AFL viewers savage ‘woke’ Grand Final halftime show featuring nonbinary singer G Flip and First Nations artists performing ‘bland’ covers: ‘You sign a $4.5billion TV deal and we get this?’
The most diverse and progressive halftime show in AFL Grand Final history has been savaged by viewers as ‘worse than Meatloaf’s’ disastrous 2011 performance.
Australia’s First Nation performers were given the spotlight at the halftime show at the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne on Saturday, but some disgruntled viewers called it a ‘woke’ move designed to ‘tick boxes’.
While Aussie rock band Goanna led 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 halftime show in AFL Grand Final history has been savaged by viewers, with many calling it ‘woke’ and ‘cringe’
Indie rockers The Temper Trap also performed with Indigenous stars Budjerah and Ngaiire.
Adding more diversity to the halftime lineup was nonbinary 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 coming back in to belt out 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 lineup was nonbinary 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 being given center stage, others called it ‘woke’ and said the vocals weren’t up to scratch.
Earlier this month, the AFL renewed its domestic broadcast deals with pay-TV network Foxtel, free-to-air broadcaster Channel Seven and telecommunications company Telstra, penning a seven-year contract worth a whopping AUS$4.5 billion.
It was quite the 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.
Organisers pulled out all the stops for the halftime show this year.
English pop legend Robbie Williams opened the Grand Final with a spine-tingling setlist that included all of his biggest 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.
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