‘Huge, brilliant and noisy form’: Cold Chisel praises ACT crowd

Nine thousand people made it loud and clear that adding Canberra to Cold Chisel’s 50th-anniversary tour was the right choice.

The ACT wasn’t initially on the list of venues for The Big Five-0 tour but was added five months ago due to an outcry from fans in the capital.

“We were completely blown away by the response last week,” Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes said in June.

“The demand for tickets was bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before.”

Guitarist and vocalist Ian Moss said the shows were added where the loudest outcry was – in Canberra and the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

A post on the band’s Facebook page about the gig said: “We were so stoked to bring our 50th anniversary celebration to Stage 88 tonight … and Canberra, you responded in huge, brilliant and noisy form! Thank you!”

Can you believe the legendary band formed so long ago? October 1973 in Adelaide to be precise.

The Canberra gig was held at Commonwealth Park’s Stage 88 on Thursday 28 November.

Getting into the venue was quick and easy as the gates opened a few minutes early.

I was prepared for it to rain on the night but as the sun set on Commonwealth Park, a cool breeze and a few short gusts of wind cooled the temperature, making for a relaxing and chilled evening.

The first act of the night was Karen Lee Andrews, who I had never heard of. She played a short but sweet set.

Next up was The Cruel Sea, led by the charismatic Tex Perkins. The band sounded great, opening their set with an instrumental and playing for about an hour.

And then it was time for the big event: Cold Chisel. The band performed for about two hours, with a set list of 24 songs.

I had previously seen a few of the band members perform – Ian Moss and Jimmy Barnes – but never the full band.

It’s just mind-boggling how great the band still sounds after so many decades performing together – I will never tire of hearing their iconic songs.

I loved being able to sing (and at times dance) along to Shipping Steel, Flame Trees, When the War is Over, and Cheap Wine, among other tracks.

I think following this tour, the band will continue to go strong. I don’t see any signs of them slowing down.

My night was made even better when I happened to be standing next to Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese, who on a rare night off, was at the gig with arts minister Tony Burke. Mr Albanese was happy to take selfies with fans (including me).

Mr Burke was kind enough to have a chat with me about what it meant for him to see Cold Chisel perform in Canberra.

“I went to the rehearsal gig, The Barking Spiders gig, but this is the only one I’ve been to on the (anniversary) tour. The last time I saw them was here (Stage 88) whenever their last tour was.

“There’s a sense in the crowd here, it’s a happy crowd, it’s a fun crowd, and they just get behind it.”

Mr Burke said Cold Chisel ‘meant the world’ to him.

“I was a child when they broke up (in 1983) and with two other mates – none of us could afford the VHS of the Cold Chisel: The Last Stand (a music documentary) – so the three of us took turns having it in our homes.”

The band got back together in 1997.

“I never thought I’d get to see them live back then because they’d broken up,” Mr Burke said.

“If you were to say what’s the sound of Australia? I don’t think you can go past them.”

What are your fondest memories of the band and their music?

Were you captured in Jodi Shepherd’s snaps at Canberra’s Cold Chisel 50th anniversary concert at Commonwealth Park’s Stage 88 on 28 November 2024?