Jimmy Barnes, the epitome of archetypal Aussie rock singers, crossed the ditch one more time with his stellar 10-piece strong band to tour the 40th anniversary of his classic debut record – Working Class Man (1985).
A brace of concerts for Aotearoa were on offer – Christchurch two nights ago on the 17th, and the often chosen Spark Arena in Auckland last night. This time the trip to NZ, whose people have embraced Barnes (and Cold Chisel) since the 70’s – celebrated the album that launched his solo career with a bang; Working Class Man – played in its entirety.
The strands of Scottish ancestry run strong throughout the history of Australian rock music. The likes of the Youngs (The Easybeats, AC/DC) and Men At Work’s Colin Hay spring to mind. Then of course, there’s Barnesy.
Emigrating from Glasgow at age five, Jimmy Barnes rose to prominence fronting iconic Oz pub-rockers Cold Chisel. The rock and roll lifestyle was embraced over those years and after, taking its toll in all the usual ways. But Barnes is on the bounce-back nowadays, and has shared his story of recovery to give hope and bring light to others.
A tip-off that Barnes had delivered immeasurably in a recent performance of the show outside the Sydney Opera House, brought some excited anticipation. The turnout for Auckland’s show was looking very high in numbers, and coming at it with a Friday vibe rather than a Sunday wind-down.
Firstly though, and what a treat – Barnes’ Chisel ex-bandmate Ian Moss held the support slot space. Moss, along with Tommy Emmanuel is a Southern hemisphere/Australian guitar God. “In 2014, Mossy’s fellow musicians ranked him as Australia’s greatest guitarist in a News Corp poll.” That’s of the electric variety.
Playing a selection of Chisel sing-alongs (My Baby, Choir Girl) and tunes off his break-out solo debut, 1989’s Matchbook (Telephone Booth, Tucker’s Daughter), Moss was in as finer form as ever, and his group had the juice to back him up ably.
Bow River, with a magically stretched out guitar solo, brought Jimmy Barnes on early, special guesting on the coda vocal. The applause of his arrival onstage signalled the outright adoration of the man.
With an early start to the night, the main course came sooner than expected. A collage of archival footage projected on the backwall of the stage while a radio tuned into channels cued Barnes and his big band to enter and rip into I’d Die To Be With You Tonight.
Ride The Night Away ploughed straight on, as Barnes took a breath to announce he would blast through the entire record in the first half of the set. The theme was very full-tilt, and Barnes was belting it out as bold as ever – you’d think he would crash and burn vocally, but he just seems to have mastered the art somehow – miraculously so.
A reminder for his kids to give him a call, Barnes explained that in a time capsule kinda way Promise Me You’ll Call was meant for a future him – when he didn’t call his own folks at that point in his life.
Vision got the bagpipes involved, both in the intro, and duelling at one stage. No Second Prize was another anthem in the Jimmy Barnes oeuvre.
Saved back for the last of its twelve treads, title-track Working Class Man was taken to new heights in epic-ness. All the quickfire back to back-ness of the set really culminated in a crescendo for this one. One feels it would be hard to top, such were the hitting points.
Changing tack to other solo material and Chisel favourites, Barnes tore up Lay Down Your Guns, giving it the kitchen sink. His band was right there with him, equally smashing it out hard, featuring twin guitarists, and a few family members too – son Jackie was in smoking form on drums.
Too Much Ain’t Enough Love went blues alley – with Barnes’ daughter Mahalia guesting in fine voice.
Introducing another guest for Merry-Go-Round, Barnes proclaimed – “I’m so honoured to play with my brother Mossy, we should’ve just played both sets together (chuckle).” There were a lot of hugs, and some kisses thrown in throughout.
Flame Trees, one of Chisel’s best ballads, slotted in nicely right before Good Times – reworked in the 80’s by Jimmy Barnes in collaboration with INXS. More trainspotting of the Scottish connection noted the Young family with The Easybeats, who wrote and released the original version. Tonight’s rendition brought another of Barnes’ daughters Elly-May out from the backline to feature upfront on colourful lead vocals.
There was more Chisel to be had, with their first noted hit Khe Sanh capping off an absolutely barnstorming set.
Because songs seemed to zip by preverbally at the speed of light, an encore felt part of the deal. Driving Wheels was staple solo Jimmy Barnes, layered heavily with slide guitar. Goodbye (Astrid, Goodbye) sent us home, the most frenetic number from Chisel’s catalogue, positioned perfectly to close out the evening.
One thing about Barnsey; he always gives it heaps, and sings from the heart more than most. Tonight was no exception to that rule. A voice of raw honesty, the wear and tear just don’t seem to hold any consequences.
Verdict: Barnsey belts it like no other. Surmising the night – plenty of bang for your buck, and a super delightful double-whammy eve of Oz rock.
Mike Beck
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Jimmy Barnes
Ian Moss
Setlists
Ian Moss
Such A Beautiful Thing
My Baby
Choirgirl
Telephone Booth
Tucker’s Daughter
Bow River
Jimmy Barnes
I’d Die To Be With You Tonight
Ride The Night Away
American Heartbeat
Thick Skinned
Daylight
Promise Me You’ll Call
Paradise
Vision
Without Your Love
No Second Place
Boys Cry Out For War
Working Class Man
Last Frontier
Lay Down Your Guns
Too Much Ain’t Enough Love
That’s What You Do For Love
Merry-Go-Round
Flame Trees
Good Times
Khe Sanh
Encore
Driving Wheels
Shutting Down Our Town
Resurrection Shuffle
Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)
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