Dave Matthews has scheduled the first tour to promote his solo album, but don't read too much into the word "solo."
The 12-city outing, dubbed An Acoustic and Electric Evening with Dave Matthews and Friends, will feature a little of Matthews by himself, but the singer/guitarist will mostly be jamming with longtime collaborator Tim Reynolds or the full band behind Some Devil, including Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio.
"[It's] good to keep the personnel the same since they were all there for it," Matthews said recently. "On top of that, they're all incredible players, and that means a lot to me."
Along with Reynolds and Anastasio, Matthews' band will feature bassist Tony Hall (Bob Dylan), drummer Brady Blade (Indigo Girls) and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski (Anastasio).
"They're all strong personalities, so I won't have to try and cover too much," Matthews said. "[They're] all powerful people, so I can hide behind them whenever there's a lull, which if it were [me] alone, there could well be. They'll take the reins."
Matthews' tour, his first with a full band other than the Dave Matthews Band, begins December 12 in University Park, Pennsylvania, takes a short break for the holidays and then ends January 16 in Oakland, California.
Emmylou Harris and her band, Spyboy, will open on all of the dates.
An Acoustic and Electric Evening with Dave Matthews and Friends tour dates, according to his spokesperson:
- 12/12 - University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
- 12/13 - Providence, RI @ Dunkin' Donuts Center
- 12/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Union Center
- 12/16 - Boston, MA @ Fleet Center
- 12/17 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
- 12/19 - Hartford, CT @ Hartford Civic Center
- 12/20 - Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena
- 12/22 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
- 1/12 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
- 1/14 - San Diego, CA @ Cox Arena
- 1/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Staples Center
- 1/16 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
