LOS ANGELES (Virgin Records) - In response to the Zooma Tour cancellation,
Ben Harper has decided to do a special tour of very small venues around the US and Canada to say thanks to his fans before he heads into the studio to work on his next album. The dates will commence in Vancouver, BC, on July 12th and end at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA, on August 1st, hitting 16 markets along the way.
Ben has not toured the US since his summer 2003 dates in support of his 6th studio album, "Diamonds on the Inside" and these will be his last proper shows until after the new record release.
In the time since "Diamonds on the Inside," Ben collaborated on a side-project with the Blind Boys of Alabama, and they released "There Will Be A Light" a CD in September of 2004 and a DVD of their concert in New York, "Live at the Apollo" in March of 2005. "There Will Be A Light" received 2 Grammys at the 2005 Awards including one for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
This month-long tour will give fans the opportunity to see Ben Harper performing old faves as well as brand new material in some of the country's most intimate and historic venues. Tour stops include: The Moore Theater in Seattle, San Francisco's Warfield, Chicago's Vic Theater, The Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, 9:30 Club in DC and Irving Plaza in New York. Ticket prices and on-sale dates vary by market. For the most updated information, go to www.benharper.net.
The opening act is Tom Freund. Ben recorded an album with Tom called "Pleasure and Pain". It was pressed on vinyl only and released by Cardas Records in 1992, "Before Welcome To the Cruel World," his Virgin Debut. The record is an underground legend. Only 1,500 copies were made. The record is out of print and will not be released again. It was never officially released on CD.
Apparently it goes for as much as $500 on the internet.
7/12 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
7/13 Seattle, WA Moore Theater
7/14 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
7/16 San Francisco, CA Warfield
7/17 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
7/19 Denver, CO The Fillmore
7/21 Chicago, IL Vic Theater
7/22 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
7/23 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus
7/25 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
7/26 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
7/27 New York, NY Irving Plaza
7/28 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
7/30 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
7/31 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
8/1 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
For a complete list of tour dates, visit www.benharper.net
