Canadian folk-rockers Great Big Sea (GBS) are ready to launch an extensive tour in support of the June 2008 release, “Fortune’s Favour.” The the 51-date trek across Canada and the U.S. begins August 15 in Buffalo, NY, and concludes with December 3-4 gigs in Vancouver, BC.
Beginning in June, GBS’s official Web site began announcing “best seats” presale dates for several venues on the Canadian and U.S. legs of The Fortunate Tour. Ticket buyers had to enter tour-specific passwords to access the reserved tickets, which were guaranteed to be some of the best in the house for the participating venues. Some fans, unsure of the security codes, were directed toward presale password sites like Zimbio.com.
Active since 1993, GBS has released nine stuio albums, two live recordings and the live multimedia combination “Great Big DVD and CD.” Though they have a catalog of original music, the band is best known for performing traditional folk songs and sea shanties with a rock ‘n’ roll twist. Six of GBS’s releases have ranked in the Top 10 on Canadian charts, including “Sea of No Cares,” which attained No. 1 and was CRIA-certified Platinum.
The Fortunate Tour includes GBS’s free performance at Celtic Fest Chicago on September 13. The two-day festival launched in 1997 with the purpose of educating the public on Celtic music and culture. The annual festival features nine stages and more than one hundred performances.
Great Big Sea itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)
| August 15 | Buffalo, NY | Buffalo Rocks the Harbor |
| August 16 | Akron, OH | Lock 3 Live |
| August 17 | Philadelphia, PA | Philly Folk Fest |
| August 19 | Edgartown, MA | Outerland (Martha’s Vineyard) |
| August 21 | Rehoboth, DE | Bottle and Cork (Dewey Beach) |
| August 22 | Vienna, VA | Wolftrap |
| August 30 | Halifax, NS | Halifax Commons |
| September 9 | London, ON | Western Fair |
| September 10 | Ann Arbor, MI | Michigan Theatre |
| September 11 | Madison, WI | Majestic Theatre |
| September 12 | Minneapolis, MN | State Theatre |
| September 13 | Chicago, IL | Chicago Celtic Fest |
| September 14 | Indianapolis, IN | Music Mill |
| September 16 | Cleveland, OH | House of Blues |
| September 17 | Columbus, OH | Southern Theatre |
| September 18 | Pittsburgh, PA | Byham Theatre |
| September 19 | New York, NY | Nokia Theatre |
| September 20 | Albany, NY | Irish Fest |
| October 1 | Seattle, WA | Moore Theatre |
| October 2 | San Francisco, CA | Palace Theatre |
| October 3 | Los Angeles, CA | House of Blues |
| October 4 | Santa Barbara, CA | Lobero Theatre |
| October 5 | San Luis Obispo, CA | Cal Poly Tech Theatre |
| October 7 | Tucson, AZ | Rialto Theatre |
| October 8 | Albuquerque, NM | El Ray Theatre |
| October 9 | Denver, CO | Paramount Theatre |
| October 10 | Murray, UT | Murray Theatre |
| October 11 | Boise, ID | Egyptian Theatre |
| October 12 | Portland, OR | Aladdin Theatre |
| October 22 | Rochester, NY | German House |
| October 23 | Keene, NH | The Colonial Theatre |
| October 24 | Boston, MA | The Orpheum |
| October 26 | Charlotte, NC | Dana Auditorium |
| October 28 | Atlanta, GA | Variety Playhouse |
| October 29 | Raleigh, NC | Fletcher Theatre |
| October 30 | South Orange, NJ | South Orange PAC |
| October 31 | Burlington, VT | Flynn Theatre |
| November 1 | Portland, ME | Merrill Auditorium |
| November 2 | Lebanon, NH | Opera House |
| November 17 | Kingston, ON | K-Rock Centre |
| November 18 | Barrie, ON | Barrie Molson Centre |
| November 19 | Hamilton, ON | Hamilton Place |
| November 20 | Kitchener, ON | Kitchener Memorial Auditorium |
| November 22 | Oshawa, ON | General Motors Centre |
| November 26 | Thunder Bay, ON | Thunder Bay Community Auditorium |
| November 27 | Winnipeg, MB | MTS Centre |
| November 28 | Saskatoon, SK | TCU Place |
| November 29 | Regina, SK | Conexus Arts Centre |
| November 30 | Edmonton, AB | Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium |
| December 1 | Calgary, AB | Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium |
| December 3, 4 | Vancouver, BC | The Centre for Performing Arts |