Kate Bush Books First Tour in 35 Years
Reclusive British chanteuse Kate Bush revealed on her website Friday that she’ll perform live for the first time since 1979, booking a 15-date residency at London’s Eventim, Apollo Hammersmith this August and September entitled “Before the Dawn.”
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“I am delighted to announce that we will be performing some live shows this coming August and September,” wrote the singer. “I hope you will be able to join us and I look forward to seeing you there. We’ll keep you updated with further news on the web site. Meanwhile, all details of concert dates and tickets are in the note below. Very best wishes, Kate”
Upon posting the tour dates, Bush’s website crashed and her name instantly became a trending topic on Twitter, according to the Telegraph.
Bush has released 10 albums since since she began recording in the late Seventies — most recently 2011’s 50 Words for Snow — but essentially retired from touring after a brief, six-week run in 1979 to support her debut album The Kick Inside. That tour, as Billboard notes, concluded at the Apollo.
There have been numerous reasons given to explain the singer’s absence from the road, including physical exhaustion, a fear of flying and the death of 21-year-old lighting director Bill Duffield at the beginning of the tour. Duffield fell 20 feet to his death while inspecting a darkened venue for Bush, an event that almost caused the singer to cancel the tour.
“It was terrible for her,” Brian Bath, who played guitar with Bush, told the Guardian. “Kate knew everyone by name, right down to the cleaner, she was so like that, she’d speak to everyone. It’s something you wouldn’t forget, but we just carried through it.”
In 2011, Bush told Mojo (via the Telegraph), ”I still don’t give up hope completely that I’ll be able to do some live work, but it’s certainly not in the picture at the moment because I just don’t quite know how that would work with how my life is now. Maybe I will do some shows some day. I’d like to think so before I get too ancient. I enjoy singing, but with the albums it’s the whole process I find so interesting. If I was going to do some shows it would be the same thing. Let’s just see, shall we?”
Tickets go on sale 9:30 a.m. local time on Friday, March 28th.
Kate Bush Before the Dawn Residency Dates
AUGUST
Tuesday, August 26th
Wednesday, August 27th
Friday, August 29th
Saturday, August 30th
SEPTEMBER
Tuesday, September 2nd
Wednesday, September 3rd
Friday, September 5th
Saturday, September 6th
Tuesday, September 9th
Wednesday, September 10th
Friday, September 12th
Saturday, September 13th
Tuesday, September 16th
Wednesday, September 17th
Friday, September 19th