The Big Five-O Live
Tour by Cold Chisel | |
![]() Promotional poster for the tour | |
Location |
|
---|---|
Associated album | 50 Years – The Best Of |
Start date | October 2024 |
End date | January 2025 |
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows | 27 |
Attendance | 250,000+[1] |
The Big Five-O was a concert tour by Australia rock group Cold Chisel. The tour celebrated the group's fiftieth anniversary. The 11-date tour was announced in May 2024.[2] Three additional dates were added on 31 May[3] and three more on 3 June 2024.[4] On 12 June, Cold Chisel confirmed all 16 of the 17 dates were sold out and added six more shows, bringing the total to 23 for Australia.[5]
Band member Jimmy Barnes said "The Big Five-0 is a landmark moment, there have been plenty of times where I never thought I'd live to see this day so I'm going to make the most of it. I can't wait to celebrate with my mates and with all the fans who have been such a big part of our story. We're gonna smash it." Don Walker added "This 50th anniversary tour will be a huge celebration – for all of us."[2]
The band performed a secret show as Barking Spiders on 3 October 2024.[6] A total of 24 dates across Australia were completed.[7]
The 23 November 2024 Sidney Myer Music Bowl performance was recorded. Barnes said "Every show on our Big Five-0 Tour had something special, but the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, with 37° temperatures and an incredible audience, really brought out a blistering and joyous performance from all of us onstage. The crowd nearly drowned us out, they sang so loud and proud. It was a show we will never forget."[1]
The performance screened on 7 Network on 11 May 2025.[8] It was the ranked fifth on the night and was viewed by 1,845,000 people.[9]
On 2 July 2025, Cold Chisel confirmed the Sidney Myer Music Bowl performance will be released commercially on 8 August 2025.[10][1]
Reception
Ben Lewis from TUNE! FM attended the 5 October show and said "Overall, the concert was brilliant [and] they still sound as good as they ever did." Lewis said "It was a marvellous collection of songs that do a great job of representing Cold Chisel as a band."[11]
Michael Bailey from Sydney Morning Herald reviewed the 11 October show with 4/5 calling the anniversary tour "a remarkable moment".[12]
Sean Bennett from The Rockpit reviewed the show in Perth and said "It was a set that all die-hard Chisel fans would have wanted – the huge timeless hits with some rare cuts littered through the night. 'Four Walls' was exceptional, 'Choir Girl' sublime and the mid-section of 'Cheap Wine', 'Rising Sun', 'My Baby', 'All for You' and 'You've Got Nothing I Want' was fabulous."[13]
Paul Cashmere from Noise11 attended the 25 October show and said "Australia's greatest ever rock band Cold Chisel smashed out two hours of back-to-back hits and deep cuts" and said it "was one of the most perfectly executed events ever produced."[14] Greg Philips from Australian Musician saw the 25 October show and said "The atmosphere and hype under the giant tent was electric … with 10,000 punters of all ages" calling the band "Absolute Aussie Rock legends".[15] Michael Dwyer from The Age also reviewed the 25 October show giving it 5/5, calling the show "emotional".[16]
Pace Proctor from The AU Review attended the 30 October show and gave it 4.5/5 and said, "The performance was a powerhouse, a stacked set of 24 tunes delivered with all the heart and finesse of a band that knows its legacy."[17]
The Big Five-0 Live
The Big Five-0 Live | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | 8 August 2025 | |||
Recorded | 23 November 2024 | |||
Venue | Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne | |||
Label | Universal Music Australia | |||
Producer | Kevin Shirley | |||
Cold Chisel chronology | ||||
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The Big Five-0 Live is a live recording scheduled for release on 8 August 2025 on 2×CD, 3×LP, DVD and Blu-ray. It was recorded on 23 November 2024 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne.[18]
Track listing
Disc one
- "Standing on the Outside"
- "Letter to Alan"
- "HQ454 Monroe"
- "Cheap Wine"
- "Rising Sun"
- "My Baby"
- "All for You"
- "Painted Doll"
- "Choirgirl"
- "Forever Now"
- "Four Walls"
- "Houndog"
- "Rosaline"
- "You Got Nothing I Want"
- "Merry-Go-Round"
Disc two
- "Flame Trees"
- "Khe Sanh"
- "Bow River"
- "Saturday Night"
- "Breakfast at Sweethearts"
- "Shipping Steel"
- "Taipan"
- "When the War Is Over"
- "Goodbye (Astrid Goodbye)"
- "Plaza"*
- "Mr Crown Prosecutor"*
- "Wild Colonial Boy"*
- Bonus tracks - recorded on 22 November 2024 at the same venue.
