By Jake Ebdale

Artist:  Jimmy Barnes

Date / Venue:  Wednesday November 26th, ASB Theatre, Auckland

A Jimmy Barnes concert in 2014 is this: booze, black Cold Chisel tees, motorcycle boots, tattoos, and booze.  

Walking into the ASB Theatre on a Wednesday night, this was all guaranteed in the foyer. The Dead Daiseswere a worthy opener - all swaggery rock n roll and attitude.

Then Barnsey walked on - with motorcycle boots on. He looked healthy and fit, and swore frequently. On his 30/30 Hindsight Tour, which celebrates his 30th anniversary as a solo artist, he plays two of his solo albums -For the Working Class Man and Freight Train Heart - as well as a smattering of new stuff and Chisel classics. Looking around the crowd, there was a 50/50 split between people sitting down to listen and bogans/boozed up cougars blocking the aisles and/or people's vision.

The highlights came quick and fast, especially from his second album For the Working Class Man. The title track, written by a member of Journey, birthed thousands of uneasy dance moves, whilst ‘No Second Prize' hit home to his heyday. ‘Seven Days' from Freight Train Heart was my favourite of the night.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan - this happens with reviewing concerts every now and then. What I could appreciate, though, was the power of Barnes' voice - at times sounding like the original recording.

And the concert was LOUD. With anecdotes of his time in Cold Chisel and the back-stories behind numerous songs, it was an unexpected highlight of the 2014 concert calendar. Go see him when you get the chance.