Powderfinger Announce Melbourne Encore Shows

It began with cryptic billboards and light projections thrown across the sides of buildings in capital cities around the country. Then the puzzle pieces fell into place and the answer was unmistakable: Powderfinger were back. The first run of 2027 tour dates sold out inside a week, with more than 300,000 tickets gone in six days. Now the Brisbane five-piece have added a final Encore Run of nine shows to close out the year, including two nights at Melbourne Park Oval on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 November.

For anyone who missed the initial scramble, this really is the last chance. The band have made clear the Encore Run represents the final Powderfinger headline shows announced for 2027, full stop. Given that their farewell show was all the way back on 13 November 2010, and that triple j's 2025 Hottest 100 Of Australian Songs Of All Time still found room for three of their tracks, the appetite hasn't dimmed in the slightest.

The Melbourne shows will feature an all-Australian support lineup across both nights. Melbourne's Something for Kate, a band whose catalogue of seven gold and platinum albums has earned them their own devoted following over three decades, are on the bill alongside a name that will mean a lot closer to home for Peninsula readers: The Belair Lip Bombs, a four-piece indie rock outfit from Frankston.

Maisie, Mike, Jimmy and Dev have been building something quietly but steadily since their 2018 debut EP. Their 2023 record 'Lush Life' marked a real leap, ten tracks that moved between longing and self-discovery with a confidence their earlier work was still working toward. Frankston producing a band on the bill for a Powderfinger show at Melbourne Park is the kind of thing you don't take for granted. If you haven't caught them live yet, this is about as good a reason as any to fix that.

As for the headliners, the catalog alone justifies the night out. Bernard Fanning, Darren Middleton, Ian Haug, Jon Coghill and John 'JC' Collins built seven studio albums worth of songs that became part of the furniture of Australian life: "My Happiness", "These Days", "The Day You Come", "Sunsets" and "On My Mind" among them. Five ARIA number-one albums, 18 ARIA Awards, two APRA Songs of the Year. The Sunsets Farewell Tour in 2010 drew over 300,000 people. The Encore Run is shaping up to be at least as significant.

All shows are all ages. The organisers strongly recommend that anyone 14 and under is seated rather than in the GA area, and all under-18s must be accompanied by a ticket-holding adult.

A Face to Face presale opens Wednesday 4 November at 10am, with general on sale from Thursday 5 November at 11am. Ticket prices range from $139.90 for C Reserve through to $229.90 for Front GA (both plus booking fees).

The Details

When: Friday 5 November and Saturday 6 November 2027

Where: Melbourne Park Oval, Melbourne VIC

Tickets: From $139.90 plus fees. Face to Face presale opens 4 November (Wednesday) at 10am. General on sale 5 November (Thursday) at 11am. More information at livenation.com.au

A Frankston band on a Powderfinger bill at Melbourne Park. Some things really are worth circling on the calendar.