Powderfinger will play stadium-sized big tops in six cities from September, the first time the original line-up has shared a physical stage since the Sunsets Farewell Tour closed in 2010.
Powderfinger have confirmed they will reform for a national run of shows across September and October 2027, ending 17 years since their last public performance and answering years of speculation about whether the five members would ever stand on the same stage again.
The band will take a stadium-sized big top to Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, offering standing and seated options in central city locations. Support acts will be drawn exclusively from Australian artists, with different line-ups across the tour, and the shows will raise funds and awareness for Mission Australia.
“We are absolutely ecstatic to be coming together to play again,” the band said in a joint statement. “Over the years there have been tons of suggestions for us to go back on the road but, until now, it never felt quite right or lined up for all of us.”
They added that the timing now feels right for long-term fans and a new generation who have never seen them live, including their own children. “People often tell us that our music is connected to their most treasured and joyous memories. We hope to spread a little more of that joy when we make our way around the country with some of Australia’s best established and upcoming talent, and to make some new memories for us all.”
Bernard Fanning, Darren Middleton, Ian Haug, Jon Coghill and John Collins formed the classic Powderfinger line-up that delivered seven studio albums and a catalogue that became part of Australian cultural memory. Tracks including “My Happiness”, “These Days”, “Sunsets”, “On My Mind”, “Burn Your Name” and “Pick You Up” remain embedded in triple j Hottest 100 history and ARIA charts. The group collected 18 ARIA Awards, five consecutive number-one studio albums and three APRA Awards.
In April 2010, after more than two decades together, Powderfinger announced they would end their recording and touring career with the Sunsets Farewell Tour. The band stated they had said everything they wanted to say as a musical group. The tour drew more than 300,000 people. Their final show took place on 13 November 2010 at Brisbane’s Riverstage.
The split was not the result of a public collapse. Years later Fanning described the pressure of an equal five-person creative partnership as requiring repeated compromise. “You had to do a lot of taking one for the team,” he said. “And that was just one too many.” Family commitments and the accumulated demands of maintaining the partnership also played a part. The five members remained friends and their relationship improved after the band stopped working as a full-time unit.
Rare returns followed. In 2019 the group spent time together preparing the 20th anniversary edition of Odyssey Number Five, work that led to the 2020 archival collection Unreleased (1998-2010). On 23 May 2020 they reunited remotely for the one-off livestream One Night Lonely, performing from separate locations during COVID-19 lockdowns to raise more than $500,000 for Beyond Blue and Support Act. That performance was deliberately framed as a single event rather than a return to the stage.
The 2027 tour marks the first time the five will share a physical stage for a proper Powderfinger concert since the Riverstage farewell. The production is designed as a travelling rock and roll circus, part festival and part spectacle, with carefully curated food and drinks. Support announcements are expected during AusMusic Month in November. An exclusive all-band interview appears in the current edition of The Big Issue, available from local vendors or thebigissue.org.au from 13 October.
Pre-sales begin Wednesday 14 October for those signed up at powderfinger.com.
General tickets go on sale Monday 19 October. All shows are all ages, with recommendations that anyone 14 and under purchase a seated ticket where available.
Patrons under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult holding a valid ticket.
Dates
Friday 3 September – Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds
Saturday 4 September – Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds
Friday 10 September – Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds
Saturday 11 September – Brisbane, Brisbane Showgrounds
Friday 17 September – Cairns, Cazalys Stadium
Saturday 18 September – Cairns, Cazalys Stadium
Friday 24 September – Perth, Wellington Square
Saturday 25 September – Perth, Wellington Square
Friday 1 October – Sydney, The Domain
Saturday 2 October – Sydney, The Domain
Friday 8 October – Sydney, The Domain
Saturday 9 October – Sydney, The Domain
Friday 15 October – Adelaide, Ellis Park
Saturday 16 October – Adelaide, Ellis Park
Friday 22 October – Melbourne, Melbourne Park Oval
Saturday 23 October – Melbourne, Melbourne Park Oval
Friday 29 October – Melbourne, Melbourne Park Oval
Saturday 30 October – Melbourne, Melbourne Park Oval
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