Tones and I announce intimate gig the same weekend as scrapped NRL grand final show

Aussie singer Tones and I has announced a surprise pop-up show the very same weekend her thwarted NRL grand final performance was supposed to take place.

The singer, whose real name is Toni Watson, will perform at the Echuca Hotel in Victoria on Friday, October 2, just two days before she was supposed to headline the NRL grand final pre-show in Sydney.

The show, which will also feature a meet and greet with the singer, is open for all ages with tickets going on sale on Wednesday, September 30.

The gig coincides with her headlining gig at Deni Ute Muster Festival, taking place on October 2–3 in Deniliquin, New South Wales.

Watson announced the “acoustic pop-up show” after the NRL revealed there would be no pre-show entertainment at the grand final on October 4 due to “creative differences” between the singer and the league.

Initial reports said she refused to perform her biggest hit, Dance Monkey, which led to the NRL scrapping her.

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‘You’ll be entertained’: NRL boss Peter V’landys teases grand final entertainment

The singer’s team insisted that it was not a creative decision, but rather a scheduling conflict that meant she could not agree to the league’s offer of $1 million for an 11-minute performance.

“Tones had a prior commitment with Macklemore in America and explored all avenues to make it work,” a statement at the time read. “Nothing was signed or confirmed in writing.”

NRL boss Peter V’landys first said they would be scrapping the pre-show altogether, with the organisation donating the money to grassroots footy groups.

However, earlier this week he backflipped, confirming there would be some type of pre-show entertainment without disclosing what it would be.

V’landys told Nine’s James Bracey: “Watch 11 minutes before kick-off and there’s going to be a big surprise... and you’ll be entertained.

“I’ve got to tell you, it’ll be the highest-rating 11 minutes you will ever see because no one knows what it is, and we won’t tell until the night.

“And a lot of people will be surprised.

“There will be something, but I am not saying what it is. Stay tuned.”

V’landys clarified that the NRL would still make the $1 million contribution, but a smaller amount would go to the entertainment.

“My prime aim was to give $1 million to kids who can’t play the game,” he said.

“Under-privileged kids, that can’t buy boots, that can’t get registered, who can’t get insurances, who have all their mates playing and they can’t.

“That to me is more important than anything. And I want to develop that fund into millions of dollars, not just a million dollars.”

As for who will be taking the field before kick off? Well, that remains a surprise.

In the wake of Tones and I pulling out, plenty of Aussie acts put their hands up to offer their talents for the coveted gig.

Aussie icon Shannon Noll, best known for his hit What About Me, threw his hat in the ring and offered himself up as the entertainment.

“I just thought I’d put it out there because I’m free that day, and I absolutely love my footy,” he told nine.com.au.

“It’d be an absolute thrill to play the grand final. I’ve actually done it once before, but it’d be amazing to be a part of a day like that again.”

Noll performed at the 2007 NRL grand final, alongside the Hoodoo Gurus and Vanessa Amorosi. He also performed at the State of Origin series in 2023.