Joan Baez To Tour U.S.

The year is turning out to be a busy one for Joan Baez.  Touring Europe during the summer, the folk music icon has set aside October and early November for the U.S.  Meanwhile, a program documenting her is being prepared for its TV debut.

Baez celebrated her birthday at New York’s Beacon Theatre in an event described by Rolling Stone as “true to spirit, a folk concert through and through, full of spontaneous singalongs and impromptu lyrical ad-libs.”  Of course, she welcomed a few friends to the stage, including David Bromberg, Jackson Browne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Judy Collins, David Crosby, Indigo Girls, Emmylou Harris, Damien Rice, Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, Nano Stern and Richard Thompson.

“She has been a mentor, an inspiration and a role model for anyone who ever picked up a guitar and wanted to believe they could do more than just sing pretty songs,” Mary Chapin Carpenter said right before the b-day festivities.  “She has showed multiple generations that music can move and inspire as well as be a force for courage, solidarity, fellowship and justice. To be able to celebrate her 75th birthday with her in New York City is a dream evening, and I think I will feel 17 again for much of it.”

The program was filmed and produced by Thirteen Productions.  After its May debut on Thirteen the show will air across the country as part of Thirteen’s “Great Performances” on PBS outlets in June.  Razor & Tie will release the show on CD and Blu-ray/DVD June 10.

Here’s your chance to experience not only a folk legend, but one whose self-titled debut album was selected to be preserved in the National Registry.  Here are the dates:

Oct. 4 – Portland, Maine, Merrill Auditorium At City Hall
Oct. 6 – Hartford, Conn., Bushnell Center Mortensen Hall
Oct. 8 – Boston, Mass., Wang Theatre – Citi Performing Arts Center
Oct. 9 – Philadelphia, Pa., Academy Of Music
Oct. 12 – Westbury, N.Y., NYCB Theatre At Westbury
Oct. 13 – Port Chester, N.Y., The Capitol Theatre
Oct. 15 – Montclair, N.J., The Wellmont Theater
Oct. 16 – Washington, D.C., Lisner Auditorium
Oct. 19 – Cleveland, Ohio, State Theatre
Oct. 20 – Carmel, Ind., The Palladium
Oct. 22 – Madison, Wis., Capitol Theater
Oct. 23 – Milwaukee, Wis., Pabst Theater
Oct. 25 – Chicago, Ill., Symphony Center
Oct. 26 – Minneapolis, Minn., State Theatre
Oct. 29 – Denver, Colo., Paramount Theatre
Oct. 30 – Santa Fe, N.M., Lensic Performing Arts Center
Nov. 1 – Phoenix, Ariz., Celebrity Theatre
Nov. 3 – Santa Barbara, Calif., Arlington Theatre
Nov. 5 – Los Angeles, Calif., Walt Disney Concert Hall
Nov. 6 – Oakland, Calif., Fox Theater

Some shows are already on sale.  Head over to JoanBaez.com for more details.