Part of the canon of Americana, indie folk and alt. country music, American singer-songwriter, Lucinda Williams will headline the Sydney Opera House for the very first time next month.
Headed to Australia as Paul Kelly's main support on his national August-September tour, and with 16 studio albums to her name, Williams and her band will conduct an evening of songs, stories and visuals with live performance and readings from Lucinda's 2023 memoir 'Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You'.Billed as an event spanning 'memoir and music, legacy and resilience', Lucinda will share key moments, heartbreaks and musical milestone from a life that began in Louisiana, the daughter of acclaimed American contemporary poet Miller Williams, through her early years recording in Mississippi, commercial success in the '90s-'00s, (including three Grammy Awards), to recent collaborations with artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Margo Price.
With a catalogue of hits spanning decades – from early releases like 'Sharp Cutting Wings', 'Something About What Happens When We Talk' and 'Sweet Old World' to commercial breakthrough numbers like 'Can't Let Go', 'Car Wheels On A Gravel Road', 'Fruits Of My Labor' and 'Are You Alright' – this promises to be a dazzling night of nostalgia for Lucinda Williams fans.
This one-off Opera House performance arrives amidst a moment of deep creative resurgence for Williams. In recent years, she released her sixteenth studio album ('Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart'), published a critically-lauded memoir, and mounted a triumphant return to the stage following a debilitating stroke in 2020.
Released in 2023, 'Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart' was a driving force in her recovery from the stroke she suffered, the music again getting her through her darkest days. "Writing had been part of my rehabilitation," Williams relates in her memoir. "It didn't occur to me to stop and not do anything."
However, post-stroke she had to revise her own songwriting process, since she could no longer play guitar. "Since I couldn't teach the band the songs on guitar, I would sing it to give an idea of the feel and the vibe," she says.
"We'd do it a few times until we got the right groove. It was really challenging because I wasn't playing guitar, but sometimes when things are challenging like that, good stuff can come out of it."
Tickets on sale from 12pm AEST on 24 July.
Lucinda Williams and her band, billed as Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets, play Sydney Opera House on 31 August.
Paul Kelly 2025 Tour Dates
Tue 26 Aug - RAC Arena (Perth)Fri 29 Aug - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sat 30 Aug - Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
Tue 2 Sep - MyState Bank Arena (Hobart)
Thu 4 Sep - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Sat 6 Sep - Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne)* sold out
Sun 7 Sep - Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne)* new show
