The Black Keys have confirmed additional tour dates to their treks this summer and fall to support their new album, Brothers—due out May 18 on Nonesuch Records. The band has—beginning July 24 in Cleveland—which include headlining shows with The Morning Benders, The Whigs, and Nicole Atkins; dates with Kings of Leon; and a performance with The Flaming Lips in Canandaigua, NY.
The new dates follow The Black Keys' opening slot for Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden on May 20, as well as performances on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on May 25 and "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on May 26, The tour also includes two shows at Central Park's SummerStage on July 27 and 28, the first of which quickly sold out.
In conjunction with the new tour dates, fans may now pre-order a limited-edition collectible hardbound book/deluxe edition of Brothers, available online only via the band's website: www.theblackkeys.com. The 56-page hardbound book includes never-before-seen live photos, intimate backstage and studio shots of the band, and the full Brothers album on CD. The deluxe package also includes MP3s of the new songs "Tighten Up" and "Next Girl" delivered to fans instantly and a digital download of the full album on May 18. An exclusive 9 ¾" x 6 ½" lithograph of The Black Keys will also be included, with a limited number signed by the band.
Brothers arrives on the heels of three other acclaimed projects the band released in the past year: Dan Auerbach's solo effort, Keep It Hid, the debut LP from Patrick Carney's band Drummer, and Blakroc, a collaboration between The Black Keys and renowned MCs including RZA, Mos Def, Q-Tip, and Raekwon.
The new album includes the Danger Mouse-produced song "Tighten Up" (streaming now on the band's MySpace page: myspace.com/theblackkeys) and a cover of the Jerry Butler classic "Never Gonna Give You Up." The remaining songs on Brothers are written, performed and produced by The Black Keys. Carney admits Brothers is the album they've always wanted to make and taps into their creative force as a duo. "Dan and I grew up a lot as individuals and musicians prior to making this album. Our relationship was tested in many ways but at the end of the day, we're brothers, and I think these songs reflect that."
Carney and Auerbach recorded the bulk of the album at the legendary Alabama studio Muscle Shoals with additional sessions at Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound System in Akron, OH and The Bunker in Brooklyn, NY. Muscle Shoals, an old building located in the sparse Alabama town that lends the studio its name, has produced iconic recordings from The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett, among many others. Of the album, Auerbach says, "We like spooky sounds…like Alice Coltrane, where a dark groove is laid down. That's the headspace we tried to get into for this record."
May 20 Madison Square Garden New York, NY*
May 25 "Late Show with David Letterman" New York, NY
May 26 "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" New York, NY
June 2 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT†
June 3 The Fillmore Denver, CO†
June 4 The Crossroads Kansas City, MO†
June 5 Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival Ozark, AR
June 8 First Ave Minneapolis, MN†
June 9 First Ave Minneapolis, MN†
June 10 The Pageant St. Louis, MO†
June 11 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN
July 23 Constellation Brands- Marvin Sands PAC Canandaigua, NY§
July 24 Nautica Amphitheatre Cleveland, OH
July 26 DAR Constitution Hall Washington, D.C. #
July 27 Central Park SummerStage New York, NY#
July 28 Central Park SummerStage New York, NY#
July 30 Great Plaza at Penn's Landing Philadelphia, PA#
July 31 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA#
August 1 Osheaga Festival Montreal, QC
August 3 Kool Haus Toronto, ON#
August 6 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL
August 8 Val Air Ballroom Des Moines, IA#
August 9 The Anchor Inn Omaha, NE#
August 11 Iroquois Amphitheatre Louisville, KY#
August 12 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN#
August 13 The LC Amphitheatre Columbus, OH#
August 14 The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI#
September 3 Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis, IN^
September 4 Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, OH^
September 5 Town Ballroom Buffalo, NY%
September 7 First Niagara Pavilion Burgettstown, PA^
September 8 Hershey Park Stadium & Star Pavilion Hershey, PA^
September 9 Charlottesville Pavilion Charlottesville, VA%
September 10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte, NC^
September 11 Virginia Beach Amphitheatre Virginia Beach, VA^
September 13 Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre Raleigh, NC^
September 14 Orange Peel Asheville, NC%
September 15 Lakewood Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA^
September 17 Cruzan Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL^
September 18 Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL^
September 20 Verizon Wireless Music Center Birmingham, AL^
September 21 House of Blues New Orleans, LA%
September 22 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Houston, TX^
September 23 Superpages.com Center Dallas, TX^
September 25 Soma San Diego, CA§§
September 27 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA§§
September 29 The Fox Oakland, CA§§
October 2 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA§§
October 3 The Orpheum Vancouver, BC§§
October 4 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR§§
October 10 Cain's Ballroom Tulsa, OK§§
*—with Pearl Jam
†—with Brian Olive
§—with The Flaming Lips
#—with The Morning Benders
^—with Kings of Leon
%—with The Whigs
§§—with Nicole Atkins
