Opeth and Mastodon Announce Co-Headline Tour
Opeth and Mastodon have announced a co-headline tour of the U.S., set to commence in November. Those two bands on the bill alone would make these shows pretty much unmissable, but they’ve also got support from Zeal & Ardor, so… yeah. Fuck me.
Mastodon are touring in support of their recently-announced double album, Hushed and Grim, which comes out October 29.
Opeth, meanwhile, have announced what they’ve dubbed a “Connoisseur Edition” of their most recent album, 2019’s In Cauda Venenum. This iteration of the record “features a remastered version of the album transferred to magnetic tape and cut directly to vinyl with three unreleased bonus tracks,” according to a press release. That will be out November 19.
Zeal & Ardor’s new, eponymous album isn’t out ’til February of 2022.
Says Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt of the tour, in a typically droll statement:
“Well, we’re about to start up the ole machine again after our longest (involuntary) break ever. We’ve kept rather silent during all this time. We haven’t done much press or public appearances. No streaming shows and of course, no ‘real’ shows. We’ve kept to ourselves, biding our time. Coming back to North America will be a treat, even if there are conflicting emotions. We’ve become used to being out of sight. But playing live is such an integral part of being in this band. We need to get back out there to see if we still have it in us. Stepping out on a stage after all this time will surely be a nerve-wrecking experience, but we count on you to help us out. We’ll be traveling with familiar faces however. Together with our friends in Mastodon. But also with new acquaintances, Zeal & Ardor. Going on tour during these times means serious restrictions of course. It will be strange in so many ways. But once we’re up there we trust the power of music will take over and make us feel secure. We collectively look forward to this (with a slight touch of pure fear).
“To wrap this up: Won’t see you in the pub (unfortunately), but we sincerely hope to see you through the limelight. For us, this coming tour is already memorable. Odd!”
Regarding the new version of In Cauda Venenum, Åkerfeldt adds:
“During the pandemic we’ve put together a vinyl remaster ”connoisseur” edition of our latest album, ‘In Cauda Venenum’ that features 3 (6 really, if you count both versions of each song) previously unreleased tracks from the sessions. These tracks have a high obscurity factor, but I’d like to think they are high quality. Quite different from the rest of the songs on the album, but quality nonetheless. Everything put together in a nice package, for your pleasure.”
Dates for the tour are below.
Nov 16 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena [tickets]
Nov 18 – Boston, MA – The Wang Theatre [tickets]
Nov 19 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre [tickets]
Nov 20 – New York City – Hammerstein Ballroom [tickets]
Nov 21 – Washington, DC – The Anthem [tickets]
Nov 23 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium [tickets]
Nov 24 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern [tickets]
Nov 26 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater [tickets]
Nov 27 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom [tickets]
Nov 28 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land [tickets]
Nov 30 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre [tickets]
Dec 01 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium [tickets]
Dec 02 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater [tickets]
Dec 04 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union [tickets]
Dec 05 – Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom [tickets]
