Billed as “the ’80s soundtrack of your life,” a new traveling music extravaganza called the Totally Tubular Festival is set to visit a variety of North American cities this summer. The New Wave-themed trek will feature a variety of acts who came to fame during the 1980s and the early days of MTV, including Thomas Dolby, Men Without Hats, Thompson Twins frontman Tom Bailey, Modern English, and The Romantics.
Among the other artists on the bill are Bow Wow Wow, The Plimsouls, and, on select dates, Tommy Tutone.
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The 17-date tour kicks off June 28 in Santa Barbara, California, and is plotted out through a July 27 performance in Cincinnati. The Totally Tubular Festival also will stop in other major cities such as Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Houston, Boston, New York and Detroit.
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“A Dream Lineup”
“This is a dream lineup for those who love the music of the early 1980s, and for those who want to relive the days when life was … plain and simply—a total party,” says Jon Pleeter, who is identified as the “Chief Party Officer” of the festival.
“You wore dayglow, you wore parachute pants, you had big hair, perms and more perms, mullets, leg warmers, along with tons of buttons and lots of rubber bracelets,” Pleeter added. “You wore sunglasses at night. The choruses were big, and the hooks were bigger—the party didn’t end.”
[RELATED: 2024 Cruel World Festival to Feature Duran Duran, Blondie, Simple Minds & Much More]
Part of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit local food banks in each market.
Ticket Details to Come
So far, tickets don’t appear to be available yet for any of the dates, although tickets for the June 28 show in Santa Barbara will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 12.
A number of artists taking part in the trek have other confirmed concerts on their schedules prior to the outing, including Men Without Hats. Tickets for the “Safety Dance” band’s shows are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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Totally Tubular Festival Tour Dates:
June 28 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
June 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theatre
June 30 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
July 3 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
July 6 – Englewood, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 9 – Irving, TX @ Pavilion @ Toyota Music Factory
July 10 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
July 13 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheatre
July 16 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre
July 17 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall @ Fenway
July 18 – New York, NY @ Pier 17
July 19 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena
July 20 – Bushkill, PA @ Poconos Park Amphitheatre
July 23 – Laval, QC, Canada @ Place Bell
July 24 – Mississauga, ON, Canada @ GCT Theatre
July 26 – Detroit, MI @ Meadowbrook Amphitheatre
July 27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center Amphitheatre
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