MC5 Founder Wayne Kramer Announces ‘Kick Out the Jams’ 50th Anniversary Tour
Founding MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer has announced plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the band's classic debut album Kick Out the Jams with a 35-date tour later this year.
Joined by a roster of musicians that's scheduled to include Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty and King's X bassist Dug Pinnick, as well as Zen Guerrilla vocalist Marcus Durant, Kramer plans to lead every show with a complete performance of Kick Out the Jams, followed by a constantly rotating encore set.
Tickets are set to go on sale to the public today at 10AM local time through the MC50 website — where fans can also purchase a "Wayne Kramer Super Fan Pre-Show Experience" package that includes a pre-show photo and conversation with Kramer as well as an autographed copy of his memoir The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5 and My Life of Impossibilities, due to arrive in stores on Aug. 14. The tour will begin shortly after, kicking off Sept. 5 in Ft. Lauderdale and continuing through late October, when it's scheduled to conclude with a two-night stand in Detroit.
As Kramer notes in a press release, he feels the music he and his bandmates made for Kick Out the Jams is just as vital today as it was upon its initial release. "Today, there is a corrupt regime in power, an endless war thousands of miles away and uncontrollable violence wracking our country," he said. "It's becoming less and less clear if we're talking about 1968 or 2018. I'm now compelled to share this music I created with my brothers 50 years ago. My goal is that the audience leaves these concerts fueled by the positive and unifying power of rock music."
MC5 Kick Out the Jams 50th Anniversary Tour Dates
9/05 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Revolution Live
9/06 — St. Augustine, FL — Backyard Stage at St. Augustine Amphitheatre
9/07 — Atlanta, GA — Variety Playhouse
9/08 — Raleigh, NC — Hopscotch Music Festival
9/09 — Nashville, TN — Exit/In
9/11 — Washington, DC — 9:30 Club
9/12 — New Haven, CT — College Street Music Hall
9/13 — Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club
9/14 — Huntington, NY — The Paramount
9/15 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer
9/17 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza
9/18 — Montreal, QC — Corona Theatre
9/19 — Toronto, ON — Danforth Music Hall
9/21 — Pittsburgh, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre
9/22 — Grand Rapids, MI — 20 Monroe Live
9/23 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues
9/25 — Milwaukee, WI — Turner Hall Ballroom
9/26 — St. Louis, MO — The Ready Room
9/28 — Austin, TX — Mohawk
9/29 — Dallas, TX — Granada Theater
10/01 — Phoenix, AZ — The Marquee
10/02 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl
10/03 — San Diego, CA — House of Blues
10/04 — San Francisco, CA — The Regency Ballroom
10/05 — Los Angeles, CA — John Anson Ford
10/15 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theater
10/16 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox
10/17 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom
10/19 — Salt Lake City, UT — Metro Music Hall
10/20 — Denver, CO — Gothic Theatre
10/23 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater
10/24 — Chicago, IL — Metro Chicago
10/25 — Cincinnati, OH — Bogart's
10/26 — Detroit, MI — St. Andrew's Hall
10/27 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore