Sons of Apollo Announce First 2018 U.S. Tour Dates

One of the cooler collaborations of 2017 came when former Dream Theater cohorts Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian teamed up with Portnoy's Winery Dogs bandmate Billy Sheehan, guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto in the new band Sons of Apollo. This fall, they served up a solid debut disc titled Psychotic Symphony, but have let fans digest the music a bit before touring. However, 2018 will find the fabulous fivesome taking their show on the road.

The band has just announced their first batch of tour dates, booking a couple of weeks of shows in February to start playing the songs from their album out in front of audiences. The trek actually starts at sea as the band will take part in the Cruise to the Edge, which kicks off Feb. 3 heading out of port in Tampa, Fla. After they return to shore on Feb. 8, they'll continue their U.S. run in Miami and make a run up the East Coast before dipping into the Midwest Feb. 18 in Joliet, Ill. Tickets for the upcoming dates go on sale this Friday (Dec. 1) at 12N local time.

Portnoy says, "Ever since this lineup assembled to make Psychotic Symphony, the thing I’ve been most excited about is anticipating how insane I know this band is going to be onstage. Well, the wait is almost over! Here are the first U.S. dates that will get to witness this ‘five-headed musical spectacle’ live on stage in February. We plan on being on tour all year long, all over the globe, with plenty of dates now being announced for summer festivals throughout Europe, but these are the very first shows that will get to witness this amazing lineup in person for the first time. We can’t wait!”

Speaking in our recent interview about playing cruises, the drummer told us, "It's an amazing thing. It's kind of taking the idea of a festival but putting it all in one place, a lot of times you go to these festivals in Europe and it's a three day event and you'll have 50 different bands and all these different stages. But basically, you have to go use a Porta Potty to go to the bathroom or eat shitty food from whatever the venue is offering. You have to sleep in a tent or whatever, so these cruises give that musical experience of a festival but then you can go back to your cabin or the nice restaurant and dine. You can go use a normal bathroom. It's a great, great way to have lots of different bands all in the same place at the same time. There's actually a lot of interaction as well, which you wouldn't normally get at a musical fest. You walk around these cruises and you can mix and mingle with a lot of the musicians throughout the whole time. It's a great experience." For additional info on Cruise to the Edge, click here.

Sons of Apollo February 2018 U.S. Tour Dates

Feb. 3-8 - Tampa, Fla. @ Cruise To The Edge
Feb. 9 - Miami, Fla. @ Magic City Casino/Monsters Of Rock Cruise Pre-show
Feb. 11 - Orlando, Fla. @ Plaza LIVE Orlando
Feb. 12 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
Feb. 13 - Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
Feb. 15 - Asbury Park, N.J. @ House of Independents
Feb. 16 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ Town Ballroom
Feb. 17 - Battle Creek, Mich. @ The Music Factory
Feb. 18 - Joliet, Ill. @ The Forge

Hear Mike Portnoy on the Loudwire Podcast