Jimmy Barnes announces NZ tour months after open-heart surgery: ‘I am ready to rock’

Jimmy Barnes has announced his return to New Zealand. Photo / Jesse Lizotte

Jimmy Barnes has announced his long-awaited return to the stage in New Zealand for the first time since his heart surgery last year.

Following a sold-out string of shows in his home country Australia, the rock star is bringing his Hell of a Time tour to New Zealand for four shows in July this year, just months after he was admitted to hospital with bacterial pneumonia.

While in hospital, he became very unwell and soon needed surgery for an abscess, which left him with endocarditis. He underwent surgery to replace the aortic valve in his heart on December 13 and has continued to update fans on his recovery via social media.

Now, he’s been given the all-clear by doctors to get back on the road, and Barnes says “I’m excited about getting back on stage, in front of the band and playing for my Kiwi mates.”

And he has a special message of thanks for his New Zealand fans, saying, “The family were passing on your messages of care and it really lifted my spirits.”

Barnes will take to the stage in New Plymouth, Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington this winter, following an Easter Sunday show in Byron Bay to mark 30 years since the release of his album Flesh and Wood.

His New Zealand tour marks that milestone, and will feature performances of some of his biggest hits, from The Weight to You Can’t Make Love Without a Soul and It Will Be Alright.

“The Hell of a Time Tour is shaping up to be something special,” Barnes says. “It’s going to be intimate and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m going to play a bunch of my favourite tunes – and when songs are this good it’s great to strip them back to the bare bones and really tell the stories. We think it’s going to feel like you guys are sitting in our lounge room. I know you’ll love it.”

Following his recovery from surgery, Jimmy Barnes says he's "ready to rock". Photo / Jesse Lizotte

Following his recovery, Barnes declares, “I am ready to rock.

“I’ve been in my gym every day, sometimes twice a day, and I feel fitter and stronger with each passing day. My band are chomping at the bit and just like me, they can’t wait to hit the stage.”

Presale tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday, April 8. You can subscribe for access at his website here or through Banished Music here.

The general ticket sale starts at 10am on Wednesday, April 10 at jimmybarnes.com.

Jimmy Barnes’ Hell of a Time Tour NZ dates:

• Wednesday, July 24, TSB Showplace, New Plymouth
• Thursday, July 25, The Civic, Auckland
• Saturday, July 27, Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch
• Sunday, July 28, Opera House, Wellington