Garry Van Egmond, Legendary Australian Concert Promoter, Dies at 82

Lars Brandle
·3 min read

Garry Van Egmond, the veteran impresario behind some of the biggest tours in the history of Australia’s touring business, died Saturday morning (April 6) following complications of recent surgery. He was 82.

Based in Melbourne, Van Egmond was AC/DC’s promoter of choice for touring Australia and New Zealand, and, in 1986, he helmed Dire Straits’ record-smashing Brothers In Arms tour, a juggernaut that shifted more than 900,000 tickets when Australia’s population was just 14 million. More than 250,000 tickets for that Dire Straits tour were sold in Sydney alone.

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Dire Straits’ national box-office bonanza was the all-time record holder for tickets sold on a single tour, holding the mark for more than 30 years, until Ed Sheeran’s 2018 Divide tour pushed past one million ticket sales in these parts.

With over 50 years’ experience in live events, Van Egmond sold upwards of 35 million tickets across Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, according to a statement from TEG, which acquired the late entrepreneur’s company, Van Egmond Group, in 2020.

Van Egmond produced AC/DC tours dating back to 1985, including the 2010 Black Ice trek, a co-production with Michael Chugg Entertainment, which shifted more than 600,000 tickets across 11 Australian dates (and 760,000 tickets across Australia and New Zealand). The rock legends’ Rock or Bust Australasia leg in 2015 sold in excess of 460,000 tickets across nine stadium dates in seven cities (five in Australia, two in New Zealand).

The Black Ice tour was particularly hot, shifting over 520,000 tickets in fewer than three hours, for the fastest selling concert in Australian history. “It’s been an amazing reaction. I’m quite amazed and absolutely stunned,” he told this reporter on the day tickets went on sale. Part of that success was finding a sweet spot for the ticket price. “I visited London three weeks ago to meet with the band,” he explained, “and they asked to bring ticket prices down over the past 18 months and it was very important to say they shouldn’t be more than US$100, which has really worked. It’s worked great for the band and the audience.”

Across his career, Van Egmond produced the Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour, Riverdance’s The Show, plus tours by Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, INXS, Prince, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton and more.

“Today the entire TEG family expresses our sadness and mourns the loss of Garry Van Egmond,” comments TEG Group CEO Geoff Jones.

“Garry was not only a highly valued colleague but a thoroughly decent person, and a resounding talent with the highest integrity. His legacy will stand the test of time. Our thoughts are with Christo, Katie and his family through these difficult times.”

Garry is survived by his daughter Katie, son Christo and grandchildren Hugo and Saskia.

The TEG Van Egmond business will continue to be run by managing director Christo Van Egmond, who remembers his father as “a true gentleman in the business and was highly regarded and respected by artists, managers, agents, and everyone he worked with.” He says of his dad, “He was a superb mentor to me and I have enjoyed working with him for nearly 30 years. Over that time we have presented some amazing events in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He was a fantastic father and friend to me and will be missed dearly by his family, friends, and colleagues.”

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