Counting Crows return to Australia and New Zealand in March and April 2026 with The Complete Sweets! Tour, joined by Australian favourites Kingswood and Auckland songwriter Macey.
by Paul Cashmere
For more than 30 years, Counting Crows have maintained a rare connection with audiences, built on emotionally direct songwriting, a deep catalogue and a live reputation that continues to draw devoted crowds around the world. In March and April 2026, the Grammy and Academy Award-nominated band will bring that legacy back to Australia and New Zealand with The Complete Sweets! Tour, a run of eight theatre shows across both countries.
Joining Counting Crows on the Australian dates will be Kingswood, one of the country’s most persistent touring bands of the past decade. Formed in Melbourne, Kingswood have released six studio albums and built a reputation through relentless live work. Their album Home re-entered the ARIA Charts at number two on the Australian Vinyl chart and number one on the Australian Country chart, where it remained for eight weeks. Extensive touring, including their 100-plus date Hometowns Tour, has seen the band play everywhere from capital cities to remote regional towns, reinforcing their standing as a formidable live draw.
On the New Zealand dates, Auckland-based songwriter Macey will appear as special guest. Raised in a musical household, Macey has developed a sound shaped by a broad range of influences and a strong narrative focus. His debut album The Lovers debuted at number three on the New Zealand Album Chart in 2023, and recent material signals a more mature and uptempo direction as he continues to build his audience.
The tour announcement confirms Counting Crows will open in Auckland with two nights at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre before crossing the Tasman for performances in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. The shows are designed to span the band’s entire career, drawing from early breakthroughs, later albums and recent material, delivered in venues known for their intimacy and acoustics.
Counting Crows first emerged in 1993 with August And Everything After, an album that quietly became one of the defining records of the decade. Songs like “Mr Jones” and “Round Here” established Adam Duritz as a songwriter able to combine narrative detail with emotional weight, and the album’s slow burn success turned the band into a global force. That momentum continued with Recovering The Satellites, which debuted at number one in the United States in 1996 and further embedded Counting Crows into the alternative rock mainstream.
Across the years that followed, the band released a steady run of albums including This Desert Life, Hard Candy, Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings and Somewhere Under Wonderland, while also carving out a reputation as a formidable live act. Their catalogue broadened further in 2004 when “Accidentally In Love”, recorded for Shrek 2, became a worldwide hit and earned Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy nominations, introducing Counting Crows to an even wider audience.
In recent years, the band have revisited their creative core. After a seven-year gap between studio releases, Counting Crows returned with Butter Miracle: Suite One in 2021, followed by Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, released last year. The newer material, including single “Spaceman In Tulsa”, sits comfortably alongside the classic songs, reinforcing the band’s ability to evolve without losing their identity.
The upcoming tour follows extensive international touring between 2021 and 2023, which included sell-out performances in Australia and New Zealand. Those shows reaffirmed the strength of the band’s local following, making this return a significant event for long-time fans and newer listeners alike.
Several shows on The Complete Sweets! Tour have already sold out, underlining the enduring appeal of Counting Crows across both countries. With a setlist expected to balance familiar favourites, deep cuts and new songs, the tour promises a comprehensive snapshot of a band whose catalogue continues to resonate decades on.
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
Monday 6 April, Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Tickets via Live Nation Australia and Live Nation New Zealand.
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