In the words of Aussie rock legend, Tim Rogers, if you remember the famous Roosistence concert of 2007 then, “you weren’t there”.

While that may indeed be the case for many who managed to buy a ticket, the event remains one of the most important gatherings of the North Melbourne faithful in recent times.

Watch 'Keeping North South' now

Roosistence was staged to provide an amplification of the voice of North supporters who were angered by the AFL’s plans to relocate the club to the Gold Coast.

One of the organisers, Dean Crozier, says the memories have been flooding back since the release of North Media’s ‘Keeping North South’ documentary on Fox Footy and NMFC.com.au.

Crozier says members of the online football forum BigFooty were key players in the concert’s planning and ultimate success.

“It’s fair to say the idea wasn’t initially mulled over in any great depth. It was purely an impulse, and I am the first to admit that I didn’t give any real thought to logistics, costing, or the plausibility of it all. None of that boring stuff. I just thought, ‘benefit concert ... hey, that might work!’,” Crozier recalled.

Crozier reached out to Rogers, hoping the front man of band ‘You Am I’ would get on board and help.

“In those dark days Tim was a fairly regular frequenter of the BigFooty forum, desperate for any relocation-related information, just like the rest of us North tragics,” Crozier said.

“I sent him a message. I’d never spoken to him previously. So I was not only surprised to get an almost instant reply, but one that said something along the lines of, “Let’s do it!”.

“And just like that, the Roosistence gig was born.”

Credit: Black Shadow Photography

The pair then met face to face to agree on the finer details and suddenly, the concert began to take shape.

“Tim was fantastic. He greeted me really warmly, and I was immediately put at ease,” Crozier fondly recalled.

“Tim is an extremely down-to-earth person at heart, and is as passionate about the club as anyone.

“Tim was great at taking the reins and guiding me through the process. We quickly managed to bed down a basic timeline for the event and then were fortunate enough to snare a dream venue.”

Rogers’ contacts in the music industry opened doors Crozier never contemplated entering. Within a few hours iconic hotel and live music venue, the Prince Of Wales in St Kilda, was offered up free of charge.

“Having it held at the Prince gave Roosistence an instant profile, which we were really over the moon about. It’s a testament to the esteem that Tim, and the club, are both held in.” Crozier stated.

Next on the agenda was the line-up of bands for the evening, and again, Crozier claims Rogers didn’t hesitate, calling in favours from his friends in the industry.

“The line-up came together in a fairly swift and hassle-free manner,” Crozier said.

“Things just fell really neatly into place with regards to the availability of bands, and their willingness to offer their services free of charge.

“And then the real work started.”

North fans were looking for an outlet to vent their frustrations towards the AFL and the then club leaders, and were desperate to show a united front. Roosistence was the perfect vehicle and it quickly began to garner considerable public attention off the back of clever radio advertising and word-of-mouth; another instance where BigFooty was an effective tool in the days before Twitter and Facebook emerged.

“Every day I would have the mobile phone glued to my ear from sunrise to sunset. Phone call after phone call, discussion after discussion, all regarding anything and everything that could be done. Back then it was a much harder to get a message out but everyone just kept pushing and pushing,” Crozier said.

“Every night a whole lot of diehard supporters would dutifully log onto BigFooty and butt heads with the pro-Gold Coast posters.

“BigFooty tends to cop a fair bit of stick for the often forthright views of some of its members, but without a shadow of a doubt, 2007 was the forum’s finest hour.”

While preparations for the Roosistence concert were taking place, another important supporter movement also began to mobilise under the banner ‘We Are North Melbourne’ (WANM).

“Roosistence’s loose, ad-hoc way of going about things was very much at the opposite end of the spectrum to WANM’s far more formal approach, but that’s neither here nor there in assessing the valuable contribution they made,” Crozier noted.

“Their work in gaining media exposure to attack and debunk the AFL's propaganda was definitely worthy of high praise. And the group’s progression towards a more explicit anti-Gold Coast stance as time went on provided some excellent momentum both for our group and everyone else involved in the push to save our club.”

Crozier paid special tribute to one of the club’s most loyal supporters, the late Shane Lidgerwood.

“He was an inspiration to everyone involved with Roosistence. He just never seemed to tire and the work he put into fighting the AFL was extraordinary,” he said.

“He was a great North man and a real force in organising supporters to do whatever they could do to have their voices heard. It saddens me that he’s not around to see how the club is thriving today.”

Others worked on the backroom politics and marketing and PR, which included arranging posters and petitions which were then marched up and down local streets in an effort to gain support from people from all walks of life – not just North fans.

“A friend of mine, passionate North member, Paul Harrington, also did a huge amount of work to ensure that the event ran smoothly. His assistance was a godsend. As was that of fellow North Melbourne member, Vaughan Schubert. They are two people whose names I feel absolutely honour-bound to mention for the invaluable contribution they made in helping to put the concert together.”

Within a few days of being released, tickets for the Roosistence concert sold out.

“A whole range of North people donated money and offered up cheap or free services that they could provide through their various areas of business,” Crozier said.

Soon enough, the big night arrived and the large crowd quickly filled the Prince Of Wales to capacity. Crozier admits he was on tenterhooks.

“I got a huge shock when I saw the actual turnout. The place was absolutely packed to the rafters and the crowd was buzzing,” he remembered.

“The whole vibe was so upbeat and defiant. It was a really celebratory atmosphere. I lost count of how many times I heard the club song break out.

“The concert drew punters of all ages and types. A few people even made the journey over from interstate. There were people there who had never been to a gig before, and haven’t been to another gig since. Most of the crowd was decked out in royal blue colours or North gear of some form or other.

“In what I consider to be a pretty brave show of support, some of the players even came along. Spud (Michael Firrito), Big H (Hamish McIntosh), Dish (Drew Petrie), and North folk legend, Leigh Brown, all rocked up.

“I’ve been to a lot of gigs in my life, and I can safely say that I have never witnessed anything like Roosistence.”

Assorted high-profile supporters took to the stage and addressed the crowd. People like Shinboner Of The Century, Glenn Archer, Trevor Marmalade, and even wonderful club stalwart, June Stevenson, who let out a glorious “F*** you, Demetriou!!” to a rapturous response.

Credit: Black Shadow Photography

Among the musical acts to perform on the night were Tex Perkins, Something For Kate, Mick Thomas and The Sure Thing, legendary supergroup The Wrights and, of course, You Am I.

“There were far too many on-stage highlights to list them all, but seeing Arch join Tim on stage for a stomping rendition of Rose Tattoo’s “We Can’t Be Beaten” was definitely right up there,” Crozier said.

Credit: Black Shadow Photography

After You Am I had finished whipping the crowd into a frenzy, The Wrights closed out the evening in fine style. With a line-up that included Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), Davey Lane (You Am I), Chris Cheney (The Living End), Nic Cester (Jet), Pat Bourke (Dallas Crane), and Kram from Spiderbait, they lit up the North faithful with a set of crowd-pleasing covers that featured Stevie Wright’s “Evie”, The Easybeats’ “Sorry”, and to close the show, a fierce rendition of ACDC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie”.

It was an emotional night as Crozier recounted.

“The house lights went up, and a lot of happy, heavily inebriated people filed back out onto Fitzroy Street. I hung around for a bit … Tim was exhausted but elated. It had been an amazing night. More successful than either of us had ever envisaged,” he said.

The concert raised close to $40,000, which was donated to the club. But the far greater significance of the evening was what it provided in terms of a rallying point for the North faithful.

“It’s obviously difficult to assess just how much the gig contributed in the fight for the club to stay at Arden Street, and I’m more than happy to leave that kind of thing for others to determine. But I will say that it did give some very passionate North supporters, who were probably feeling a little powerless at the time, a worthy outlet to become a more engaged and active part of the fight. Music and protest have always made for a good marriage,” Crozier reflected.

“And of course the timing turned out to be great, too. A week later JB (James Brayshaw) swept in and the assembled North faithful delivered a glorious collective middle finger to the AFL on that historic day at Dallas Brooks Hall. The fight was over. We’d won!”

While the night itself may be a little hazy in the memory of those who attended, one lasting image remains as vivid and strong as ever, the famous Roosistence poster designed by artist Ken Taylor.

“Ken did an incredible job on the artwork. It’s a truly superb and iconic piece of imagery that continues to endure to this day.

And the rest, as they say, is history.