The Specials announce 2019 North American tour
Today, British 2 Tone legends The Specials return with their first album of original music in 20 years, Encore. Along with the release, the band has revealed a new summer tour that will take them across the US and Canada.
The tour celebrates the new record as well as the 40th anniversary of the group, their iconic 2 Tone label, and their very first single, “Gangsters”. Beginning on May 22nd in Vancouver, the itinerary includes dates in Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Boston, and Montreal before wrapping up with a pair of gigs at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall.
Check out The Specials’ full North American tour schedule below, and grab a ticket here.
The Specials 2019 Tour Dates:
03/29 – Cologne, DE @ Cologne E-Work
03/30 – Brussels, BE @ Brussels Ancienne Belgique
03/31 – Luxembourg City, LX @ Luxembourg den Atelier
04/02 – Hambrug, DE @ Hamburg Grosse Freiheit 36
04/03 – Berlin, DE @ Berlin Columbiahall
04/05 – Amsterdam, NL @ Amsterdam Paradiso Grote Zaal
04/06 – Amsterdam, NL @ Amsterdam Paradiso Grote Zaal
04/08 – Paris, FR @ Paris La Cigale
04/11 – Dublin, IE @ The Olympia Theatre
04/12 – Dublin, IE @ The Olympia Theatre
04/13 – Dublin, IE @ The Olympia Theatre
04/15 – Bournemouth, UK @ Bournemouth O2 Academy
04/16 – Portsmouth, UK @ Portsmouth Guildhall
04/17 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Dome
04/19 – Plymouth, UK @ Plymouth Pavilions
04/20 – Exeter, UK @ Great Hal
04/21 – Cardiff, UK @ Uni Great Hall
04/23 – Blackburn, UK @ King George’s Hall
04/24 – Leicester, UK @ De Montfort Hall
04/26 – Birmingham, UK @ Birmingham O2 Academy
04/26 – Liverpool, UK @ Olympia
04/28 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
04/30 – Leeds, UK @ Leeds O2 Academy
05/01 – Carlisle, UK @ Sands Centre
05/02 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland
05/04 – Newcastle, UK @ Newcastle O2 Academy
05/05 – Middlesbrough, UK @ Town Hall
05/06 – Scarborough, UK @ Spa Grand Hall
05/08 – Scunthorpe, UK @ The Baths Hall
05/09 – York, UK @ Barbican
05/10 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield O2 Academy
05/12 – Cambridge, UK @ Corn Exchange
05/13 – Southend, UK @ Cliff Pavilion
05/14 – Margate, UK @ Winter Gardens
05/16 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
05/17 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
05/22 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
05/23 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
05/24 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05/25 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
05/27 – Las Vegas, NV @ Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
05/28 – Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
05/30 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
05/31 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
06/01 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
06/03 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
06/05 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
06/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
06/08 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
06/10 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
06/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
06/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
06/15 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
06/17 – Montreal, QB @ Corona Theatre
06/18 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
06/19 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
06/22 – Groningen, NL @ Stadspark Life Festival
07/12 – Wert, NL @ Bospop Festival
07/20 – Nottingham, UK @ Splendour Festival
08/23-24 – Portsmouth, UK @ Victorious Festival
Encore reunites founding members Terry Hall, Lynval Golding, and Horace Panter for the first time since their 1981 single “Ghost Town”. Continuing in The Specials tradition, the ten-track album tackles the current political climate (especially on single “Vote for Me”), including racism, mental health, and other issues. The deluxe version of the album also features a second side comprising greatest hits of their live recordings.
Apple Music and Spotify listeners can listen to the full LP below.
In less happy news, the band’s Terry Hall recently revealed that he’d been kidnapped into a pedophile ring when he was 12 years old. “It’s like you can let that eat away at you but then well you know it’s pedophilia and it’s like part of life really,” he said. “It’s unfortunate it happened to me but you can’t just let it destroy your life, it’s not good.”
Encore Artwork:
Encore
Encore Tracklist:
01. Black Skinned Blue-Eyed Boys
02. B.L.M.
03. Vote for Me
04. The Lunatics
05. Breaking Point
06. Blam Blam Fever
07. 10 Commandments
08. Embarrassed By You
09. The Life and Times (of a Man Called Depression)
10. We Sell Hope
