The Black Keys will play small venues on a three-city U.S. tour this September.
Joshua Black Wilkins*The Black Keys will perform at three intimate theaters in U.S. cities named after foreign cities when the blues-rock duo embarks on their “World Tour” in September. Singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney will play Athens, Georgia; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Oxford, Mississippi.
Carney acknowledged the cheekiness of the idea in a press release on Wednesday. “Dan and I have joked about doing a tour of American cities named after other cities in the world since we were touring together in a van. It feels like now is as good a time as any and we are excited to play in some places we haven’t played in since the early days of the band and for fans that have not had a chance to see us in a while,” he said.
The Black Keys will play a pair of 2,000-capacity rooms (Athens’ Classic Center, St. Petersburg’s Jannus Live) and a 1,000-capacity hall (Oxford’s Lyric). The three shows lead up to the group’s headlining appearance at the 2021 Pilgrimage Festival outside Nashville the weekend of September 25th and 26th (see tickets here).
The “World Tour” gigs will lean on the Keys’ latest album, Delta Kream, a collection of Hill Country blues covers by Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. “They were so pivotal in our careers, Pat and I. It’s what brought us together. It was the concentric circle, where on the outside, he and I liked totally different things, but in the middle it was Junior and R.L. We could drive down the highway all night and listen to them. It was just endless inspiration for us,” Auerbach told Rolling Stone earlier this summer.
In addition to the tour, the Black Keys have partnered with the Save the Music Foundation, the organization that supports elementary and middle-school music programs. Together they’ll work to bring music education and instruments to schools in Mississippi’s Hill Country.
Tickets for the World Tour go on sale Friday, July 23rd at 10 a.m. local time on the band’s website and Ticketmaster.com. You can also find tickets at VividSeats.com.
The Black Keys’ World Tour Dates:
September 20 — Athens, GA @ The Classic Center
September 21 — St Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
September 23 — Oxford, MS @ The Lyric
Sade will not be attending their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this week.
The English group, made up of Sade Adu, Paul Denman, Stuart Matthewman, and Andrew Hale, are among this year's inductees into the prestigious institution. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this Saturday.
However, a representative for Sade confirmed on Tuesday through the band's official website that none of the members would be attending the event.
"We're sorry that we won't be able to join everyone in person to celebrate alongside the other artists. However, our absence does not lessen how deeply this recognition means to us," they stated. "Being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a wonderful honour and a meaningful opportunity to express our gratitude, not just to everyone who voted for us, but to every person who has made our music part of their lives."
The representative also acknowledged their manager Roger Davies for his support and paid tribute to the late engineer and co-producer Mike Pela, who passed away in 2022.
"We owe so much to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey," they continued, before signing the message: "Sade, Stuart, Andrew, and Paul. Mike Pela, the fifth member of Sade... This recognition belongs to you just as much as it does to us, Mike. You will always be our soul mate."
Sade will be joining Oasis among the artists missing this year's ceremony. Liam Gallagher previously addressed his absence in a message on X, saying the journey was "too far" for him to make just "for the night".
The other musicians being recognised at this weekend's ceremony include Billy Idol, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, the late Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
