John McLaughlin Announces Farewell Tour Featuring Jimmy Herring

John McLaughlin, one of music’s most influential and prolific guitarists, composers and bandleaders, will begin his farewell U.S. tour November 1, 2017, in Buffalo, New York.

McLaughlin will be joined by Jimmy Herring, who has been in the creative forefront of the American rock-jam movement for 25 years. The Meeting of the Spirits tour will hit 23 cities before ending in Los Angeles December 9.

McLaughlin will revisit the pioneering music he introduced with his genre-defying Mahavishnu Orchestra. He's also expected to release a new album just before the tour launches. More details will be announced soon.

The Meeting of the Spirits—McLaughlin’s first extensive U.S. tour in seven years—also marks his first extended exploration of the Mahavishnu Orchestra material—from Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, Between Nothingness and Eternity, Visions of the Emerald Beyond and more—since the band’s heyday in the 1970s.

Herring, best known for his inspired contributions to the Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, the Dead and others, will co-headline each show with his new band, the Invisible Whip, comprised of Jeff Sipe (Apt Q258) (drums), Matt Slocum (B3 and clavinet), Jason Crosby (Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer) and Kevin Scott (bass).

On The Meeting of the Spirits tour, separate sets by Herring and McLaughlin will be followed by the two joining forces for an expansive closing jam based on classic Mahavishnu Orchestra material. McLaughlin will be backed by his current band, the 4th Dimension—Ranjit Barot (drums), Gary Husband (keyboards, drums) and Etienne M’Bappé (bass)—each an established composer and recording artist in his own right. Expect special surprise guests to be added when available.

The Meeting of the Spirits Tour:
11/1/17 Buffalo, NY, University at Buffalo Center for the Arts
11/2/17 Albany, NY, The Egg
11/3/17 New York, NY, Town Hall
11/4/17 Port Chester, NY, Capitol Theatre
11/5/17 Cranston, RI, Park Theatre/Rhode Island Center for the Performing Arts
11/8/17 Boston, MA, The Wilbur Theatre
11/9/17 Philadelphia, PA, Keswick Theatre
11/10/17 Newark, NJ, Prudential Hall,New Jersey Performance Art Centre
11/11/17 Washington DC, Lincoln Theatre
11/12/17 Durham, NC, Duke Performances at DPAC
11/15/17 Ann Arbor, MI
11/17/17 Chicago, IL, Vic Theatre
11/19/17 Indianapolis, IN, Clowes Memorial-Hall-Butler University
11/21/17 Nashville, TN, Schermerhorn Symphony Center-Laura Turner Concert Hall
11/22/17 Atlanta, GA, Atlanta Symphony Hall
11/24/17 Jacksonville, FL, Florida Theatre
11/25/17 Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
11/27/17 New Orleans, LA, The Joy Theater
11/30/17 Austin, TX, Paramount Theatre
12/5/17 Seattle, WA, Moore Theatre
12/6/17 Portland, OR, Revolution Hall
12/8/17 San Francisco, CA, The Warfield
12/9/17 Los Angeles, CA, Royce Hall-UCLA)