The Secret’s Out: Dwight Yoakam’s Heading Out On Tour in 2019
Don’t trust anyone who claims to be a country music fan that doesn’t care for Dwight Yoakam. They’re probably a communist, or a Nazi, or like to torture puppies for pleasure or something, or at least are a Florida Georgia Line fan. Living on Earth with Dwight Yoakam is a constant exercise in coming to grips with the fact that you will never be as cool as Dwight Yoakam. But that’s okay, because you get to live on the same planet as Dwight Yoakam.
Fingers are crossed that 2019 will be a big year for Dwight. He released a couple of singles last May, and surely has a new record due by now. He may even receive a little consideration for the Country Music Hall of Fame this coming year. All of this is wild speculation at the moment though, while we have hard confirmation that he’ll be heading out on tour in 2019, and hitting up the usual haunts of casinos and theaters, squeezing into tight jeans with his Stetson pulled over his eyes, making your wife or girlfriend swoon while crooning out country classics with a caramel voice Johnny Cash once called the greatest ever in country music.
Lucky bastards in Iowa, Minnesota, Arkansas, Texas, the Upper Midwest, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and the West Coast will be treated to as much Dwightness as they can handle in the early portions of 2019. And if you don’t see a date within spitting distance of you, simmer down, he’ll likely have more dates to come. And if he is coming close to you, don’t screw this up by sitting at home trying to catch up on episodes of Black Mirror on Netflix or something. Get your ass to a show, and live a little for Pete’s sake.
Dwight Yoakam 2019 Tour Dates (So Far):
Jan 17th – Five Flags Center – Dubuque, IA
Jan 18th – Orpheum Theatre – Sioux City, IA
Jan 19th – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel – Prior Lake, MN
Jan 20th – The Sanford Center – Bemidji, MN
Feb 14th – Temple Live – Ft. Smith, AR
Feb 15th – Arena Theatre – Houston, TX
Feb 16th – Billy Bob’s Texas – Ft. Worth, TX
Feb 17th – The Theatre at Verizon Arena – North Little Rock, AR
Feb 21st – Sangamon Auditorium – Springfield, IL
Feb 22nd – Firekeepers Casino – Battle Creek, MI
Feb 23rd – Capitol Theatre – Wheeling, WV
Feb 24th – The Clay Center – Charleston, WV
Mar 9th – Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Event Center – Cherokee, NC
May 9th – Turlock Community Theatre – Turlock, CA
May 17th – Whitewater Ampitheater – New Braunfels, TX
May 23rd – Harrah’s Council Bluffs – Council Bluffs, IA
Jul 6th – Lazy Rockin’ Stirrup Ranch – LRS Music Festival – Paulina, OR
Sep 12th – Sweetland Ampitheater at Boyd Park – LaGrange, GA
Doug T
January 5, 2019 @ 9:40 am
Saw him on the LSD tour. He was so loud we left. Ear splitting loud. Why? I go to 5-10 shows annually. Nothing like that has ever happened.
He sounded great in the parking lot.
JJ
January 5, 2019 @ 7:52 pm
Sounds like you’re old. TURN IT UP!
Bobby G.
January 5, 2019 @ 9:22 pm
Sounds like you are a Pot head.
Joanna
January 6, 2019 @ 7:02 am
I saw Dwight 7 times in 2018, including 2 LSD shows. Front row for most of them. Yes. Dwight is loud-where have you been?
Ann E.
November 11, 2019 @ 8:02 pm
You have never been to a Bon Jovi concert. Outside venue my clothing still literally vibrated from the base. I loved it. Probably why I am deaf now seeing all these great bands over the years. LOL
hoptowntiger94
January 5, 2019 @ 9:41 am
Wheeling!
I haven’t seen Dwight in concert as a headliner in years (2001)!
I caught him a year later with Brooks & Dunn on one of those Neon Circus & Wild West tours which were very wild.
So, I’m due.
Jackie Treehorn
January 5, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
I love getting the”Wheelin Feelin”. Man I hope to make that one too. I’ve seen George jones and the Hag there twice a long time ago. Great venue.
hoptowntiger94
January 6, 2019 @ 1:54 pm
I danced with Wynonna at a concert at the Wheeling Civic Center in 1994 or 1995. She pulled me out of the crowd. I was 18.
Peter
January 5, 2019 @ 9:46 am
Saw him a couple of years back as part of c2c here in the UK. Crazy loud but fantastic in every other way.
Melissa Nieto
January 5, 2019 @ 4:36 pm
I took my parents a couple months ago here in Phoenix, Arizona, best show ever!!! He’s so awesome 👍
norrie
January 5, 2019 @ 10:22 am
Seen him over here in Scotland twice but it’s been years since he’s been over other than c2c festival appearance .Hope he comes over again love his live show.I’ve seen Motorhead live in a smallish venue so nothing is loud anymore
Honky Tonker
January 5, 2019 @ 10:42 am
Looks like a trip to New Braunfels in May for me. Trigg,ya wanna ride the river?
