not having them is a bit of a double-edged sword but definitely right now, it' a great chance for all the local artists to get out and shine under their own name instead of being a support act and to build followings."
For 80s mainstays like the Gurus, it's of course more about reconnecting with their original fans after more than a year of them being denied live entertainment.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Hoodoo Gurus' first live show in 1981, they're playing dates in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth across 11 days in December.
Another to spot an opportunity is British-born 70s rocker Ted Mulry, who climbed onto what was then the Go-Set National Top 40 in 1971 with pop-ballad Falling in Love Again.
It hardly resembled the pub-rock classics like Jump In My Car that Mulry would later pump out with his band TMG but is apparently reason enough for the 74-year-old to again hit the stage.
Clapton, of Girls on the Avenue fame, will perform six capital city shows next month to coincide with the release of a new album, Music is Love (1966-1970), while Kelly will head off on a 24-venue tour in July.
Apart from visiting the big smoke, his itinerary includes a string of shows in regional centres like Cairns, Port Douglas, Geelong and even Bathurst and Merimbula in NSW.
Brant says it can be tricky organising tours with reduced venue capacity and the ever-present threat of snap state border closures.
"The industry isn't quite yet all shiny and going well because there are still a lot of challenges," he said.
"But at least things are reopening."
Also returning after last year's shutdowns, is the eighth edition of the Apia Good Times Tour featuring John Paul Young, Joe Camilleri, Kate Ceberano, Wendy Matthews and Deborah Conway.
So too Melbourne's One Electric Day Festival with headliners Jimmy Barnes, The Living End, Jon Stevens and The Black Sorrows.
One notable Oz rock legend yet to jump on board with a full-blown offering is Ross Wilson, who's timeless classic Eagle Rock was released 50 years ago on Saturday.
Australian Associated Press
