Features
The Waterboys Return To The U.S.
Scott says he’s really excited to take the stage in the U.S. and Canada.
“North America is just about my favorite place in the world to play and I’m thrilled that this year we’ll play more concerts there than any year of the Waterboys’ existence. Our fall 2013 tour is the longest Waterboys American tour ever and we’re doing it with an American lineup. Apart from myself and fiddler Steve Wickham, all the band members are Americans based in the New York area, players I handpicked myself. I can’t wait to see what kind of a joyful, wild noise we’ll make.”
The setlist will feature tunes from throughout the folk rock band’s career, including tunes from its most recent release, 2011’s An Appointment with Mr. Yeats. The LP was inspired by the poetry of W.B. Yeats.
“I love the way Yeats’ poems lends themselves to music,” Scott said. “But I also like Yeats as a guy – a dandified, opinionated, larger-than-life character. I feel a kinship to him. My purpose isn’t to treat Yeats as a museums piece, but to connect with the soul of the poems – as they appear to me – then go wherever the music in my head suggests, and that means some surprising places.”
With more fall dates to be announced later this summer, here is the North American itinerary so far:
July 12 – Ottawa, Ontario, Lebreton Flats Park (
July 13 – Toronto, Ontario, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 15 – St. John’s, Newfoundland, Holy Heart Of Mary
July 16 – St. John’s, Newfoundland, Holy Heart Of Mary
July 17 – Halifax, NS Casino Nova Scotia
July 19 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Prospect Park Bandshell (
July 21 – Vancouver, British Columbia, Jericho Beach Park (Vancouver Folk Music Festival)
Sept. 19 – Boston, Mass., Wilbur Theatre
Sept. 20 – Northampton, Mass., Calvin Theater
Sept. 21 – New Haven, Conn., Shubert Theater
Sept. 25 – Englewood, N.J., Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
Sept. 27 – Westhampton Beach, N.Y., Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
Sept. 28 – Morristown, N.J., Mayo Performing Arts Center
Oct. 7 – Los Angeles, Calif., El Rey Theatre
Oct. 8 – Carmel, Calif., Sunset Cultural Center
Oct. 11 – Seattle, Wash., The Neptune
Oct. 24 – Salisbury, Mass., Blue Ocean
The band lineup for the July dates features Mike Scott on vocals, guitar and keyboard along with longtime Waterboy/Irish fiddler Steve Wickham, Jay Barclay on guitar and keyboards, bassist Malcolm Gold and drummer Chris Benelli. The fall schedule features Daniel Mintseris on keyboards.
The July 13 gig is an appearance with Great Big Sea.
Select dates are on sale now. Tickets for Los Angeles go on sale June 7.
For more information visit MikeScottWaterboys.com