Trigger
January 5, 2019 @ 10:59 am
I hope that’s not a euphemism.
🙂
ThatFireGuy13
January 5, 2019 @ 11:29 am
Saw Dwight at Boondocks Pub in Springfield, IL back in early ’17. Best concert Ive been to so far. Played some of his hits, then in the middle of the show just jamming out to tons of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens songs. Worth every cent to see him. His voice sounds better live than on the radio. Would love to see him again.
H.P. @ Hillbilly Highways
January 5, 2019 @ 3:35 pm
I’ve seen him play each of the last two years (once with Willie Nelson, once without). Both times he played several Merle songs.
Priscilla Hall
January 6, 2019 @ 1:57 am
Dwight appreciates the good things like Merle and Willie! Too late for Merle, but i’d sure love to see him with Willie! I would give my right arm! Those 2 are the only two artists I would go see, and I would pay whatever it took! I live between Knoxville, Tennessee,Chattanooga, Tennessee and Cherokee, NC, but sounds like he will be several other places I could go also! The last concert I was in was Merle Haggard about 30 years ago! I got married to someone not keen to Country Music, but you just got to give Dwight a chance! He is so eclectic and has something for everyone. I divorced the other jerk I was married too, single 15 years, and now am married to a Bluegrass player at least! When I play a little”grass” with him, he plays country, old Pop, Blues. Etc with me, so I think h’d go with me……..if not, I will go by myself!!! Please someone post if he will be near me soon! I’ve had Chronic Illnesses for the past 20 years, but I am better! Thanks and good luck to all!
Priscilla Hall, Tellico Plains, Tennessee 37385
scott
January 7, 2019 @ 6:37 am
Was in Tellico Plains last November. Nice slice of heaven you live in!
Priscilla Hall
January 9, 2019 @ 12:22 am
Thanks Scott!,, I have lived here all my life, and it is very special. My Dad was Mayor of Tellico Plains for 30+ years. He and Mom died at 90 and 91 years old in 2015–5 days apart! Mom died in the middle of the night the day we burned Daddy. Very hard. I am the youngest of 4 girls and I always lived here close to them while the rest married people away from here and moved off. I did get my degree from Ut Knoxville but I came home just about every weekend to check on them and my horses; AND I sang on Friday and Saturday nights in Etowah, TN at The Starr Mountain Jamboree. Etowah is only 15 minutes from here. They ( Mom and Dad ), were My biggest fans!
Anyway, Tellico is such a small town, look me up if you ever come back! My Dad built 2 Museums before he died which are pretty cool. They are on the main drag going into town. They all know how to get me, and my sister spends a lot of time there. She loves that kind or thing, so the ret of us had no problem turning it over to her. Her name is Pam, and she and her husband have built a beautiful home up the river with a spectacular view and are in the process of retiring here in a few years. The Charles Hall Museum is what they are called and admission is free ( unless you feel compelled to leave a dollar or two in the donation box on your way out! ). Daddy kept it going out of his pocket when he was alive. But we didn’t get any inheritance because those Museums will be left to the town of Tellico, so we have a Foundation and a Board of Directors and try to come up with fund raisers: motorcycle runs, bicycle marathons, Music shows with a few well known headliners……my husband and I usually end the show. I play Upright Bass, Guitar and do most of the singing, while my husband plays Mandolin, Guitar, and sings a Few songs while we switch out the harmony. Because I like most all genres of music, we do an eclectic show with me doing Dwight, Willie, Merle,etc,and even some Pop and rock n’ roll from the 70’s mostly, while my husband does some Bluegrass of all eras. Anyway, that’s usually in the Fall-Nov.
Wish we could afford Dwight!
Thanks again for noticing our pretty little town!
Priscilla ( Prissy)
Elaine
January 5, 2019 @ 11:31 am
Wish I could just see Dwight one time
Arnoldo's New Rodeo
January 5, 2019 @ 11:50 am
Newsflash, he’s touring!!! If it’s on your wish list, make it happen & go on a road trip to the nearest arena!! No excuses.
Judy
January 5, 2019 @ 2:52 pm
Me too… hopefully I can make it this go round
Tricia
January 5, 2019 @ 9:22 pm
I will be seeing Dwight for the 1st time Jan 19th and will leave feed back love the man, his music and his voice xoxoxoxo
I Got Beef with Seth of Lampasas
January 5, 2019 @ 11:53 am
I’m hoping he comes to New England. Any word on an opening act?
