2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has announced plans for a U.S. co-headline tour alongside visionary singer-songwriter-guitarist José González. The tour named, “Unfollow The Rules in the Local Valley” begins September 20 at Kansas City, MO’s Uptown Theater and then travel through an October 2 performance at Glenside, PA’s historic Keswick Theatre.
Fan presales begin tomorrow, May 5 at 10 am (local); PROMOTER presales follow on Thursday, May 6 at 10 am (local). All presales conclude Thursday, May 6 at 11:59 pm (local). All remaining tickets will be released to the general public on Friday, May 7 at 10 am (local). Limited VIP tickets and an exclusive merch bundle will also be available. For complete details and ticket availability, please see
rufuswainwright.com/tour. VIP Packages will be available.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT X JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
U.S. TOUR 2021
SEPTEMBER
20 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
21 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
23 – Minneapolis, MN – Northrop Auditorium At UMN
24 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre
25 – Carmel, IN – The Palladium at The Center For The Performing Arts (Public on sale 8/6)
26 – Detroit, MI –Cathedral Theatre at The Masonic Temple
28 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
29 – Boston, MA – The Orpheum Theatre
30 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17
OCTOBER
2 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
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The upcoming tour will see Wainwright celebrating his internationally acclaimed new album,
Unfollow The Rules. Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, the collection captures the multi-faceted artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness while remaining as creative, bold, and mischievous as ever. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios, the album proved among last year’s most honored releases, earning a prestigious GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Traditional Pop Album” as well as a Juno Award nod for “Adult Alternative Album of the Year.”
Unfollow The Rules was further met by ecstatic critical acclaim from high profile publications around the globe:
“A spectacular return to the tower of song and the game (Wainwright) plays best…brimming with memorable melodies, swooning arrangements and smart lyrics dreamily sung.”
– UNCUT
“A stately pop throwback full of (Wainwright’s) signature vocal grandeur… It’s a lush, grandiose place to be if you’re looking to get lost.”
– ROLLING STONE
“An opulently crafted highlight reel, a career-spanning sampler of Wainwright’s styles and guises…his songwriting is as sharp and cheeky as ever.”
– PITCHFORK
“Unfollow The Rules feels like a gentle stroll through the various stages of Rufus’s career; far from creating the impression of Rufus covering his own back catalogue, the effect is like a timely reminder of everything that’s wonderful about Wainwright.”
– CLASH (9/10)
“Wainwright has returned with a generous and positive record that suggests a more mature, philosophical perspective, thankfully without losing his impish sense of humor and taste for lavish arrangements.”
– RECORD COLLECTOR (****)
“Unfollow the Rules marks a welcome return to the opulent orchestration of Wainwright’s early albums…It’s good to have him back.”
– THE GUARDIAN (4/5)
“(Wainwright) sings with contentment, not complacency, as he saunters through the corridors of his life…This is one of Wainwright’s finest albums.”
– THE INDEPENDENT (4/5)
“Nobody sings quite like Rufus Wainwright, who, in a single breath, channels ennui and high drama while somehow managing to sound vaguely pissed off.”
– THE NEW YORKER
“Unfollow The Rules is a strikingly accomplished work – a song cycle of arresting poise, confident yet playful, eclectic yet cohesive, adventurous yet grounded.”
– MONTREAL GAZETTE
“Fans will relish afresh the ache in (Wainwright’s) voice, the soaring legato notes, the sumptuous strings, the mischievous sense of humor…With his musical voice well established, he feels free to do what he does best.”
– THE SCOTSMAN (****)
“The songs here constitute a high point in the songwriter’s career, and swing him back to when he started as a lithe songwriter and nimble singer…The effortlessly melodic end result is equal parts anguish, witty and wise.”
– THE IRISH TIMES (4/5)
“As always, (Wainwright) doesn’t hold back. This is lush, layered, romantic, passionate, feverish and febrile…If you have a taste for high drama, spicy food and all things baroque, rococo and lavishly decorated, Wainwright is the man.”
– FINANCIAL TIMES (4/5)
“The album’s lush production is an expression of Wainwright’s sheer creative force…His songwriting has matured to reveal him as a complex, mature observer of human nature – and himself.”
– NO DEPRESSION
“The clarity of the sound on Unfollow the Rules is crucial not only to the album’s evocation of paradise but also to it its suggestion of dangerous rot beneath the glossy floors. Problems can pop up in anyone’s life at any time, Wainwright suggests, but the warning signs in modern life seem more urgent than ever now.”
– AMERICAN SONGWRITER
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An ingenious, compellingly charismatic live artist, Wainwright has also announced plans for a landmark virtual concert event. Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios will see Wainwright performing his groundbreaking 2007 tribute to Judy Garland, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, in its entirety, live from Los Angeles’ famed Capitol Studios. The one-night-only event – which will feature a guest appearance by award-winning star of stage and screen Kristin Chenoweth and a micro-audience comprised of 2x Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger, winner of last year’s “Best Actress” Oscar for her spectacular performance as Garland in 2019’s Judy – will premiere Thursday, June 10 at 8:00 PM (AEDT/EST/CET), celebrating what would have been Garland’s 99
th birthday. Tickets for Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios are available now exclusively via
Veeps priced at $30 (advance)/$35 (day of show).
The first complete performance of Wainwright’s Rufus Does Judy tribute in more than 5 years, Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios will be commemorated with a limited edition t-shirt created for the occasion in partnership with longtime friend, legendary designer Michael Kors. The t-shirts will be available exclusively via Veeps and
michaelkors.com, with all proceeds benefitting LGBT human rights organization
OutRight Action International through June – Pride Month 2021 – or while supplies last. The t-shirt marks the latest collaboration between Kors and Wainwright, who earlier last month performed music for the blockbuster launch of Kors’ 40th-anniversary collection for Fall/Winter 2021.
Wainwright recently wrapped up A Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-
Spective!, an ambitious virtual live series that saw him revisiting his groundbreaking studio albums in their entirety, with one album side performed for each date, including rarely played deep cuts, stunning new arrangements, and a bonus selection of signature cover songs chosen by fans around the world. The virtual tour – which included accompaniment from guitarist Brian Green and keyboardist/pianist Jacob Mann, as well as an exclusive fireside chat Q&As and a nightly micro-audience comprised of such celebrity friends and fans as Paul Rudd, Darren Criss, and Joel McHale – earned applause from such media outlets as
mxdwn.com, which hailed the concert series as a “deliciously casual offering to dedicated fans; an exclusive club for Wainwright enthusiasts to gather and exchange memories about their shared passion for his music. The live audience chat was a haven for nostalgia, sprinkled with the disparate musical experiences of followers around the world.”
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