Robert Earl Keen’s Eighth Annual Christmas Tour: ‘To the Moon and Back’

Chris McKay / WireImage.com – Robert Earl Keen
The Buckhead Theatre, Atlanta, Ga.

Robert Earl Keen’s eighth annual Christmas tour is his most extensive holiday outing to date, beginning Dec. 2 in Greenville, S.C., and concluding Dec. 30 in Fort Worth, Texas, with performances at New York’s Town Hall and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Tickets go on sale Friday, August 9, at 10:00 a.m.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Keen’s theme for this year’s tour is “Countdown to Christmas: Lunar Tunes & Looney Times.” The veteran country singer songwriter and his band will pay homage to the “space race and all things celestial,” according to Keen.

“This show will turn on the psychedelic jukebox and light up the tree of tranquility!” he says. “The countdown begins now!” Fans will blast off with Keen’s classic “Merry Christmas from the Family,” fan favorites, and “unearthly” covers from his band members.

Opening the tour is Austin-based, swamp-pop-soul supergroup Shinyribs.

“Merry Christmas from the Family” first appeared on Keen’s 1994 album, Gringo Honeymoon. University of Texas Press released Keen’s companion book, also titled Merry Christmas from the Family, in 2005.

Robert Earl Keen’s Countdown to Christmas Tour:

12/2: Greenville, SC (Peace Center)

12/3: Charleston, SC (Charleston Music Hall)

12/4: Durham, NC (Carolina Theatre)

12/5: New York, NY (Town Hall)

12/6: Washington, DC (Lincoln Theatre)

12/7: Bristol, TN (Paramount Center for the Arts)

12/8: Charlottesville, VA (Jefferson Theater)

12/10: Charlotte, NC (Knight Theater)

12/11: Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse)

12/15: Chattanooga, TN (Walker Theatre)

12/17: Fayetteville, AR (Walton Arts Center)

12/26: Oklahoma City, OK (The Jones Assembly)

12/28: Memphis, TN (Germantown Performing Arts Center)

12/29: Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)

12/30 : Fort Worth, TX (Bass Performance Hall)