The Afghan Whigs have announced a 40th anniversary North American tour that will kick off on April 25 at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, with Kingston-based indie rock royalty Mercury Rev supporting on all dates. The run marks a milestone for two bands whose careers have unfolded largely outside the strictures of indie-rock orthodoxy, each carving out a singular identity while remaining deeply influential.
Formed in Cincinnati in 1986, the Afghan Whigs emerged at a moment when American alternative rock was increasingly defined by distortion and a studied rejection of sophistication. The Whigs took a different path. Fronted by co-founder Greg Dulli, the band drew as much from soul and R&B as from punk and hard rock, favoring sharp suits over thrift-store grunge and channeling influences like Marvin Gaye and Al Green alongside their noisier contemporaries. Albums such as Gentlemen (1993) and Black Love (1996) helped establish the band as outsiders with a distinct emotional and musical vocabulary.
After disbanding in 2001, the Afghan Whigs reunited in 2012 for a tour that quickly reaffirmed their standing, with sold-out shows and festival appearances across the US, Europe, and the Southern Hemisphere. The reunion proved to be more than a victory lap. Since then, the band has released three well-received albums—Do to the Beast (2014), In Spades (2017), and How Do You Burn? (2022)—that expanded their catalog while preserving the tension and swagger that defined their earlier work.
“Forty years later, I still get to do the thing I love the most,” Dulli said in a statement announcing the anniversary tour. “Writing songs and performing them with my friends all over the world. I truly have to pinch myself.”
The tour will be supported by Mercury Rev, another long-running band with deep regional roots and an equally idiosyncratic career arc. Formed in Buffalo in 1989, Mercury Rev has spent decades exploring the outer edges of indie rock, blending psychedelic textures with orchestral arrangements and experimental songwriting. Over the years, the band has earned praise for its willingness to evolve, with critics highlighting both the ambition and emotional sweep of its work.
In 2026, Mercury Rev will also be celebrating an anniversary of its own, marking 25 years since the release of All Is Dream. Originally released in 2001, the album followed the band’s breakthrough Deserter’s Songs and was widely regarded as a creative high point. To coincide with the anniversary, Mercury Rev released a special double-vinyl edition of All Is Dream on January 16 via Cherry Red Records, featuring a second LP of B-sides, outtakes, and rarities.
The Afghan Whigs have also hinted at what lies ahead. In December, the band released two new cover singles—“Fake Like,” originally by Poliça, and “Downtown,” by Still Corners—showcasing Dulli’s vocal range and the band’s continued interest in reshaping contemporary material through their own lens. A new Afghan Whigs album is planned for release in 2026.
The 20-date tour begins April 25 at the Bearsville Theater and concludes May 24 at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown, California. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 23.
