Since returning in December 2009 for seven monumental concerts in the United Kingdom–their first shows in 17 years–PUBLIC IMAGE LTD (PiL) now continue into 2010 with a headlining North American tour starting Saturday, April 17 in San Francisco.

After fronting the Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed Public Image Ltd in 1978. With their experimental sound fusing Rock, Dance, Folk, Ballet, Pop and Dub, PiL are regarded as producing some of the most diverse music of the 70s and 80s. As a band, the music and vision constantly evolved like no other, culminating in an incredible live experience.

The North American tour will be preceded by a special performance at the COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL on Friday, April 16 (opening day of the three-day event) in Indio, CA. It marks their first show in the United States in 18 years.

Cited as one of the most innovative and influential bands in music history, PiL return to a country where they enjoyed a special relationship throughout their career for what are set to be stunning shows. The North American dates will be followed by a series of high-profile summer European Festival appearances. 

John Lydon (vocals), Lu Edmonds (guitar), Bruce Smith (drums) and Scott Firth  (bass) earned critical and public acclaim for their concerts in December 2009, with many British media outlets championing them as the shows of the year. 

John Lydon: “I sound like a bag of kittens thrown down the staircase.”

2010 sees the 30th anniversary of the band’s first U.S. tour and also their U.S TV debut on “American Bandstand,” where singer John Lydon invited the audience onstage to dance with the band! Host Dick Clark famously introduced their appearance as "a memorable moment in rock n roll, something special and interesting.” 

With a wide and varied back catalogue spanning three decades, Public Image Ltd will be showcasing the unique sounds of tracks such as “Public Image,” “This Is Not A Love Song,” “Rise,” and “Disappointed,” with many further surprises in store. 

Lu Edmonds: Multi instrumentalist and former guitarist in The Damned Lu joined PiL in 1986 recording and playing on the album Happy? and co-writing the album 9 adding yet another dimension to the PiL sound. Lu is also associated with a variety of eclectic and acoustic bands including The Mekons and Siberian band Yat-Kha. 

Bruce Smith: Former drummer in The Pop Group and The Slits became percussionist for PiL also in 1986 playing and recording on the albums Happy? and 9. Seen as a drumming virtuoso, Bruce Smith brought his unique style into the fold. Bruce has also played with the likes of Björk and Terence Trent D’Arby. 

Scott Firth: A bass player/multi instrumentalist that has collaborated and played with a variety of top musicians and bands including Steve Winwood, John Martyn, Elvis Costello and The Spice Girls. Scott’s arrival into the band in 2009 resulted in John Lydon declaring him “Genius at work!”

The preliminary North American tour dates are as follows, with more shows to be added:

DATE	CITY	VENUE
Fri 4/16	Indio, CA	Empire Polo Field/Coachella
Sat 4/17	San Francisco, CA	Grand Ballroom @ Regency Center
Tue 4/20	Seattle, WA	Showbox at The Market
Wed 4/21	Portland, OR	Crystal Ballroom
Fri 4/23	Salt Lake City, UT	The Depot
Sat 4/24	Denver, CO	Ogden Theatre
Mon 4/26	Kansas City, MO	Midland Theatre
Sun 5/2	Chicago, IL	House of Blues
Tue 5/4	Boston, MA	Royale Boston
Wed 5/5	Boston, MA	Royale Boston
Fri 5/7	Toronto, ON	Kool Haus
Sat 5/8	Montreal, QC	Theatre L'Olympia de Montreal
Tue 5/11	Baltimore, MD	Rams Head Live
Wed 5/12	Washington, DC	9:30 Club
Fri 5/14	Pittsburgh, PA	Club Zoo
Sat 5/15	Atlantic City, NJ	The Borgata Music Box
Tue 5/18	New York, NY	Terminal 5

For further PiL information, see: www.pilofficial.com

post by Erik Thureson

sources PIL & MSOPR