DVD - Interviews
- Jimmy Barnes Interview
- Ian Moss Interview
- Phil Small Interview
- Don Walker Interview
- Charley Drayton Interview
- Tex Perkins Interview
- Eliza-Jane Barnes Interview
- Juanita Tippins Interview
- Bek Hansen Interview
- Kathy McCabe Interview
- Sarah Mcleod Interview
Charts
Chart (2025) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] | 4 |
Tour dates
Australian dates (2024) | City | Venue | Opening act |
---|---|---|---|
3 October[A] | Wollongong, NSW | Anita's Theatre | — |
5 October[B] | Armidale, NSW | Petersons Winery, Mount View | The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews |
8 October | Gold Coast, Queensland | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | Karen Lee Andrews |
11 October | Sydney, NSW | The Entertainment Quarter | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
12 October | |||
15 October | Wollongong, NSW | Wollongong Entertainment Centre | Karen Lee Andrews |
19 October[C] | Perth, WA | Sandalford Wines | Birds of Tokyo, The Cruel Sea, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews |
20 October[D] | |||
25 October | Melbourne, VIC | Flemington Racecourse | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
26 October | |||
30 October | Brisbane, Queensland | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | Karen Lee Andrews |
2 November | Victoria Park, Brisbane | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews | |
3 November | |||
6 November | Newcastle, NSW | Newcastle Entertainment Centre | Karen Lee Andrews |
9 November[E] | Ballarat, Victoria | Victoria Park, Ballarat | The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews |
10 November[F] | Mornington, Victoria | Mornington Racecourse | The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews |
13 November | Glenorchy, Tasmania | MyState Bank Arena | Karen Lee Andrews |
16 November | Sydney, NSW | QUDOS Arena | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
17 November | Adelaide, South Australia | Adelaide 500 | The Cruel Sea and The Superjesus |
22 November | Melbourne, Victoria | Sidney Myer Music Bowl | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
23 November | |||
28 November | Canberra, ACT | Patrick White Lawns | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
30 November[G] | Hunter Valley, NSW | Roche Estate | The Cruel Sea, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus and Karen Lee Andrews |
4 December | Sydney, NSW | QUDOS Arena | The Cruel Sea and Karen Lee Andrews |
New Zealand dates (2025)[20] | City | Venue | Opening act |
18 January | Queenstown | — | Icehouse, Bic Runga and Everclear |
25 January | Taupō | — | |
26 January | Whitianga | — |
Notes
References
- ^ a b c "Cold Chisel to Release The Big Five-O Live Live Album and DVD". Music Feeds. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Cold Chisel Mark Their Big Five-O With Biggest Shows Ever". Noise11. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel Adds Second Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney Shows". Noise11. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ "There Are More and Final Cold Chisel Dates". noise11. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel Add Six More Shows To The Big Five-O Tour". Noise11. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Cold Chisel Play The First of The Big Five O Shows as Barking Spiders". Noise11. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel Completes Australian Dates But New Zealand Is Yet to Come". Noise11. 5 December 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel The Big Five-O Melbourne Sidney Myer Music Bowl to Screen on 7". Noise11. 6 May 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Ratings Sunday 11 May 2025". TV Tonight. 11 May 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel to Release Live DVD/Blu-Ray from Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl". Noise11. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel Concert Review 5 October 2025". TUNE! FM. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Who needs that sentimental BS? Cold Chisel rock hard at 50". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "LIVE REVIEW: COLD CHISEL – The Big Five-0 Anniversary Tour Featuring Birds of Tokyo, The Cruel Sea, The Superjesus & Karen Lee Andrews". The Rockpit. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel Deliver the Greatest Rock Show on Earth in Flemington". Noise11. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "50th Anniversary Tour Flemington Racecourse Melbourne". Australian Musician. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Melbourne Review Wrap". The Age. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel remain at their timeless best at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on The Big Five-O Tour (30.10.24)". The AU Review. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Cold Chisel To Release The Big Five-O Live Live Album And DVD". Music Feeds. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Icehouse, Everclear and Bic Runga To Join Cold Chisel In New Zealand". Noise11. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.