Cold Chisel revealed today that they will celebrate 50 years together with a truly unique tour … ‘The Big Five-O’.
In a surprising – but apt – move, this golden anniversary party will kick off on Saturday, 5 October in Armidale, where Cold Chisel based themselves back in 1974-1975 while Don Walker completed his university studies. The tour will then lap around major Australian cities for 7 weeks before culminating on Sunday, 17 November in the city where the band formed … Adelaide.
‘The Big Five-O’ will be a night like no other. This time, the band isn’t touring to promote a new album; they are touring for the best possible reason … “because we all love playing gigs together”. Their anniversary provides scope for a show that features all the classic songs with which Cold Chisel carved their unique place in Oz Rock history – Khe Sanh, Bow River, Flame Trees, You Got Nothin’ I Want, When The War Is Over, My Baby, Cheap Wine, All For You, Choir Girl, Last Wave Of Summer, Saturday Night, Breakfast At Sweethearts, Forever Now and so many more.
In Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, the shows will be staged under a specially constructed, 10,000 capacity Big Top tent featuring floor and bleacher seating plus a GA standing area across the rear half of the venue. The dates will be a nod to the band’s legendary ‘An Evening with the Circus Animals’ shows in 1982 which closed with Jimmy Barnes singing Goodbye (Astrid, Goodbye) while riding pillion on a motorbike flying up a trapeze wire (you had to see it to believe it).
Those notorious album launch gigs featured an actual circus troupe as the support act. This time around that ringmaster role will be played at nearly all shows by ARIA Award winning chart toppers The Cruel Sea (*excluding Gold Coast, Newcastle, Hobart and Wollongong) and soulful singer/songwriter Karen Lee Andrews. Outdoor concerts in Armidale, Perth and Ballarat will also feature special guest performances from beloved contemporary rock band Birds of Tokyo and 90’s legends The Superjesus making for some extra epic nights (presented by Red Hot Summer). And for the tour’s grand finale they will headline the post-race concert after the VAILO Adelaide 500 Supercars event.
As piano player and chief songwriter Don Walker explains: “We’ll be going all out to celebrate a milestone birthday like this. Bookending the tour in the two places where we first welded the band together, building these circus tent shows in 3 cities, bringing along some great guests and doing a set which reaches back across our whole song catalogue should all make ‘The Big Five-O’ a tour to remember.”
Just over a month prior to the first of these gigs, Cold Chisel will release ’50 Years – The Best Of’. The album will land on Friday, 23 August, just in time for Father’s Day, and is a 25 song, double-vinyl set that comes in a number of special vinyl formats and a double-CD set – and includes all of their classic songs. Pre-order the album from HERE from 7.00am today.
“We wanted to celebrate our 50th birthday by revisiting all of our best work from across the years,” says guitarist and singer, Ian Moss. “As we prepare the setlist, there are a minimum of 15 songs that our audience demands to hear. This time we’ll be playing all of them plus we’ll be throwing in lots of musical surprises as well.”
“Gold is obviously associated with 50th anniversaries” says bass player Phil Small, “so we thought it would be fun to pull the tour into Ballarat – Australia’s gold mining capital. We’re looking forward to playing the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong and Hobart too because each of those cities have been important to us in various ways over the last 50 years.”
Jimmy Barnes was recently asked: ‘Are Cold Chisel together or apart?’ “Cold Chisel are never apart. We’re as close as brothers,” he said. “Some of the best moments of my life have been spent on stage with those boys, and I hope we keep going ‘til the day we drop.”
For Jimmy, these are not idle words. A near death experience last December when he underwent emergency open heart surgery sharpened his focus. As Jimmy recovered, a key priority was to get back onstage with Cold Chisel. “The Big Five-O is a landmark moment,” says the country’s most famous singer. “There have been plenty of times where I never thought I’d live to see this day so I’m going to make the most of it. I can’t wait to celebrate with my mates and with all the fans who have been such a big part of our story. We’re gonna smash it!”
The Cold Chisel story has stretched from Armidale and Adelaide in 1974 to three new gold and platinum albums over the last dozen years, winning the band multiple generations of fans. Their most recent release – 2019’s ‘Blood Moon’ – topped the charts and its lead single, Getting The Band Back Together, won the APRA Award for Australia’s Most Performed Rock Work.
As the accolades have piled up – ARIA Hall Of Fame, APRA’s Ted Albert Award, an Adelaide Street named in their honour, even their own postage stamp – Cold Chisel has come to understand the special place their music now occupies in Australasian hearts. ‘The Big Five-O’ will be a rare chance for fans of all ages to see the band in action and sing their songs to them one more time.
Don Walker summed it up succinctly, “This 50th anniversary tour will be a huge celebration – for all of us.”
‘The Big Five-O’ 50th Anniversary Tour
Limited tickets will go on sale to members of Cold Chisel’s mailing list (SIGN UP HERE) from 12.00pm (local times) Friday 31 May
General Public tickets go on sale at 12.00pm (local times) Tuesday 4 June (excl. Adelaide) via coldchisel.com/tour
Adelaide Tickets on sale 29 May via Ticketmaster
w/ The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews (Red Hot Summer Tour)
Tuesday 8 October – Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Broadbeach QLD
w/ Karen Lee Andrews
Friday 11 October – The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park NSW
w/ The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews
Tuesday 15 October – WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong NSW
w/ Karen Lee Andrews
Saturday 19 October – Sandalford Wines, Caversham WA
w/ The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews (Red Hot Summer Tour)
Friday 25 October – Flemington Racecourse, Flemington VIC
w/ The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews
Saturday 2 November – Victoria Park, Herston QLD
w/ The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews
Wednesday 6 November – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Broadmeadow NSW
w/ Karen Lee Andrews
Saturday, 9 November – Victoria Park, Ballarat VIC
w/ The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews (Red Hot Summer Tour)
Wednesday 13 November – MyState Bank Arena, Glenorchy TAS
w/ Karen Lee Andrews
Sunday 17 November – VAILO Adelaide 500 (Post Race Concert), Adelaide SA
w/ The Cruel Sea and The Superjesus
’50 Years – The Best Of’ will be released on Friday 23 August- PRE-ORDER HERE
With thanks to Ferris Davies PRM
