July 5, 2006

The Planet Drum 2006 Tour reunites Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju, and Giovanni Hidalgo for a September series of West Coast shows in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ground-breaking album of that name. Planet Drum was released in 1991 on the Rykodisc label and went on to earn the first-ever Grammy in the World Music category. The tour is the groups first in almost a decade. It also marks the resumption of an artistic relationship

Iconic singer/songwriter Tom Waits will hit the road in August for a rare string of live performances. The eight-date tour will take Waits to some cities he hasn’t played in three decades. The details of the artist’s touring band are still being worked out, according to a spokesperson.

“We need to go to Tennessee to pick up some fireworks, and someone owes me money in Kentucky,” Waits said in a statement about his motivation for touring.

Waits played a handful of shows in 2004 but prior to that had not toured widely since 1999, in support of his album “Mule Variations.”

And while there’s no word of a new album from Waits, Anti- Records is at work on a long-awaited boxed set. No release date has been nailed down, according to the artist’s rep.

Waits will also be seen in two dramas set for theatrical release next year: “The Good Heart” alongside Ryan Gosling and “Texas Lullaby” with John Malkovich and Josh Hartnett, which is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

Here are Tom Waits’ tour dates:

Aug. 1: Atlanta (Tabernacle)
Aug. 2: Asheville, N.C. (Thomas Wolfe Auditorium)
Aug. 4: Memphis (Orpheum Theatre)
Aug. 5: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
Aug. 7: Louisville (Palace Theatre)
Aug. 9: Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
Aug. 11: Detroit (Opera House)
Aug. 13: Akron, Ohio (Civic Theatre)

Source billboard.com.