On December 1, 1973, a guitarist, a drummer, and their rhythm guitarist loaded their gear into the drummers Volkswagen bus and drove to Lane Hall at The University of Delaware. In a week that saw new albums by Wings, Black Sabbath, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the three-piece band proceeded to play covers that included "No Particular Place To Go", "Madison Blues" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer". The drummer, Jeff Simon, recalls the crowd was wary at first, then it was like someone flipped a switch. By the second set, the dance floor was packed.
After the gig, the guitarist says with his now-familiar grin, Jeff and I thought, maybe we're onto something. It was the first-ever performance by George Thorogood & The Destroyers.
Five decades, more than 8,000 live shows, and 15 million albums later, George Thorogood and Jeff Simon with long-time Destroyers Bill Blough, Jim Suhler, and Buddy Leach now announce their Bad All Over The World 50 Years Of Rock Tour.
"From that very first show, weve stayed true to ourselves and the music we love," says Thorogood. "We've decided to celebrate our first half-century by throwing the biggest and baddest rock party ever."
Confirmed dates:
February
13 - Rock Legends Cruise X - Ft. Lauderdale, FL to CocoCay, Bahamas
17 - Rock Legends Cruise X - Ft. Lauderdale, FL to CocoCay, Bahamas
March
17 - Chinook Winds Casino Resort - Lincoln City, OR
18 - Chinook Winds Casino Resort - Lincoln City, OR
19 - Northern Quest Resort & Casino - Airway Heights, WA
21 - Redding Civic Auditorium - Redding, CA
22 - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts - Santa Rosa, CA
24 - Yaamava Resort & Casino - Highland, CA
25 - Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort - Las Vegas, NV
April
27 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
28 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
29 - Trade and Convention Centre - Penticton, BC
30 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC
May
2 - Bonnetts Energy Centre - Grand Prairie, AB
4 - The Venue at River Cree - Edmonton, AB
5 - Grey Eagle Resort & Casino Event Centre - Calgary, AB
6 - Casino Regina - Regina, SK
8 - TCU Place - Saskatoon, SK
9 - Burton Cummings Theatre - Winnipeg, MB
12 - Sudbury Arena - Sudbury, ON
13 - Peterborough Memorial Centre - Peterborough, ON
14 - MTelus - Montreal, QC
16 - Centre in the Square - Kitchener, ON
17 - Fallsview Casino Resort - Niagara Falls, ON
Additional cities will be announced soon.