This week, The Heavy Pets return to the road, kicking off the Northeast leg of their extensive spring and summer tour with a performance at Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington, DC, on April 25th, followed by a show at The Milkboy in Philadelphia on April 26th. For this thorough cross-country tour, the band will be hitting a number of beloved venues around the country, including Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory on May 2nd, Albany’s The Hollow on May 5th (with Goose), Live Oak, Florida’s Purple Hatters Ball on June 1st, and a two-night run at San Francisco’s Boom Boom Room on June 8th and 9th.
Fresh off the release of their latest full-length album, Strawberry Mansion, on February 23rd, The Heavy Pets are poised to make serious waves in 2018. Strawberry Mansion was the next logical step in the band’s decade-plus journey in honing their sound. Since coming together in 2005, the Florida-based jam act has built a steady following, earning fans across the country for their tight-laced improvisation, well-constructed and rich songs, and ever-evolving sound. With the release of a trio of EPs from 2012 to 2015—Two Horses (2012), Rags and Aces (2014), and Stolen Smile (2015)—Strawberry Mansion marked the band’s first full-length album since 2011’s Swim Out Past The Sun, and fans were eager to get a first listen to the highly anticipated collection.
Now, with the new album out, fans, new and old, have been eager to hear this new material live. The Heavy Pets are masters of the live show, with their energetic performances offering a perfect combination of feel-good songs, exceptional musicianship, and exploratory improvisations. Around Strawberry Mansion‘s release, the group has been picking up a number of performances ahead of their far-reaching summer tour, opening for Umphrey’s McGee in February in addition to a number of headlining performances in their home region of the South as well as a number of dates in the jam band mecca that is Colorado.
With Wednesday’s performance in Washington, DC, The Heavy Pets will full-on shift into road warrior mode, with this upcoming leg spanning to the end of June with only a few breaks in between. For the run’s opening five-night sprint, the group will also showcase their talents in Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; New Haven, CT; and Allston, MA. On May 2nd, the group hits Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory for the band’s exciting return to New York City, ahead of shows in Manchester, NH; Norwalk, CT; and Albany, NY, until May 5th.
After a brief pause, The Heavy Pets’ tour resets in Boca Raton, Florida, on May 17th at The Funky Biscuit. This show serves as a quick break before the band gears up for a four-night run across New York state and Pennyslvania, with dates announced in Saranac Lake, Alexandria Bay, and Hamilton, New York, as well as a hit at Celebration of Life Music & Arts Festival in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, on May 26th.
A two-night stand at Key West, Florida’s Green Parrot warms the group up before their return to Live Oak, Florida, for Purple Hatters Ball on June 1st, where they’ll join the bill alongside acts such as Lettuce, Spafford, Breaking Biscuits, Southern Avenue, Roosevelt Collier, and more. With a focus on expanding their audience and solidifying the hype behind them after Strawberry Mansion‘s release, in early June, the band departs for California, where they’ll perform six shows in the Western state from June 5th to 10th—including two nights at San Francisco’s iconic Boom Boom Room as well as the beloved Mill Valley venue, Sweetwater Music Hall.
A return to the Green Parrot in Key West heralds The Heavy Pets’ return to their home region, with three nights at the venue falling on June 15th to 17th. Given that the band has gained so much acclaim and earned a rabid fanbase in the South, the group has made sure not to neglect their fanbase at home, with the end of June and a number of performances in July set aside for performances in Florida and its nearby states. With the group’s August and fall touring schedule still under wraps, thus far, the group has announced two Georgia shows at the end of August as well as a performance at Resonance Music and Arts Festival in Thornville, Ohio, in late September.
You can check out The Heavy Pets’ upcoming tour dates below. For more information about the band or to purchase tickets to any of their upcoming performances, head to their website here.