Brett
January 5, 2019 @ 11:54 am
Hopefully he sends so new music our way this year! Seen him live in a festival setting a few years ago. The man is a showman and a top notch performer. If you have never seen him, you owe it to yourself. Still love the cowpunk vibe of Second Hand Heart, curious what direction a new album of his would go in after his last bluegrass venture.
CARYLON K CRAWFORD
January 5, 2019 @ 12:08 pm
I’ve been to 2 of his Concerts here in Jonesboro, Arkansas at the ASU CONVO. CENTER. Dwight was so Fantastically great. Love him & his music so very much. I hope he makes his way back to Jonesboro, Arkansas this year. Love to be able to go to see him & his band. The louder the better.
I miss Toy!
January 5, 2019 @ 12:50 pm
Oh Yes Oh Yes Cherokee, taking wife and reefer! “might lose some money on poker, too”
Corncaster
January 5, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
How loud are we talking?
Jim L
January 5, 2019 @ 3:54 pm
I like bands to play on the loud side, but the last Dwight show was crazy loud… loud as some heavy metal bands. More painful than enjoyable.
Carol
January 5, 2019 @ 1:13 pm
NO BOSTON????? 😞
Steve C
January 5, 2019 @ 1:14 pm
That tears it. I’m changing my iTunes to all Dwight, all the time until he comes to New England. Yeah, he did this year but I had extenuating circumstances.
Biscuit
January 5, 2019 @ 1:21 pm
Saw him twice last year and both times, he was amazing. Dwight is a legend and one of the greats.He and his band were like a traditional country version of the Ramones…1,2,3,4 bam, one great song after another, high energy, with few pauses and he played a long time. Great Haggard tribute, truly great shows. One show was opened by the awesome Elise Davis. Go see Dwight if he’s in your town and fingers crossed, we get a new album in 2019.
Bob
January 5, 2019 @ 2:33 pm
I’ve seen him twice in Reno and at the California State Fair. Always a great show. Hoping for a Reno show again
Frankie Rogers
January 5, 2019 @ 2:39 pm
Saw him at Horseshoe Casino Tunica . He was great! Will he be back there anytime this year!
Matsfan/Jatsfan
January 5, 2019 @ 3:10 pm
Dwight is my all-time favorite country singer. I have seen him five times over the past 30 years, from a small club in 1986 to an Amphitheater at his commercial peak to theatres the past decade. Fantastic every single time. So country, it rocks. In the theatres, it has definitely been loud, but not excessive although I will admit two years ago when I had third row it sounded better a little further back. First time I saw Sturgill Simpson it was when he opened for Dwight on hit 3 Pears tour. Great singer, great band. Go see him!
Cody
January 5, 2019 @ 4:04 pm
Come to Florida!!!
Ann E.
November 11, 2019 @ 8:06 pm
He is in FL. I see him in Sarasota on 11/16 and he will be in Clearwater or Jacksonville right after.
jimsouls
January 5, 2019 @ 4:16 pm
Yoakam has long been a personal favorite. Saw him a couple years ago in Philly. Loudest country show ever. Heck, one of the loudest shows ever. Uncomfortable. An older guy sat next to us with his two adult daughters. He was thrilled to be there since he had never seen Yoakam before. The smile left his face as soon as the show began and never returned. I felt sorry for him. Us? We will never see Yoakam again (this was also my wife’s first time seeing him and she was not impressed) .
By the way, he played nothing from any of his 21st century albums. The lengthy soliloquies about his country heroes. The Dwight shimmies that looked awkward for a man his age. Just an all-around bad show.
The shame of a disappointing show such as this is how it might affect a person’s overall view of the artist’s music. This sometimes happens to me. Having never seem The Jam (I had tickets in ’79 but the show was canceled due to poor sales), I was anxious to see Paul Weller last year. Horrible. We left early and I will never listen to The Jam again.
RD
January 5, 2019 @ 6:12 pm
Is Chet baker playing Philly this year?
eisenhorn1009
January 5, 2019 @ 8:10 pm
For my fortieth birthday a few years back, my wife got me tickets to see Dwight at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta. The show was absolutely average and sort of disappointing. He took an hour to take the stage after the opening act and just sang through the motions. I think he was either drunk or stoned, or both. I had seen him a few years prior at Chastain and it was a great show; this was nothing like it. Dwight has been one of my favorites since my high school years in the eighties, and he holds a special place for me, but I do not think I will see him live again. I guess everybody has bad days at work, though.
Canuck
January 23, 2019 @ 9:19 pm
This sounds like the show of Dwight’s that I saw. I regularly go to metal concerts, so I know what loud sounds like, especially if it’s done well. Dwight’s sound was NOT done well. The mix was way too loud, he and his band were half-assing it (his guitar play especially, who was cutting off riffs and playing lazily all night), and Dwight himself didn’t look thrilled to be there. In fact, as soon as he hit the stage, he rolled his eyes at the guitar player and then proceeded to play the most mediocre live set from a country artist I’ve heard.
