Colin Hay Band
Saturday, Jan 23, 2027
Englert Theatre
Iowa City, IA
Tickets On Sale Now at Englert.org
Biography
“I’m deeply grateful for the life I have,” says Colin Hay. That gratitude and optimism drive Now And The Evermore, an album that meets struggle, loss, and mortality with humor, resilience, and hope. Written in Los Angeles, the record celebrates life and love while choosing beauty over despair and wonder over doubt, even in difficult times.
Now And The Evermore
Now And The Evermore is a vibrant collection filled with memorable melodies, rich orchestration, and a guest appearance from Ringo Starr. Blending pop, folk, and rock influences, Colin Hay delivers songs that are both thoughtful and uplifting, reflecting on time, identity, and resilience while celebrating hope in the face of life’s challenges.
“It’s a troubling and confounding and ever-inspiring world that we live in,” he muses. “I’m lucky to be able to wander downstairs and try to make some sense of it, at least to myself.”
Early Years
Born in Scotland and raised in Australia, Colin Hay rose to fame as the frontman of Men At Work before launching a successful solo career. Acclaimed for his distinctive voice and sharp songwriting, he later reached new audiences through Garden State, Scrubs, and collaborations with Ringo Starr, while continuing to tour and record extensively.
Pandemic
“When the pandemic hit, I was forced to stay put for the first time in years,” Hay recalls. “It was horrendous every day to watch the news and see so many people struggling, but even so, musical ideas were creeping into my head, so I followed where they led and embraced the freedom that came with sitting still for a change.”
With no tour dates on the horizon, Hay allowed himself to slow things down and work at a different pace than he was used to. For the first time in his career, he had several uninterrupted months to work continuously with his longtime friend and collaborator Michael Georgiades, and the two began penning a series of gorgeous, thoughtful tracks that would eventually form the framework of Now And The Evermore.
“It seemed like we tapped into some kind of creative vein that just felt good,” Hay explains. “Even when I thought we had enough material for a record, I just kept writing on my own because the songs kept presenting themselves to me.”
Studio Band
In the studio, he enlisted a handful of collaborators—including Georgiades, Compass Records co–founder and bassist Garry West, Cuban guitaristtres master San Miguel Perez, wife and singer-songwriter Cecilia Noël, and drummer Greg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth)—Hay tackled the majority of the work on his own until it was time to bring in keyboardist and string arranger Fred Kron, who helped flesh out the music with sweeping orchestration, which was recorded and produced by West at the Compass studio in Nashville.
“Once we started to put the strings on it, that’s when it felt like everything really came together,” says Hay. “There started to be this sense of beauty and grandeur to the music, this sense of romance and possibility.”
“I think this pandemic made people recognize that we won’t be around forever,” he explains. “If there’s something you want to say to someone, some love you want to express, then you should do it now because you never know when your number’s up.”
Learning to Live
Living in the present is a recurring theme on the album. Songs like “Love Is Everywhere,” “Into The Bright Lights,” and “Sea Of Always” celebrate gratitude, hope, and letting go of life’s burdens in favor of joy and new possibilities.
“A lot of these songs involve different ways of thinking about the unknowable,” he reflects. “I find solace in nature, and I often reach for those sorts of metaphors—the sea, the sky, mountains, rivers—when I’m trying to wrap my head around it all.”
Starfish and Unicorns
Themes of loss and uncertainty run throughout the album. Songs like “Starfish and Unicorns” and “All I See Is You” reflect on grief and the past, while “Agatha Bell” and “A Man Without A Name” explore mystery and identity. The closing track, “When Does The End Begin?,” confronts life’s biggest questions with both reflection and acceptance.
“I’m approaching 70 now,” he explains, “and it’s clear to me that I’m in the home stretch. I don’t feel any fear or a resignation about it, though, just an urgency to say the things I need to say and do the things I need to do.”
Who knows what happens when we die? Perhaps our consciousness lingers on long after we leave our bodies. Perhaps the curtains simply close, and the show ends for good. Regardless, Now And The Evermore reminds us that we’re all alive right here, right now. For Colin Hay, that’s plenty to smile about.