Natalie Merchant begins her two-week, sold-out A Summer Evening With… tour of intimate venues across the US Northeast at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine, tonight. The tour comprises eleven concerts, ending in Hudson, New York, on August 9, and, with the exception of Great Barrington, features towns in which Merchant has never performed.
Two years after her Three Decades of Song tour in 2017, which played mostly large amphitheaters in major markets, this is a unique opportunity for fans to see the celebrated singer play towns and cities chosen by Merchant herself and not usually included on her tours. She will be joined by her longtime guitarist Erik Della Penna, who has been playing with her for twenty years, performing material from the past thirty-five years of Merchant's career.
"I've reached a point in my career of wanting unique experiences on tour, of not settling for the predictable routing and venues. Last July, Erik and I had a very pleasant experience touring the United Kingdom as an acoustic duo. This summer, we've decided to do a tour of New England following the same format as last year, steering clear of big cities and playing unique and intimate venues in small, picturesque towns. We're looking forward to seeing the rocky coast of Maine, the green rolling hills of Vermont, the historic village squares and white-steepled churches of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. I imagine we will meet many locals and visitors seeking the same sort of experience that we are, and I expect the audiences and the settings will inspire us."
In 2017, Nonesuch Records released The Natalie Merchant Collection, a deluxe, ten-CD box set compiled by Merchant, comprising all eight of her solo studio albums from the past three decades, as well as a new studio set, Butterfly; a disc of rare and previously unreleased tracks, Rarities; and a 100-page lyric book and pictorial history of her solo career. In a five-star review, Mojo described it as "Magnificent. This is a definitive and absorbing celebration of an artist with a singular voice and vision." The Times of London proclaimed: "A welcome re-evaluation of the folk singer's impressive catalogue." To pick up a copy, head to the Nonesuch Store, where orders include a download of the complete album at checkout and an exclusive print autographed by Merchant while supplies last.
NATALIE MERCHANT ON TOUR
