Australian legend Jimmy Barnes to hit Tauranga for his first gig that doesn't involve rock 'n' roll

Jimmy Barnes. Photo/File

Jimmy Barnes will be hitting Tauranga, but not for what you might originally think.

The Australian rock icon will be touring with his first ever "spoken word" tour throughout New Zealand in February 2017.

An Evening of Stories and Songs will see Barnes leaving behind the arenas and rock gigs.

Instead he will be telling his life story for the first time on nine stages across New Zealand, including ASB Baypark Arena in Tauranga.

The production is a companion piece to the eagerly anticipated first volume of his memoirs - Working Class Boy, released by Harper Collins on September 19.

The book was written by Barnes.

It tells the raw and confronting story of fleeing the poverty of Scotland only to endure violence and abuse as an immigrant in the suburbs of Adelaide.

The book explains what drove Barnes to ultimately escape everything via rock 'n' roll and its associated lifestyle.

The childhood memoir ends with an 18-year-old Barnes and the fellow members of his new band, Cold Chisel, fleeing South Australia in the back of a truck full of musical equipment.

"Just like the book, this live show will tell the story of an imperfect childhood that has led to me becoming an imperfect adult", said Barnes.

"I spent most of my life running from my childhood and now it seems like my time to face it. So this is the story of a lifetime spent running away. Running from fear. Running from shame but at the same time running from hope. I'm not running anymore."

This special live event will see Barnes sharing stories from his troubled childhood and delinquent adolescence.