Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel give fans one of the greatest shows in Australian music history

Cold Chisel rocked their Sydney show, as more than 10,000 fans united and watched Jimmy Barnes and the band give one of their best performances for their 50th anniversary.

Jimmy Barnes had some competition for best vocal of the night when Cold Chisel rocked the Big Top at their sold-out Sydney show on Friday as their Big Five-O anniversary lap of Australia gathers momentum.

The enormous tent trapped the tuneful crowd choir’s volume as more than 10,000 fans swelled in an almost constant singalong through an enviable catalogue of Australian classics.

The vibe was high as the fans gathered in Surry Hills pubs along the route to the Moore Park gig, fans becoming instant friends as they traded tales of their Chisel gig memories collected over 50 years.

There was no phalanx of police and sniffer dogs outside the gates of the showground venue to greet the steady stream of excited fans, a mix of those who have stayed the course over Chisel’s five decades and others seeing them for the first time, having grown up with their soundtrack blared on car radios and home stereos courtesy of their parents or older siblings.

Jimmy Barnes and Phil Small of Cold Chisel perform at The Entertainment Quarter on October 11, 2024 in Sydney. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

There is something noble about witnessing a band at the strength of their powers at this stage of an illustrious career punctuated by break-ups and extended pauses as the band members pursued their solo endeavours.

Putting a band like Chisel back together in the name of a 50th anniversary isn’t so much of a nostalgia trip as it is a defiant statement they remain one of the country’s most vital rock bands treading the boards in 2024.

Barnes, despite all of his health challenges in recent years, is unbowed as one of our finest frontmen.

Jimmy Barnes of Cold Chisel performs at The Entertainment Quarter. Picture: Don Arnold/WireImage

In this unusual but perfect venue, he is the circus tent ringleader whose relentless pacing of the stage and vocal power ignites an energy exchange with his bandmates and the audience that fills the cavernous space with an electrified joy, the proof of life that only live music can deliver.

Ian Moss shreds a solo in almost every song but not one note is a waste; his crystal clear and soulful voice is both a counterpoint and harmony to Barnes’ signature growls.

Their commitment to rocking out was evident within just a few songs as they were drenched in sweat courtesy of the heat from the stage and crowd trapped within the tent.

The engine of Don Walker on piano, who strikes the keys with percussive gusto, bassist Phil Small and drummer Charley Drayton, also keep the revs pushing into the red zone.

And then there was this united crowd reciprocating the band’s commitment, raising their collective voice to the roof on every one of their favourite songs from Standing On The Outside, You’ve Got Nothing I Want, Rising Sun, Flame Trees, Khe Sanh, Bow River, My Baby, Choir Girl, Cheap Wine, When The War Is Over…all of the songs.

If this is the last time we get to see Cold Chisel play the big stages on a big tour for the Big Five-O, then the 180,000 people who have tickets will have witnessed one of the greatest shows in Australian music history and banked a memory that will stand the test of time.

Very limited tickets remain via coldchsiel.com

Originally published as Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel give fans one of the greatest shows in Australian music history