After his hugely successful direct opening slot for Elton John‘s sold-out UK and European Tour, BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT (a.k.a. Rod Thomas) has been personally invited by Elton himself to join him for the West Coast leg of the tour. With a resounding “Yes”, Bright Light Bright Light will open up the tour starting on September 13th at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena for two consecutive night before embracing the Pacific coast (with Denver thrown in for good measure). But before he rejoins that jaunt with the Rocketman, BLBL will be playing a special intimate show for his new adopted family in NYC on Thursday, August 21st at Le Poisson Rouge with close friend (and co-bandmate in Scissor Sister Del Marquis’Slow Knights collective), Bridget Barkan.
Breaking the news through Brian Mansfield of USA Today [LINK], Rod announced his North American tour with Elton by saying, “Honestly, it has been my dream for so long to come and play places in America and get to see cities that I never get to go to.”
As a show of his own support, Elton John told UK’s The Independent, “I’m taking him on tour with me in the summer because I want him to get some exposure, as he’s not on a major label and does everything himself. I have a friend for life now, and I would like to see him sell millions of records and be very popular. We’ll see how it goes, but if I can help him along the way without spoiling his journey, I’d love to do so.”
The tour will extend an already busy and successful year for the Welsh electronic-pop artist. 2014 has already seen a pair of releases from Bright Light Bright Light. I Wish We Were Leaving, an EP whose title track features a duet with Elton John, was released April 7, 2014. Life is Easy, the full-length follow up which DJ Times called “cinematic glorious euphoria” hit the shelves July 8, 2014. People.com featured an intimate performance of “I Believe,” the album’s lead single with an accompanying “Ones to Watch” interview, highlighting Thomas’ journey from subway singer to stardom. [LINK]
BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT on tour
* dates with Elton John
08/12/14 Gay Games Cleveland, OH
08/21/14 Le Poisson Rouge New York, NY
09/13/14 Rogers Center Vancouver, CAN*
09/14/14 Rogers Center Vancouver, CAN*
09/17/14 Spokane Arena Spokane, WA*
09/20/14 Pepsi Center Denver, CO*
09/21/14 Folsom Street Fair San Francisco, CA
09/25/14 Moda Center Portland, OR*
09/27/14 Key Arena Seattle, WA*
10/01/14 Sleep Train Arena Sacramento, CA*
10/02/14 SAP Center San Jose, CA*
10/05/14 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA*
10/05/14 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA*