We might still be in the throes of winter, but the summer tours that are getting announced are surely going to help us get to the warmer weather faster. Well, mentally at least. Check out the news about Styx and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.
The Press Release:
Legendary rockers STYX and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS are teaming up with TESLA for a summer U.S. tour that kicks off May 30 in Irvine, CA at the FivePoint Amphitheatre. Tickets for various cities of the tour, produced by Live Nation, will go on sale starting Friday, February 16 at 10am local time at Livenation.com. STYX and TESLA will be offering VIP packages via their own exclusive pre-sales beginning Wednesday, February 14 at 10am local time at StyxWorld.com and Teslatheband.com. Fans can explore JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS VIP packages available at the time of ticket purchase and at VIPNation.com.
STYX: Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums) and Ricky Phillips (bass), along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo—would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late ’70s and early ’80s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads. Over the course of their 40-year career they’ve released 15 studio albums, six best-of compilations and four live albums, garnering eight Top Ten singles. STYX has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Throughout their illustrious career, they’ve performed more live shows since 1999 than all of the previous years of its career combined. Two Super Bowl appearances, Pollstar box office chart-topping tours with Def Leppard, Journey, Boston, and Bad Company (to name only a few), two more studio albums. September 2, 2016 marked the long-awaited release date of STYX: LIVE AT THE ORLEANS ARENA LAS VEGAS on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Formats via Eagle Rock Entertainment. It captures the band performing in July 2014 such fan favorites as: “Too Much Time On My Hands,” Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Renegade,” and more. It also includes a special surprise visit from Don Felder—formerly of the Eagles—for a rousing performance of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights).” It was released on CD July 24, 2015. After 14 years, STYX’s sonically sweet 16th studio album and its most ambitious, most challenging, and most rewarding album to date, THE MISSION, was finally released June 16, 2017 on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. It debuted on various Billboard charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Billboard Top Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Top 200 Albums (includes catalog and streaming).
JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS: Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, with whom she has become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she’s had eight Platinum and Gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” Her independent record label, Blackheart, was founded in 1980 after she was rejected by no less than 23 labels. Blackheart is one of the longest running indie labels and continues to give voice to new bands. As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as the Germs’ LA punk masterpiece, GI. Jett’s music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. Jett and the Blackhearts released their latest record, UNVARNISHED, in 2013 and continue touring the globe with headline shows alongside fellow rock icons like The Who, Green Day and the Foo Fighters. Additionally, Jett has acted and appeared in movies & television, including the film Light Of Day. Jett was also able to see her story told in The Runaways, the film based on (lead singer of The Runaways) Cherie Currie’s book Neon Angel, starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project, serving as executive producer. In January, the documentary film based on Jett’s life, “Bad Reputation,” – produced by Blackheart’s SVP Carianne Brinkman and directed by Kevin Kerslake – premiered to critical acclaim at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, with the New York Post hailing that “‘Bad Reputation’ does it right, tracing Jett’s trailblazing path as one of the first, and still the hardest-rocking, women.”
TESLA: Over the course of their thirty-five-year career, the iconic Sacramento melodic hard rock quintet—Frank Hannon (guitar), Brian Wheat (bass), Jeff Keith (lead vocals), Troy Luccketta (drums), and Dave Rude (guitar)—sold more than 25 million albums domestically and played globally to sold-out crowds far and wide. To say TESLA live is absolutely bombastic is an understatement, they are a hard rock band to beat all hard rock bands. TESLA’s ninth full-length album titled SHOCK is due out fall of 2018. The highly anticipated album features Phil Collen of Def Leppard in the producer’s chair and takes a big leap forward as they glance back on their MECHANICAL RESONANCE LIVE! album.
Check out the tour at any of the following stops:
The Tour Dates:
5/30: Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
6/1: Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion
6/2: Sacramento, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre
6/4: Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
6/5: Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
6/7: Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
6/9: Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman
6/10: Dallas, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
6/12: Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
6/13: Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
6/14: Raleigh, NC @ Costal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
6/16: Atlanta, GA @ Verizon Amphitheatre
6/17: Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
6/27: Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
6/28: Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheater
6/29: Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
6/30: Hershey, PA @ GIANT Center
7/3: Montreal, QUE. @ Place Bell at Laval
7/4: Toronto, ONT. @ Budweiser Stage
7/6: Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/7: Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
7/8: St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/10: Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
7/11: Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/13: Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/14: Pittsburgh, PA @ KeyBank Pavilion
7/15: Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
*** end of transmission ***
PiercingMetal Thoughts: This might surprise you but despite how many decades I have been listening to the music of both Styx and Joan Jett, I have NEVER EVER seen either of these two legends in concert so you can bet your bottom dollar that I am surely interested in attending one or both of my own regional shows. Sure, we’ve got some of their music releases documented on the website but for me the live show is the key thing to enjoy and speak the accolades about at the end of the day. Tesla on the other hand, I’ve seen quite a few times and they ALWAYS manage to bring their A-Game to the table. I just love that about the band. Some of you might be surprised to know that Styx is still NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and considering how long it took them to induct Rush and KISS, who knows when they will start paying mind to another superb Rock band as opposed to another Hip Hop artist. Jett is in of course which is awesome but now its time for Styx to get their due. Perhaps the recent addition of Yes will open some doors and more important minds about the matter. Let’s see what happens. Okay so I am off tangent here – The tour. This one sounds like a blast but summer tours for me have been a little hard to do since I get out of town to see family at some point so if the timing is going to allow me to do both without incident you might just see me at one or both of our regional shows. What do you think about this tour? Let me know down in the comments section below. You know I love to hear from you.
Official Websites:
Styx: http://www.styxworld.com
Joan Jett: http://www.joanjett.com
Tesla: http://www.teslatheband.com