Sonic Youth tour begins ‘Eternal’ dates in U.S. this summer

As they await the release of their latest studio effort, the alternative rock experimenters of Sonic Youth have lined up plans for a summer tour of the U.S. The 21-city venture begins June 28 at Vic Theatre in Chicago, IL, and closes August 2 at Fox Theater in Oakland, CA.

During its five-week run, the tour will perform from coast to coast, including a July 3 gig at United Palace in New York, NY, a July 13 show at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA, a July 21 concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN, and a July 31 session at Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO. Ticket pre-sales for the tour begin May 1, followed by the start of public on-sales on May 2.

Sonic Youth’s upcoming tour supports their sixteenth studio album, “The Eternal,” due in stores on June 9. The effort is a follow-up to 2006’s “Rather Ripped” and the band’s first release on Matador Records since fulfilling a long-standing contract with Geffen.

Formed in the early 1980s, Sonic Youth currently comprises frontman and principal songwriter Thurston Moore, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kim Gordon, lead guitarist Lee Ranaldo, bassist Mark Ibold and drummer Steve Shelley. Both Moore and Ranaldo have received critical acclaim for their inventive experiments on guitar and were respectively named the 33rd and 34th “Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone.

Before beginning the U.S. trek, the iconic band will perform on May 16 at the No Fun Fest at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY. Ranaldo will not be at the event, but Sonic Youth’s official Web site hints at a special stand-in for that day’s “Lee’d guitar” duties.

Sonic Youth itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)