The Wallflowers will play Australia for the first time, announcing a five-date tour presented by Love Police to mark the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough album, Bringing Down the Horse. The band will perform the album in full at every show.
The tour opens at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on Friday, Dec. 4, followed by Thirroul’s Anita’s Theatre on Dec. 5, Sydney’s Liberty Hall on Dec. 6, Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Dec. 8 and Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall on Dec. 9. A promoter presale begins Wednesday, Aug. 26, with general tickets on sale Friday, Aug. 28.
Bringing Down the Horse, released May 21, 1996, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified quadruple platinum in the U.S.; in Australia it went gold and reached No. 9 on the ARIA chart. Lead single “One Headlight” became the band’s signature hit, topping Billboard’s Mainstream Rock, Modern Rock and Triple-A airplay charts simultaneously and winning two Grammy Awards in 1998 for best rock song and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocals. It later landed at No. 58 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest pop songs. The album also produced “6th Avenue Heartache,” “The Difference” and “Three Marlenas.”
Each show will also feature a full performance of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1982 album Long After Dark — a tribute the band says reflects a formative influence on frontman Jakob Dylan. Dylan inducted Petty into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Dylan, the son of Bob Dylan, has led the Wallflowers for more than three decades. Beyond the band’s catalog, he starred in the 2018 documentary Echo in the Canyon, working alongside Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Beck, Cat Power, Norah Jones and Regina Spektor, and has placed songs in film and TV including the Wallflowers’ cover of “Heroes” for the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack. The band supported Eric Clapton on his 2025 U.S. tour, following earlier support runs with Clapton, the Who and the Rolling Stones.
“I loved this record when it hit the streets,” Love Police’s BT said in a statement announcing the tour. “It was 1996, lots of good things around that were starting to reignite the country, roots, early Americana scene… It’s an excellent live show and we get a Petty album too?! Unreal.”
The Wallflowers’ 2026 Australian tour dates:
Friday, Dec. 4 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne
Saturday, Dec. 5 — Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul
Sunday, Dec. 6 — Liberty Hall, Sydney
Tuesday, Dec. 8 — Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
Wednesday, Dec. 9 — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide
