It has been a tough couple of months for Greg Bryce but he is feeling the love.
Newcastle's music community has banded together for the popular musician, who has been unable to work since being stabbed five times by a man at Club Merewether after performing a solo gig in March.
His wounds required surgery.
A handful of Bryce's best mates are performing at a fundraising concert tomorrow at Newcastle Racecourse on a line-up that reads like a who's who of Newcastle's music scene over the past five decades.
We're talking Leeroy & The Rats, Skyes Law, Bob Corbett & The Roo Grass Band, The Viper Creek Band, Grant Walmsley & Palais Royale, FT Brien McVernon & Craig Bloxom (SPYS), JETS/DV8/SPYS, and The Years.
Close to 1500 tickets to Concert For Greg Bryce have already been sold.
"I'm incredibly grateful and so appreciative of everyone's love and support," Bryce told the Newcastle Herald this week.
"All the musicians who put their hands up to perform on Sunday and all the people who want to be there for the music, the staff at John Hunter Hospital, Yianni [Moratidis] from GENR8 entertainment ... so many people have helped along the way.
"It's a really beautiful thing."
The idea for a fundraising concert came about when Bryce was in hospital recovering from surgery after the knife attack. He wasn't keen on the idea of starting a Go Fund Me, but his eyes lit up when lifelong friend and fellow musician Grant Walmsley suggested a concert.
"Yep, it all started on the hospital bed with Grant - we got very enthusiastic about the idea of putting on a concert that might help me, given that I'll be out of action for a while," Bryce said.
"Grant and I go back a long way. We've helped each other out over the years, we've both been involved in each other's careers, we've been there to inspire each other. He's my brother. A good man, a good humanitarian, a lovely guy.
"I haven't had anything to do with calling anybody up for the concert, everyone just seemed to volunteer, which I'm incredibly grateful for. Colleagues, musicians, friends from over the years that I've known, they've all put their hands up.
"A lot of these bands and musicians have probably never played all on the same bill before, so it's quite exciting, really. Let's all get together and make a great day of it."
Friend and musician Leo Della Grotta said he was "not surprised in the slightest" at the music community's show of support for Bryce.
"Many of us have known each other for over 50 years in an ultra-competitive business where the opportunities to play are shrinking every day," he said.
"Quite apart from Greg's musical reputation and skill, we acknowledge and are proud to help a quiet, respectful person who doesn't judge.
"We don't live in each other's pocket, we each have our own journey, but we will be there for each other."
Della Grotta said Bryce's contribution to Newcastle's music scene and culture was "enormous and ongoing" and his band DV8 continues to draw crowds.
"The teenagers who grew up listening to Greg's music in the 1970s and beyond might have children and grandchildren of their own but still go to DV8 gigs, still remember all the words, and don't hesitate to sing and bop along," Della Grotta said.
"Greg's songs speak to our ups and downs, growing up, growing apart, our town's summer and surf culture, and the names and places that make the Newcastle area our home."
Bryce is healing, physically and emotionally, following his horrific ordeal.
But he's taking things slow.
When the Herald called he was at home, enjoying the "cool breeze and little bit of sunshine" amid the rain.
"I'm getting better and better every day," he said.
"All the wounds have healed and my physical strength is close to coming back.
"I meditate every day and am in a good mental space. I have a lot of support around me, and people looking out for me."
And, like Della Grotta, Bryce is not surprised at the support he has received.
He's thankful, of course, but he also knows the character of the city he grew up in.
"Newcastle is that kind of town. We have a good, close-knit community, we know each other. We're not spread far and wide; we know of each other even if we don't know each other," he said.
"It's a great community and it always has been. We all help each other."
Tickets to Concert For Greg Bryce this Sunday, May 24, are available at the gate on the day and online at trybooking.com. Fold-up chairs are permitted, and there's plenty of shelter if it rains.
Della Grotta said ticket sales in the lead-up to the concert had been "incredible".
"That speaks volumes for what Greg Bryce means to the punters out there who shell out their hard-earned every week and keep us all in work," he said.
"This will be one to remember.
"People will witness a show featuring brother and sister musicians returning the respect Greg has shown them by playing their hearts out. We will rally around one of our own."
