Jimmy Barnes has announced the final two shows on his Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories & Songs tour in Sydney at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith on Friday, 1 June and the Concourse Concert Hall in Chatswood on Saturday, 2 June 2018. Tickets to both shows go on sale at 10.00am on Friday, 16 February 2018.
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Jimmy Barnes’ critically acclaimed new memoir, Working Class Man, has gone straight to #1 on the Neilsen Bookscan chart today, knocking Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown from the top spot nationally.
Working Class Man, which details Jimmy’s rock ‘n roll excesses, sold over 20,000 books and eBooks in its first week. This is more than any memoir/ autobiography/biography – local or international – since records have been kept in Australia. Its predecessor, Working Class Boy, has also returned to the Top 10 of the Neilsen Bookscan Non-Fiction chart.
The Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories & Songs tour has also struck a deep chord around Australia with shows in Thirroul, Canberra, Cairns, Newcastle, Bathurst, Frankston, Sydney and Melbourne all selling out already. As a result, a second and final date at the Canberra Theatre Centre has already been added on Sunday, 18 March. New shows have also been announced at the Brisbane City Hall (10 April), Sydney Town Hall (2 May), Newcastle Civic Theatre (6 June), Melbourne’s Palais Theatre (9 June) and the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide (10 June) with tickets for those dates on sale now.
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Jimmy Barnes’ highly anticipated new memoir, Working Class Man, will be accompanied by a special national tour.
Tickets for all shows will go on sale at the same time that the second volume of his memoirs hits bookstores – 10.00am on Monday, 23 October – although members of Jimmy’s mailing list will have access to pre-sale tickets from 2.00pm on Thursday, 19 October. Fans are strongly advised to ONLY buy tickets via the genuine links at www.jimmybarnes.com otherwise they risk getting ripped off by online scalpers.
Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories & Songs will be the sequel to the acclaimed and hugely successful live show Jimmy performed alongside his first bestselling memoir – Working Class Boy. Like that previous production, this new tour will see Jimmy telling his life story and singing stripped back versions of songs that have shaped his journey. However, unlike its predecessor, this live show – and book – will cover the Oz rock icon’s entire adult life, revealing the successes and excesses of Australia’s greatest rock ’n roll story.
In Working Class Boy, Jimmy revealed the previously untold details of a profoundly troubled childhood. That memoir – which he wrote entirely on his own – won the ABIA Award as the Best Biography of 2016. It was also the country’s #1 selling non-fiction title last year with sales now topping 150,000 copies. The harrowing companion piece Working Class Boy: An Evening of Stories & Songs was performed over 40 times in Australia and New Zealand and its staging at the Sydney Opera House won him both a Sydney Theatre Award and a Helpmann Award nomination.
The new Working Class Man live show and book – again both written by Jimmy – begin in 1974 as he leaves Adelaide in the back of an old bread truck with a then unknown rock group called Cold Chisel. They trace the legendary band’s long climb to the top and their subsequent implosion. The story then picks up as Jimmy carves out a new solo career for himself. He becomes the country’s biggest rock star before drugs and alcohol bring him to his knees and he eventually rebuilds his life thanks to the love of his wife and his family. It’s a spellbinding and searingly honest reflection on success, fame and addiction.
The tour will also help promote the good work of Lifeline (www.lifeline.org.au) as Jimmy will be drawing further attention to the issues of addiction and mental health in both his new book and live show. As he says in the preface to Working Class Man: “In book one I faced the damage that a broken home and a broken heart can bring. In book two I face the impact that a childhood like mine can have on a man. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming anyone for any of this. We all do the best with what we have. But in book two the blame rests squarely on my shoulders, and until I work a lot of things out I carry a lot of baggage around with me …
I have done a lot of great things. I have a beautiful family and wonderful friends. But there were many times, dark times, that I almost let it all slip through my fingers. In the end I asked for help. I used to think that if someone asked for help they were weak. But the toughest thing I ever did was reach out and ask for help. And that was when I started to heal.”
Jimmy’s longtime friend and label owner, Michael Gudinski, said, “I’m so proud of everything Jimmy has achieved, both solo and with Cold Chisel. He’s had more number one albums than any other Australian artist. He’s actually sold more albums solo than with Chisel, which is a remarkable stat. He’s a two-time ARIA Hall of Famer. Hell, he’s even a best-selling author. But Jimmy has never forgotten his working-class roots. The things he still values most are honesty, loyalty, friendship and family”
Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories & Songs
Thursday, 15 March 2018 | Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul NSW | SOLD OUT
Friday, 16 March 2018 | Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul NSW | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 17 March 2018 | Canberra Theatre, Canberra ACT | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, 21 March 2018 | Entertainment Centre, Devonport TAS | SOLD OUT
Thursday, 22 March 2018 | Country Club Showroom, Launceston TAS
Friday, 23 March 2018 | Country Club Showroom, Launceston TAS
Saturday, 24 March 2018 | Wrestpoint Entertainment Centre, Hobart TAS
Thursday, 5 April 2018 | Parklands Resort & Conference Centre, Mudgee NSW
Friday, 6 April 2018 | Civic Centre, Newcastle NSW | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 7 April 2018 | Entertainment Centre, Bathurst NSW | SOLD OUT
Tuesday, 10 April 2018 | Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane Qld
Thursday, 12 April 2018 | City Hall, Brisbane QLD | SOLD OUT
Friday, 13 April 2018 | Empire Theatre, Toowoomba QLD | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 14 April 2018 | The Star Theatre, Gold Coast QLD | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, 18 April 2018 | Regional Entertainment Centre, Bunbury WA
Thursday, 19 April 2018 | Perth Concert Hall, Perth WA | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 21 April 2018 | Keith Mitchell Theatre, Port Pirie SA | SOLD OUT
Sunday, 22 April 2018 | Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA | SOLD OUT
Thursday, 26 April 2018 | Arts Centre Theatre, Frankston VIC | SOLD OUT
Friday, 27 April 2018 | Costa Hall, Performing Arts Centre, Geelong VIC | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 28 April 2018 | The Palais Theatre, St Kilda VIC | SOLD OUT
Sunday, 29 April 2018 | Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo VIC | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, 2 May 2018 | Sydney Town Hall, Sydney NSW
Thursday, 3 May 2018 | Sydney Town Hall, NSW | SOLD OUT
Sunday, 20 May 2018 | Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin NT
Tuesday, 22 May 2018 | Tank Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, 23 May 2018 | Tank Arts Centre, Cairns QLD | SOLD OUT
Friday, 25 May 2018 | Entertainment & Convention Centre, Townsville QLD | SOLD OUT
Saturday, 26 May 2018 | Entertainment & Convention Centre, Mackay QLD
Sunday, 27 May 2018 | Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton QLD
Tuesday, 29 May 2018 | Caloundra Events Centre, Caloundra QLD | SOLD OUT
Wednesday, 30 May 2018 | Saraton Theatre, Grafton NSW
Friday, 1 June 2018 | Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith NSW | NEW SHOW
Saturday, 2 June 2018 | Concourse Concert Hall, Chatswood NSW | NEW SHOW
Wednesday, 6 June 2018 | Civic Theatre, Newcastle NSW
Saturday, 9 June 2018 | Palais Theatre, Melbourne Vic
Sunday, 10 June 2018 | Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA
NEW ZEALAND DATES
Monday, 7 May 2018 | Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch
Tuesday, 8 May 2018 | Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch
Thursday, 10 May 2018 | Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
Friday, 11 May 2018 | Spark Arena, Auckland
Saturday, 12 May 2018 | Claudelands Arena, Hamilton