Jimmy Barnes returned to stage with his Cold Chisel bandmates in Sydney on Friday night after an emergency medical procedure derailed his tour.
The rock star, 68, was forced to cancel two months’ worth of gigs in August after noticing an ache in his side while performing in New Zealand, which led to an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation.
He previously underwent open-heart surgery to fend off a staph infection, which then returned and attacked his hip, leading to the latest shock surgery and six-week recovery.
But on Friday night, Jimmy made his triumphant return to stage after his health struggles as he performed with his band Cold Chisel at The Entertainment Quarter.
He appeared to be in good spirits as he belted out Cold Chisel’s best-known hits alongside his bandmates Phil Small, Charley Drayton and Don Walker.
The Khe Sanh hitmaker cut a smart figure in a black shirt and skinny leather-look trousers, which he teamed with chunky black boots.
The frontman looked to be in good health as he strutted across the stage and put on a high energy performance for the crowds.
Ahead of the show, Jimmy revealed he had been waiting a ‘long time’ for Cold Chisel’s first Sydney gig on their 50th Anniversary Tour.
Jimmy Barnes returned to stage with his Cold Chisel bandmates in Sydney on Friday night after an emergency medical procedure derailed his tour
The star, 68, was forced to cancel two months’ worth of gigs in August after noticing an ache in his side while performing in New Zealand, which led to an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation
‘First of the Big Top shows tonight. It’s always great to play in Sydney. A lot of my mates will out the front….I’ve been waiting a long time for this,’ he said on Instagram.
‘Thanks Karen Lee Andrews and The Cruel Sea for warming up the crowd. I’m ready.’
The Cold Chisel 50th anniversary tour, dubbed ‘The Big Five-0,’ has already sold over 150,000 tickets across 16 shows, making it one of the most highly-anticipated Aussie tours of the year.
His return to stage comes just weeks after was forced to postpone two months worth of shows as he recovered from an urgent ‘remedial’ hip operation.
In a heartfelt message on Facebook at the time, Jimmy explained the unexpected need for surgery at the time and apologised to fans for the postponements.
‘I had a twinge in my hip when I was leaving Dunedin, and by the evening the pain was unbearable. The doctors are moving fast, but I’m expected to make a full recovery in six weeks,’ he shared.
Fans offered overwhelming support, and the rocker assured them that his postponed shows, which included dates in Wyong, Toowoomba, Thirroul, and Sydney, would be rescheduled.
He cancelled the concerts in August after undergoing the emergency surgery as he spent more than six weeks recovering.
But on Friday night, Jimmy made his triumphant return to stage after his health struggles as he took to the stage at The Entertainment Quarter
He appeared to be in good spirits as he belted out Cold Chisel’s best-known hits alongside his bandmates Phil Small, Charley Drayton and Don Walker
The Khe Sanh hitmaker cut a smart figure in a black shirt and skinny leather-look trousers, which he teamed with chunky black boots
The frontman looked to be in good health as he strutted across the stage and put on a high energy performance for the crowds (he is pictured with Phil Small)
To aid his recovery from home, he had a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tube fitted into a vein in his arm to deliver medication to the larger blood vessels around his heart.
At the end of September, Jimmy took to Instagram to celebrate the PICC line being removed after a difficult six-week recovery.
‘It’s meant that I could leave hospital and continue most of my recovery at home,’ he said. It’s been restricting and liberating at the same time.
‘This part of my recovery is now over and with the help of (doctors), nurses, physiotherapists, family, friends, you guys and my Jane, everything is on track.’
The unexpected hip pain stemmed from a stubborn bacterial infection which previously attacked his heart and saw him undergo open-heart surgery.
Previously reflecting on the scary time, he admitted he told his wife Jane that he didn’t think he was going to make it while lying in Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
‘I just had this horrible morbid feeling because I’ve never felt this sick before. I thought I was gone,’ he recently told 60Minutes.
He previously had open-heart surgery (pictured in hospital) to fend off a staph infection, which then returned and attacked his hip, leading to the latest shock surgery and six-week recovery
Just hours before checking into hospital, an unwell Jimmy had taken to the stage at a memorial concert for his late friend and promoter, Michael Gudinski.
He told how he was so unwell he could barely remember the show and said he was sweating and had a fever backstage.
He was scheduled to fly abroad for another concert but instead went to the hospital as his health deteriorated.
A team of specialists then found his body was shutting down because an infection in his blood was causing endocarditis – a life-threatening inflammation of the heart.
By the time he was wheeled into the operating theatre for open heart surgery, his doctors said he had just hours to live.
In a marathon seven-hour surgery, the physicians successfully replaced his damaged valves and repaired his heart.
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