Entertainment
5 March, 2026
Fanning brings milestone tour north
BERNARD Fanning says performing in Cairns has long been important to him, as he prepares to bring his 20th anniversary Tea & Sympathy tour to Cairns Performing Arts Centre this weekend.
By Hugh Bohane
The shows will mark 20 years since the release of his debut solo album Tea & Sympathy, which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and won three ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year.
Mr Fanning said he had a strong connection to North Queensland.
“I’ve got a long connection to Cairns. Powderfinger came to Cairns from the early 90s kind of thing. So always tried to make it up there,” he said.
“My parents are both North Queenslanders, both from Innisfail and Townsville, respectively.”
He said touring regional centres remained a priority.
“It’s really important,” Mr Fanning said.
“It’s very expensive for people to get from regional places to the city and then have to stay in a hotel and whatnot, as well as the travel and all the associated expenses. So that’s part of it. Trying to come to people ourselves.”
For the Cairns performances, Mr Fanning will play Tea & Sympathy in full for the first time.
“We’re playing the whole record, which is the first time we’ve actually even done that,” he said.
The show will also feature songs from the anniversary bonus album and a selection of covers.
“There’s a bonus album that comes with it as well, which has a couple of songs from the time that weren’t added to the record,” he said.
After decades on stage, Mr Fanning said he now enjoys performing more than ever.
“I actually enjoy it now more than I ever have to be honest, because I’m not as uptight as I used to be,” he said.
“You know, the world is a very troubled place at the moment, and music is a really great unifier of people.”
Mr Fanning will be joined by supporting act Georgia Mooney.
Venue doors open at 6.30pm, with the show starting at 7.30pm.
Tickets for the Saturday show are already sold out, but limited seats remain available for the Sunday performance.
Tickets are available at Ticketlink: https://bit.ly/4s0DC9Z
