Great Big Sea tour sails across U.S. and Canada

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.)