Thanks For The Music

Grammy-winning Songwriters Hall of Fame member Don McLean celebrates the 50th anniversary of his global hit “American Pie” reaching #1 on the Billboard chart, where it stayed for four weeks! To commemorate the anniversary, McLean has coined his international 50th Anniversary “American Pie” World Tour which will visit multiple destinations in N. America, UK/Europe, and Australia!

American Songwriter discusses the oft-debated meaning of “American Pie” here. And CBS News Radio’s Steve Futterman caught up with McLean recently and shared this story with their listeners.

“I was writing songs and started singing ‘A long, long time ago’ right through ‘til the day the music died… I can still remember how that music used to make me smile…’ on and on right that day - just that whole thing right into the tape recorder. And I said, ‘Man, what is that?? That is so neat.’ I realized I'd captured the thing about Buddy and his death that I'd been feeling all those years in that one piece of music. Then I waited about three months and I figured out what I was gonna do and just wrote the whole thing in about an hour…,” said McLean.

McLean kicks off his international tour next Friday, January 28 at the Blue Note in Hawaii, then takes a midwestern swing with a stop at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. “American Pie” was birthed from death - ‘The Day The Music Died’ – coined after the fatal flight when pop/rock legends Buddy Holly (“That’ll Be The Day”, “Peggy Sue”), Ritchie Valens (“La Bamba”), J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, Jr. (“Chantilly Lace”) tragically lost their lives in an airplane crash after the concert February 3, 1959. McLean will pay tribute to the legendary trio with his sold-out anniversary concert there on February 3, 2022.

50th Anniversary ‘American Pie’ World Tour 2022 North American Dates:

January 28, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii

January 29, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii

January 30, 2022 – Honolulu, HI – Blue Note Hawaii

February 3, 2022 – Clear Lake, IA – Surf Ballroom

February 5, 2022 – Grand Forks, ND – Chester Fritz Auditorium

February 11, 2022 – The Villages, FL – Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center

February 12, 2022 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

February 14, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise

February 15, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise February 16, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise

February 17, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise February 18, 2022 – Port Canaveral, FL – Rock Legends Cruise

February 19, 2022 – Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

February 24, 2022 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre

April 29, 2022 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater

May 1, 2022 – Indianapolis, IN – Clowes Memorial Hall

May 7, 2022 – Toronto, Canada – John W H Bassett Theatre

May 12, 2022 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

May 13, 2022 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall

May 19, 2022 – St. Louis, MO – Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center

May 20, 2022 – Springfield, MO – Gillioz Theatre

June 2, 2022 – Albany, NY – The Egg

June 3, 2022 – Boston, MA – Shubert Theatre

June 4, 2022 – New York, NY – Town Hall

June 11, 2022 – Baltimore, MD – The Lyric

June 12, 2022 – Tysons, VA – Capital One Hall

June 17, 2022 – Grand Rapids, MI – DeVos Performance Hall

June 18, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI – The Pabst Theater

June 24, 2022 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

June 25, 2022 – Houston, TX – Cullen Performance Hall

June 26, 2022 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre

July 7, 2022 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre

July 8, 2022 – Grand Junction, CO – The Avalon Theatre

July 9, 2022 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre

50th Anniversary ‘American Pie’ World Tour 2022 European Dates:

September 11, 2022 – Cardiff, U.K. – St. Davids

September 13, 2022 – Ipswich, U.K. – Ipswich Regent Theatre

September 14, 2022 – Birmingham, U.K. – Symphony Hall

September 16, 2022 – Bath, U.K. – The Forum

September 17, 2022 – Torquay, U.K. – Princess Theatre

September 18, 2022 – Bournemouth, U.K. – Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre

September 20, 2022 – Brighton, U.K. – Brighton Dome Concert Hall

September 21, 2022 – Southend-on-sea, U.K. – Cliffs Pavilion

September 23, 2022 – Manchester, U.K. – Bridgewater Hall

September 24, 2022 – Gateshead, U.K. – Sage Gateshead

September 25, 2022 – Glasgow, U.K. – The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

September 27, 2022 – Edinburgh, U.K. – Usher Hall

September 28, 2022 – York, U.K. – York Barbican

September 30, 2022 – Leicester, U.K. – De Montfort Hall

October 1, 2022 – Sheffield, U.K. – City Hall

October 2, 2022 – Liverpool, U.K. – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

October 4, 2022 – London, U.K. – London Palladium

October 7, 2022 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena

October 9, 2022 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Concertgebouw de Vereeniging

October 10, 2022 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Koninklijk Theater Carré

October 14, 2022 – Bergen, Norway – Peer Gynt Salen

October 15, 2022 – Stavanger, Norway – Stavanger Kuppelhallen

October 16, 2022 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene

October 18, 2022 – Göteborg, Sweden – Lorensbergsteatern

October 20, 2022 – Turku, Finland – Logomo

October 21, 2022 – Helsinki, Finland – Kulttuuritalo

October 23, 2022 – Stockholm, Sweden – Göta Lejon

October 24, 2022 – Malmö, Sweden – Palladium

October 25, 2022 – Greve, Denmark – Portalen

October 27, 2022 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik

October 28, 2022 – Neuruppin, Germany – Kulturkirche

October 29, 2022 – Berlin, Germany – Admiralspalast

November 1, 2022 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Singel

November 11, 2022 – Munich, Germany – Prinzregententheater

November 13, 2022 – Linz, Austria – Posthof

For tickets and more information, visit donmclean.com.

About Don McLean: Don McLean is a Grammy award honoree, a Songwriter Hall of Fame member, a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and his smash hit “American Pie” resides in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and was named a top 5 song of the 20th Century by the Recording Industry of America (RIAA). A New York native, Don McLean is one of the most revered and respected songwriters in American history. After paying his dues in the New York club scene in the late ‘60s, he went on to score mega-hits like “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” “Castles in the Air” and many more. His catalog of songs has been recorded by Madonna, Garth Brooks, Josh Groban, Drake, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and countless others. In 2015, McLean’s handwritten manuscript of the lyrics to “American Pie” was auctioned by Christies, selling for just over $1.2 Million. 2019 honored Don with a star on the Las Vegas Walkway of Stars and his song “And I Love You So” was the theme for Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding. Don landed a new recording contract with Time Life in 2020, with whom he released a catalog of recordings as well as a new album ‘Still Playin’ Favorites’. 2021 brought Don’s “American Pie” features in the Avengers’ Black Widow and the new Tom Hanks movie Finch. Don received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, celebrated the 50th anniversary of “American Pie,” recorded a version of the song with a cappella group Home Free, a children’s book has been written, and much more! And when you think things are slowing down, not so for Don McLean!