For Judah & the Lion, the last two years should've been the best of their lives as the Nashville band toured behind a powerful single and a genre-upending album, sharing stages with heroes and playing to oceans of fans. But as everything was coming together for them, singer-guitarist Judah Akers' world was falling apart as his family was hit by alcoholism and affairs, death and divorce. From that tension comes Pep Talks, the trio's third LP and a hard left turn into deeply personal terrain. Knowing they had something new on their hands, Judah, Brian Macdonald (mandolin), and Nate Zuercher (banjo) took their time crafting a set of songs that not only shores up their one-of-a-kind sound—a heart-pounding whirl of folk, bluegrass, rock, hiphop and electronic production—but takes the listener on a bracingly candid, surprisingly anthemic journey from the kind of pain that tears your whole world apart to the sort of hard-won hope that can bridge the deepest of rifts. "Up to this point, the band's message has mostly been: 'Live your best life! Pursue your dreams! Follow your heart!'" says Judah, "We had to start this record with broken-ness, with this cry that says, 'I don't want to hide this from anyone anymore. I'm going through something. I need help.'"
Tour dates:
August 2019
FRI 09: Memphis, TN / Mud Island Amphitheater
SAT 10: Kansas City, MO / Starlight Amphitheatre
SUN 11: San Francisco, CA / Outside Lands Music & Arts Fest
TUE 13: Morrison, CO / Red Rocks Amphitheatre
WED 14: Lincoln, NE / Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater
FRI 16: Indianapolis, IN / The Lawn at Great White River Park
SAT 17: Cleveland, OH / Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
SUN 18: Watkins Glen, NY / Watkins Glen International Raceway
WED 21: Birmingham, AL / Legacy Arena at the BJCC
THU 22: Charlotte, NC / Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater
FRI 23: Raleigh, NC / Red Hat Amphitheater
SAT 24: Nashville, TN / Ascend Amphitheater
September 2019
THU 05: Columbus, OH / Express Live!
FRI 06: Pittsburgh, PA / Stage AE
SAT 07: Portsmouth, VA / Portsmouth Pavilion
SUN 08: Greenville, SC / Bon Secours Wellness Arena
THU 12: Washington, DC / The Anthem
FRI 13: Philadelphia, PA / The Met Philadelphia
SAT 14: Boston, MA / House of Blues - Boston
SUN 15: Boston, MA / House of Blues - Boston
SUN 15: Providence, RI / The Strand
FRI 20: New York, NY / Terminal 5
SAT 21: Toronto, ON / Danforth Music Hall
SUN 22; Toronto, ON / Danforth Music Hall
SUN 22: Montréal, QC / Corona Theatre
THU 26: Madison, WI / The Sylvee
FRI 27: Grand Rapids, MI / 20 Monroe Live
SAT 28: Detroit, MI / The Fillmore Detroit
October 2019
TUE 01: Saint Louis, MO / The Pageant
WED 02: Saint Louis, MO / The Pageant
THU 03: Tulsa, OK / Brady Theater
FRI 04: Tulsa, OK / Brady Theater
FRI 04: Oklahoma City, OK / The Criterion
SAT 05: Austin, TX / Austin City Limits Music Festival - Zilker
WED 09: New Orleans, LA / The Fillmore at Harrah’s New Orleans
THU 10: Dallas, TX / Southside Ballroom
FRI 11: Houston, TX / Revention Music Center
SAT 12: Austin, TX / Austin City Limits Music Festival - Zilker
TUE 15: Salt Lake City, UT / The Union
WED 16: Phoenix, AZ / The Van Buren
THU 17:San Diego, CA / The Observatory - North Park
FRI 18: Los Angeles, CA / The Wiltern
SAT 19: Oakland, CA / Fox Theater
MON 21: Portland, OR / Roseland Theatre
TUE 22: Portland, OR / Roseland Theatre
TUE 22: Spokane, WA / The Knitting Factory
WED 23: Seattle, WA / Paramount Theatre
THU 24: Vancouver, BC / Orpheum
SAT 26: Calgary, AB / MacEwan Hall
SUN 27: Edmonton, AB / Union Hall
THU 31: Saint Paul, MN / Palace Theatre
November 2019
FRI 01: Saint Paul, MN / Palace Theatre
SAT 02: Chicago, IL / Aragon Ballroom
THU 07: Orlando, FL / House of Blues
FRI 08: Atlanta, GA / Coca-Cola Roxy
SAT 09: Atlanta, GA / Coca-Cola Roxy