Max Merritt - 2000s Resurgence

2000s Resurgence

Merritt toured Australia on a short club circuit in April 2001 along with Doug Parkinson - a fellow veteran rocker from the 1960s. This marked a resurgence of interest for Merritt: April and May were spent touring Australia under the banner "The Heart & Soul of Rock & Roll" with Parkinson; August and September 2002 was the Long Way To The Top - The Concert tour. After that, whenever Merritt returned to Australia, a reformed Max Merritt & The Meteors were in demand for special events and music festivals: Melbourne Music & Blues Festival, The Perth Moonlight Festival, The Veterans Games in Alice Springs, The Queenscliff Festival, The Toyota Muster in Gympie; and in April 2006, the Byron Bay Blues Festival and the Gladstone Harbour Festival.

In mid-April 2007, Merritt was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital suffering kidney failure, he was diagnosed as having Goodpasture's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the kidneys and lungs. Merritt was struggling with his health and finances, so his manager, Wal Bishop, along with Australian music industry friends organised a Concert for Max held at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda, Victoria, Melbourne on 21 October 2007, and raised $200,000. He is currently on a dialysis machine awaiting a kidney transplant and is unable to tour extensively. On 1 July 2008, Merritt was inducted by Glenn A. Baker into the ARIA Hall of Fame, Merritt was joined on-stage by Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers to perform "Slippin' Away".

The lively appearance of New Zealand-born veteran Max Merritt, who has been struggling with illness at his home in Los Angeles, was another highlight... He sounded terrific last night, aided by the Australian country star Kasey Chambers and her father, Bill, on Slipping Away. Merritt was moved to tears by the tribute and his speech was high on emotion. —Andrew Murfett, 2 July 2008