In 2017 Midnight Oil returned from a long hiatus with a sweat-drenched pub gig at the legendary Sydney venue, Selinas. In the middle of that special set, frontman Peter Garrett borrowed some famous lines, exhorting “rage, rage, against the dying of the light”. And that’s exactly what they’ve done ever since. They sold out 77 shows in 16 countries on their epic “Great Circle” tour. They toured Europe again, did a memorable gig in the outback, then returned to the studio for the first time in over 18 years and recorded 20 new songs. The first batch of that material, The Makarrata Project, debuted at #1 on the same weekend that longtime bass player Bones Hillman sadly died. Despite that profound blow, and a global pandemic, the band and their First Nations Collaborators still mounted their acclaimed “Makarrata Live” shows early this year – championing the Uluru Statement and highlighting ongoing injustices suffered by First Nations people.
Today Midnight Oil announced that this chapter of their career will come to a memorable close next year with the release of the other 12 new songs they recorded with Bones and a series of big gigs. Both are aptly titled Resist.
The band also announced that this will be their final concert tour while making it clear that this does not mean the end of the Oils. Each of the members will continue their own projects over the years ahead. They remain very open to recording new music together in future and supporting causes in which they believe, but this will be their last tour.
Meanwhile Resist will be a fitting, forward-looking, statement for a band whose clarion call has always been “it’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees”. The tour will see them performing classic Midnight Oil songs from across their repertoire while also showcasing some urgent new works. As the title makes abundantly clear, Resist engages with the issues of today and tomorrow – like the lead single Rising Seas which tackles the climate crisis in a typically uncompromising fashion.
The album pre-order and Australasian tickets will go on sale from next Tuesday 30 November. Dates, venues and all other info are detailed below. A handful of international concerts is also being considered (subject to Covid restrictions).
In addition to these shows, the band has already announced special appearances in Tasmania for Mona Foma 2022 and at Byron Bay Bluesfest next Easter. Details about those festival events at monafoma.net.au and bluesfest.com.au
Don’t miss a very special Midnight Oil performance on The Sound this Sunday 28 November at 5.30 pm on ABC TV or ABC iview.
A day on the green member presale kicks off from 11.00 am local time on Tuesday 30 November before the General Public on-sale starting 12noon local time on Wednesday 1 December. Tickets from adayonthegreen.com.au/midnightoil
TOUR DATES
MIDNIGHT OIL
RESIST
THE FINAL TOUR
A DAY ON THE GREEN
| Sat 26 Feb 2022 | Heifer Station, Orange, NSW (Lic. All Ages) |
| Sat 5 Mar 2022 | Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong, VIC (Lic. All Ages) |
| Sat 12 Mar 2022 | All Saints Estate, Rutherglen, VIC (Lic. All Ages) |
| Sat 26 Mar 2022 | Nikola Estate, Swan Valley, WA (Lic. All Ages) |
All event information www.adayonthegreen.com.au
FRONTIER TOURING
| Wed 23 Feb 2022 | Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW |
| Wed 2 Mar 2022 | WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, NSW |
| Wed 9 Mar 2022 | Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC |
| Sat 30 Mar 2022 | Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, SA |
| Sat 2 April 2022 | Darwin Amphitheatre, Darwin, NT |
| Wed 6 April 2022 | Convention Centre Arena, Cairns, NT |
| Sat 9 April 2022 | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast, QLD |
| Wed 13 April 2022 | Riverstage, Brisbane, QLD |
| Tue 19 April 2022 | Stage 88, Canberra, ACT |
| Thu 21 April 2022 | Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW |
All event information www.frontiertouring.com
TICKETING
A DAY ON THE GREEN MEMBERS PRE-SALE
via adayonthegreen.com.au/midnightoil
Runs 24 hours from: Tuesday 30 November at 11am local time
or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
FRONTIER TOURING MEMBERS PRE-SALE
via frontiertouring.com/midnightoil
Runs 24 hours from: Tuesday 30 November at 11am local time
or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE
Tickets on sale Wednesday 1 December at 12noon local time
From ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100