Dead & Company will head out on their final tour in 2023.
It was speculated shortly after their 2022 trek ended that the band might be on the verge of calling it quits. Now we have that confirmation.
The band, consisting of former Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann, along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, and Jeff Chimenti, have been touring since 2015.
In recent years, however, drummer Kreutzmann has dealt with multiple health issues.
The farewell tour will kick off with a pair of shows in Los Angeles on May 19-20 and will visit Wrigley Field in Chicago for a two-night stand June 9-10 before heading to Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on June 13 and Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville on June 27. The final shows will be in San Francisco July 14-15.
“Word travels fast, and we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” the group shared in a social media post revealing the tour poster.
Weir added on his own page, “Well it looks like that’s it for this outfit; but don’t worry we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop.”
Bono embarks on book tour
U2 frontman Bono will set off on a book tour in November to support the release of his upcoming autobiography, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. The book is scheduled for worldwide release Nov. 1.
The Stories of Surrender Tour, billed as “an evening of words, music and some mischief,” will launch the following day and stop at the Chicago Theatre on Nov. 8. This will be a hot, hot ticket.
“I miss being onstage and the closeness of U2’s audience,” Bono said in a press release. “In these shows, I’ve got some stories to sing, and some songs to tell. … Plus, I want to have some fun presenting my ME-moir, Surrender, which is really more of a WE-moir if I think of all the people who helped me get from there to here.”
As its title suggests, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story is divided into 40 chapters, each named after a U2 song and including 40 original drawings done by Bono.
Depeche Mode in Chicago
Depeche Mode will return next year with a new album, Memento Mori, and tour to support it.
Due out in March, Memento Mori marks Depeche Mode’s 15th album, and first since the passing of founding member Andy Fletcher.
“We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time,” Martin Gore said in a statement.
“After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue, as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.”
The tour begins in March and will find its way to United Center in Chicago for our region’s only show April 5.
