Matthew Sweet announces 2024 tour dates; power-pop pioneer to release a live album of his fabled 1993 Grant's Park, Chicago show

 

Exciting news that celebrated rocker Matthew Sweet is going to return to the stage beginning this month, and has also announced a concert recording and new studio album are also coming ...Robert Kinsler

Matthew Sweet announces first live dates in four years Select February Midwest dates on sale now here The power-pop pioneer to release a live album of his fabled 1993 Grant's Park, Chicago show in 2024

Alt-rock trailblazer Matthew Sweet has announced his return to live touring following a nearly four-year hiatus, beginning with the pandemic and extending until now. Sweet will firstr return to the 30A Songwriters Festival over MLK weekend in January, followed by a six-date, full-band Midwest run. The tour kicks off on February 9 at the Madrid Theatre in Kansas City, MO and including stops in St. Paul, Milwaukee, and his hometown of Omaha, NE (all dates listed below).  Tickets are on sale now HERE The power pop pioneer is hard at work writing and recording his next studio record due out in 2024. In addition to new material, Sweet is planning to release an archival live record of one of his most fabled performances — a July 4, 1993 show at Chicago’s Grant Park. Originally recorded by Metro Mobile Recording for Chicago radio station WXRT, the blistering set includes hits and fan-favorites including “Girlfriend,” “I’ve Been Waiting,” “The Ugly Truth,” and a spirited cover of John Lennon’s “Crippled Inside.” Matthew is backed by Richard Lloyd (Television) on lead guitar, Will Rigby (the dB’s) on drums, and Tony Marsico (Cruzados, Bob Dylan) on bass and background vocals. Remixed and remastered from the original DAT source by engineer Brian Kehew, known for his work with The Who, The Pretenders, The Stooges, Crazy Horse, and The Replacements, the live album captures Sweet live at the peak of the alternative rock takeover when he first achieved commercial success with a series of gold and platinum records that still hold up today.   Sweet’s loyal fans will be delighted to know he recently launched a Patreon page. Sweet regularly shares writing demos, visual art and sculpture, livestreams, and more. Matthew Sweet Tour Dates:  January 12-15 - South Walton, FL - 30A Songwriters Festival February 9 - Kansas City, MO - Madrid Theatre February 10 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill  February 13 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall February 14 - Iowa City, IA - Wildwood Smokehouse and Saloon  February 16 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club  February 17 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room  Matthew Sweet online: Website Facebook Instagram Vevo

ABOUT MATTHEW SWEET Matthew Sweet’s journey began with a move to Athens, Ga. in the early 1980s at the urging of his pen pal, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe. As a student at University of Georgia, he was immersed in the college town’s burgeoning alternative rock scene, playing in pioneering acts like Oh-OK and the Buzz of Delight. At 20, he left Georgia for New York City and a major deal with Columbia, where he released his debut solo album, Inside, in 1986. Earth, his 1989 follow-up on A&M, showcased a songwriter with extraordinary pop sensibility on the cusp of something greater. A year later, amid the smoldering ashes of heartbreak and divorce and an escape from New York to the outskirts of Princeton, New Jersey, Sweet composed the songs that became 1991’s Girlfriend. Singles “Girlfriend” and “I’ve Been Waiting,” paired with their Japanese anime-laced music videos (a novelty to the American market at the time), won Sweet a lifelong international following. Altered Beast (1993) continued the hot streak with singles “Ugly Truth” and “Time Capsule,” while 1995’s 100% Fun single “Sick of Myself” reached #2 on rock radio, breaking him even wider.    Sweet continued to evolve over a string of well-received albums in the early 2000s. In 2006, he joined forces with Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs to record a series of covers from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, Under the Covers, Vol. 1–3. Sweet’s music has appeared in numerous films, television shows, and games, including Austin Powers, Guitar Hero II, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, and Scooby-Doo, among many others. Sweet was a lead consultant on Tim Burton’s Margaret Keane biopic Big Eyes in 2014. His companion albums, Tomorrow Forever (2017) and Tomorrow's Daughter (2018) were followed by 2018's Wicked System of Things and 2021's Catspaw, his 15th studio effort.