Polyphonic Spree Plot ‘Beginning Stages’ 15th Anniversary Tour
Fifteen years after the Polyphonic Spree recorded their breakthrough album The Beginning Stages of…, the robed ensemble will perform that 2000 debut LP in its entirety for the first time during an extensive 15th anniversary trek this fall. Spree singer/leader Tim DeLaughter and his merry band of musicians are currently touring Europe, but they’ll return stateside September 26th with a gig at Denton, Texas’ Oaktopia Fest. The Beginning Stages jaunt will officially kick off October 17th with a hometown show at Dallas’ Granada Theater.
DeLaughter formed the Polyphonic Spree following the disbandment of his alternative rock act Tripping Daisy; that band called it quits two months after the drug overdose death of Tripping Daisy guitarist Wes Berggren. In a long statement, DeLaughter and the Spree reminisced about The Beginning Stages of…, which was recorded using two days of studio time “owed” to Tripping Daisy.
“As a ‘band’ [Polyphonic Spree] were still very infantile during that two-day session. The recording represented more of our wishes as a listener. We were coming out of the 90’s and tired of guitars, chaos and experiencing the loss of a good friend. Tim was feeling his way through the changes and adamant about where he wanted to go musically,” the band wrote. “What we created in those couple of days was more than satisfying to us but definitely not fashionable or popular commercially – we didn’t care. Luckily it fell upon some supportive ears a couple of years later and this album was exposed on a mass level.
“But by then, 2002, we had grown into something more than a recording. We had become a traveling ‘band.’ It was all about the live experience and in my humble opinion, a spectacle. We never went back and played the songs as they were recorded, arranged and mixed although it was always one of our favorite pieces of work.”
After wrapping around North America, the two-month-long 15th anniversary trek will conclude December 12th with another hometown gig in Dallas, this time a “Holiday Extravaganza” at the Majestic Theatre.
Polyphonic Spree Tour Dates
September 26 – Denton, TX @ Oaktopia Fest
October 17 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
October 18 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
October 19 – Oklahoma City, OK @ ACM Performance Lab
October 20 – Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Rock n Roll Chicken Shack
October 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
October 23 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
October 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
October 26 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
October 27 – New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
October 28 – Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest Cafe
October 30 – Fall River, MA @ Narrows Center for the Arts
October 31 – Somerville, MA @ Johnny D’s
November 1 – Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
November 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
November 4 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
November 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
November 6 – Millvale, Pennsylvania@ Mr. Small’s Theatre
November 7 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Shank Hall
November 8 – Chicago, Illinois@ City Winery
November 9 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
November 12 – Missoula, MT @ Top Hat
November 13 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
November 14 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue Nightclub
November 15 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
November 16 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
November 18 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Sayers Club
November 19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
November 20 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
November 21 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
December 12 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre