No job too big or small for Stevens

Friday

Waves, Wollongong

Tickets: moshtix.com.au

A few days ago Jon Stevens was signing autographs after a Noiseworks concert in Melbourne when a woman from the audience came up and said: "You're really good, you should go on The Voice."

The evergreen rock muso, who has fronted Noiseworks and INXS amid myriad projects over the past 20 years, laughs about the meeting.

"I told her I didn't think I'd make it through," he says.

A 50-year-old grandad, Stevens is the busiest he's ever been, still working with Noiseworks, performing in new band The Dead Daisies, doing his solo gigs and readying for the Australian run of Jesus Christ Superstar next month alongside Mel C and Tim Minchin.

To think there's a middle-aged woman who hasn't heard of Stevens until now is unfathomable.

"It's pretty full on, but I'm a working musician," Stevens puts it simply. "I just love playing music - to go from touring with Aerosmith [with the Dead Daisies] performing in front of about 80,000 people to playing to 120 people the next night is amazing."

The Dead Daisies is a supergroup with Stevens on vocals, Charlie Drayton (Divinyls) on drums, Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses) on guitar, Jim Hilbun (The Angels) on bass, Alan Mansfield (Dragon, Robert Palmer) on keyboards and David Lowey on guitar.

"I learned back in the [early] Noiseworks days to never put all your eggs in the one basket because when it all goes sour you end up standing there, naked, on your own," Stevens says.

However, he was forced to look at life differently four years ago when he had open heart surgery for a blocked artery.

But he reckons he's now feeling as fit as in his 30s and still enjoys hanging out at rugby league games.

"I feel great, I'm in great spirits," he says.

"The fragility of life is made obvious and it makes you appreciate things in life at a different level."

For now, Stevens is looking forward to his solo shows. He says he performs a mix of new and old, including past hits in an "eclectic" show, and takes crowd requests.

"I go with the audience, I'm not precious," he says.