Counting Crows expand their 2026 Australian run with a new Brisbane date, reinforcing that their Live Nation tour remains unaffected by the Bluesfest cancellation
by Paul Cashmere
Counting Crows have added a Brisbane performance to their upcoming Australian tour, stepping in with an additional date as the fallout from the cancellation of Bluesfest continues to ripple across the live music calendar.
The newly announced show will take place on Saturday 4 April at Fortitude Music Hall, with Australian act Kingswood confirmed as special guest. Tickets for the added Brisbane concert go on sale Friday 20 March at 11am local time.
While the Bluesfest cancellation forced a number of artists to reconsider or cancel their Australian touring schedules over the Easter period, Counting Crows’ run of headline dates has remained intact. Promoted by Live Nation, the band’s The Complete Sweets! Tour was always structured as a standalone theatre run across Australia and New Zealand, independent of the Byron Bay festival.
The addition of Brisbane ensures fans who may have missed out on festival appearances still have access to a full headline show, delivered in the intimate theatre environments that have become central to Counting Crows’ touring identity in recent years.
For more than 30 years, Counting Crows have built a reputation on deeply expressive songwriting and a live presentation that leans into nuance as much as nostalgia. Formed in the early 1990s and led by frontman Adam Duritz, the band broke through with their 1993 debut album August And Everything After, a record that would go on to define a generation of alternative rock listeners.
Songs such as Mr Jones and Round Here became radio staples, establishing a template for the band’s blend of introspective lyricism and melodic accessibility. That momentum carried into 1996’s Recovering The Satellites, which debuted at number one and reinforced their commercial and critical standing.
Across subsequent releases including This Desert Life, Hard Candy and Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, Counting Crows maintained a consistent presence, both on record and on the road. Their catalogue expanded further with Somewhere Under Wonderland in 2014, while side projects and live recordings continued to explore the elasticity of their sound.
A broader audience discovered the band in 2004 through Accidentally In Love, recorded for the animated film Shrek 2. The track became a global hit, earning nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Grammys, and remains one of the band’s most recognisable songs.
In recent years, Counting Crows have revisited their creative output with renewed focus. After a seven-year gap between studio releases, they returned with Butter Miracle: Suite One in 2021, followed by extensive touring that stretched through to 2023. That period reaffirmed their standing as a formidable live act, with sold-out performances across multiple continents.
The current tour is anchored by their latest release, Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, which expands on the earlier suite with new material including the single Spaceman In Tulsa. The project signals a continuation of the band’s narrative-driven songwriting approach, while also reconnecting with the sonic textures that defined their earlier work.
In 2021, Counting Crows were ranked number eight on Billboard’s Greatest Of All Time Adult Alternative Artists chart, marking a sustained level of influence that few bands from their era have matched. With more than 20 million records sold worldwide, their catalogue continues to resonate across generations.
The Complete Sweets! Tour reflects that legacy, balancing well-known songs with deeper cuts and recent material. The theatre setting allows for a dynamic setlist that can shift from night to night, a hallmark of Counting Crows’ live shows.
COUNTING CROWS
The Complete Sweets! Tour
Australia And New Zealand 2026
With Special Guests Kingswood, Australian Dates, And Macey, New Zealand Dates
Monday 23 March, Auckland, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, sold out
Tuesday 24 March, Auckland, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre
Friday 27 March, Adelaide, Festival Theatre
Sunday 29 March, Sydney, Enmore Theatre, sold out
Monday 30 March, Sydney, Enmore Theatre, sold out
Wednesday 1 April, Melbourne, Palais Theatre, sold out
Thursday 2 April, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
Saturday, April 4, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Monday 6 April, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
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