George Thorogood hits the ground running

February 15, 2008 06:02 AM
By Kym Kilgore
LiveDaily Contributor
George Thorogood [ tickets ] and the Destroyers will be all over the US and Canada this year, both alone and with legendary blues-rocker Buddy Guy.

The band will start with a month-long US leg that kicks off Feb. 23, immediately following a NASCAR race in Fontana, CA, and wraps March 22 in St. Augustine, FL. Thorogood and company will then skip over to mid-May, when they'll launch a 17-date tour of Canada, followed by more than a dozen shows with Guy across the US. The current itinerary is listed below; more dates with Guy are still to come, according to a press release.

Indeed, 2008 is shaping up to be another busy year for Thorogood and the Destroyers, who are also planning a new album.

"We're hitting the ground running and not going to stop until we're run over or left for dead," the singer/songwriter/guitarist said in a press release. "Remember, rock and roll doesn't sleep, it just passes out."

Last year, Thorogood and his band played more than 70 shows in the US and toured Europe to support their latest release, "The Hard Stuff," which surfaced in May 2006. The set features a number of originals, as well as covers of several obscure blues tunes, including Jimmy Reed's "Little Rain," Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig," Fats Domino's "Hello Josephine" and Johnny Shines' "Dynaflow Blues."

The group decided to make a blues-heavy album after its 2004 retrospective, "George Thorogood: 30 Years of Rock," spent 50 weeks atop Billboard's Blues Albums chart and 90 weeks on the chart overall.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
tour dates and tickets
February 2008
23 - Fontana, CA - Fontana Speedway (NASCAR race)
25 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Theatre
27 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
28 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
29 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum

March 2008
1 - Mescalero, NM - Inn of the Mountain Gods
2 - Durango, CO - Ft. Lewis College
4 - Salina, KS - Stiefel Theatre
6 - Wichita, KS - Cotillion Ballroom
7 - Norman, OK - Riverwind Casino
8 - Robinsonville, MS - Sam's Town
9 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
12 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
13 - Houston, TX - Meridian
14 - Bossier City, LA - Horseshoe Casino @ Riverdome
15 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Casino
16 - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theatre
18 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Cafe
19 - Melbourne, FL - King Center
20 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Theater
21 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
22 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre

May 2008
13 - Victoria, British Columbia - Save On Foods Memorial Center
14-15 - Coquitlam, British Columbia - Red Robinson Theatre
16 - Kamloops, British Columbia - Interior Savings Center
18 - Calgary, Alberta - Jack Singer Auditorium
19 - Edmonton, Alberta - Winspear Centre for Music
21 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Prairieland Exhibition Center
22 - Regina, Saskatchewan - Casino Regina Show Lounge
23 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
24-25 - Thunderbay, Ontario - Community Center Auditorium
28 - Kitchener, Ontario - Centre in the Square
29 - Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum
30 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
31 - St. Adele, Quebec - Bourbon St. North

June 2008
1 - Kingston, Ontario - Sport & Entertainment Center
3 - Quebec City, Quebec - LE Capitole de Quebec

July 2008
23 - Silverton, OR - Oregon Gardens*
31 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy*

August 2008
2 - Coachella, CA - Spotlight 82*
13 - Vienna, VA - Wolftrap*
16 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavilion*
19 - Baltimore, MD - Pier 6*

*Dates with Buddy Guy

tour dates and tickets

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