Boston bad boys Godsmack have announced an initial list of 2013 tour dates today. The tour will kick off on May 30 at the Boston Garden for Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration, a special benefit show for the Boston Marathon Bombings with Aerosmith, Boston, Extreme, J. Geils Band, James Taylor, and more. Proceeds from the show will go to The One Boston Fund, which benefits those most directly affected by the bombings. Then, the band will hit the road in June for what looks to be a full North American Tour. With only a few initial dates announced, there is a strong possibility that more will be on the way.
Godsmack signed with Universal/Republic Records in 1998 and exploded onto the
scene that same year with their self-titled debut LP. The album debuted at #22 on the Billboard Top 200, and went on to be certified 5x platinum. The band played Ozzfest ’99 and the epic Woodstock ’99, along with extensive touring and a European run supporting Black Sabbath. Godsmack returned to the studio in 2000 to begin work on their sophomore effort, Awake. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200 in October 2000. It quickly went 2x platinum. In addition to their headlining shows, the band toured with Limp Bizkit and again on Ozzfest 2000. The album also garnered the band it’s first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Vampires”.
In 2002, Godsmack released the hit single “I Stand Alone” on The Scorpion King soundtrack. The song remained #1 on Rock Radio and was the most played song on Active Rock Radio for 14 weeks straight. It would become the first single off the bands blistering third album, Faceless. In 2003, Faceless debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and sold over 269,000 copies in it’s first week of sales. It eventually went platinum. Linkin Park‘s second album, Meteora, debuted at #2. Godsmack earned two Grammy Award nomination for “Straight Out of Line” and “I Stand Alone”. In March 2004, the band released an acoustic EP, The Other Side, which debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200. That same year, Godsmack supported Metallica on their Madly In Anger With The World U.S. Tour in addition to their own relentless headlining shows.
Godsmack returned in 2006 with another chart-topper, their fourth album simply titled IV. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200
and showed a less intense, but riffier Sabbath-like sound. Eventually going gold, it brought the band to a perfect point to release a “best of” collection: Good Times, Bad Times…10 Years of Godsmack, which came out in 2007. The album debuted at #35 on the Billboard Top 200, and featured a cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Good Times, Bad Times”. Over the next 3 years, the band would take some time off to relax in light of their 10th anniversary. In 2009, Godsmack returned to the road on Mötley Crüe‘s Crüe Fest 2 Tour. In 2010, they unleashed their fifth studio album, The Oracle. It became the band’s third straight LP to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and it sold over 117,000 copies in it’s first week of sales. Godsmack toured relentlessly again with support from bands like Five Finger Death Punch and Staind. They co-headlined Mayhem Festival 2011 with Disturbed, and Uproar Festival 2012 with Shinedown. In May 2012, the band released their first live album, Live & Inspired, which included a bonus EP of cover tunes. Godsmack are expected to head into the studio sometime later this year or in early 2014 to work on a new studio record, but for now, they are back on the road. Thank God. – by Matt Bishop (Top Left Photo and Cover Photo by Matt Bisho
2013 North American Tour
May 30 – TD Bank Garden – Boston, MA
June 29 – Boonstock – Gibbons, AB, Canada
July 18 – Myth – St. Paul, MN
July 19 – Rock USA Festival – Oshkosh, WI
July 20 – The Venue at Horeshoe Casino
August 3 – Sioux Empire Fair – Sioux Falls, SD
August 4 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
August 5 – Jackson Country Fair – Jackson, MI
August 7 – Sands Event Center – Bethlehem, PA
August 8 – House of Blues – Atlantic City, NJ
August 10 – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion – Gilford, NH
August 11 – Heavy Montreal – Montreal, QC, Canada