Though his name is currently synonymous with some of the most-sampled beats in hop-hop, musician Billy Squier will stick to the rock ‘n’ roll that he knows best on a summer tour of the United States. The ’80s rock icon launches his tour on June 23 at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY, and continues through September 22 at The Henderson Pavilion in Henderson, NV.
Squier has 30 concerts booked for the outing, which will cross the country in about 13 weeks. Two-night stands are slated for June 27-28 at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, MN, and September 11-12 at Golden Eagle Casino in Horton, KS.
Other scheduled stops include a June 30 appearance at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI, a July 11 concert at the Atlantic City Hilton in Atlantic City, NJ, and a July 24 show at Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury in Westbury, NY. A gig on September 19 at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA, is the only West Coast stop on the current itinerary.
Squier released his last studio album, “Happy Blue,” in 1998 in the midst of a series of “best of” records and compilations. However, the rocker remains best known for his ’80s rock anthems including his 1981 breakthrough single “The Stroke.”
In recent years, his music has also become a staple of the hip-hop world. According to MTV, Squier’s song “The Big Beat” has become the most sampled song in history, inspiring the beat for Jay-Z‘s “99 Problems” and Kanye West‘s “Addiction,” among others.
“It’s the most sampled song in history — they said that on MTV, so even if I’m wrong, I’m not making it up. The intro of the song is me with my hands in a trap case, beating on the side of it. I just walked around the studio banging on stuff, looking for a sound,” Squier said in a 2005 interview with the Boston Globe. “People sometimes write that ‘Billy is the king of hip-hop.’ I didn’t even know what hip-hop was then.
Billy Squier itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
June 23 | Verona, NY | Turning Stone Resort & Casino |
June 26 | Hankinson, ND | Dakota Magic Casino |
June 27 – 28 | Walker, MN | Northern Lights Casino |
June 30 | Milwaukee, WI | Summerfest |
July 2 | Muskegon, MI | Heritage Landing |
July 7 | Traverse City, MI | National Cherry Festival |
July 8 | Lansing, MI | Common Ground Festival |
July 10 | Big Flats, NY | The Summer Stage at Tag’s |
July 11 | Atlantic City, NJ | Atlantic City Hilton |
July 12 | Jim Thorpe, PA | Penn’s Peak |
July 15 | Chesaning, MI | Chesaning Showboat Park Stage |
July 17 | Columbus, OH | Lifestyle Communities Pavilion |
July 18 | St. Joseph, MI | Venetian Festival Grounds |
July 21 | Green Bay, WI | Oneida Bingo & Casino |
July 24 | Westbury, NY | Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury |
July 25 | Salamanca, NY | Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel |
July 31 | Kettering, OH | Fraze Pavilion for the Performing Arts |
August 1 | Aurora, IL | Galena Boulevard |
August 2 | Lake Ozark, MO | Horny Toad |
August 4 | Sturgis, SD | Buffalo Chip Campground |
August 6 | Tulsa, OK | River Spirit Casino |
August 7 | Norman, OK | Riverwind Casino |
August 8 | Thackerville, OK | Winstar World Casino |
September 5 | Indianapolis, IN | City Military Park |
September 6 | Cleveland, OH | Time Warner Cable Amphitheater |
September 11 – 12 | Horton, KS | Golden Eagle Casino |
September 19 | Tacoma, WA | Emerald Queen Casino |
September 22 | Henderson, NV | The Henderson Pavilion |