Songs That Defined A Generation will bring the music of the 1960s and 1970s to Queensland stages in January 2027.
by Paul Cashmere
Rolling Thunder The Concert, a new live production from the team behind Rolling Thunder Vietnam, will tour Queensland in January 2027, with performances scheduled for Ballina, Tweed Heads, Brisbane and Caloundra. The concert will feature Australian musicians Brett Garsed, Craig Newman and Angus Burchall, alongside vocalists including former John Farnham Band singer Lindsay Field.
The four-date run begins at Ballina RSL on January 14 before moving to Twin Towns in Tweed Heads on January 16, Brisbane’s Tivoli on January 21 and The Events Centre in Caloundra on January 23. Tickets go on sale Monday, August 10 through Rolling Thunder.
The production draws on the catalogue of artists who shaped the rock, soul and protest music of the 1960s and 1970s. Its repertoire includes Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride”, Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son”, Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”, The Box Tops’ “The Letter”, Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready”, Carole King’s “You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman)”, Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”, The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”, Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song”, Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” and Janis Joplin’s signature recording of “Piece of My Heart”.
Producer Rebecca Blake said the concert continues the creative relationship established with Garsed, Burchall and Newman through Rolling Thunder Vietnam.
“Like Rolling Thunder Vietnam, this brand-new concert will be hugely energetic, passionate and full of show-stopping moments,” Blake said. “It’s the perfect vehicle to continue our collaboration with former Farnham Band legends.”
Blake also identified “Gimme Shelter” and “House of the Rising Sun” as songs that received strong audience responses during the United States premiere of Rolling Thunder at New World Stages in New York.
The concert is designed around live musicianship, vocal performances and visual elements, with guitar playing positioned as a central component of the production. Its musical lineage encompasses songwriters and performers including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, Roberta Flack, and Steppenwolf’s John Kay and Rushton Moreve.
The production follows the history of Rolling Thunder Vietnam, which premiered in Australia in 2014 before touring nationally. Set against the Vietnam War era, that theatrical concert combined songs from the period with stories of conscription, combat, protest, homecoming and the impact of war on soldiers and their families.
Musical director Chong Lim, who also worked with the John Farnham Band, has described the music of the period as reflecting both the conflict and the social changes surrounding it.
“The Vietnam War gave rise to gutsy rock rhythms and emotion-charged guitar riffs,” Lim said. “The era of Woodstock, of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, also produced many sensitive and poignant songs which have become classics because they remain relevant.”
Rolling Thunder The Concert will now take that repertoire into a dedicated concert format, with the Queensland dates providing the first announced Australian performances for January 2027.
Tour Dates
Thursday 14 January 2027, Ballina, Ballina RSL
Saturday 16 January 2027, Tweed Heads, Twin Towns
Thursday 21 January 2027, Brisbane, Tivoli
Saturday 23 January 2027, Caloundra, The Events Centre
Ticket Details
Tickets on sale now via Rolling Thunder.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
