Don Was And The Pan-Detroit Ensemble Unveil 2026 Fall Dates

Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble are hitting the road this fall to promote their new album Groove in the Face of Adversity, which channels the soul of Detroit with jazz, blues and funk.

In addition to performing music from the new album, Was and the band will also feature a live rendition of The Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah, honoring the album’s 50^th anniversary and Was’ musical association with Bobby Weir.

The Pan-Detroit Ensemble includes top-tier jazz musicians from Was’ hometown, including saxophonist Dave McMurray, trombonist Vincent Chandler, John Douglas on trumpet, drummer Jeff Canady, Mahindi Masai on percussion, guitarist Wayne Gerard and vocalist Steffanie Christ’ian.

“There’s a unique sound and feel to Detroit that permeates the music in a way that resonates all over the globe,” Was said in a statement. “There’s a rawness, a lack of pretension, and an unmistakable underlying groove that reflects the people and culture of the entire city.”

The routing for Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble festival stops includes Telluride Jazz Festival and Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour. They kick off their tour Aug. 3 at MIM in Phoenix, and they will also be visiting markets like Boulder Theater in Colorado, Cincinnati’s The Ludlow Garage, Antone’s Nightclub in Austin, The Alluvion in Traverse City, New York’s Le Poisson Rouge and The Sinclair in Boston before wrapping up Oct. 18 at Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Don Was and The Pan-Detroit Ensemble is booked by The Kurland Agency and High Road Touring. The band recently performed at High Sierra Music Festival, Big Ears Festival and Waterfront Blues Festival. The band played a sold-out show earlier this year at The Atlantis in Washington, D.C., where they grossed $15,750 from 450 tickets sold, according to Pollstar Boxoffice.

Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Tour Dates
Aug 3 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM
Aug 5 – Tucson, AZ – La Rosa
Aug 6 – Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
Aug 7 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Jazz Festival
Aug 8 – Fort Collins, CO – The Gardens on Spring Creek
Aug 9 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Aug 10 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar Performing Arts Center
Aug 18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 19 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 21 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 22 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 23 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 25 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 26 – Cincinnati, OH – The Ludlow Garage
Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 29 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Aug 30 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Albany Med Health System at SPAC (Outlaw Music Festival Tour)
Sep 29 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
Sep 30 – Austin, TX – Antone’s Nightclub
Oct 1 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
Oct 2 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
Oct 3 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
Oct 4 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota (Early Show)
Oct 4 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota (Late Show)
Oct 6 – Traverse City, MI – The Alluvion (Early Show)
Oct 6 – Traverse City, MI – The Alluvion (Late Show)
Oct 7 – Lansing, MI – Grewal Hall at 224
Oct 9 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage
Oct 10 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House
Oct 11 – Buffalo, NY – Asbury Hall
Oct 13 – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts of Homer
Oct 14 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
Oct 15 – Fairfield, CT – The Warehouse at FTC
Oct 16 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
Oct 17 – Groton, MA – Groton Hill Music Center
Oct 18 – Bar Harbor, ME – Criterion Theatre