Rodriguez announces Australian tour

Mythical musician Rodriguez has announced a run of dates in Australia this October. The singer behind cult-hit Sugarman ;will open his national tour in Brisbane before making his way down the east coast to Sydney and Melbourne before dates in Adelaide and Perth. The enigmatic artist was the subject of 2012’s Oscar-winning doco Searching For Sugarman, which followed the story of two South African fans who tracked the singer down after decades living in obscurity and the subsequent rumours of his death. After emerging onto Detroit’s live scene in the ‘60s, Rodriguez failed to connect to his home audiences, instead finding superstar status in South Africa, where his music and lyrics on counter culture became the soundtrack to anti-Apartheid activists. He also found success in Australia, touring in the ‘70s and again in 1981 with Midnight Oil. Rodriguez recorded two studio albums Cold Fact (1969) and Coming From Reality (1971) which went largely unnoticed in the US. After struggling to make a name for himself he turned his efforts elsewhere, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, running for political office and working construction and factory jobs to support his family. After being sought out by two fans in the 1990s, the singer has made a return to music, enjoying a massive renaissance on the back of the doco’s success. Tickets go on sale Thursday, August 28 at 12pm via Ticketek and Ticketmaster. Full tour dates: Monday, October 13 – ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland Thursday, October 16 – Opera House, Wellington Sunday, October 19 – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Tuesday, October 21 – Sydney Opera House Thursday, October 23 – Sydney Opera House Saturday, October 25 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne Wednesday, October 29 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre Friday, November 7 – Kings Park, Perth