JONNY LANG is a touring maniac and he’s not slowing down anytime soon.
As he gears up for the April 20 release of his first-ever live album, LIVE AT THE RYMAN (Concord Records), he’s criss-crossing the U.S. as part of the “Experience Hendrix Tour,” which features an all-star line up of music greats paying homage to the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix including: Joe Satriani, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, among many others. The trek concludes March 28 in Durham, NC.
From there, he won’t have much time to rest. After spending a week off, he’ll head back on the road for a brief run in Canada, followed by a number of festivals and headlining shows. Then starting May 21, he’ll kick it up a notch as his “Live By Request” tour launches in Clearwater, FL at Ruth Eckerd Hall. For that round of dates, lasting through the Fall, Lang’s fans will be able to log on to his website (www.jonnylang.com) starting on May 1 and submit a song request for the show they are attending. Lang will then build a set list every night from the requests for those specific shows.
LIVE AT THE RYMAN captures that passion and energy with the release of Lang’s first record since 2006’s TURN AROUND, which earned him a Grammy® Award for Best Gospel Album. Recorded at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, in the summer of 2008, Live at the Ryman, Lang’s first ever live recording, offers a compelling glimpse of a young guitarist at the height of his creative powers, yet still open to exploring the depth and range of the blues and its relationship to R&B, soul, rock, gospel, funk and so may other emotionally riveting forms of music.
LIVE AT THE RYMAN is the record that Lang has wanted to make because it paints a vivid picture of how his blues-launched career led him to successful soul, rock, R&B, and gospel recordings. His inability to be complacent or safe in his musical journey is amplified in his powerful and electrifying live performance of these genre-crossing songs.
“I’ve wanted to do a live record for a long time, because I feel like our band is strongest in the live setting,” says Lang. “I think this record is a good representation of our live show, and an accurate reference for people who haven’t seen us yet. Hopefully it will be an inspiration for them to come out and see us.”
Backed by the five-man crew of guitarist/vocalist Sonny Thompson, keyboardist Tommy Barbarella, bassist Jim Anton, drummer Barry Alexander and percussionist/vocalist Jason Eskridge, Lang burns through a dozen songs first heard on studio albums dating back to 1997. This time, though, the songs heat up in the kind of pressure-cooker setting that can only take shape in the vibrant Nashville club scene.
Here’s the complete list of tour dates:
DATE CITY VENUE
“Experience Hendrix Tour”:
Thu 3/18 Chicago, IL Chicago Theater
Sat 3/20 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
Sun 3/21 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater
Tue 3/23 Akron, OH Civic Theatre
Wed 3/24 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre
Thu 3/25 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theater
Sat 3/27 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
Sun 3/28 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
Headlining and Festival Shows:
Fri 4/9 Fort Worth, TX Main Street Ft. Worth Arts Festival
Sun 4/11 Thunder Bay, ONT. Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
Mon 4/12 Winnipeg, MB. Burton Cummings Theatre
Tue 4/13 Saskatoon, SK. TCU Place
Thu 4/15 Calgary, AB. Jack Singer Concert Hall (ECPA)
Fri 4/16 Edmonton, AB. Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Sun 4/18 Vancouver, BC. Centre In Vancouver for Perf Arts
Tue 4/20 Spokane, WA The Knitting Factory
Thu 4/22 Grants Pass, OR Rogue Theatre
Fri 4/23 Tacoma, WA Emerald Queen
Sun 4/25 New Orleans, LA Jazz & Heritage Festival
Sat 5/1 Stateline, NV Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
“Live By Request” and Festival Shows:
Fri 5/21 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
Sat 5/22 Orlando, FL House of Blues
Sun 5/23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse
Sun 5/30 Avila Beach, CA Avila Beach Blues Festival
Thu 6/3 San Diego, CA Humphreys By The Bay
Fri 6/4 Las Vegas, NV Silverton Casino
Sat 6/5 Anaheim, CA House of Blues
Fri 6/11 Robinsonville, MS Horseshoe Casino/Bluesville
Sat 6/12 Tulsa, OK Tougher Than Hell Car & Bike Show
Thu 6/17 Napa, CA Uptown Theatre
Fri 6/18 Saratoga, CA Montalvo Arts Center
Sat 6/19 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues
Thu 7/1 Naperville, IL Ribfest
Fri 7/2 Rowlett, TX QueFest
Sat 7/10 Prior Lake, MN Lakefront Jazz & Blues Festival
Thu 7/15 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
Fri 7/16 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Sat 7/17 Walker, MN Moon Dance Jam Festival
Sat 7/24 Park City, KS Blues, Brews & BBQs Festival
Sat 8/7 Kitchener, ONT. Kitchener Blues Festival
Mon 8/9 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
Thu 8/12 Portsmouth, NH Music Hall
Sat 8/14 Truro, NS. Dutch Mason Blues Festival
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