The ultimate Barnesy tribute will be led by some of his closest friends and family, including daughter Mahalia and fellow Cold Chisel icon Ian Moss.
As he continues to recover from his recent open-heart surgery – with the latest update being that he’ll be out of the hospital in time for Christmas – it makes sense that Jimmy Barnes won’t be able to perform at the first few shows of the next Red Hot Summer tour. But as he’s now revealed, his place on the bill will be filled by the next best thing: a supergroup of Barnesy’s closest friends and family.
The group will comprise Barnes’ full live band, fronted by daughter Mahalia, with a jaw-dropping cast of special guests joining them for the occasion. The roster includes Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens – who will also play a set of his own at the shows, delivering both Noiseworks and INXS material – as well as The Living End leader Chris Cheney, and Barnesy’s own Cold Chisel bandmate (and icon in his own right) Ian Moss.
Moss will be performing “a very special set of songs” from the Cold Chisel catalogue and Barnes’ discography, which has been curated specially for these shows by Barnes.
The shows affected by the lineup change are those set to go down in Kiama (slated for Saturday January 6 at the Kiama Showground), Mornington (on Saturday January 13 at the Mornington Racecourse) and Mannum (Saturday January 20 at the Mary Ann Reserve). That lattermost show will also feature Barnes’ son David Campbell in the aforementioned supergroup.
The next three shows on the tour have also been rescheduled so that Barnes will be able to perform at them: the Hunter Valley show will now be held at the Roche Estate on Saturday April 6, while Launceston’s show at the Country Club Lawns will happen on Saturday April 13, and the Bendigo Racecourse show will happen on Saturday April 27. Another show, initially slated for Saturday January 27 in Batemans Bay, has been cancelled altogether due to the lack of a suitable date for it to be rescheduled on.
In addition to Barnes (or his all-star tribute band), the lineup for the 2024 Red Hot Summer tour sports The Living End, Birds Of Tokyo, Pete Murray, Kasey Chambers, Mahalia Barnes And The Soulmates, and Sam + Sam. Remaining tickets for all shows are on sale here.
In a new statement shared on social media, Barnes said of the lineup changes: “It’s been an eventful few weeks to say the least but one thing that’s put a big smile on my face are the mates I have around me who have my back. Thank you so much to my dear friends Mossy, Jon and Chris who will be joining my wonderful, powerhouse of a daughter to perform special, unique shows for you in January with my live band.
“In my home state of South Australia, my son David Campbell will also join them on stage to round out this amazing supergroup of family and friends. I’m a lucky guy. I’m going to be working hard to get back to full strength over the next few months so I can get back on stage for you in April and join my friends from The Living End and Birds Of Tokyo as well as Pete, Kasey and Mahalia And The Soul Mates on stage in the Hunter Valley, Launceston and Bendigo.”