British synthpop pioneers Heaven 17 have rescheduled their first-ever North American tour — which should have been underway at this moment — to next January as they join the growing number of acts pushing concerts into 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Heaven 17’s planned eight-date tour of the U.S. and Canada was to have followed the group’s first-ever American concerts, in New York City and a festival in Long Beach, Calif., in 2017.
The We Don’t Need This Fascist Groove Thang! Tour had been scheduled to open May 8 in Chicago, and was to have included U.S. dates in San Francisco, Seattle, Pawling, N.Y., and New York City before wrapping in Boston on May 18. There were also dates in Vancouver, B.C., and Toronto.
“Expect a full set of the best of Heaven 17 from the last 40 years — it is going to be a lot of fun and we can’t wait to meet our U.S. fans!” the group wrote on its website earlier this year.
The newly rescheduled dates open Jan. 23 in Seattle, and play the same cities, though not in the same order. Most of the shows have been rescheduled — with some moved to larger venues — though a new Boston date has not yet been confirmed, the duo announced on Facebook.
See the old and new dates below.
Heaven 17 tour dates
May 8: Park West, Chicago, IL
May 10: The Independent, San Francisco, CA
May 11: Triple Door, Seattle, WA
May 12: Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, B.C.
May 14: Mod Club, Toronto, ON
May 16: Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY
May 17: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
May 18: Sinclair, Boston, MA
Jan. 23: Crocodile, Seattle, WA
Jan. 24: Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, B.C.
Jan. 26: The Independent, San Francisco, CA
Jan. 28: Park West, Chicago, IL
Jan. 29: The Phoenix, Toronto, ON
Feb. 2: Daryl’s House, Pawling, NY
Feb. 3: Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Heaven 17’s first-ever U.S. tour scuttled by coronavirus, duo will try to reschedule
- Heaven 17 coming to North America this May for ‘our first proper U.S. tour’
- Watch: Heaven 17 dishes out hits, covers David Bowie (twice!) in first-ever U.S. concert
- Heaven 17 to play first-ever U.S. concerts late next month in New York, California
- Heaven 17 details ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ 2CD/1DVD reissue, announces live DVD
- Q&A: Heaven 17’s Martyn Ware on ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ tour, box set reissue
Never really a major follower of H17, but am astonished that they have never toured North America before.
Ah. That explains it. From the link above:
“Pioneering British synthpop outfit Heaven 17 — originally a studio-only entity that didn’t perform live until nearly two decades after its founding.”