Courtesy of Paradise ArtistsThe 2018 edition of the Happy Together Tour, the annual oldies package trek headlined by The Turtles, kicks off on June 7 in Jacksonville, Florida, but it’ll be missing one of its mainstays.
Turtles lead singer Howard Kaylan, a.k.a. “Eddie,” will be sitting out the this year’s trek for medical reasons. Instead, Ron Dante of The Archies fame will be handling the group’s main vocals. Founding Turtles backing vocalist Mark “Flo” Volman revealed in a recent interview with Centerline that Kaylan, who’s 70, is taking a leave of absence to attend to back issues.
“His back has been bothering him for over a decade and it was recommended that he not tour because he can’t ride on buses and has a tough time flying and didn’t want to deal with a wheelchair,” explained Mark. “We don’t know what the outcome will be, but he has to have surgery or he’ll never tour again anyway. Once we realized that he wouldn’t be prepared to tour this year after having surgery, we needed to get somebody to fill in.”
The lineup for this year’s tour also includes ex-Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, former Paul Revere & the Raiders frontman Mark Lindsay, The Association, and The Cowsills.
A total of 45 dates have been confirmed for the Happy Together Tour, which is plotted out through an August 26 show in Deadwood, South Dakota. Tickets are on sale now.
“I always have a great time touring with these guys,” says Negron in a statement. “We always bring a lot of energy and the fans have a big party, so I’m happy to be doing it again in 2018.”
Here’s the full list of dates on the trek:
6/7 — Jacksonville, FL, Florida Theatre
6/8 — Biloxi, MI, IP Casino Resort & Spa
6/9 — Montgomery, AL, Montgomery Performing Arts Center
6/10 — Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
6/13 — Greensburg, PA, Palace Theatre
6/14 — Tarrytown, NY, Tarrytown Music Hall
6/15 — New Brunswick, NJ, State Theatre
6/16 — Lynn, MA, Lynn Auditorium
6/17 — Northampton, MA, Calvin Theatre
6/19 — Englewood, NJ, Bergen Performing Arts Center
6/20 — Glenside, PA, Keswick Theatre
6/21 — Jim Thorpe, PA, Penn’s Peak
6/22 — Westbury, NY, Theatre at Westbury
6/23 — Lancaster, PA, American Music Theatre
6/24 — Hampton Beach, NH, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
6/27 — Hyannis, MA, Cape Cod Melody Tent
6/28 — Morristown, NJ, Mayo Performing Arts Center
6/29 — Brooklyn, NY, Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island
6/30 — Asbury Park, NJ, Paramount Theatre
7/1 — Bethesda, MD, Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club
7/12 — San Diego, CA, Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
7/13 — Scottsdale, AZ, Talking Stick Resort
7/14 — Beverly Hills, CA, Saban Theatre
7/15 — Costa Mesa, CA, Pacific Amphitheatre
7/18 — Sacramento, CA, California State Fair (Golden 1 Stage)
7/19 — Jacksonville, OR, Britt Pavilion
7/20 — Lincoln City, OR, Chinook Winds Casino Resort
7/21 — Lincoln City, OR, Chinook Winds Casino Resort
8/3 — Rama, ON, Canada — Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
8/5 — West Allis, WI, Wisconsin State Fair (Main Stage)
8/8 — Effingham, IL, Effingham Performance Center
8/9 — Kettering, OH, Fraze Pavilion for the Performing Arts
8/10 — New Buffalo, MI, Four Winds Casino Resort
8/11 — Manistee, MI, Little River Casino Resort
8/12 — Northfield, OH, Hard Rock Live
8/13 — Indianapolis, IN, Indiana State Fairgrounds
8/15 — Nashville, TN, Ryman Auditorium
8/17 — Aurora, IL, Paramount Theatre
8/18 — St. Charles, MO, The Family Arena
8/19 — Kansas City, MO, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (Muriel Kauffman Theatre)
8/21 — Louisville, KY, Kentucky State Fair
8/23 — Appleton, WI, Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
8/24 — Onamia, MN, Grand Casino Mille Lacs Events Center
8/25 — Sloan, IA, Winnavegas Casino Showroom
8/26 — Deadwood, SD, Deadwood Mount Grand Event Center
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