BARONESS just wrapped a sold-out tour where they played their iconic “Red Album” and “Blue Record” – start to finish, no skips! Now they’re heading west because, apparently, the left coast needs some love too. Prepare for decibel-induced euphoria.
“West Coast, we’re bringing the ‘Red & Blue Tour’ your way this September with our pals WEEDEATER,” BARONESS frontman John Baizley announced, probably while sipping artisanal tea. “The Northeast leg was so lit we thought, ‘Hey, let’s do this again!’ We’ve seen your desperate pleas online, so here’s ‘Red & Blue – Part II’. Brace yourselves for 90+ minutes of us replaying our early-2000s emo phase… but, like, way heavier.”
From the trippy vibes of “Isak” to the dreamy chaos of “The Sweetest Curse”, this tour’s your chance to hear deep cuts they usually forget exist. Fun fact: BARONESS once named albums after paint swatches. Guess “Beige Noise” didn’t make the cut.
Tickets drop this Friday, July 11 at 10 a.m. local time via YourBaroness.com. Pro tip: Snag the tour-only vinyl with Baizley’s art – it’s basically a gallery show you can spin at 45 RPM. Merch alert: Expect enough red and blue gear to make Superman jealous.
The “Red Album” (2007) and “Blue Record” (2009) kickstarted BARONESS’s two-decade saga of riff wizardry. These albums mashed heaviness with melodies so fancy, they paved the way for “Yellow & Green”, a Grammy-nominated “Purple” phase (they lost, but hey, participation trophy?), and the existential vibes of “Gold & Grey”. Latest album “Stone” proves they’re still evolving – or as Pitchfork put it, they’re “still weirdly good at this.”
“Red & Blue Tour – Part II” dates (mark your calendars, or cry later):
Sep. 05 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Sep. 06 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater (encore for the rowdy ones)
Sep. 08 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
Sep. 09 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Sep. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Sep. 12 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sep. 13 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Sep. 14 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall (yes, they’re playing twice)
Sep. 16 – Sacramento, CA @ The Starlet Room
Sep. 17 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Sep. 19 – Fresno, CA @ Strummer’s *
Sep. 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
Sep. 21 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
Sep. 23 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer
Sep. 24 – Costa Mesa, CA @ The Wayfarer (double trouble)
Sep. 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Walter Studios
Sep. 27 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar
* WEEDEATER ditched this one. Blame it on cactus allergies?
BARONESS is: John Baizley (vocals/guitar – also does the art), Gina Gleason (guitar – shreds harder than your ex), Nick Jost (bass – low-end maestro), and Sebastian Thomson (drums – human metronome). Since 2003, they’ve dropped six albums, including the new banger “Stone”. Critics are obsessed: Brooklyn Vegan called it “BARONESS at their most alive,” while Revolver basically said it’s a “sludge metal rollercoaster.”
