Update 4/15/13
North American Tour
Spring is in the air and so are band revivals and mosh pits. Hot off their West Coast tour and performances at The House of Vans at The Mohawk for the South by Southwest Festival, The Specials are taking things across the pond and back again with more live dates announced for Great Britain and the East Coast of the U.S. In July, The Specials will be hopping from Boston's House of Blues down to The Fillmore Silver Spring in Maryland and back up to New York City's West Side for an outdoor performance at the Hudson River Park Pier 26. There's a few stops in New Jersey, Connecticut, and upstate New York too.
If you're not around to catch The Specials live, check out their late 2012 release, More...Or Less. The Specials Live. They're a band that is at their best when experienced in person, but the album should capture some of the magic of seeing them in concert. Despite a few changes to the line-up (perhaps what the "More...Or Less" album title alludes to), the band seems to be swinging in full form, with an energy on stage that harkens back to their 80s beginnings of shaking things up both musically and politically.
The Specials Tour 2013
Ska is dead! Or is it? The Specials don't seem to think so. The ska revivalist band has just confirmed that they'll play two dates at the SXSW Festival on March 13 and 15, as part of their spring tour. No other dates have been announced yet, but they will allegedly be kicking off the shows in Chicago, IL. Other likely stops include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Vancouver. Due to health reasons, vocalist Neville Staple will not be joining the band on the road.
Click here for The Specials Concert Tickets, Concert Dates
The Specials got their start back in 1977, in Coventry, England. Their musical style is a blend of punk rock and ska, and their mod-style clothing harkens back to the '60s "rude boy" period. The musical themes of the band took a more political and social stance than much of the ska around at that time, and The Specials' founder, Jerry Dammers, initially dissolved the band to pursue political activism. After on-again-off-again break-ups, The Specials have been back in the game since 2008. Here's to a few more good years!
The Specials Concert Tickets
The Specials Concerts
| Date | City | State/Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/13/2015 | Austin | TX | SXSW Festival of Music & Film |
| 3/15/2013 | Austin | TX | SXSW Festival of Music & Film |
| 5/5/2013 | Belfast | GB | Ulster Hall |
| 5/6/2013 | Dublin | IR | Olympia Theatre |
| 5/7/2013 | Dublin | IR | Olympia Theatre |
| 5/9/2013 | Glasgow | GB | Glasgow Barrowlands |
| 5/10/2013 | Glasgow | GB | Glasgow Barrowlands |
| 5/12/2013 | Newcastle | GB | Newcastle Academy |
| 5/13/2013 | Newcastle | GB | Newcastle Academy |
| 5/15/2013 | Manchester | GB | Manchester Apollo |
| 5/16/2013 | Sheffield | GB | Sheffield Academy |
| 5/18/2013 | Liverpool | GB | Olympia Theatre |
| 5/19/2013 | Leicester | GB | De Montfort Hall |
| 5/21/2013 | Birmingham | GB | Birmingham Academy |
| 5/22/2013 | Birmingham | GB | Birmingham Academy |
| 5/23/2013 | Newport | GB | Newport Centre |
| 5/25/2013 | Margate | GB | Winter Gardens |
| 5/26/2013 | Portsmouth | GB | Portsmouth Guildhall |
| 5/28/2013 | London | GB | Brixton Academy |
| 5/29/2013 | London | GB | Brixton Academy |
| 7/8/2013 | Ottawa | ON | Ottawa Bluesfest |
| 7/9/2013 | Toronto | ON | Kool Haus |
| 7/11/2013 | Boston | MA | House of Blues |
| 7/12/2013 | Silver Spring | MD | The Fillmore Silver Spring |
| 7/16/2013 | Danbury | CT | Ives Concert Park |
| 7/17/2013 | New York | NY | Hudson River Park |
| 7/18/2013 | Huntington | NY | The Paramount |
| 7/20/2013 | Asbury Park | NJ | The Stone Pony |
