Ben Howard 2023 Tour Announcement – Is It? Tour Schedule
Ben Howard is embarking on the “Is It? Tour” this fall, a series of personal tales about the past year. The British singer-songwriter will begin on October 20th in Washington, DC, continuing through November 15th in Los Angeles, CA.
Howard has just released his fifth record, Is It?, a reflective series of songs that The Guardian calls his “most fluid, experimental album yet.” Leaning more into the electronic music sector, as opposed to Howard’s typical alternative-meets-indie folk, let’s say he’s had much to write about lately. In 2022, the singer experienced two transient ischaemic attacks (or mini-strokes) at only 35 years old. These left him without the ability to speak for a full hour and permanently affected his memory and mobility.
Now he’s dealing with the pain in the only way he knows how…through the power of song. New tracks like “Couldn’t Make It Up,” “Life in the Time,” and “Walking Backwards” detail the preciousness of time in this thing called life. While Howard was lucky to walk away with his musical talent well intact, he knows that anything can happen at any time. And he’s taking the “glass-half-full” approach as he attempts to “create the story of that experience” with Is It?
Howard’s near-death experience “fed into the writing” of the album, as he told The Guardian. “Lyrically, it was hard to avoid,” he says. “I wrote these songs to see if my faculties could actually maintain the act of songwriting. There was a fear I wouldn’t be able to write songs any more. I was struggling with memory in the fallout of the TIAs, struggling with words, and I was quite tired. But the songs came, and when they did, it was clear that this experience was preoccupying me constantly.”
This mindset helped to fuel the “gently philosophical nature” of songs like “Spirit,” which Howard says is about “how much choice we actually have in the direction of our lives.” “I just found it incredible that one slight anomaly, a little cell in your brain, can undo this human that you have built over so many years,” he says. “That it could put you right back to existing in a world that’s simply feelings. If memory is gone, life becomes a very different experience.”
It’s deep but necessary to hear for Howard’s longtime fans. The BRIT Award-winning singer is taking them on a bittersweet journey of health, heartache, and ultimately happiness. But don’t worry, his older songs like “Old Pine,” “Keep Your Head Up,” “End of the Affair,” and “Oats in the Water” will make their way into the setlist, too! Get your Ben Howard tickets today for the following dates.
Ben Howard 2023 Tour Dates
October 20, 2023 – Washington DC, DC – The Anthem
October 21, 2023 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
October 24, 2023 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
October 27, 2023 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
October 28, 2023 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
October 29 – 30, 2023 – Toronto, ON – History Toronto
November 1, 2023 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre – IL
November 3, 2023 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
November 4, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center – Salt Lake City
November 7, 2023 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre – Vancouver
November 8, 2023 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
November 9, 2023 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre Seattle
November 12, 2023 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater Oakland
November 14, 2023 – Del Mar, CA – The Sound – Del Mar
November 15, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles
Ben Howard tickets are available on the secondary marketplace, TicketSales.com. Stay tuned for more announcements!
