The Summer Of Matisyahu

The Grammy-nominated reggae artist is touring in support of his latest album, Live At Stubb’s Vol. 2. With 54 dates already on the summer routing sheet, Matisyahu will have plenty of time to make new friends as well as re-forge those artist/fan bonds that are a big part of his career.

This summer you can see Matisyahu perform in various modes. As a headliner he has several dates with Tea Leaf Green supporting. There are also a few gigs opening for Blues Traveler and a night where he co-headlines with Toots & The Maytels. Yes, life is never a journey in the slow lane when you’re Matisyahu.

The summer trek begins in Boston at the Paradise June 25 followed by shows in Allentown, Penn. (June 26), Cleveland (June 27), Milwaukee (June 29) and Minneapolis (June 30). Dates opening for Blues Traveler include July 4 in Morrison, Colo., near Denver at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre July 4 and Kansas City, Mo., at Crossroads July 7. The shows with Tea Leaf Green supporting range from Detroit at St. Andrews Hall July 10 to Phoenix at The Marquee Oct. 10. On July 14 Matisyahu co-headlines with Toots & The Maytels at Chicago’s Congress Theatre.

The last stop on the current schedule shows Matisyahu playing Toronto at the Phoenix Sept. 7.

Matisyahu spoke with Pollstar in 2009 about his then-new fascination with Twitter, saying that the messaging platform enabled him to forge new bonds with fans and helped break down the traditional wall between performer and audience. For the reggae artist that meant pre-show impromptu barbecues with fans and in one instance, the loan of a motorcycle in Aspen. For Matisyahu, it’s all about bonding with the audience.

“You see the city. You see the people. You get on stage and it’s just lights in your eyes and there’s a lot of people out there,” Matisyahu told Pollstar. “But you don’t have that connection. We strive for that. That’s what we go for. This way you feel like you’re actually making connections.”

Gilt City LA is offering tickets for Matisyahu performing at Club Nokia Aug. 3 bundled with a digital download of Live At Stubb’s Vol 2 for only $35. Click here for details.  For more information about Matisyahu and his summer tour, click here for his website and here for his home on Twitter.