Gigs
14 May 2000 - Mercury Lounge, Melbourne, VIC, Australia through to...
13 December 2003 - Summerjam 2003, Lavington Pathers, Sports Ground, Albury, Australia

Releases
I Get Up - CD Single (Australia)
Need You Tonight (live) / Never Tear Us Apart (live) - Antwerp, Belgium 2003
Available on Night Of The Proms 2003 CD (Europe only)

Jon Stevens, the affable ex-frontman of notable Australian band Noiseworks - who had recently collaborated with Jon Farriss on a special commission Olympic tune called 'Carry The Flame' - had been quietly travelling with INXS during their Tim Rice Spectacular tour. Rehearsing at soundchecks and anytime they could work together, the idea was to possibly do a small "impromptu" INXS gig while the apparatus was in place logistically with the band on the road with all their gear, crew, etc. Building up an INXS concert from scratch after the long gap and tragic circumstances would be too much pressure to bear for the band, but easing into it while they were already in public performing would be a different matter, and one which might just loosen them up enough to pull it off.

The Mercury Lounge within the massive Crown Casino in Melbourne was the site of the first Jon Stevens-assisted INXS gig, and the response was strong. Nerves aside, the band plus their "learner" recruit forged through a greatest hits set that would be repeated when the Tim Rice event concluded a week later. The spot this time was the small Metro in downtown Sydney for two shows. With family and friends in attendance (plus various promoters) the show was later webcast over the internet via INXS.com to fans around the world curious to see the new pairing. Although Jon Stevens has a lower register vocally than Michael, his natural cadence and feel for the music carried the songs over faithfully.

The band from moved ahead performing to the largest INXS worldwide audience ever - the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics on 1 October. Beamed to millions of people in every country, the closing ceremonies saw INXS tear through a victorious version of 'What You Need' like never before. A post-Olympics secret show at the Newsclub included Jimmy Barnes joining in the revelry. Other early shows at this time were a few scattered "corporate" gigs (an ingenious management tactic that had the dual purpose of being a paid concert and private rehearsal all rolled into one) and a New Year's Eve concert in Adelaide with extra guest singer Suze DeMarchi assisting with a couple of songs.

With a new found gusto to activate, and Jon Stevens adjusting well to the repertoire, INXS was ready to expand upon the new set up and explore opportunities. A one month tour from May to June 2001 of North Queensland clubs casually called Just For Kicks - a nod to the light approach INXS was taking to the shows - was slotted in next. International prestige dates in Vienna, Ireland, Germany, Poland and Romania showed that INXS was reaching out and gaining confidence once again as a live proposition. Three sport-related dates back in Australia closed the year out for the band, culminating at the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne 29 September.

The following summer (2002) saw a large tour of the US, this time with Scottish superstars Simple Minds co-headlining some of the dates. Just For Kicks carried on until July with a culminating date in China - of all places! A smattering of small shows and special appearances at home and abroad including the Farmhand Concert in Sydney 26 October and a Bali Benefit in New York 19 November.

The Definitive Tour was launched 21 November in Puerto Rico, moving through Mexico and Central America before jetting to the UK to team up with Blondie for a co-headlining tour that would take up the best part of December.

The first half of 2003 continued with sporadic gigs, large and small, in the form of the Australian Open Grand Gala in Sydney (featuring tennis great Pat Cash on guitar for encores), the Christian Dior Glam Slam in Auckland New Zealand, the huge Vina Del Mar Festival in Chile, The Cure For Life Foundation Gala (acoustic show) and the Harley-Davidson 100 event - both in Sydney, and last but not least, The First Annual Peace Awards Concert in Bali - all before embarking on a European tour through July. New song (and single) 'I Get Up' was premiered live during this period, which dovetailed conveniently into its inclusion with the new Playstation 2 EA Rugby 2004 game released in September. Ensuing EA launch events saw INXS performing to local crowds once again in October.

It was at this time was Jon Stevens' announcement of his departure from INXS. Reasons given by the surprise announcement on Australian TV was his desire to move forward on solo work and let INXS move at their own pace with future endeavours - fair enough.

Definitely the most unusual and unique undertaking for INXS (still with Jon Stevens) in 2003 was their participation in the European Night Of The Proms. The Proms is an arena-size tour spread over two long residencies in Antwerp and Rotterdam and then continuing through Europe, running from October to December (INXS was only part of the first two stops) that is as much a cultural event as a high-profile musical extravaganza. The "rock band with orchestra" arrangement is something that has appealed to INXS for many years - harking back to The Beatles in spirit ('All You Need Is Love', etc.). The idea of bringing together divergent musical styles (classical, rock, vocal, etc.) in the concert setting is something the Proms has refined to a high art and INXS was delighted to be part of it this year. Playing just five songs a night (plus matinees), the band's set included 'Mystify', 'New Sensation', 'Suicide Blonde', 'Never Tear Us Apart' and 'Need You Tonight'. A CD of the show highlights is coming 8 December, with 'Never Tear Us Apart' and 'Need You Tonight' among the tracks. Jon Stevens played his final show with INXS on 13 December 2003 as headliners at Summerjam 2003, Albury, Australia.