Dr. Dog will end its final tour with four Philadelphia shows, and other Philly music news
The Philly band led by Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman is headed out on its "Last Tour." It ends with hometown shows in December.
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Dr. Dog is done with the road.
Or at least the Philadelphia psych-rock band will be, once they complete a final trek straightforwardly dubbed Last Tour, which will wrap up with four Philadelphia dates at two venues as 2021 comes to a close.
The final stretch for the band led by Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman, who grew up together in West Grove, begins on Aug. 20 at Fred the Festival in Arrington, Va., and ends with two nights at the Theatre of Living Arts on Dec. 28 and 29 and two at Union Transfer on Dec. 30 and 31.
Tickets for all four Philadelphia shows go on sale at noon Friday with ticket links at drdogmusic.com. Limited presale tickets became available at noon Tuesday, with the code DRDOGLIVE.
Does this mean that Dr. Dog is breaking up? No. In fact, it doesn’t even mean that they are done performing live. An announcement posted on social media Monday did not rule out future festival shows or isolated dates.
The band wrote: “Done touring for good! ... it’s important to us that you understand that this is not a break up or anything like that. We don’t know what Dr. Dog will do, we just know it won’t include going on tour, except for this tour we’re announcing now, which is going to rule.”
Before the enforced pandemic layoff, Dr. Dog was on the road pretty much nonstop since the release of its album Easy Beat in 2005. They still identify as a Philly band, but McMicken has lived in Tucson, Ariz., for years, and drummer Eric Slick, who has launched a successful solo career, lives in Richmond, Va., with his wife, singer Natalie Prass.
» READ MORE: Local band Dr. Dog sticks, stays - and thrives
The Dr. Dog tour was part of a flurry of music news this week.
Michelle Zauner of the Philly band Japanese Breakfast will see Crying in H Mart, her best-selling memoir about grief, food, and her Korean-American identity, made into a feature film by MGM’s Orion Pictures. Zauner will adapt the book for the screen herself. Her three Japanese Breakfast shows at Union Transfer on Aug. 6-8 are sold out, and a fourth on Aug. 10 is now on sale.
» READ MORE: Michelle Zauner of Philly’s Japanese Breakfast has a new memoir born of grief and a new album full of joy
Meanwhile, Bruce Springsteen also announced on Monday that he is reviving his solo show Springsteen on Broadway, opening at the St. James Theatre in New York on June 26 and running through Sept. 4. To enter, all ticket holders must show proof that they’re fully vaccinated. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a “massive” concert booked by music executive Clive Davis is being planned for Central Park on Aug. 21.