Devin Townsend revealed he'd be playing Strapping Young Lad material live for the first time in a long time come his 2020 tours. Townsend recently addressed the choice to finally start playing Strapping Young Lad material live again in an interview with Kaaos TV, saying he's just tired of being afraid of those songs.
Oh, and before we go any further, Townsend also said "that train's left the station a long time ago" about a potential Strapping Young Lad reunion. So don't get your hopes up.
"I'm sick of being afraid of it… Maybe it had baggage. Maybe it was the band that had baggage for me, but musically, Strapping was what I was writing then just like 'Empath' is what I'm writing now. It's no different, so for me to vilify part of my creative past makes no sense to me. I don't think I'm even facing [my demons]; I think I'm just letting them a voice. I just think that for me to be afraid of a part of myself that was obviously upset, to keep that from having a voice, to me, just doesn't make any sense. It's like, 'Just figure it out.' My objectives are musically to get to a place that I haven't been yet, and I think that [at] this particular stage of my career, it's just clear to me that the only way to get there is to get through all this shit."
For his heavier sets in 2020 including the Strapping Young Lad material, Townsend recruited Wes Hauch (ex-The Faceless, Black Crown Initiate), bassist Kyle Konkiel (Bad Wolves), and drummer Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, ex-Soilwork). Get the dates below.
2/27 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre [Tickets]
2/28 Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre [Tickets]
2/29 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw [Tickets]
3/1 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club [Tickets]
3/3 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts [Tickets]
3/5 Charlotte, NC @ The Underground [Tickets]
3/6 Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage [Tickets]
3/7 Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live [Tickets]
3/9 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live [Tickets]
3/10 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre [Tickets]
3/12 Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom [Tickets]
3/13 Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Ballroom [Tickets]
3/14 Chicago, IL @ Metro [Tickets]
3/15 Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues [Tickets]
3/16 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live [Tickets]
3/19 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue [Tickets]
3/20 Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater [Tickets]
3/21 Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater [Tickets]
3/23 Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren [Tickets]
3/24 Los Angeles, CA @ The Mayan [Tickets]
3/25 San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom [Tickets]