It was a massive disappointment, as I’ve been a Dwight fan for years and love his music, but from what I’ve read following that show a few years back, and here, this is a regular occurrence for him. Sounds good on the record, middling live. It’s a real shame, but I wouldn’t walk across the street to see him again. Still love his music, but he’s not the same artist live, and it bothers me that he still takes fans’ money to put on a poor show.
Cobra
January 5, 2019 @ 7:41 pm
Saw Dwight back in October (second time as a headliner, also saw him as an opener for Eric Church once).
.
He’s freaking amazing.
.
Kate ohama
January 5, 2019 @ 9:10 pm
Oh my gosh I saw Dwight at the Hanford theater in Hanford California. He was fabulous he was absolutely fabulous and so is King leg. The first time I saw him was in Fresno at the Saroyan Theatre right after buenas noches to a lonely night came Out.He was great both times !! In fact I bought five of his CDs shortly afterwards. He’s coming to to Tulare , And it’s worth the hour Drive to get to see him again. He’s so rocks !!!!
Lois Pulliam
January 5, 2019 @ 9:22 pm
Bring it on….lower Louisiana will be ready for you…
Daniele
January 6, 2019 @ 3:17 am
DWIGHT YOAKAM IS THE MAN!!
I even turned some of my communist friends into fans!!
Donna
January 6, 2019 @ 10:43 am
Would love to see him again. Any New York dates????
Benny Lee
January 6, 2019 @ 5:28 pm
Dwight was my first real favorite singer and my conduit back to all the old stuff, all the way back to Hank and Lefty.
He’s one of the greats.
Corncaster
January 6, 2019 @ 5:37 pm
I was playing Dwight tunes in 1990. He’s easily a top five writer in his generation. I love the guy. However, it’s clear he’s carrying a chip about women, and he’s a bit of an act. Buck was a mixed influence. So not perfect (who is?), but as a writer he is miles and miles better than most everyone else. It must have been due partly to his English teacher, and I am not kidding. Top contributor, if a bit narrow.
Marylou Campbell
January 6, 2019 @ 8:48 pm
come to Canada! we love you!! 😉😘
The Dot
January 6, 2019 @ 9:47 pm
If he makes it anywhere near me in NJ, I’ll go. And I’ll bring my concert earplugs. Still get great sound but I won’t be deaf afterwards.
Daniel
January 11, 2019 @ 12:34 am
I saw the LSD tour and he was great, but it was a long show. I’d prefer to just see each of the L, S, and D on their own for a much shorter night. I’ve spent too much time at punk shows with 20 minutes sets; these 3 hour nights drag on. Anyway, one of the problems with Chicago’s steady stream of festivals, which are of zero interest to me, is that it seems like good touring country artists never come here except to play those festivals.
scott
January 18, 2019 @ 6:58 am
Announced a Peoria show earlier this week! Tix on sale today!
Randy
November 16, 2019 @ 8:46 am
The show at King Centef in Melbourne FL was awful. The guitar tech and sound engineer were incompetent, Dwights guitar was so overdriven and sounded like it was running through a tin can. It totally drownded out his vocals and was painful, had to use the napkins from our drinks as ear plugs. The only time it sounded good was when he stopped strumming the damn guitar. Dwight was a clueless clown who dicked around with the amp several times, never had the common sense to turn it off and let Eugene handle the guitar, he didn’t need Dwight strummimg his awful sounding guitar. Totally wasted $400 on the worst concert I have ever had to endure. Will not pay to see him in concert again which is a shame, the previous 3 concerts were great. They need to fire the guitar and sound tech.
Trigger
November 16, 2019 @ 9:14 am
Wasn’t there, but that sounds like it could have been an incompetent sound guy. It’s your front of house man that controls the volume and the mix, not Dwight. He can’t hear what the crowd is hearing, just what is in his monitors.
Shaun
October 13, 2020 @ 1:11 pm
I agree that his guitar is too loud! I am a sound guy and was working with Dwight here in Georgia. I wasn’t mixing the show but was just supporting his sound guy. He said Dwight will not turn his amp down. The sound guy can barely even put it in the mix. I asked why mic it at all? The best place to sit is away from the middle off axis with the front of his amp. His amp usually points straight off the center of the stage and it is LOUD. It shoots the volume all the way to the back of the venue, right up the middle of the audience. It isn’t the sound guys fault. He says he has had to learn to live with it that Dwight just will not turn down his amp. That’s the sound Dwight wants so that’s the sound he gets. I have worked on some loud shows. The loudest being a Poison concert back years ago. Also Molly Hatchett typically gets unnecessarily loud with the guitars too.