Live music is ramping back up, and Ruston Kelly is getting in on the action. He’s announced a 29-city run set to start on Oct. 7.
The Shape and Destroy North American Tour, which shares its name with Kelly’s 2020 album, has already sold out a pair of November dates at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Beginning in Canada, Kelly will make his way through North America in October and November, ending the tour with a date in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 21.
During the Shape and Destroy Tour, Kelly promises a wide range of material that will cover the span of his entire career but focus on his most recent album. After years of writing songs for artists including Tim McGraw and the Josh Abbott Band, Shape and Destroy was Kelly’s second solo album; produced by Jarrad Kritzstein, it takes listeners on Kelly’s journey from substance abuse to sobriety.
“Whatever someone might get out of listening to this record and hearing me express myself in this way, it’s completely theirs,” Kelly tells MusicRow.
Joining Kelly on tour on all dates but one is indie-folk singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy. She also released her second studio album, Devotion, in 2020; it was named one of the 20 essential albums released in the first six months of 2020 by BBC Radio 6 Music.
On the first of Kelly’s sold-out nights at the Ryman Auditorium, his father will open the show. Pedal steel player Tim “TK” Kelly is an admired musician whom Ruston credits with teaching him to play guitar.
Ruston Kelly, 2021 Shape and Destroy Tour Dates:
Oct. 7 — San Diego, Calif. @ Music Box
Oct. 8 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Crescent Ballroom
Oct. 9 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Ace Theatre
Oct. 11 — San Francisco, Calif. @ The Fillmore
Oct. 14 — Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom
Oct. 15 — Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada @ Biltmore Cabaret
Oct. 16 — Seattle, Wash. @ Neumos
Oct. 18 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
Oct. 20 –Denver, Colo. @ Summit
Oct. 22 — Houston, Texas @ The Bronze Peacock at House of Blues
Oct. 23 — Austin, Texas @ Mohawk
Oct. 24 — Dallas, Texas @ HiFi
Oct. 26 — Kansas City, Mo. @ Knuckleheads
Oct. 27 — St. Louis, Mo. @ Delmar Hall
Oct. 29 –Detroit, Mich. @ Shelter
Oct. 30 — Indianapolis, Ind. @ Vogue
Nov. 3 –Louisville, Ky. @ Mercury Ballroom
Nov. 5 — Atlanta, Ga. @ Terminal West
Nov. 6 — Birmingham, Ala. @ Workplay
Nov. 7-8– Nashville, Tenn. @ Ryman Auditorium
Nov. 10 — New York City @ TBA
Nov. 11 — Washington, DC @ Sixth & I
Nov. 12 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ Theatre of Living Arts
Nov. 13 — Boston, Mass. @ Paradise
Nov. 15 — Toronto, Ontario, Canada @ Danforth Music Hall,
Nov. 18 — Columbus, Ohio @ A&R Bar
Nov. 19 — Milwaukee, Wisc. @ Turner Hall,
Nov. 20 — Chicago, Ill. @ Thalia Hall
Nov. 21 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Amsterdam
See All Country Tours Slated for 2021: