Spinal Tap Tour is Coming; Hide Your Drummers!

I remember a great deal of the time during our courtship, my husband and his father would say things like, "These go to eleven," and would make references to the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer. For a long time, I didn't get it. That is until I was "educated" in all things Spinal Tap.

Well, turn your amps to eleven and hide the drummers: Spinal Tap is going on tour. . .sort of.

The masterminds and stars of the mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, announced Monday that they were reuniting for a 30-city tour. The "Unwigged & Unplugged" tour will begin April 17th in Vancouver and will feature the actors, not as Spinal Tap, but as themselves.

The three men, who have been friends since the 1970s, will perform the tour without some of the essentials of Spinal Tap: sans wigs and electric instruments. The tour celebrates, not only the 25th Anniversary of This is Spinal Tap, but the friendship of these three actors and the music that came from that friendship.

The trio wrote on the "Unwigged & Unplugged" official website,

"With this being the 25th Anniversary of the film This is Spinal Tap, we thought this would be a fun and at the same time, a little challenging, as we have never performed as ourselves. Think of the evening as three old friends jamming in your living room. As opposed to OUR living rooms; we won't be home."

But despite the lack of wigs and costumes, Guest, McKean and Shearer aren't leaving Spinal Tap behind altogether. They promise to feature songs from This is Spinal Tap, as well as songs from the studio album, "Break Like The Wind," and from their other mockumentary, A Mighty Wind, about the folk musicians, The Folksman.

Fans of Spinal Tap may be disappointed in the lack of electric guitars, but they can be consoled by the fact that the group is collaborating on a new Spinal Tap album, featuring both old and new material. In reality, any fan of the film and the imagination of its creators will likely be very pleased with the tour's results

After the tour begins in Vancouver, the concert will play in places like Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Baltimore and New York. View the whole tour list here. Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 6th.

In anticipation of Spinal Tap's 25th Anniversary, the trio has started up a website dedicated to the band. One gem that's worth checking out is a letter from Goniff Concerts to the members of Spinal Tap. "Penned" March 2nd, the letter informs the band that due to the economy and the band's history, their 2009 "Unstoppable" tour has been canceled. But the good news is that their work will be performed by Guest, McKean and Shearer. Finally, in a closing befitting a letter to Spinal Tap, Goniff writes.

"If you're interested, we can probably get you a limited number of seats."

Spinal Tap Rockers Announce "Unwigged & Unplugged Tour, New Album, Rolling Stone

Unwigged & Unplugged Official Website

Spinal Tap Official Website