Crook back, dodgy hip forces Jimmy Barnes to cancel concerts in summer 2023
Widely known for his incendiary vocal attack and utter commitment to the live setting, it’s a decision the hardworking singer has not taken lightly.
Rock singer Jimmy Barnes is reluctantly stepping away from a series of concerts booked for this summer and beyond in order to undergo urgent back and hip surgery.
“I’ve been jumping off PAs and stomping around stages for nearly 50 years, but it’s finally caught up with me,” said Barnes, 66, in a statement on Tuesday. “I’ve had niggling back and hip issues for years, but things suddenly got a lot worse over the last few weeks and I’m now in constant and severe pain.”
“As everybody knows, it’s against my religion to blow out gigs but the doctors tell me I need an operation as soon as possible and it will really limit my movement for a few months,” he said. “As much as it kills me to inconvenience everyone, I have to get this fixed so I can jump around onstage for another 50 years.”
After fulfilling headline duties at the Adelaide 500 motor racing event on Saturday night, alongside fellow rock acts Icehouse and Noiseworks, Barnes has either rescheduled or cancelled all his upcoming shows.
Widely known for his incendiary vocal attack and utter commitment to the live setting – from his beginnings with Adelaide band Cold Chisel in the 1970s through to today – it’s a decision that the hardworking singer has not taken lightly.
A planned unveiling of a new musical project named The Barnestormers, set for Byron Bay Bluesfest over the Easter long weekend in April, will not proceed, while Sydney rock act Hoodoo Gurus will replace Barnes on the line-up for outdoor concerts at Wollongong (January 29), Torquay (February 4) and Yarra Valley (February 11).
“I’m very grateful that the Gurus have agreed to headline these three big gigs in my absence,” said Barnes. “We played some great shows together last summer so I know audiences will be in good hands.”
“Their addition to the top of the Wollongong, Torquay and Rochford line-ups also means that the other bands on the bill, like The Living End, Wolfmother and Noiseworks, will still get their chance to rock,” he said. “That’s important for everyone after all the disrupted touring over recent years so I strongly encourage people to #keepyourticket and support some of our finest Aussie artists at these shows.”
For his January 6 booking at Canberra car festival Summernats 35, Barnes has been replaced by “long time mates” Jon Stevens, Daryl Braithwaite and Diesel, and the singer has confirmed he will return for the next event in January 2024.
A headline appearance at By The C festival in Hobart planned for February 5 has been cancelled due to line-up and venue availability issues.
After his concert in Adelaide on Saturday, Barnes will not perform again until August 5 at the earliest; that is the rescheduled date for an event named Legends on the Lawn, where he will appear alongside The Living End, Jon Stevens and Baby Animals at Sandstone Point Hotel, near Brisbane.
Last week, Barnes’s enduring recording career took an unexpected turn with the release of Blue Christmas, a collection of holiday songs, which The Australian’s critic Jason Gagliardi described as “Barnesy on his best behaviour … It’s Jimmy, but not as you know him”.
In a statement, the singer joked, “At least I know what present I’ll be giving everyone this year. The operation will keep me cooped up over summer and I’m a notoriously cranky patient, so I probably need to buy noise cancelling headphones for my family too – that way they’ll hopefully still be talking to me when I’m back on my feet.”
Ticketholders for all the affected concerts, excluding Bluesfest, will be contacted via email by the event promoters.
More Coverage
