L-R: Lucinda Williams (CREDIT: Robin Little/Redferns), Jason Isbell (CREDIT: Scott Legato/Getty Images), Paul Kelly (CREDIT: Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images for ARIA).

Lucinda Williams To Replace Jason Isbell On Paul Kelly’s 2025 Australian Tour

April 15, 2025

Paul Kelly has provided an update to his first-ever headlining arena tour, which is set to tour around the country in August 2025. The bad news first: Jason Isbell and his band, The 400 Unit, have unfortunately had to pull out of the tour. At the time of writing, only “unforeseen circumstances” have been listed as to the official reason why he is not performing; Isbell himself has not posted about it on social media. The good news, however, is that Lucinda Williams will now join the national tour.

Williams and her band were last in Australia circa April 2023. In addition to a run of co-headlining shows with her old friend Steve Earle, the veteran singer-songwriter also performed at that year’s Bluesfest – alongside, coincidentally, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit. It marked her first run of Australian shows since she suffered a stroke at her Nashville home in November 2020, which hospitalised her for over a month and left her unable to play guitar. In yet another coincidence, Williams’ return to the stage a year later was a North American tour with Isbell.

Lucinda Williams – ‘I Just Wanted To See You So Bad’

The tour, in support of Kelly’s recently-released 29th studio album Fever Longing Still, is being billed as his only run of shows anywhere in 2025. He will, however, play a rare solo set at Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom next month, supporting The Drones at their first of two sold-out reunion shows. Kelly’s nephew Dan will also perform, as well as The Nation Blue and MOD CON.

Tooma singer-songwriter Fanny Lumsden is still slated as the tour’s opening act across Australia. The ARIA and Golden Guitar winner released her fourth studio album, Hey Dawn, in August 2023 and has toured it extensively across the country since its release. She had previously toured with Kelly in 2022, doing a series of regional shows in duo mode with her husband, Dan Freeman.