When it comes to touring endurance, at least, rockers Tantric live up to the mystical promise of their name.
After spending this summer out with Three Doors Down and Lifehouse, Tantric – three former members of Days of the New plus lead singer Hugo Ferreira – plan to head out once again in the fall for a headlining tour of their own, according to the band.
“I’m not exactly sure who’s going to tour with us, but we’re gonna do about 40 dates,” Ferreira said Wednesday. “We’re looking forward to it all. We’ve already been on the road with Three Doors and they were really cool with us. They’re cool guys from the South.”
No details have been confirmed for the headlining tour, a spokesperson for Tantric’s label, Maverick Records, said.
As with the rest of their eponymous debut album (see), Tantric’s moody breakthrough single, “Breakdown,” is packed full of overdubbed guitars and stacked layers of vocal harmonies, thanks in part to Alice In Chains producer Toby Wright.
“I’m a big Chains fan. When we were recording, [Toby] heard all those harmonies in his head, so he was like, ‘Hey, how about this one and this one and this one,'” guitarist Todd Whitener said.
“So we’d add, like, 17-part harmonies and stuff,” Ferreira interjected, laughing. “And we’d be like, ‘It’s gonna be hard for us to do this live.'”
The band’s next single, “Astounded,” is also heavily studio-enhanced, as is its anticipated follow-up, “Mourning,” though Tantric’s members said they don’t have to struggle much to match the album’s sound in concert.
“We actually do pretty well. We pretty much do what’s on the record live. It’s the way we use our equipment – running one guitar through a clean amp and a dirty amp,” Ferreira said. “Vocally, me and Todd do pretty much every harmony that’s on the record – most people don’t even notice it’s missing that one part down there.”
Drummer Matt Taul said that, if anything, the band’s sound improves in concert. “There’s a difference. Our record captured us at a pretty energetic moment, but there’s some times live when we get a little heavier than the record,” he said. “We put a little more level and stuff into it so you don’t notice there’s not 15 harmonies – even though Todd and Hugo together sound like a million harmonies going on.”
Although Tantric’s opening slot on the 3 Doors Down tour means they’ll play short, no-frills sets, the band is pondering a more involved set-up for their headlining outing.
“We’re gonna have exploding mountains onstage,” Ferreira joked. “We’re gonna get our own weather machine. It’s just gonna come across the stage and kill us all.”
3 Doors Down/Lifehouse/Tantric Tour Dates, According To 3 Doors Down’s Label (Opening Acts May Vary On Some Dates):
- June 28 – Trenton, NJ – Sovereign Bank Arena
- June 29 – Manchester, NH – Singer Family Park
- July 3 – Cedar Rapids, IA – U.S. Cellular Center
- July 4 – Springfield, IL@ Prairie Capital Convention Center
- July 5 – Council Bluffs, IA – Westfair Amphitheatre
- July 6 – Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheatre
- July 8 – Billings, MT – MetraPark Arena
- July 11 – Seattle, WA – KeyArena at Seattle Center
- July 12 – Salem, OR – Salem Armory
- July 14 – Rohnert Park, CA – Crusher Stadium
- July 15 – Reno, NV – Peppermill Hotel Casino
- July 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – TBA
- July 19 – Sioux Falls, SD – Sioux Falls Arena
- July 20 – Minot, ND – North Dakota State Fair
- July 21 – Rapid City, SD – Rushmore Plaza
- July 22 – Cheyenne, WY – Frontier Days
- July 24 – Colorado Springs, CO – City Auditorium
- July 26 – Paso Robles, CA – California Mid-State Fair
- July 28 – San Diego, CA – SDSU Open Air Theatre
- July 29 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre
- August 1 – Valley Center, KS – Kansas Coliseum
- August 5 – Lafayette, LA – Cajundome
- August 7 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Civic Center
- August 8 – Memphis, TN – Mid-South Coliseum
