Paul Kelly Heading To America With First Tour Since 2017

Paul Kelly is preparing to return to the US after a seven-year absence, playing a bunch of solo shows with his nephew Dan Kelly and as the special guest for American songwriters Keb’ Mo’ and Shawn Colvin.

Kelly will tour throughout September and October, hitting Ottawa, Springfield, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Joliet, Nashville, Knoxville, Greensboro, Richmond, Charlotte, Columbus, Jacksonville, Mobile, Fayetteville, Kansas City, Wichita, Los Angeles, New York, and Austin. You can find all the dates below.

At the time of writing, Kelly hasn’t yet made a statement about his return to the US. The Aussie troubadour will head across the pond with a new album, Poetry, under his belt.

The record contains 24 tracks of music set to words penned by legendary writers such as William Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Sylvia Plath, Langston Hughes, William Butler Yeats, Thomas Hardy, and Dylan Thomas.

Poetry follows the release of last year’s People, an album about real-life characters, including former Prime Minister of Australia Paul Keating, outlaw Ned Kelly, and legendary cricketers Shane Warne and Donald Bradman.

Earlier this year, Kelly ticked another continent off the list of places he’s performed: Antarctica.

Sharing a series of images on social media, Kelly played songs on his acoustic guitar to an intimate audience; everyone decked out in puffer jackets and beanies as he performed on a boat. He also shared images of glaciers and the gorgeous Antarctic Ocean.

In the caption, Kelly wrote, “Just got off the ship. Not your average trip. PK”.

With Antarctica under his belt, Kelly has performed in Australia (of course), the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, Cambodia, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Timor-Leste (per Setlist.fm statistics).

In November, Paul Kelly was inducted into the SA Music Hall of Fame. A month after that milestone, Australian streaming service BINGE unveiled the first official preview for How To Make Gravy – the feature film based on Kelly’s titular 1996 classic – to commemorate the annual celebration known as Gravy Day (21 December).

“Since its release in 1996,” a synopsis reads, “[How To Make Gravy] has achieved near-mythological status in the Australian musical canon and has cemented itself in the Christmas traditions of millions of families.”

Production of the film began in October of last year, with Kelly confirming the project in May.

PAUL KELLY – TOUR DATES:

*with Keb'Mo' & Shawn Colvin

#Paul Kelly with Dan Kelly

09.11 Ottawa, ON @ Lansdowne Park/CityFolk 2024#

09.14 Springfield, IL @ UIS Performing Arts Center*

09.15 Milwaukee, WI @ Bradley Symphony Center*

09.16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park*

09.18 Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre*

09.20 Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center*

09.21 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium*

09.22 Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theater*

09.24 Greensboro, NC @ Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts*

09.25 Richmond, VA @ Dominion Energy Center/Carpenter Theatre*

09.27 Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium*

09.28 Columbus, GA @ RiverCenter For The Performing Arts*

10.01 Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theater*

10.02 Mobile, AL @ Saenger Theatre*

10.04 Fayetteville, AR @ Walton Arts Center/Baum Walker Hall*

10.05 Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts*

10.06 Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion Ballroom*

10.07 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom#

10.09 New York, NY @ TBA#

10.11 Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival#