Jimmy Barnes Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour Closes Australian Leg At Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena

Jimmy Barnes wrapped the Australian leg of the Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, with support from Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss and Icehouse delivering a multi-generational celebration of Australian rock and pop.

by Paul Cashmere

The Australian run of the Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour concluded in Melbourne with a four-act bill that traced four decades of Australian chart history.

Headlined by Jimmy Barnes with special guests Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss and Icehouse, the Rod Laver Arena concert delivered more than thirty Australian chart hits across one night, closing the domestic leg of the tour before the production moves to New Zealand.

For Barnes, the show marked the culmination of a national celebration of his 1985 solo breakthrough album For The Working Class Man, one of the defining releases in Australian rock. The Melbourne performance followed a similar format to other dates on the tour, featuring a full album showcase in the first half before expanding into Barnes’ wider solo catalogue and Cold Chisel classics.

With Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss and Icehouse on the same bill, the concert represented a rare convergence of the major players from the Australian charts of the 1980s and 1990s. Each performer brought a distinct chapter of that era’s music history to the stage.

Kate Ceberano opened the evening with a concise set that reflected the breadth of her career and her role in Australian pop through the late 1980s and 1990s. Songs such as Pash from the 1998 album Pash, Brave and Bedroom Eyes from 1989’s Brave highlighted her own catalogue while a series of short medleys acknowledged contemporaries including James Reyne, Models, Hunters & Collectors, Mental As Anything and Split Enz.

Ceberano’s band featured notable contributions from guitarist Kathleen Halloran and multi-instrumentalist Harts, both delivering technically precise performances that underscored the musicianship behind the pop material.

Kate Ceberano photo from Mushroom Creative House Tim Lambert 2026

Next came Ian Moss, whose six-song set centred on his landmark 1989 solo debut Matchbook. That album produced multiple Australian hits and remains one of the country’s most successful solo rock releases. Moss balanced solo material including Such A Beautiful Thing, Telephone Booth and Tucker’s Daughter with Cold Chisel classics My Baby, Choir Girl and Bow River. The performance reinforced Moss’s reputation as one of Australia’s most technically accomplished guitarists and reminded the audience of his distinctive voice, first heard widely during Cold Chisel’s early chart success.

Ian Moss photo by Mushroom Creative House Tim Lambert 2026

Icehouse followed with a one-hour set that shifted the energy of the evening toward arena-scale rock. Led by songwriter and vocalist Iva Davies, the group moved quickly through signature songs including Electric Blue from Man Of Colours (1987), Hey Little Girl from Primitive Man (1982), No Promises from Measure For Measure (1986) and Crazy from Man Of Colours.

The set also revisited Great Southern Land, Icehouse’s enduring 1982 anthem from Primitive Man, a song that has become a defining statement of Australian identity in popular music. The band closed with Nothing Too Serious from Man Of Colours, ending their appearance with a high-energy finale before Barnes’ headline performance.

Iva Davies Icehouse photo by Mushroom Creative House Tim Lambert 2026

When Barnes finally took the stage, the focus turned to the album that reshaped his career after the initial Cold Chisel breakup. Released in 1985, For The Working Class Man expanded Barnes’ audience beyond the Chisel fan base and established him as a solo powerhouse.

The album sequence opened the set, though Barnes rearranged the order slightly for stage effect. The title track Working Class Man, originally the fourth track on the album, was moved to the closing slot of the sequence. Other songs included I’d Die To Be With You Tonight, Ride The Night Away, American Heartbeat, Thick Skinned and No Second Prize, all central pieces of the record’s original track list.

The second half of the concert broadened the narrative to include Barnes’ extended musical family. Daughter Mahalia Barnes joined Jimmy for Too Much Ain’t Enough Love from Freight Train Heart (1987), while granddaughter Ruby Rodgers stepped forward to sing Flame Trees, the Cold Chisel song from the 1984 album Twentieth Century.

Ian Moss returned for a performance of Merry-Go-Round from Cold Chisel’s 1979 album Breakfast At Sweethearts, while Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss and Iva Davies returned for the group sinagalong version of Good Times. The song was famously recorded by Barnes and Michael Hutchence for the 1987 film soundtrack to The Lost Boys, originally written and recorded by The Easybeats.

The encore continued with Driving Wheels, Shutting Down Our Town and a version of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke’s Resurrection Shuffle, before closing with Cold Chisel’s Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye).

The Melbourne concert demonstrated how the Australian rock generation of the 1980s continues to operate as a touring ecosystem. Artists from that era frequently collaborate, guest on each other’s records and share stages, reflecting a long-running network within the industry.

With the Australian leg complete, the Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour now moves to New Zealand before Barnes continues with festival appearances and special events later in the year.

Jimmy Barnes photo Tim Lambert Mushroom Creative House

Setlists

Kate Ceberano
Pash (from Pash, 1998)
Brave (from Brave, 1989)
Slave (James Reyne)
I Hear Motion (Models) / Talking To A Stranger (Hunters & Collectors)
Bedroom Eyes (from Brave, 1989)
If You Leave Me (Mental As Anything) / Barbados (Models) / I See Red (Split Enz)

Ian Moss
Such A Beautiful Thing (from Matchbook, 1989)
My Baby (from Cold Chisel, East, 1980)
Choir Girl (from Cold Chisel, East, 1980)
Telephone Booth (from Matchbook, 1989)
Tucker’s Daughter (from Matchbook, 1989)
Bow River (from Cold Chisel, Circus Animals, 1982)

Icehouse
Electric Blue (from Man Of Colours, 1987)
Hey Little Girl (from Primitive Man, 1982)
No Promises (from Measure For Measure, 1986)
Crazy (from Man Of Colours, 1987)
Don’t Believe Anymore (from Sidewalk, 1984)
Great Southern Land (from Primitive Man, 1982)
We Can Get Together (from Icehouse, 1980)
Nothing Too Serious (from Man Of Colours, 1987)

Jimmy Barnes
For The Working Class Man Album Showcase
I’d Die To Be With You Tonight
Ride The Night Away
American Heartbeat
Thick Skinned
Daylight
Promise Me You’ll Call
Paradise
Vision
Without Your Love
No Second Prize
Boys Cry Out For War
Working Class Man

Set Two
Last Frontier (from Freight Train Heart, 1987)
Lay Down Your Guns (from Two Fires, 1990)
Too Much Ain’t Enough Love (with Mahalia Barnes) (from Freight Train Heart, 1987)
That’s What You Do For Love (from Defiant, 2025)
Merry-Go-Round (from Cold Chisel, Breakfast At Sweethearts, 1979)
Flame Trees (from Cold Chisel, Twentieth Century, 1984)
Good Times (from The Lost Boys Soundtrack, 1986)

Encore
Driving Wheels (from Freight Train Heart, 1987)
Shutting Down Our Town (from My Criminal Record, 2019)
Resurrection Shuffle (from Barnestorming, 1988)
Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye) (from Cold Chisel, Breakfast At Sweethearts, 1979)

Upcoming Tour Dates

Jimmy Barnes
Apr 17, Christchurch, Wolfbrook Arena
Apr 19, Auckland, Spark Arena
May 23, Burnett Heads, Lighthouse Rock
May 30, South Mackay, Legend On The Lawn
Jun 1, Kabupaten Badung, Stranded In Bali
Aug 12, Hayman Island, Stranded In The Whitsundays
Jan 21, The Rocks, Great Southern Sounds

Tickets at https://www.jimmybarnes.com/tour-dates/

Ian Moss
Apr 17, Christchurch, Wolfbrook Arena
Apr 19, Auckland, Spark Arena
May 2, Richmond, The Regent Richmond
May 15, Broadbeach, Blues On Broadbeach
Jun 1, Kabupaten Badung, Stranded In Bali
Jul 3, Hebel, Hebel Hotel
Oct 10, Mareeba, Savannah In The Round

tickets at https://ianmoss.com.au/tour/

Kate Ceberano ‘Australian Made’ Tour 2026
09 July – Simpson Desert, QLD – Big Red Bash
08 Aug – London, UK – The Garage
04 Sept – Perth, WA – Astor Theatre
05 Sept – Mandurah, WA – ManPAC
06 Sept – Margaret River, WA – Heart
11 Sept – Mackay, QLD – MECC
12 Sept – Gladstone, QLD – GECC Theatre
13 Sept – Rockhampton, QLD – Pilbeam Theatre
25 Sept – Cairns, QLD – CPAC
26 Sept – Townsville, QLD – The Warehouse
27 Sept – Ayr, QLD – Burdekin Theatre
02 Oct – Orange, NSW – Orange Civic Theatre
03 Oct – Tamworth, NSW – Tamworth Town Hall
04 Oct – Wyong, NSW – The Art House
09 Oct – Thirroul, NSW – Anita’s Theatre
10 Oct – Canberra, ACT – The Playhouse
11 Oct – Sydney, NSW – Opera House Concert Hall
23 Oct – Melbourne, VIC – Hamer Hall
24 Oct – Bendigo, VIC – Ulumbarra Theatre
25–28 Oct – Rock The Boat Cruise
30 Oct – Warragul, VIC – West Gippsland Arts Centre
31 Oct – Geelong, VIC – Costa Hall
01 Nov – Warrnambool, VIC – Lighthouse Theatre
05 Nov – Port Pirie, SA – Northern Festival Centre
06 Nov – Renmark, SA – Chaffey Theatre
07 Nov – Adelaide, SA – Her Majesty’s Theatre
13 Nov – Tweed Heads, NSW – Twin Towns
14 Nov – Brisbane, QLD – QPAC Concert Hall
15 Nov – Sunshine Coast, QLD – The Events Centre
19 Nov – Ballarat, VIC – Her Majesty’s Theatre
20 Nov – Shepparton, VIC – Riverlinks Eastbank