Midnight OilWill Midnight Oil ever return to touring? When the band embarked on their final tour in 2022, concluding with a three-and-a-half-hour, 40-song epic at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October, things felt pretty final.
But, as frontman Peter Garrett said in a recent interview, “Never say never.”
He made the admission as part of the new season of Take 5 with Zan Rowe, now playing on ABC and ABC iView. Zan Rowe noted that, upon hanging up the touring life, Midnight Oil left the door open to possibly reunite for charity shows and special events.
She asked him whether that position has changed and whether Midnight Oil could tour again following the tragic passing of drummer Rob Hirst.
“I couldn’t see us going out and doing big tours or anything like that,” Garrett said. “Would we play, would the three of us get up and do something with him not drumming?
“Possibly. I mean, it feels too soon now.”
Garrett then reflected on bands he’s seen performing when a “foundation member has moved on,” noting that they haven’t felt like the same band.
He continued, “It’s fine; people can go on to make a living out of it. So, if there was a good reason, and everybody felt as though it felt right and felt like us, then maybe we could do it.
“But it’s certainly not something we’re thinking about or talking about, and it would probably happen organically and probably happen for something that maybe is worth doing. But it may not happen at all.”
Garrett added that, as any touring musician would say, he can’t say “I’m never coming back to this one-horse town again,” to which Rowe exclaimed, “Especially Midnight Oil!”
You can watch a clip of the interview here and watch Garrett’s episode of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC iView.
Reviewing Midnight Oil’s final show at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October 2022, The Music’s Mick Radojkovic wrote, “Forgotten Years would become the song that rounded it out - the song that closed the chapter on one of the best bands Australia will ever produce and their staggering 40-song set.
“The songwriting, this time from Rob Hirst and Jim Moginie, sums it all up eloquently. ‘These should not be forgotten years.’ Midnight Oil will never be forgotten, but neither should their legacy and what they’ve been working so long to achieve. For now, let’s remember them however we choose to do so, because everyone has an ‘Oils’ story and they should always be told.”
