Jimmy Barnes bares his soul during raw show based on Working Class Man memoir

JIMMY Barnes has always been a master storyteller, but his new show — based on his best-selling Working Class Man memoir — takes fans into a whole new depth of musical emotion.

Jimmy Barnes triumphed during an emotional gig in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles

JIMMY Barnes, you bugger, you made me cry again.

His Evening of Stories and Songs tour last year, based on his first memoir Working Class Boy which bravely told the harrowing story of a childhood scarred by family violence, evoked a teary response.

And so did its sequel, a no holds barred exposition of an adulthood ravaged by addiction.

His Working Class Man memoir, and the show it is based on which played to a sold out crowd at the Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday, kicked off with plenty of laughs provoked by riveting tales of the rise and demise of Cold Chisel in the late 70s and early 80s.

Jimmy Barnes took his fans on a rollercoaster of emotions in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles

The quest to wrestle his demons by writing these two books has struck such a chord with fans that Barnes has sold more than 400,000 copies in total.

The first act of the Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories and Songs show, an innovative clash of spoken word storytelling and musical theatre, focuses on the vignettes of rock’n’roll brotherhood and excesses which fans and critics hunger for.

From the band’s pet dog consuming their hash stash during their early days in Armidale, to his ill-considered perm the night before shooting the Khe Sanh video, and his future wife Jane strumming on an acoustic guitar and singing Puff the Magic Dragon at one of their first encouters, Barnes proved yet again he is a captivating and kinetic storyteller.

That first act was also punctuated by his almost matter-of-fact acknowledgments of alcohol and drug excess through the years of struggle, success, and more struggle of Cold Chisel, before their split in 1983.

The narrative of that era was of no surprise. It’s what was expected and accepted of our rock stars then.

Jimmy Barnes was in a reflective mood in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles

But in the second act, he shared a darker chapter, one that lasted decades.

It was Barnes’ story of addiction and depression, stemming from the raw and open scars of his traumatic childhood as he navigated his solo career and a growing family.

He tried to keep those world from colliding. As the pain mounted so did his consumption. Cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, speed, bottles and bottles of spirits.

How did he survive?

“It was the longest public suicide (attempt) in Australian history,” Barnes says.

Tears inevitably welled among the audience — you could hear the sniffles that weren’t only mine — as he mourned friends he has lost; Michael Hutchence, Steve Prestwich, Bon Scott, Billy Thorpe, and Chrissy Amphlett.

He told how he reached rock bottom time and time again, went to detox, practised martial arts, meditated and remembered he had a beautiful wife and family to live for. He didn’t want to lose them.

Jimmy Barnes and his band had the audience in raptures. Picture: Christian Gilles

The audience fell silent as Barnes stood with his back to them, staring into a dressing room mirror on the stage as the recorded story of his darkest reckoning of the soul played through speakers and reverberated across the cavernous hall.

He recounted a night in an Auckland hotel room in 2012 when, after consuming the contents of the minibar and whatever drugs he had in his possession, he attempted to end his life.

Barnes knew then he had to do the one thing he always vowed not to do — he asked for help.

The singer has just turned 62 and he is still doing the hard scrabble work to face his fears and conquer them.

Barnes’ Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories and Songs is riveting entertainment, and the songs are damn good too, with the setlist crafted to soundtrack the show’s compelling narrative.

Opening with a cover of Happy Together, romping through Chisel tracks Rising Sun and Letter to Alan, through to his solo mantra No Second Prize and the Jane-inspired love song Still On Your Side, Barnes and his band rocked the house.

Jimmy Barnes’ latest tour is based on his recent memoir, Working Class Man. Picture: Supplied

Fans were also treated to a new composition, Criminal Record, from Barnes and Chisel master songwriter Don Walker to close the night.

But the biggest takeaway had to be his emphatic message to the men of Australia, in particular, to talk to someone, ask for help, when the black dog of depression or addiction bites.

The lyrics to his signature anthem Working Class Man have been inevitably recast in the wake of this confessional, heart wrenching and entertaining performance.

“He ain’t worried about tomorrow, cause he just made up his mind, life’s too short for burning bridges, take it one day at a time.”

Jimmy Barnes’ Working Class Man memoir is up for Biography of the Year at the 2018 ABIA Book Awards Picture: AAP/David Swift

It is a big collection of days for Barnes this week; his birthday was last Saturday, Working Class Man is up for Biography of the Year at the 2018 ABIA Book Awards on Thursday and he performs another sold out gig at the Sydney Town Hall later that night.

For remaining tour dates, visit jimmybarnes.com.

Originally published as Jimmy Barnes bares his soul during raw show based on Working Class Man memoir