Long-running heavy metal supergroup DOWN, featuring vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders, will make a handful of rare live appearances this spring and summer.
The band will launch a three-date U.S. run of shows on May 19 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN will take a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. An appearance at this year’s Blue Ridge Rock Festival will follow in September in Alton, Virginia.
DOWN tour dates:
May 19 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome To Rockville
May 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
May 22 – Dallas, TX @ Amplified Live
Jun. 16 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell
Jun. 18 – Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun. 19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
Sep. 09 – Alton, Virginia @ Blue Ridge Rock Festival
Two months ago, Windstein confirmed to Ghost Cult that DOWN was still planning to release a six-song EP of “obscure” cover songs. “A lot of people have been asking about that yet; that’s true,” he said. “We just need to get our butts in a room together and pick the shit out and DOWN it up a little bit, so to speak. But that’s the only thing in the future as of now. But it’s something.”
As for the possibility of DOWN staging the previously announced anniversary tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band’s 1995-released classic debut album, “NOLA”, after the trek was sidelined due to the global pandemic, Kirk said: “I sure hope so. I mean, we have [shows booked in] Dallas and I believe we have one in Atlanta, and we have [Welcome To] Rockville, we have a festival in Florida — as far as I know.
“But yeah, I’m optimistic [that we will be able to do a short ‘NOLA’ anniversary tour],” he continued. “I get it that maybe DOWN is not in a position to do a lot of touring anymore or anything, but for god’s sake, we can at least do mainly Southeast of the United States, a bit of the Midwest — not to dick you over on the West Coast, but without going thousands of miles away — do something. But we’ll see. Right now, of course, everyone’s concern is just doing what we have booked already and hoping that that goes smoothly.”
Last August, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. “NOLA Town Throwdown” was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.
In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of “NOLA” with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed “The Quarter Century Throwdown”, the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.
A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN‘s former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY.
Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “NOLA”, all of which have since been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.
Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN‘s last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.
Photo by Danin Drahos
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Tagged: Alternative Music, music blog