Jimmy Barnes is undertaking his first major theatre tour in more than a decade.

Following the success of his latest album OUT IN THE BLUE, Jimmy will be playing theatres right across Australia prior to a tour of England and Europe in the Spring.

Australia’s most popular singer has been going from strength to strength over the past few years. His new album OUT IN THE BLUE entered the charts at #3 and quickly became his 10th platinum album when it was released in late 2007.

OUT IN THE BLUE, recorded in two weeks with producer Nash Chambers (Kasey Chambers, Shane Nicholson) is Jimmy’s most bare bones and honest work to date. Much of it was written while he was recuperating from open-heart surgery.

With 16 solo albums and the classic Chisel catalogue to draw from, Jimmy has crafted a new set, designed to work in theatres. Jimmy will showcase the radio hits from the new album such as “Out In The Blue”, new single “I Can’t Tell You Why” and the Neil Finn penned “Blue Hotel”,

“It’s something I haven’t really done since Soul Deep,” he says. “I’ve had a fantastic run of big outdoor and winery shows over the past Summer but I’m itching to get back indoors. The rooms are small enough to still get intimate with the audience, but you can stretch out more than in a pub.”

“The band is gonna be great I’ll have some really great players with me and I’m excited that my son Jackie is on Summer vacation from his music studies in the U.S and has come home to play drums”.

“The new songs benefit from the light and shade you can give them in a theatre,” he says. “We’ll also be putting a few surprises into the set, just to keep everyone on their toes, including me!”.

Joining him on all dates will be eldest daughter Mahalia Barnes who is performing with her own band and releasing her debut album mid-June.

Jimmy has also been invited to appear at the Toast Festival in London in September and that has turned into a three-week European tour. Cold Chisel had their biggest international hits in Germany and Jimmy toured Europe extensively in the early 1990s – even opening for the Rolling Stones in Germany. He has a very active fan base there which has prompted this year’s tour.

“I’ve been playing on and off in England for the past few years,” says Jimmy. “My fans there are really great. It’ll be good to get back to Europe again and I’m equally pleased that the new album ‘Out In The Blue’ will be released in Europe to coincide with the shows there”.

Meanwhile, the Australian theatre tour promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Tickets on sale Monday May 12.