John Mayer is mounting his first major concert tour in three years following an extended vocal hiatus brought on by throat issues, Billboard has learned. The artist's tour in support of 2012's "Born and Raised," which topped the Billboard 200, kicks off July 6 at Milwaukee's SummerFest and continues into October.
Mayer will visit over 40 cities in four countries during the trek, including dates at Colorado's famed Red Rocks (July 16) and the Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 5), as well as festival stops at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sept. 17), and Rock in Rio in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Sept. 21).
Opening for Mayer on nearly all the dates will be "American Idol" winner Phillip Phillips. A dollar from each ticket will be donated to the NCIRE to support returning Veterans.
To warm up for the tour, Mayer will perform at the sold-out Tuscaloosa Amphitheater on April 25 and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 26. They will mark his first full-length concerts since a throat granuloma forced him to cancel initial tour plans around "Born and Raised," his fifth studio album. In January he played a brief set at a benefit concert in Montana.
In this week's Billboard, Mayer tells his harrowing journey in the past year to repair his vocal cords after unsuccessful surgery. He's calling his recovery a dream come true, especially since it means he can sing for his fans again.
"The greatest gift I have in my life is the opportunity to play again, which is also the opportunity to dream again," he says. "My dreams were in escrow, but when I found out this thing in my throat had receded, the most exciting thing for me was having a second chance at a new life. My dreams have come true twice. That's really cool."
Tour Dates:
April 25 -- Tuscaloosa, AL (Tuscaloosa Amphitheater - SOLD-OUT)
April 26 -- New Orleans, LA (JazzFest)
July 6 -- Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest- Marcus Amphitheater
July 7 -- Maryland Heights/St. Louis, MO (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
July 9 -- Cincinnati, OH (Riverbend Music Center)
July 10 -- Bonner Springs, KS (Cricket Wireless Amphitheater)
July 12 -- Woodlands, TX (The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
July 13 -- Dallas, TX (Gexa Energy Pavilion)
July 16 -- Morrison, CO (Red Rocks Amphitheatre)
July 19 -- Ridgefield, WA (Sleep Country Amphitheater)
July 20 -- George, WA (The Gorge)
July 22 -- Paso Robles, CA (California Mid State Fair)
July 24 -- Wheatland, CA (Sleep Train Amphitheatre at Sacramento)
July 26 -- Mountain View, CA (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
July 27 -- Irvine, CA (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Irvine)
Aug. 6 -- Cuyahoga Falls, OH (Blossom Music Center)
Aug. 7 -- Clarkston, MI (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
Aug. 9 -- Tinley Park, IL (First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre)
Aug. 10 -- Noblesville, IN (Klipsch Music Center)
Aug. 11 -- Springfield, IL (Illinois State Fair)
Aug. 13 -- Darien, NY (Darien Lake Performing Arts Center)
Aug. 14 -- Toronto, ON (Molson Canadian Amphitheatre)
Aug. 16 -- Hartford, CT (Comcast Theatre)
Aug. 17 -- Mansfield, MA (Comcast Center)
Aug. 20 -- Bethel, NY (Bethel Woods Center for the Arts)
Aug. 21 -- Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Aug. 23 -- Camden, NJ (Susquehanna Bank Center)
Aug. 24 -- Virginia Beach, VA (Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach)
Aug. 25 -- Burgettstown, PA (First Niagara Pavilion)
Aug. 27 -- Allentown, PA (The Great Allentown Fair)
Aug. 28 -- Wantagh, NY (Nikon at Jones Beach Theater)
Aug. 30 -- Saratoga Springs, NY (Saratoga Performing Arts Center)
Aug. 31 -- Bristow, VA (Jiffy Lube Live)
Sept. 1 -- Atlantic City, NJ (Borgata Resort Spa and Casino Event Center)
Sept. 4 -- Charlotte, NC (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte)
Sept. 5 -- Raleigh, NC (Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek)
Sept. 7 -- Tampa, FL (Live Nation Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds)
Sept. 8 -- West Palm Beach, FL (Cruzan Amphitheatre)
Sept. 17 -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (Luna Park)
Sept. 21 -- Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Rock in Rio)
Sept. 27 -- Atlanta, GA (Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood)
Oct. 1 -- Albuquerque, NM (Isleta Amphitheater)
Oct. 2 -- Phoenix, AZ (Desert Sky Pavilion)
Oct. 4 -- San Diego, CA (Sleep Train Amphitheatre)
Oct. 5 -- Los Angeles, CA (Hollywood Bowl)
Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1554197/john-mayer-announces-first-tour-in-3-years