Ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon will take the reformed Public Image Ltd. on its first North American tour in 18 years this spring, today announcing 16 preliminary dates for a club tour in April and May that will follow the iconic postpunk act’s opening-night performance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
The long-dormant band — which returned to the stage with a string of U.K. dates in December (see video here) — plays a previously announced slot at Coachella on April 16, then moves on to San Francisco the next day, and hits 14 more cities (including two dates in Boston) before wrapping up May 18 in New York City (see full tour dates below).
In a news release announcing the trek, the band pledges “more shows to be added.”
Lydon announced last fall he was reforming PiL to mark the 30th anniversary of the band’s classic second album, Metal Box — although, he noted, and demonstrated in December, the group wouldn’t play that era’s material exclusively.
In that spirit, the current edition of PiL does not feature the classic early punk-meets-dub lineup of Jah Wobble, Martin Atkins and Keith Levene, but, rather, is comprised of late-’80s members Lu Edmonds (a former Damned guitarist) and Bruce Smith (onetime drummer for The Slits and The Pop Group), as well as new bassist Scott Firth.
PiL is slated to follow its U.S. dates with festival appearances in Belgium and Spain in July.
See Public Image Ltd.’s North American tour dates after the jump…
Public Image Ltd. North American tour dates:
April 16: Coachela Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
April 17: Grand Ballroom at The Regency, San Francisco, CA
April 20: Showbox, Seattle, WA
April 21: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
April 23: The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
April 24: Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
April 26: Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO
May 2: House of Blues, Chicago, IL
May 4: Royale Boston, Boston, MA
May 5: Royale Boston, Boston, MA
May 7: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
May 8: Theatre L’Olympia de Montreal, Montreal, QC
May 11: Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD
May 12: 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
May 14: Club Zoo, Pittsburgh, PA
May 15: The Borgata Music Box, Atlantic City, NJ
May 18: Terminal 5, New York, NY
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Coachella lineup: Public Image Ltd., Echo & The Bunnymen, The Specials
- Video + setlist: Public Image Ltd. reunites in Birmingham, 1st concert in 17 years
- Video: John Lydon’s reunited Public Image Ltd. play ‘Rise’ for BBC
- John Lydon hoping for ‘bigger’ Public Image Ltd. tour next year, possible album
- Public Image Ltd. reissuing ‘Metal Box’ on CD, plus out-of-print ‘Plastic Box’ comp
- John Lydon reuniting Public Image Ltd. for 30th anniversary of ‘Metal Box’
- BBC releasing Peel Sessions, live sets from Gang of Four, PiL, The Specials
- Podcast marks 30th anniversary of Public Image Ltd.’s ‘Metal Box’
