The Old Friends Acoustic Tour

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The Old Friends Acoustic Tour
Tour by Ben Rector
2023 poster
LocationUnited States
Start dateFebruary 27, 2020
End dateDecember 1, 2023
Legs3
No. of shows31
Ben Rector concert chronology
  • The Joy of Music Live
  • The Old Friends Acoustic Tour

The Old Friends Acoustic Tour is a 2020 and 2023 concert tour from American singer-songwriter Ben Rector. The original tour, featuring Cody Fry, was slated to perform throughout the first half of 2020, but enforced lockdowns amidst the growing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States saw the tour cancelled after 4 performances, compromising 12 concerts. The tour was later revived in 2023 featuring Jordy Searcy and Stephen Day, performing an additional 27 concerts. The concert is named after Rector's single "Old Friends".

Having missed his acoustic performances from his college years, Rector headlined the Old Friends Acoustic Tour to perform laid-back, stripped versions of his music. The concert would feature music mainly from his two albums prior, Magic and Brand New. Following enforced national lockdowns and the cancellation of the tour, he would find the open schedule relieving and would rework his upcoming album The Joy of Music in the meantime, among other releases. Some of his new music he released since 2020 would be featured in the 2023 revival.

Background[edit]

2020 poster
Ben Rector (left) and Cody Fry (right)

When Ben Rector was in college, he would tour with just an acoustic guitar, an experience he missed.[1] Rector announced the tour in November 2019; the tour was designed to perform stripped versions of his songs, mainly those from 2018's Magic and 2015's Brand New, with a more relaxed atmosphere.[2] The tour featured Cody Fry.[3] In January 2020 he recorded the songs for his upcoming album following Magic, and began touring for the concert the following late February.[4] At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading in the United States, and national lockdowns started to take affect, enforcing stay-at-home orders. Most entertainment fields were impacted around the same time. Rector had just flown to Dallas, Texas to perform at the Majestic Theatre that night, but was forced to return home in Nashville, Tennessee.[5] Attempts to postpone dates failed, and he ultimately cancelled the tour in August 2020. The following September, he held a pay-per-view livestream of the concert.[6][7]

Although he was disappointed about the tour being cancelled he found the lack of a schedule to be liberating for him creatively. The day after flying home he immediately wrote "It Would Be You" via voice memos during quarantine with record producer John Fields.[8] With the free time, he would re-write and re-record most his next album from scratch,[4] as well as release A Ben Rector Christmas among other singles.[9] Meanwhile, Fry returned to production work; shortly afterward his song "I Hear a Symphony" from the 2017 album Flying became a viral hit on the social media platform TikTok, helping advance his career.[3]

The tour was revived in 2023, instead with musicians Jordy Searcy and Stephen Day.[1] The new tour received a new set, updated to include songs from The Joy of Music and Rector's single "Range Rover".[10] He cites The Old Friends Acoustic Tour as his favorite tour to perform.[6]

Setlist[edit]

2020 tour[edit]

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on February 28, 2020, at The Magnolia in El Cajon, California. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "You've Got a Friend in Me"
    (Randy Newman cover)
  2. "Crazy"
  3. "Never Gonna Let You Go" / "My Girl"
    (The Temptations cover)
  4. "When a Heart Breaks"
  5. "Let the Good Times Roll"
  6. "When I'm With You"
  7. "Loving You is Easy"
  8. "Note to Self"
  9. "Paris"
  10. "The Men That Drive Me Places"
  11. "Duo"
  12. "Old Friends"
  13. "Brand New"
  14. "Sailboat"

2023 tour[edit]

The following setlist was obtained from the concert held on March 29, 2023, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.[10]

  1. "When I'm With You"
  2. "Sunday"
  3. "Living My Best Life"
  4. "When a Heart Breaks"
  5. "Forever Like That"
  6. "Let the Good Times Roll"
  7. "It's a Great Day to Be Alive"
    (Darrell Scott cover)
  8. "30,000 Feet"
  9. "Old Friends" / "Forever Young"
    (Alphaville cover)
  10. "Love Like This"
  11. "The Men That Drive Me Places"
  12. "Kiss the Girl" / "Under the Sea" / "Part of Your World"
    (Alan Menken and Howard Ashman cover)
  13. "Brand New"
  14. "Range Rover"

Tour dates[edit]

2020 tour[edit]

Dates performed[edit]

Date City Venue
North America
February 27, 2020 Riverside, California Fox Performing Arts Center[11]
February 28, 2020 El Cajon, California The Magnolia[12]
March 6, 2020 Denver, Colorado Paramount Theatre[13]
March 7, 2020 Rexburg, Idaho BYU-Idaho's Center Stage[14]

Dates cancelled[edit]

Date City Venue Reason
North America
March 13, 2020 Dallas, Texas Majestic Theatre[15] COVID-19 pandemic
March 18, 2020 Nashville, Tennessee Ryman Auditorium[16]
March 20, 2020 Little Rock, Arkansas Robinson Center Stage[17]
March 27, 2020 Minneapolis, Minnesota State Theatre[18]
March 28, 2020 Chicago, Illinois Athenaeum Theatre[19]
April 4, 2020 Boston, Massachusetts Boch Center[20]
April 9, 2020 Charlotte, North Carolina North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center[21]
April 10, 2020 Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Symphony Hall
April 17, 2020 Greenville, North Carolina Peace Center[22]
April 18, 2020 Birmingham, Alabama Alabama Theatre[23]
April 23, 2020 College Station, Texas Rudder Auditorium[24]
May 1, 2020 Grand Rapids, Michigan Fountain Street Church[25]

2023 tour[edit]

