Last fall, Levon Helm, the former drummer for The Band, was forced into vocal rest after doctors found a non-cancerous lesion on his vocal chords. While the docs kept us from hearing his iconic and instantly recognizable voice, that didn’t keep the soon to be 70-year old from occupying his perch behind the drum kit during the frequent Rambles at his home recording studio known as The Barn and occasionally taking the show on the road. Now fully recovered and ready to sing again, Helm has lined up an lengthy summer tour that includes a stop at Mountain Jam for a special all-star tribute and a spot at Radio City Music Hall for a co-bill with Willie Nelson.
If you’re not into a night with the legendary drummer, than maybe you’ll be interest in hitting one of these recently announced tours…
- Dead Weather to tour in support of their sophomore release
- Theatrical rocker Meat Loaf lines up a short July run
- Tool put together their first tour since August of 2009
- Atlanta-based hard-psych-rockers Dead Meadow hit the road
- Nostalgia Alert: The Doobie Brothers & Chicago head out
- Go Go’s original lineup will reunite for a farewell tour this summer
Finally, last month singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant, who is best known as the former lead singer for the 10,000 Maniacs, released her first collection of new music in six years with the ambitious double album Leave Your Sleep. The album, which sets 19th and 20th century British and American poetry to music, features collaborations with 130 musicians including Medeski, Martin and Wood, and the New York Philharmonic. Merchant will take her distinctive vocals on the road this summer for a 30-city theater tour, which will kick off on July 12 at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ.
