Jimmy Barnes, Auckland NZ, 2019

Jimmy Barnes

28th September 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chontalle Musson.

Attending a Jimmy Barnes show is much like riding a mechanical bull; you better strap yourself in and hold on tight, as you are about to be taken on the ride of your life. Relentless, high-energy and loud, Barnes is zero to sixty for two solid hours.

Warming up the crowd last night, an underage punk band from Gisborne by the name of Sit Down In Front, their name a clever play on an often heard concert grumble and the fact that lead singer Cory Newman uses a wheelchair due to his cerebral palsy. Having recently been awarded third place overall in the Smokefreerockquest, it was then the icing on the cake for the band of youngsters to be invited on Jimmy Barnes three date New Zealand tour.

The four piece, who includes Newman’s childhood friend Jackson Clarke on lead guitar, as well as Rikki Noble on drums and the impressive Roman Benson on bass, soon had the crowd eating out of their hand. Anyone who was a fan of the Sex Pistols would have soon had a smile plastered across their face thanks to Newman having magically captured the essence of a young Johnny Rotten; shaking the bottle a few times before unleashing it on the crowd in all his glory.

Straightforward and to the point, Sit Down in Front’s brand of punk rock was perfect, the songs centering around real life situations and pet peeves such as rain and someone stealing pies from the school tuck shop, with a message about karma being thrown in for good measure with ‘What Comes Around’; an interesting cover of Ray Parker Jr’s ‘Ghostbusters’ devoted to the over forties in the crowd. Infectiously fun, Sit Down in Front have a bright future ahead of them.

Under the cover of darkness, Tom Waits ‘Goin’ Out West’ blasting from the speakers, Barnes and his ten-piece ensemble walked out to an enthusiastic greeting from the thousands of fans who were ready and waiting for him, those pressed against the barrier immediately raising their arms in celebration. Wasting no time with frivolous greetings, Barnes – dressed in his trademark black, his open-neck shirt showing off some heavy silver – turned the volume level to eleven and hit the crowd with ‘Driving Wheels’, taking everyone back to 1987’s Freight Train Heart album. Lit from behind by an incredible light show, Barnes and co. continued with tracks such as ‘Stolen Car (The Road’s on Fire) and ‘Ride the Night Away’ (written by none other than Steven Van Zandt) blending together both old and new, Barnes having recently released My Criminal Record his first album of predominiently original solo material in almost a decade.

Of course, what would a Jimmy Barnes show be without a little Cold Chisel, the ever popular ‘Khe Sanh’ the first of four classics that would be performed throughout the evening, Barnes originally fronting the band for eleven years back in 73’. In full voice, the arena sang along to every word, Barnes feeding off their energy as he stomped back and forth across the length of the stage.

After punching through the ceiling with ‘Lay Down Your Guns’, Barnes son in law Ben Rodgers strutting his stuff on guitar, the pot was taken off the boil for a moment or two as ‘Too Much Ain’t Enough Love’ strolled through, followed by ‘Lover Lover’ a song written on a clipboard Barnes would tell his fans by his very own wife Jane Mahoney, who looked absolutely stunning next to two of her daughters EJ and Elly-May, the trio wearing matching sparkling dresses whilst performing their back-up singer duties.

Yes, a Jimmy Barnes concert is very much a family affair, Mahalia Barnes, who just the night before had performed with Joe Bonamassa also providing backing vocals; Jackie Barnes the youngest of Barnes’s two sons, commanding the drum kit with an iron fist, those who appreciated his style doing well to check out fellow classic Aussie rocker band Rose Tattoo who Jackie currently drums for. But it wasn’t just Barnes’s own children that made up the family aspect of the night, audience members absolutely enthralled by the performance of the infamous Doley brothers Clayton and Lachlan on keys. Clayton who is a Hammond Organ virtuoso, often stealing the show with fingers that positively flowed like water.

Following ‘If Time is on My Side’ written by Barnes’s brother in law Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel), Barnes got serious for a moment as he spoke of his upbringing in extreme poverty in small town Elizabeth just outside of Adelaide, the travesty as he so rightly pointed out, being that sixty years down the track people in places such as Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne etc are still facing these same issues. The double header of latest track ‘Money and Class’ and a poignant cover of John Lennon’s ‘Working Class Hero’ driving his point home. Barnes has always worn his heart on his sleeve and has never been afraid to call a spade a spade, and frankly that’s half of his appeal.

Continuing to churn out the classics, guitarist Danny Spencer joining Rodgers on a walk around of the stage every so often before allowing the audience to see his outstanding blues playing up close and personal, Barnes and co closed on ‘Working Class Man’, Jane heart-warmingly pulling out her phone to snap a few pics of her husband doing what he does best.

An encore in Barnes’s world is always going to be big, and big it was as Jimmy and his band delivered no less than five more tracks. Inviting Joe Bonamassa’s legendary keyboard player Reese Wynans to the stage, Barnes and Mahalia delivered a meaningful duet of ‘When Something is Wrong with My Baby’ before Cold Chisels ‘You Got Nothing I Want’ was vehemently dedicated by Barnes, along with a few choice words and suggestive hand gestures to the bloke down front who had decided to throw cups at the stage. Even at sixty-three, Barnes isn’t going to back down to anyone, and frankly nor should he.

But all good things must come to an end, ‘Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)’ a fitting finale to two hours of unadulterated Aussie rock. Jimmy Barnes, the man who sings from his soul, having lost none of that gravel, his foot still very much firmly planted on the accelerator.

Were you there at Spark Arena to witness this Aussie Rock legend? Or have you seen Jimmy Barnes perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Jimmy Barnes Setlist:

1. Driving Wheels
2. I’m In A Bad Mood
3. Stolen Car (The Road’s On Fire)
4. Ride The Night Away
5. Khe Sanh [Cold Chisel]
6. My Criminal Record
7. Lay Down Your Guns
8. Boys Cry Out For War
9. Too Much Ain’t Enough Love
10. Lover Lover
11. If Time Is On My Side
12. Money And Class
13. Working Class Hero [John Lennon cover]
14. I Won’t Let You Down
15. Flame Tress – Cold Chisel track
16. Shutting Down Our Town
17. I’D Die To Be With You Tonight
18. No Second Prize
19. Working Class Man
20. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby [Sam & Dave cover] [encore]
21. You Got Nothing I Want [Cold Chisel] [encore]
22. Seven Days [Bob Dylan cover] [encore]
23. Love & Hate [encore]
24. Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye) [Cold Chisel] [encore]

Sit Down In Front Setlist:

1. How Mean Would It Be
2. Fires And Liars
3. First World Problems
4. Ghostbusters [Ray Parker Jr. cover]
5. Rain
6. What Comes Around
7. Confessions Of A Pie Thief
8. Run Away Chair

---

If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.

---