Fruit Bats Announce 2024 US Tour Dates & New Live Album ‘Starry-eyed, in Stereo’

Eric D. Johnson-led band Fruit Bats confirmed 2024 U.S. Tour dates. Also in the performance sphere, Fruit Bats announced a live compilation, Starry-eyed, in Stereo, available as a tour exclusive cassette and digitally on May 10 via Merge Records.

Johnson will deliver a solo set at Brooklyn Bowl on March 29 in support of Guster to kick of Fruit Bats 2024 itinerary. Eric will reprise the role in Guster’s hometown of Boston the following evening.

The Fruit Bats band will get things going on May 7 in Big Sur, California. Additional California stops include Ojai, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and the Bay Area’s Mill Valley. A two-night stand at Portland, Oregon’s Aladdin Theater kicks off on May 15. Another two-night stint at The Crocodile in Seattle follows. Fruit Bats wrap the spring leg in Missoula, Montana on May 19.

Fruit Bats get back out on the road on July 17 at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado. The band then heads to Red Rocks to open for Dr. Dog’s first concert since NYE 2021. Johnson and company continue their tour in Kansas City on July 19. Additional Midwest dates include St. Louis and Indianapolis.

July 26 will see the band in Asheville, North Carolina followed by an engagement in Lexington, Kentucky. Fruit Bats conclude the summer swing on July 28 at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee.

Tickets go on sale Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. local time.

Fruit Bats document their past two years of touring with the release of Starry-eyed, in Stereo. The compilation boasts 20 tracks pulled from Fruit Bats excursions around compilation Sometimes a Cloud Is Just a Cloud and 2023 studio LP A River Running to Your Heart. Eric D. Johnson further detailed the new live compilation.

“In early 2022, when we embarked on a national tour in support of the Sometimes a Cloud… compilation, our longtime sound guy / best bud / spiritual advisor Nathan Vanderpool thought it might be a cool idea to run some proverbial ‘tape’ at any venue that could provide such a thing. In the scattered opportunities when we could, we did…and that directive then ran over into the A River Running to Your Heart tour last year, too. These songs are from a random assortment of shows in a wide spectrum of cities. A different vibe with each song and each night—very much how tour kinda feels… It’s a nice little memento of a couple of crazy and often magical years of live shows.

Also, quite surprisingly, I’ve never released any music on cassette before, so this seemed like the time. So get your tape decks ready to go.

“As for the single, ‘On the Avalon Stairs’ is maybe a bit of a deep cut,” Eric added. “I dunno. We don’t play it every night, and it’s never made it onto any high-end playlists or anything. But if I actually had to pick my own personal favorite, that one is up there for me. It’s a little glimpse into my own fears and dreams and philosophies, and I’m always a little emotional singing it even if I’m not quite sure why. This version is from a rather beautiful night at the rather beautiful Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY.”

Preview Starry-eyed, in Stereo with “On the Avalon Stairs” below:

Starry-eyed, in Stereo Tracklist:

1. Absolute Loser (Live)
2. A Lingering Love (Live)
3. The Rock Doc (Live)
4. Waking Up in Los Angeles (Live)
5. The Bottom of It (Live)
6. Shivering Fawn (Live)
7. Cub Pilot (Live)
8. On the Avalon Stairs (Live)
9. The Balcony (Live)
10. Flamingo (Live)
11. Cazadera (Live)
12. Tacoma (Live)
13. Baby Bluebird (Live)
14. Hummer (Live)
15. Sick of This Feeling (Live)
16. The Pet Parade (Live)
17. Rips Me Up (Live)
18. Shane (Live)
19. Drawn Away (Live)
20. Humbug Mountain Song (Live)