FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 8, 2022
 

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT 
Announces Canadian and US West Coast “Unfollow the Rules Tour” 

The London Times’ 4 star review of his London Palladium show comments “when he unleashes that velvety truffle of a voice…you want it to go on and on.”
On the heels of a successful UK band tour, Rufus Wainwright announces a North American tour that brings him from the West Coast to Eastern Canada from April 13th through May 21st 2022.

The tour is in support of his 2020 BMG released Grammy and Juno nominated pop album UNFOLLOW THE RULES. Since then Rufus has released two more albums with BMG. “Unfollow the Rules – Paramour Session” released in September 2021 is a live recording of a stripped down version of Unfollow the Rules plus some new tracks recorded and filmed in Los Angeles prior to the studio album’s release. “Rufus Wainwright and Amsterdam Sinfonietta” is a live recording of a 2017 tour with the famed Amsterdam based 21 piece string orchestra featuring covers of Jacques Brel, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen plus Wainwright classics and previously unreleased songs in lush new arrangements. 

Known for his incredibly engaging live performances, Rufus returns to the West Coast and Canada with a brand new band for the tour: LA musician Brian Green (John Legend, Michael Bublé, Pomplamoose) as music director, guitar and backing vocals; Jacob Mann on keyboard, piano and backing vocals; and Alan Hampton on bass, guitar, ukulele and backing vocals.

Playing a set list of classics and new cuts from his highly praised new album, the dates are sure to be a highlight of the year. General tickets as well as VIP tickets will be on sale at 10am on February 11th HERE

Rufus says, "I am excited to tour North America and particularly my home country of Canada with Unfollow the Rules. I have always felt very much at home artistically there and my husband and I actually have a home in Berlin so I get to spend some time there and even play his home town. A lot of my musical references have European roots. I consider Unfollow the Rules my first fully mature album; it is like a bookend to the beginning of my career.” He continues "For me with every concert that is happening, mine or others, we are returning a bit more towards our normal lives. Experiencing music together gives me hope and confidence that we will rise above the isolating and heartbreaking experience of the past two years collectively."

Rufus Wainwright plays the following in North America this coming April and May:
Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, UNFOLLOW THE RULES finds the artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness while remaining as creative, bold, and mischievous as ever. 

Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios – including Sound City Studios, United Recording, and EastWest Studios – the album serves as both bookend to Act I of an extraordinary career which, like Unfollow The Rules, began in the studios of Los Angeles, but also now as the first lines of a remarkable new chapter. 

The press found overwhelming praise for Wainwright’s 9th studio album:

“An opulently crafted highlight reel, a career-spanning sampler of the singer’s many styles and guises.”
- Pitchfork
 
“Nobody sings quite like Rufus Wainwright.” - The New Yorker

“‘Unfollow The Rules’ showcases Wainwright’s skills in the highest definition.” - Mojo 

“Lush, layered, romantic, passionate, feverish and febrile...Wainwright is the man.” - Financial Times UK

“If this was the first Rufus Wainwright album you ever heard, it would surely seduce you as effortlessly as any he’s made.” - Metro 

“‘Unfollow The Rules’ is a timely reminder of everything that’s wonderful about Wainwright.” - Clash 

“Rufus Wainwright has always been a daredevil, but his new album is still a shock...this is one of Wainwright’s finest albums.” - Independent
About Rufus Wainwright
 
Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Robert Wilson, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical. His latest GRAMMY® and JUNO nominated album, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness.
 
Order ‘UNFOLLOW THE RULES’ Here
Order “Unfollow the Rules The Paramour Session” Here
Pre-order “Rufus Wainwright + Amsterdam Sinfonietta” Here
 
 
For further press inquiries please contact Jim Merlis at jim@bighassle.com