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Back to the Furnace with Jimmy Barnes
Australia's defining rock shouter rose from Adelaide pub gigs with Cold Chisel to a solo career built on a sandpaper voice and straight-ahead rock. This run marks 40 years since Working Class Man, and after a recent spell off the road to rebuild his health, he seems set on celebrating stamina as much as songs. Expect a front-loaded salute to For the Working Class Man, with Working Class Man and No Second Prize, and a nod to the Chisel chapter via Khe Sanh and Flame Trees. The crowd skews multi-generational, from longtime pub-rock regulars to teens who learned the choruses at home, with vintage tees, scuffed boots, and quiet smiles before the first downbeat.
Forty Years, One Voice
Trivia worth noting: Working Class Man was written by Jonathan Cain of Journey, and its US push helped widen his reach beyond Australia. Another small fact: he holds the record for the most No.1 albums on the ARIA chart, which tells you how deep the catalog goes. Listen for the whole room to hit the final line of the title track in unison, a rough-edged choir rather than a polished singalong. To be clear, the song choices and production flourishes described here are reasoned forecasts, not confirmations.Blue-Collar Choir, Saturday-Night Shine
The scene draws people who care about songs more than poses, so the fashion leans practical: denim jackets, sun-faded caps, and old tour shirts pulled from storage. You will hear the friendly Barnsey chant between numbers, quick and warm, like a nod from one regular to another. Earlier fans swap stories about sticky-carpet rooms and first Chisel gigs, while newer faces compare favorite chorus lines and vinyl reissues.
Rituals of a Working Songbook
Merch trends skew classic, with bold album art from For the Working Class Man, simple black tees, and a poster that looks built for a garage wall. During the soft starts, people hush without being told, then burst into tuneful noise when the beat lands again. Friends trade set guesses rather than phone pics, and the loudest cheers often go to the deep cuts that prove someone has stayed with him for decades. It feels less like dress-up nostalgia and more like a community checking in with a voice they grew up alongside.Grit, Grain, and Big Choruses
Barnes's voice arrives like a siren with human edges, all chest and rasp, but he spaces the shouts so the grit stays musical. The band favors tight rhythm guitars, a punchy snare, and bass lines that walk just enough to keep the songs moving. Arrangements tend to start lean, then bloom into stacked vocals on refrains, with a quick reset between songs rather than long patter.
Muscle First, Then Shine
A common live tweak is dropping a song a half-step to keep the tone dark and strong, which also lets him stretch the last note without strain. On Flame Trees, keys often lead the first verse before the band slides in, turning a barroom memory into a slow-build crowd moment. Expect one or two mid-set acoustic turns where tempo loosens, then a sprint finish with hard downbeats and clipped endings. Lighting usually sticks to warm ambers and hard whites that match the steel-and-sawdust feel, with simple screen reels for context rather than spectacle. Little cues matter, like the drummer calling a stop-time hit before the final chorus or guitarists swapping to open-tuned chords for thicker ring.Kindred Spirits on the Road
Fans of Cold Chisel will feel at home here, since that same pub-born grit and big-chorus storytelling runs through the night. Ian Moss appeals to the same ears, pairing tasteful lead guitar lines with weathered vocals and songs that land hard live. Paul Kelly draws overlapping listeners for his plainspoken lyrics and a band feel that prizes songcraft over flash.