As announced in USA Today and ABC News, Grammy award honoree, Songwriters Hall of Fame member, and BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Don McLean is set to embark on his 2022 American Pie 50th Anniversary Tour with 20 additional cities throughout the United States and Canada. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic songs and album ever this year, McLean will entertain fans across the continent throughout nearly 30 cities from Honolulu to Toronto and everything in between, proving that “bye-bye, Miss American Pie” will forever remain a classic staple in American music.
“After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” says Don McLean. “2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when American Pie landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.”
As tragic as the backstory behind the song “American Pie” is with the much too early death of the new rock’n’roll-hope Buddy Holly, the track is also magnificent and legendary. And “American Pie” still goes to heart as soon as originator Don McLean plays this classic at his concerts. Still, it's worth remembering that the 76-year-old composer has written and sung numerous other melodic and harmonic successes in his decades-long career with "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)," "Castles in the Air," "And I Love You So," and "Cryin’,'' all of which will be heard and reveled in along with newer pieces on the upcoming tour.
The eight-and-a-half-minute ballad “American Pie” has been making history since its release in 1971. Alongside songs by other icons such as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Woody Guthrie, and Aretha Franklin, McLean’s composition was also voted “Song of the 20th Century”. Handwritten lyrics to the song were auctioned off for more than $1.2 million in 2015, and the composition was added to the Library Of Congress National Recording Registry two years later. Here, you’ll only find a few selected evergreens, such as “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. So much for the cultural significance of Don McLean and his 1971 stroke of genius!
Over the years, the song has been covered again and again by music icons like Madonna and Garth Brooks. Rapper Drake repeatedly sampled McLean tunes and hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur also cited him as an important influence.
Accordingly, the complete discography of the legendary and still active singer/songwriter is also significant. Among other things, Don McLean has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame in 2004.
And he never gets tired of writing new songs and new stories. In 2018, the sound senior released his 19th studio album, ‘Botanical Gardens’ which received rave reviews. Songs from it subsequently proved themselves live and will maybe even find their way into the setlist next year, alongside “American Pie” and all the other feats from this decades-spanning and unparalleled composition and performance career.
50th Anniversary 'American Pie' World Tour 2022 North American Dates:
January 28, 2022 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii
January 29, 2022 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii
January 30, 2022 - Honolulu, HI - Blue Note Hawaii
February 3, 2022 - Clear Lake, IA - Surf Ballroom
February 5, 2022 - Grand Forks, ND - Chester Fritz Auditorium
February 11, 2022 - The Villages, FL - Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center
February 12, 2022 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
February 14, 2022 - Port Canaveral, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
February 15, 2022 - Port Canaveral, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
February 16, 2022 - Port Canaveral, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
February 17, 2022 - Port Canaveral, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
February 18, 2022 - Port Canaveral, FL - Rock Legends Cruise
February 19, 2022 - Clearwater, FL - Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
February 24, 2022 - Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
April 29, 2022 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
May 1, 2022 - Indianapolis, IN - Clowes Memorial Hall
May 7, 2022 - Toronto, Canada - John W H Bassett Theatre
May 12, 2022 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
May 13, 2022 - Atlanta, GA - Atlanta Symphony Hall
May 19, 2022 - St. Louis, MO - Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
May 20, 2022 - Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre
June 2, 2022 - Albany, NY - The Egg
June 3, 2022 - Boston, MA - Shubert Theatre
June 4, 2022 - New York, NY - Town Hall
June 11, 2022 - Baltimore, MD - The Lyric
June 12, 2022 - Tysons, VA - Capital One Hall
June 17, 2022 - Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Performance Hall
June 18, 2022 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater
June 24, 2022 - San Antonio, TX - Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
June 25, 2022 - Houston, TX - Cullen Performance Hall
June 26, 2022 - Austin, TX - Paramount Theatre
July 7, 2022 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
July 8, 2022 - Grand Junction, CO - The Avalon Theatre
July 9, 2022 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre
50th Anniversary 'American Pie' World Tour 2022 European Dates:
September 11, 2022 - Cardiff, U.K. - St. Davids
September 13, 2022 - Ipswich, U.K. - Ipswich Regent Theatre
September 14, 2022 - Birmingham, U.K. - Symphony Hall
September 16, 2022 - Bath, U.K. - The Forum
September 17, 2022 - Torquay, U.K. - Princess Theatre
September 18, 2022 - Bournemouth, U.K. - Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
September 20, 2022 - Brighton, U.K. - Brighton Dome Concert Hall
September 21, 2022 - Southend-on-sea, U.K. - Cliffs Pavilion
September 23, 2022 - Manchester, U.K. - Bridgewater Hall
September 24, 2022 - Gateshead, U.K. - Sage Gateshead
September 25, 2022 - Glasgow, U.K. - The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
September 27, 2022 - Edinburgh, U.K. - Usher Hall
September 28, 2022 - York, U.K. - York Barbican
September 30, 2022 - Leicester, U.K. - De Montfort Hall
October 1, 2022 - Sheffield, U.K. - City Hall
October 2, 2022 - Liverpool, U.K. - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
October 4, 2022 - London, U.K. - London Palladium
October 7, 2022 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena
October 9, 2022 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Concertgebouw de Vereeniging
October 10, 2022 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Koninklijk Theater Carré
October 14, 2022 - Bergen, Norway - Peer Gynt Salen
October 15, 2022 - Stavanger, Norway - Stavanger Kuppelhallen
October 16, 2022 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
October 18, 2022 - Göteborg, Sweden - Lorensbergsteatern
October 20, 2022 - Turku, Finland - Logomo
October 21, 2022 - Helsinki, Finland - Kulttuuritalo
October 23, 2022 - Stockholm, Sweden - Göta Lejon
October 24, 2022 - Malmö, Sweden - Palladium
October 25, 2022 - Greve, Denmark - Portalen
October 27, 2022 - Hamburg, Germany - Fabrik
October 28, 2022 - Neuruppin, Germany - Kulturkirche
October 29, 2022 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
November 1, 2022 - Antwerp, Belgium - De Singel
November 11, 2022 - Munich, Germany - Prinzregententheater
November 13, 2022 - Linz, Austria - Posthof
For tickets and more information, visit www.donmclean.com.
