EDITION 15
Lee Kernaghan in Newcastle
Lee Kernaghan to kick off final chapter of Boys From the Bush “The Concert” tour in Newcastle this May.
After a sellout 2024 run that saw Lee Kernaghan play to the biggest crowds of his career, the Australian country music legend is hitting the road one last time. He recently announced the final leg of his Boys From The Bush “The Concert” tour, which will kick off at The Civic Theatre Newcastle in May 2025.
“I’ll be rolling into town with a ute-load of songs to play,” says Lee. “The show covers about three decades of music and the great thing is not only do people know a lot of the songs, they’ve lived them too. These will be the last few shows of what has been an incredible tour of Australia so we’ve got a mega show planned for Newcastle and I think people are gonna have a lot of fun.”
The tour promises everything fans have come to expect, high-octane performances, classic hits like The Outback Club, Texas Qld 4385, She’s My Ute, Damn Good Mates and Flying With The King, plus new music and a powerhouse lineup of special guests. Joining Lee are breakout The Voice star Tori Darke, four-time Golden Guitar nominee Matt Cornell, and crowd favourite Robby Kernaghan returning to the stage to perform the chart-topping duets Fire, Wheels and Where I Wanna Be.
“At its core, country has always been a lyric-driven genre, and I think that resonates with people because the songs tell real, honest stories about life, love, and everyday experiences.”
As he gets ready to take the stage at the iconic Civic Theatre in Newcastle, Lee is reminded of a very special memory of performing here.
“One of my favourite memories of playing Newcastle was the time I came out on stage to do the encore and during the guitar solo of The Outback Club the crowd started cheering and literally going crazy,” recalls Lee. “I thought something’s wrong – I looked down at my jeans as I thought maybe I’d left my fly undone, but then I turned around to see a bunch of television cameras and Mike Munro walking out on a stage saying ‘Lee Kernaghan, This is Your Life!’”
“The show covers about three decades of music and the great thing is not only do people know a lot of the songs, they’ve lived them too.”
Capping off a massive year, Kernaghan was nominated for three major awards at the inaugural 2025 Countrytown Awards – Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Best Australian Tour. Meanwhile, his latest single with The Wolfe Brothers, Country Is Coming to Town, is making waves on radio and social media. The music video filmed in front of a massive crowd in the main street of Tamworth sparked a viral outfit-change challenge with celebrities and fans joining in across the country. It’s the
party anthem everyone’s talking about and marks Kernaghan’s fourth collaboration with the Golden Guitar-winning Group of the Year.
It’s clear that country music is having a bit of a ‘moment’ in mainstream media right now, bringing in a new generation of fans for long-time artists like Lee.
“People all around the world are discovering just how great the music is,” says Lee. “At its core, country has always been a lyric-driven genre, and I think that resonates with people because the songs tell real, honest stories about life, love, and everyday experiences. That authenticity is a big part of what draws new listeners in plus everyone looks better (including me) when you’re wearing a hat! Akubra of course.”
With 40 #1 hits, 38 Golden Guitars, and over 2.5 million albums sold, Kernaghan’s music is stitched into the fabric of Australian life. His 2024 tour sold out nationwide and these dates are the last chance to see him do what he does best in 2025.
TOUR DATES
FRI 9TH MAY: Newcastle Civic Theatre, NSW
SAT 10TH MAY: Club Forster, Forster, NSW
FRI 23RD MAY: C.ex Coffs, Coffs Harbour, NSW
SAT 24TH MAY: Glasshouse Theatre, Port Macquarie, NSW
SUN 25TH MAY: The Art House, Wyong, NSW