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Newcastle Herald

Josh Leeson

Cold Chisel deliver red-hot rock'n'roll to celebrate 50 years of mayhem

Cold Chisel Jimmy Barnes Ian Moss Marina Neil Newcastle (Organization)

Cold Chisel live at Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Pictures by Marina Neil

NOBODY could ever accuse Cold Chisel of false advertising. They produce exactly what it says on the tin, 'bloody good Aussie rock'n'roll'.

Half a century in the music game mightn't have these old dogs learning new tricks, but they're still mighty proficient at delivering the ones they've honed over multiple generations in countless venues across Australia.

Cold Chisel's Big Five-0 Tour to celebrate their 50^th anniversary rolled into the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday night and the sold-out crowd of 6,100 were treated to an almost two-hour, 24-song set which mostly stuck to the band's legendary run in the late '70s and early '80s.

This was a show without bells or whistles. There were no video screens or even elaborate lighting. It was just the band performing the songs that have forged an indelible mark on Australian culture.

Jimmy Barnes has endured various health issues over the past year, but the 68-year-old can still deliver a fine rock performance. Picture by Marina Neil

Frontman Jimmy Barnes almost died less than a year ago when he underwent open heart surgery to replace a valve damaged due to a bacterial infection, but you would never know it.

The 68-year-old belted out his trademark gruff vocal with the same gusto he became famous for on Chisel classics like Cheap Wine and You Got Nothing I Want.

Barnes' screeching isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the real strength of Chisel is the versatility offered by guitarist and occasional vocalist, Ian Moss, who would be the lead singer in any other rock band.

Moss' soulful guitar licks on Forever Now and Wild Colonial Boy were exquisite, and his break-out Bow River was a triumphant blues-rock march.

Ian Moss' bluesy guitar and rich vocals offered some of the night's finest moments. Picture by Marina Neil

Buried down the back Don Walker kept mostly hidden, but his twinkling keys were certainly heard on the rockabilly stomp of Rising Sun.

The familiarity of many of Cold Chisel's most famous songs, due to decades of constant airplay on commercial radio and copious pub cover bands, has unfortunately dulled much of their material when listening to the recordings.

However, when heard live, songs like Flame Trees, Choir Girl, and even the flogged-to-death Khe Sanh, felt revived with renewed vigour.

Barnes was fairly light on stage banter. He briefly stopped to remind Newcastle fans that "you guys made us" during Chisel's 47 gigs in the city and surrounds during their initial run.

He then later dedicated Flame Trees to its co-writer and former Chisel drummer, Steve Prestwich, who died in 2011 aged 56.

During the emotional dedication Barnes described a dream he had the night after the band decided to do a national tour to celebrate their 50^th anniversary.

In the dream Barnes was driving a car with the rest of Cold Chisel in the back when Flame Trees came on the radio.

"The thing was it wasn't Cold Chisel's version, it was my live band's version, which is a bit more dramatic," he said.

"I went to turn it off because I didn't want to piss the other guys off, and when I went to turn it off I felt this hand on my hand, and this is so true, I turned and sitting in the passenger seat was Steve Prestwich.

"He said, 'leave it on, it sounds good'."

Barnes then woke up at 4am and walked down to his kitchen to drink a coffee alone.

"I wanted to keep that feeling of having my mate next to me for as long as I possibly could. It was beautiful," he said.

Besides Flame Trees, the other highlight of the night was another Prestwich tune in When The War Is Over. The moment when Moss and Barnes' voices meshed together in the chorus was pure magic.

Not everything hit the mark. Taipan and Letter To Alan were overly messy in the first encore, and the finale Goodbye (Astrid, Goodbye) lacked the emotional punch to follow the hit trifecta of Flame Trees, Khe Sanh and Bow River in the conclusion of the main set.

There is speculation that Wednesday's concert may have been a farewell to Newcastle.

Whether that's true or not, memories of the show will certainly outlive the ringing ears for most punters.