Bill could finally hit the road again on June 25, 2021, after having to hunker down in his home studio in Austin, TX, for the entire tour season of 2020. But, as we explained earlier this year, he never stopped performing during the pandemic. Every Friday night, he held what he called “a lockdown hoedown” and streamed a live show on Facebook for hundreds of fans.
An especially memorable show was on December 17, continuing the tradition of Bill’s annual “Honky Tonk Holiday Show.” Normally a road tour, played on as many as 21 nights in a row in different cities and wrapping up in Austin on Christmas Eve, Bill welcomed several hundred fans for his 2020 streamed version. Saying “Even trucks need Christmas, too”, Bill wore a Santa hat on top and pajamas down below, and in the background was a string of lights that were, of course, blue.
Back in Ohio, Mike Bradley said they hung stockings while watching the show. A rockabilly medley of traditional Christmas songs played with acoustic guitar and Bill’s signature Telecaster made for a memorable night that was, as Patricia Schneider Mannor, said, “awesome!”
You can find Bill’s 2021-22 tour schedule, sometimes playing with the Lost Planet Airmen, on his website, https://www.billkirchen.com/official. But luckily for most of us who are sticking close to home, we can still hear Bill on many Friday nights, live-streaming a Cabin Fever Reliever show on Facebook from the Kirchen kitchen.
Another class member who’s back on the road performing is Jim Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop, with a full roster of tour dates extending into 2022. If you’re one of his “poptimist” fans, you’ll cross your fingers and count on all the announced European locations being open and safe by the time next year comes around.
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