Public Image Ltd. Announce First U.S. Tour in 18 Years

It's been 18 long years since John Lydon and his Public Image Ltd. outfit have toured the United States, but ever since Coachella's organizers announced the band would performing on the festival's opening night, we've had our fingers crossed that the one-off show would turn into a full-fledged tour of North America (We were begging for a PiL reunion back in '08.) Now we finally have good news: today Public Image Ltd. revealed a 17-date trek that will take them from California to New York with a dozen stops in between.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Lydon and Public Image Ltd. reunited late last year for a series of shows in the U.K., and as evidenced by the performance of "Rise" up top, Lydon still sounds great tearing through material from Album and First Issue. Those U.K. shows marked PiL's first concerts in 17 years, when the band toured in support of their last album, 1992's That What Is Not. While the days of guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble rocking with PiL have passed, the current lineup includes drummer Bruce Smith and guitarist Lu Simmonds, both PiL vets dating back to 1986, and new bassist Scott Frith.

Lydon and company promise more U.S. dates will be announced in the near future, so don't despair if your local market isn't on the current itinerary:
Public Image Ltd.
Apr. 16 - Indio, CA @ Coachella
Apr. 17 - San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom
Apr. 20 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at The Market
Apr. 21 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Apr. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
Apr. 24 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Apr. 26 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
May 2 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
May 4 - Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
May 5 - Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
May 7 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
May 8 - Montreal, QC @ Theatre L'Olympia de Montreal
May 11 - Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
May 12 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
May 14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
May 15 - Atlantic City, NJ @ The Borgata Music Box
May 18 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter