Guy Sebastian On Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony: 'The Backlash Is Deserved'

Last month's Commonwealth Games closing ceremony was slammed by viewers and even Channel Seven commentators and one of its own performers, Guy Sebastian, has expressed a similar opinion.

Speaking to GC Bulletin, the renowned Australian singer-songwriter said while the criticism was deserved, the anger towards the acts who performed is misdirected.

"I think it's deserved (the backlash), but none of us performers got paid for that," Sebastian said.

"I had paparazzi accosting me outside my hotel the next day saying 'Why’d you make it all about you?' I'm like, 'Dude, I didn't run it. I didn't organise it, I'm here for free'.

"We thought we were serving the Commonwealth. For me, it's a prestigious opportunity. I love my country, I wanted to contribute to a great Games.

"As performers, it was a bit disheartening that something we were involved in didn’t have a lot of positivity attached to it."

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It comes after Brisbane outfit Sheppard, who turned down an invitation to perform at the opening ceremony, accused organisers of "ripping off artists". 

"It would have been great to play, but at the end of the day this is our job and we would have lost money," the band said at the time. 

Sebastian said a meeting he had prior to the closing ceremony suggested the focus would be on the Commonwealth Games volunteers. 

"… I always assumed the actual stars of the Games (the athletes) would be there, too," Sebastian said.

"I assumed there’d be athletes walking around, cheering, waving flags with their countries.

"We were in a kind of bunker in the basement while it was playing out. We had no idea what was playing out or that there was people filing out of the stadium."

Sebastian will embark on a regional tour of Australia next month; for more details, head to theGuide or scroll down.