Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters 2016 Tour Dates Begin In March
Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters have announced plans to be on the road in early 2016. As part of a new the tour titled “Blues… Roots and Hollers (A Southern Journey),” the band will hit 11 U.S. cities from Florida to Texas.
“I’m always eager to return to the hospitality of the Southern states,” Plant said in a press release. “Towns and cities that hold fond memories for me personally, places that gave birth to so much of the music I love.”
- 03/04-06 – Okeechobee, FL – Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
- 03/06 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
- 03/07 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
- 03/09 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
- 03/10 – Baton Rouge, LA – River Center Theatre
- 03/11 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
- 03/13 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
- 03/15 – The Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
- 03/17 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
- 03/18 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noel Center Performing Arts Center
- 03/20 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody Theater
The Sonics, a Pacific Northwest garage rock group, will be the opening act for all the shows. Originating in the early 1960’s, the Sonics are known for their aggressive, hard-edged sound and often credited with directly influencing major artists like Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, and the Fall.
In September 2014, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters released their first studio album, Lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar. In addition to the Southern Journey tour dates, Plant also announced plans for a new album.
“Our recent travels have taken this wild whirlwind of a band through many incredible and inspiring places,” Plant says. “Having just begun work on our new album, we thought we’d take time out to raise a little sand and welcome springtime with one more adventure, another celebration of life and song.”
Best known for being the frontman of legendary music group Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant is considered by many as one of the greatest singers in rock history. In 2006, Plant was named the “Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time” by Hit Parader magazine and ranked No. 15 on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 best rock and roll singers of all time.
The British vocalist is responsible for the lyrics and the voice behind the most iconic rock song of all time, “Stairway to Heaven.” Fellow rockers Axl Rose and Chris Cornell consider him one of their greatest influences.
Since the end of Led Zeppelin in 1980 and death of drummer John Bonham, much of the band has remained out of the spotlight. Plant, however, continued to pursue solo projects, beginning with Pictures at Eleven in 1982.
Meanwhile, Plant collaborated on several projects with former Led Zeppelin guitar player, Jimmy Page. Plant and the rest of Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
However, fans still held onto hope until Plant reaffirmed last year that a Led Zeppelin reunion tour was out of the question. In a related Inquisitr report, the rocker said he had no intention of ever getting back together with the group.
As reported by Rolling Stone, the Sensational Space Shifters and Robert Plant have been creating music and performing together since 2012. Although the band mixes in some classic, yet re-tooled, Zeppelin songs, they are clearly not the iconic rock group.
“We bring in all the aspects of being European, leaning on Africa and the Delta,” Plant said. “It’s pretty virile stuff, and it has come from our countless hours of trudging the endless highways. If we’d just met in a room somewhere, we’d have never gone anywhere near this.”
Early last summer, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters performed at a series of shows in 15 U.S. cities. Ticket prices for the 2016 tour range from $51 to $86 and go on sale January 15.
[Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images]
