Bonnie Raitt tour announces late summer dates with Taj Mahal

Concert-goers will be singing the blues this summer as musicians Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal team up for a 30-city trek. The BonTaj Roulet tour kicks off August 6 at Community Arts Center in Williamsport, PA, and concludes September 25 at Agua Caliente Casino’s new concert venue The Show in Rancho Mirage, CA.

The U.S. run will hit cities from coast-to-coast over a period of seven weeks. Stops are set for an August 15 concert at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, MA, an August 30 performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, and a September 11 show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, among other dates.

Pre-sales for select dates are open from April 15-22 to members of the BonTaj fan community, with on-sale dates and times forthcoming. Premium seating and VIP packages for the late summer tour will be sold through The Guacamole Fund, a non-profit organization that helps organize and produce benefits for environmental and social change groups.

In addition to the charitable sale of premium seats, $1 from each regular ticket purchase will help support an artist-selected cause. Raitt and Mahal have narrowed their options down to environmental protection, safe/sustainable energy, social justice/human rights, or music education efforts. Fans can help decide which issue will receive funding by voting on the official tour Web site.

Raitt will perform each night with a backing band, as Mahal takes the stage with The Phantom Blues Band. The two musicians first met in the 1970s, when Raitt opened a concert for the blues music staple. Mahal went on to co-produce Raitt’s 1973 release “Takin’ My Time.”

“We’ve been like ships passing in the night,” said Mahal in a statement. “Some of my musicians used to play with Bonnie, we have so many of the same friends — this is really an opportunity to combine some forces and play some great music.”

Raitt explained that she’s excited by the possibilities for this tour, noting, “It feels like having an extra slice of pie, getting both of these bands to play together like this. There’s so much potential to what we can do.”

Bonnie Raitt / Taj Mahal itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)