TOURISM: NILE AND SCAR SYMMETRY

Here are some quick notes about a couple of noteworthy tours announced over the last 24 hours.

Nile has announced that it will tour the U.S. next March and April with 28 dates around the country. There are two interesting aspects to this tour. First, the band will be playing two full sets with only a brief intermission, which means fans are going to get a lethal dose of Nile, with time for the band to provide a thorough selection from their discography.

Second, Nile aren’t taking any supporting bands along for this ride. Instead, they’re asking promoters to pick the three best local bands from each locale the tour will visit. As Karl Sanders explained in a press statement:

Supporting local bands in each city is a way for us to give something back to younger bands and the metal scene.  We’ve asked promoters to keep ticket prices low, so that fans of all ages can come and join us for an evening of metal.  In these difficult times of our recessionary economy, an evening of killer metal shouldn’t have to break the bank

This is a cool idea, and of course it provides an opportunity for local bands to get some great exposure. Exclusive pre-sale tickets are available now at EnterTheVault.com. I checked the prices, and they range from $10 to $20, depending on the city. The price in Seattle is $18. The schedule is right after the jump.

03/05/13 Kingdom – Richmond, VA
03/06/13 Empire – West Springfield, VA
03/07/13 The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
03/08/13 Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
03/09/13 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
03/10/13 BB Kings Blues Club – New York, NY
03/11/13 Bogie’s – Albany, NY
03/12/13 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
03/13/13 Screamin Willies – Columbus, OH
03/14/13 Blondie’s – Detroit, MI
03/15/13 Mojoes – Joliet, IL
03/16/13 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
03/17/13 The Firebird – St. Louis, MO
03/19/13 Gothic Theater – Englewood, CO
03/20/13 In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
03/22/13 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
03/23/13 Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
03/24/13 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
03/26/13 Las Vegas Country Saloon – Las Vegas, NV
03/27/13 The Grove – Anaheim, CA
03/28/13 Rocky Point Cantina – Tempe, AZ
03/30/13 Trees – Dallas, TX
03/31/13 Backstage Live – San Antonio, TX
04/01/13 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
04/03/13 State Theater – St. Petersburg, FL
04/04/13 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
04/05/13 Hooligans Music Hall – Jacksonville, NC
04/06/13 Tremont Music Hall – Charlotte, NC

Thanks to a tip from NCS supporter Utmu, I also found out that Scar Symmetry is headlining The Unseen Empire North American tour beginning later this month and extending into December. The supporting bands are Threat Signal, Stealing Axion (an NCS favorite), Lord of War, and Kings Field. Here’s the schedule:

11/24 – Springfield, VA © Empire*
11/25 – Trenton, NJ – © Champ’s*
11/26 – Montreal, QC – © Foufounes Electriques*
11/27 – Ottawa, ON – © Maverick’s*
11/28 – Poughkeepsie, NY – © The Loft
11/29 – Cleveland, OH – © Peabody’s
12/02 – Saint Paul, MN © Station 4
12/03 – Winnipeg, MB – © The Zoo
12/04 – Regina, SK – © The Exchange
12/05 – Edmonton, AB – © Pawn Shop
12/06 – Kelowna, BC – © The Level
12/07 – Seattle, WA – © Studio Seven
12/09 – Portland, OR – © Branx
12/12 – West Hollywood, CA – © The Whisky
12/14 – Tempe, AZ – © 910 Live