Sparks announce Hollywood Bowl appearance
SPARKS ANNOUNCE BIGGEST HEADLINE SHOW
IN THEIR MORE THAN 50-YEAR HISTORY
MASSIVE HOMETOWN CONCERT SET FOR SUNDAY, JULY 16
AT LOS ANGELES, CA’S FAMED HOLLYWOOD BOWL
HOLLYWOOD BOWL 2023 SEASON GO ON SALE TUESDAY, MARCH 14
SPARKS FAN CLUB PRESALE BEGINS TUESDAY, APRIL 25
GENERAL ON-SALE FOLLOWS ON TUESDAY, MAY 2
NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR BEGINS TUESDAY, JUNE 27
AT NEW YORK CITY’S BEACON THEATRE
26TH STUDIO ALBUM, THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE,
ARRIVES FRIDAY, MAY 26 VIA ISLAND RECORDS
Photo Credit: Munachi Osegbu
Sparks has announced the biggest headline show of their more than 50-year career, taking place Sunday, July 16 at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl in their beloved hometown of Los Angeles, CA.
Hollywood Bowl subscription packages are available now exclusively at www.hollywoodbowl.com. The create-your-own-bundle on-sale begins March 14 at 10 am (PT). Sparks Fan Club presale begins Tuesday, April 25 at 10:00 am (PT). General on-sale follows on Tuesday, May 2 at 10:00 am (PT). They Might Be Giants will be the Special Guests.
“Our first experience of the Hollywood Bowl was in 1964 when our mom took us there to see The Beatles,” says Sparks’ Ron and Russell Mael. “Our futuristic Fiat Multipla could barely make it up the Bowl’s steep parking lot due to the Italian car’s meager horsepower. We risked life and limb driving backwards in reverse gear up the hill. It was way worth it, we got to see The Beatles. We never would have dreamed that in 2023 we would be standing on that same hallowed stage, performing for fans of our own group, Sparks. And hopefully everyone will have a better experience with the parking lot than we did.”
The upcoming Hollywood Bowl show will wrap up the North American leg of Sparks’ upcoming world tour, getting underway Tuesday, June 27 at New York City’s Beacon Theatre. Tickets for all announced dates are on sale now. For more information and ticket availability, please see allsparks.com/#tour.
“We are thrilled to be back on tour again and to be able to share our joy with so many Sparks fans around the world,” say Sparks. “See you all soon! It’s a Sparks show, a Sparks show, a Sparks show tonight!”
Sparks Tour 2023 will see the band playing some of the biggest venues of their incredible career, with highlights including a pair of sold-out headline shows at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall (May 29 and 30). The epic live run celebrates the imminent arrival of Sparks’ 26th studio album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, due Friday, May 26 via Island Records – their first release on the venerable label in close to five decades. Described by Ron and Russell Mael as a record that is “as bold and uncompromising as anything we did back then, or for that matter, anytime throughout our career,” the new album follows such classic Sparks releases on Island as 1974’s landmark Kimono My House, highlighted of course by the indelible hit single, “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us.” Complete details and pre-order information for The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte will be announced soon.
SPARKS TOUR 2023
MAY
23 – Oxford, UK – New Theatre Oxford
24 – Liverpool, UK – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (SOLD OUT)
26 – Glasgow, UK – SEC Armadillo
27 – Manchester, UK – Bridgewater Hall (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
29 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
30 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall (LIMITED AVAILABILITY)
JUNE
2 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Barcelona *
8 – Madrid, Spain – Primavera Sound Madrid *
10 – Porto, Portugal – Primavera Sound Porto *
13 – Paris, France – Le Grand Rex
14 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg, Grote Zaal
16 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Store Vega
18 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
20 – Brussels, Belgium – Cirque Royal
27 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
28 – Philadelphia, PA – Keswick Theatre
30 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre
JULY
1 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
3 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
5 – Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center
6 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
8 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland
9 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
12 – Dallas, TX – Texas Theatre
13 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theatre
16 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
24 – Osaka, Japan – Namba Hatch
25 – Tokyo, Japan – Line Cube Shibuya
* Festival Appearance
Levels of interest in the work of Sparks are at heights unsurpassed in their more than 50-year career, with the ultimate cult band now centerstage in the full beam of the spotlight.
Most people, with even a passing acquaintance with Sparks, will know the basics by now. How Californian brothers Ron and Russell Mael, both students at UCLA, began making music together in the late Sixties, originally under the name Halfnelson. How their Top Of The Pops debut with “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” stunned a generation and nearly scored them a UK #1. How their career moved through many phases, including (but not limited to) art rock, glam, big band swing, electro-disco, new wave and synthpop, taking in collaborations with Todd Rundgren, Les Rita Mitsouko, Tony Visconti, Franz Ferdinand and Giorgio Moroder.
How keyboardist and songwriter Ron’s intricate staccato arrangements combine with the acrobatic vocals in which Russell delivers his brother’s always-on-point lyrics. How Ron’s stillness and stern, intimidating visage contrasts onstage with Russell’s hyperactivity. How their popularity has spiked unpredictably in different territories at different times: Britain, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Japan, and their homeland the United States. And how the influence of “the greatest band you’ve never heard of,” or “your favorite band’s favorite band,” has been recognized by successive generations of artists from Joy Division to Duran Duran to Depeche Mode to Bjork to Beck, and beyond. Their influence on music cannot be overstated – as super-producer Jack Antonoff recently declared, “All pop music is re-arranged Sparks.”
Now into their sixth decade of making music, Sparks have never been more relevant, with studio albums Hippopotamus (2017) and A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (2020) both reaching #7 on the UK Official Albums Chart amidst global acclaim. Released in 2021, the lauded career-spanning documentary film The Sparks Brothers, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver), brought an awareness of Sparks to parts they previously hadn’t reached.
Sparks’ 2021 film musical Annette, directed by Leos Carax and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, has been showered with awards, especially in France where the film won three Lumières Awards and five César Awards, including “Best Original Music” for Ron and Russell. In addition, the film’s “So May We Start” was shortlisted for “Best Original Song” at the 94th Academy Awards. Focus Features have recently announced plans to develop X-Crucior, a new musical epic written by Ron and Russell.
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