15 Years of Astral People takeover

Gil Scott-Heron by Brian Jackson & Yasiin Bey

Vintage photo of two black men smiling, one has a tall afro hairstyle and thick beard. The background is an iridescent purple swirl, looking like water.
  • Contemporary Music
  • Vivid LIVE
  • Concert Hall
  • Seating map

The world-premiere celebration of a musical prophet

As part of their 15th year takeover, Sydney tastemakers Astral People are excited to present a world-first celebration of the inimitable Gil Scott-Heron, the American poet and musician whose politically charged, spoken-word performances and fusions of jazz, blues and soul helped transform the sound of rhythm and blues in the 1960s and ’70s, paving the way for what became hip-hop. Scott-Heron’s searing proto-rap single The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – from his 1971 masterpiece Pieces of a Man – remains a fiercely incandescent anthem of defiance and activism.

This celebration of a musical titan is led by the man who musically knew him best - none other than Scott-Heron’s musical director, Brian Jackson, the man whose Rhodes electric piano and flute played a part on so many of their seminal records throughout the 1970s. A multitalented keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer and producer, Jackson played on Scott-Heron’s Pieces of a Man and Free Will (1972), and together they co-headlined a string of groundbreaking records, including the jazz-funk classic, Winter In America (1974).

Joining Jackson as the voice of Gil Scott-Heron is the legendary Brooklyn-born rapper, musician and multidisciplinary artist Yasiin Bey, a figure who has moved fluidly between hip-hop, big-screen stardom and trenchant social commentary. An artist who emerged from the New York underground in the mid-1990s and released a pair of classics in his solo debut Black On Both Sides (1999) and a 1998 collaboration with Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998). A fitting heir to Scott-Heron’s activist legacy, Bey has garnered multiple Grammy Award nominations and remains one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of the past 30 years.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

Scott-Heron’s fusion of jazz, blues, soul and funk challenged the status quo with biting satire, unapologetic social commentary, and confrontational poetry.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

One of the most influential musicians of the past 25 years.

Pitchfork

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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is located beneath the largest of Sydney Opera House’s roof sails, filling the upper levels of the west side of the building. Best accessed through the covered concourse. 

All Sydney Opera House foyers are accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators).

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