(NEWTON, NJ) -- Kicking off on February 2nd, Dave Pirner and Ryan Smith of Soul Asylum will be on the road for a string of acoustic dates performing stripped-down versions of their classics and new songs. These intimate shows will be filled with music, storytelling, and likely many of Pirner’s dad jokes. Living Colour frontman Corey Glover will be opening the shows. The tour comes to The Newton Theatre on Saturday, February 4, 2023.
With 2023 marking the 30-year anniversary of the band's triple platinum-selling Grave Dancers Union Columbia Legacy Records recently released Grave Dancers Union - 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (2022 Remaster.) The expanded 30th-anniversary edition of Grave Dancers Union includes the original newly remastered album in its entirety, along with rare GDU-era bonus tracks sourced from various compilation albums, soundtracks, and single B-sides. In addition to the band’s original compositions, the bonus tracks showcase Soul Asylum skillfully covering Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”, Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears”, Victoria Williams’ “Summer of Drugs” and William Bell’s “Everybody Loves a Winner”.
Spanning three decades, Soul Asylum’s indie success led to the band entering the major-label mainstream with 1988's Hang Time and its 1990 follow-up And the Horse They Rode In On, before achieving a platinum-level commercial breakthrough with 1992's Grave Dancers Union and 1995's Let Your Dim Light Shine. Soul Asylum returned to action in 2006 with The Silver Lining, in 2021 came Delayed Reaction and in 2016 they released Change of Fortune. Hurry Up and Wait was released in 2020 to much fan and critical acclaim landing the band their highest Billboard Chart position since 1995's Platinum-selling Let Your Dim Light Shine. The Born Free EP also released in 2020 features acoustic versions of songs from Hurry Up and Wait. As the list of records keeps stacking up, there have also been several reissues of earlier releases.
Long considered to be one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, in 2020 Pirner unveiled his debut book entitled “Loud, Fast, Words,” an annotated collection of lyrics with an essay about each of his albums via MNHS Publishing (Minnesota Historical Society).
Since the '80s, Soul Asylum has been one of the most inspiring and hardworking bands around known for their raucous but emphatic combination of punk energy, guitar-fueled firepower, and songs that range from aggression to heartfelt.
When not on tour Dave and the band are working on new music.
The Newton Theatre is located at 234 Spring Street in Newton, New Jersey.
The acoustic shows tour:
February 2 at The Cabot in Beverly, MA
February 4 at The Newton Theater in Newton, NJ
February 5 at The Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA
February 7 at The Recher in Baltimore, MD
February 8 at Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, VA
February 9 at Beacon Theatre in Hopewell, VA
February 10 at The Groove Music Hall in Woodford, VA