Date City Venue
North America
March 9, 2023 Seattle, Washington Moore Theatre[1]
March 10, 2023 Portland, Oregon Keller Auditorium[1]
March 16, 2023 San Antonio, Texas Majestic Theatre[1]
March 17, 2023 Fort Worth, Texas Will Rogers Memorial Center[1]
March 24, 2023 Grand Rapids, Michigan GLC Live at 20 Monroe[1]
March 25, 2023 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Riverside Theater[1]
March 29, 2023 Nashville, Tennessee Ryman Auditorium[1]
April 14, 2023 Athens, Georgia Classic Center[1]
April 15, 2023 Greenville, South Carolina Peace Center Concert Hall[1]
April 21, 2023 Durham, North Carolina Durham Performing Arts Center[1]
April 27, 2023 Little Rock, Arkansas Robinson Center[1]
April 28, 2023 Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa Theater[1]
May 5, 2023 Wichita, Kansas Cotillion Ballroom[1]
May 6, 2023 Denver, Colorado Paramount Theatre[1]
October 7, 2023 Sandy, Utah Sandy Amphitheater[26]
October 13, 2023 Saratoga, California Mountain Winery Amphitheater[27]
October 14, 2023 San Diego, California Humphreys Concerts by the Bay[28]
October 19, 2023 Chesterfield, Missouri The Factory Theatre[29]
October 20, 2023 Kansas City, Missouri Midland Theatre[30]
November 3, 2023 Cincinnati, Ohio Aronoff Center[31]
November 4, 2023 Detroit, Michigan Fox Theatre[32]
November 9, 2023 Louisville, Kentucky The Kentucky Center[33]
November 10, 2023 Knoxville, Tennessee Tennessee Theatre[34]
November 17, 2023 Orlando, Florida Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts[35]
November 18, 2023 Clearwater, Florida Ruth Eckerd Hall[36]
November 30, 2023 Austin, Texas The Moody Theater[37]
December 1, 2023 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma The Criterion[38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Ben Rector Announces "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour"". The Grateful Web. 2022-11-12. Archived from the original on 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  2. ^ "Ben Rector announces "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour" with special guest Cody Fry". KARK. 2019-11-12. Archived from the original on 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  3. ^ a b "Interview with Cody Fry". Bringin' it Backwards. 2021-10-11.
  4. ^ a b Farthing, Lydia (2022-03-22). "Ben Rector Talks Chicken Sandwiches, Overcoming His Fear Of Failure & His Newfound Joy [Interview]". MusicRow. Archived from the original on 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  5. ^ Alley, Rob (2021-10-06). "Old Friends (w Ben Rector)". The Good Song Podcast. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  6. ^ a b House, Madisyn (2020-10-29). "Ben Rector Works His "Magic" in Reflective Record". MBU Timeline. Archived from the original on 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  7. ^ Ben, Rector [@benrector] (August 21, 2020). "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour is cancelled. I am bummed, it was my favorite tour of all time" (Tweet). Retrieved 2024-01-19 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Ben Rector and Ingrid Michaelson Release "It Would Be You (Acoustic)"". Secret Road Music Services. 2020-10-02. Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  9. ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (2020-11-13). "Ben Rector Gets in the Holiday Spirit with Debut Christmas Album". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  10. ^ a b Lake Lacar, Lauren (2023-03-29). "From the Balcony: Ben Rector, Old Friends, and (Brand) New Magic". Music Scene Media. Archived from the original on 2024-01-03. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  11. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Riverside Live. 2020-02-27. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  12. ^ "Ben Rector - The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". The Magnolia. 2020-02-28. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  13. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". 303 Area. 2020-03-06. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  14. ^ "Ben Rector to perform at BYU-Idaho on Saturday". Idaho State Journal. 2020-03-02. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  15. ^ "Postponed: Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Paper City. 2020-03-13. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  16. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Presale Codes. 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  17. ^ McCallister, Lydia (2019-12-11). "Ben Rector to Return to Little Rock in 2020". Little Rock Soiree. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  18. ^ "Ben Rector with Cody Fry". JamBase. 2020-11-07. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  19. ^ "Ben Rector in Chicago at The Athenaeum Theatre". Do312. 2020-03-28. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  20. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour - Boston". Do617. 2020-04-04. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  21. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". CarolinaTix. 2020-10-22. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  22. ^ "Ben Rector with Cody Fry". Jambase. 2020-04-17. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  23. ^ "Cancelled - Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Lyric. 2020-10-17. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  24. ^ "Ben Rector with Cody Fry". JamBase. 2020-10-30. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  25. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". West Michigan Star. 2019-11-20. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  26. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour starring Ben Rector". Now Playing Utah. 2023-10-05. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  27. ^ "Ben Rector at Mountain Winery". Mountain Winery Amphitheater. 2023-10-13. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  28. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour starring Ben Rector". KBPS. 2023-10-14. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  29. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Regional Arts Commission. 2023-10-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  30. ^ "Ben Rector w/ Jordy Searcy". The Bridge. 2023-10-20. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  31. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour Starring Ben Rector With His Old Friend Jordy Searcy". Cincinnati Arts Association. 2023-11-03. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  32. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour starring Ben Rector 2023 Tour Concert (Detroit)". Trip. 2023-11-04. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  33. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour starring Ben Rector with Jordy Searcy". Louisville Downtown partnership. 2023-11-09. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  34. ^ "The Old Friends Acoustic Tour Starring Ben Rector". TNVacation. 2023-11-10. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  35. ^ "Ben Rector - The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Downtown Orlando. 2023-11-17. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  36. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Ruth Eckerd Hall. 2023-11-18. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  37. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Austin City Limits Live. 2023-11-30. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  38. ^ "Ben Rector: The Old Friends Acoustic Tour". Oklahoma Daily Events. 2023-12-01. Archived from the original on 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
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