Troy Nababan Rocks Dockers Fans from the Top of Perth Stadium

Troy Nababan's luscious locks helped him land a unique job as the Fremantle Dockers' guitarist, playing Queen and AC/DC covers from the top of Perth Stadium.

A Dream Come True

The 38-year-old Morley father is one of a handful of people who can boast that they have played to a sold-out crowd at the stadium, among the likes of Ed Sheeran and Coldplay's Chris Martin. Nababan strapped in a harness, stands right on top of the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium.

"I dreamed I would [play stadiums] when I was very young, but I thought that opportunity had maybe disappeared as I got a little older," he said.

Nababan's gig is not for the faint-hearted. The platform at Perth Stadium where he stands is 42 metres high, or a 12-storey drop to the grass below. There are no handrails and worst of all, the metal grate is see-through.

A Long Way to the Top

Even after hundreds of games, Nababan — who is anchored to the platform by a harness — says he still does not look down.

"It does get slippery if it rains. I had a little trip maybe two or three weeks ago, went a little bit too hard and my sneaker got caught," he said.

His biggest risk is rocking too hard and giving himself a wedgie.

"This is not the sort of gig you can do passively. They [the crowd] pump me up, I try and pump them up. I try and run around as much as possible," he said.

The Road to Success

It all started with a "random phone call" in 2019. Nababan said his booking agent was looking for a long-haired guitar player for what they called "a bit of a strange gig".

"They said 'we want you to play on top of Perth Stadium', and I'm like 'alright' but I was thinking 'is that safe'?" he said.

Nababan's philosophy from when he was much younger was always say yes. If there's an opportunity, just go for it.

Rocking the Bandwagon

Nababan goes to the park every weekend with his son to kick the footy but admits his love of the sport is relatively new.

"It was a slow transition, I'd watch the first quarter and head home, then it was watching the first half … and now unfortunately it's a big obsession of mine," he said.

The musician is now firmly on the roller-coaster of being a Fremantle fan. He is still recovering from last week's upset defeat the minor premiers suffered against Hawthorn.

"It wasn't the best feeling, but I am choosing to be positive about it. I think the supporters are very firmly behind the club," he said.