John Cale is set to perform The Velvet Underground & Nico live in full at shows in Liverpool and New York next year to celebrate the classic album’s 50th anniversary.
Cale performed the album in full recently at the Philharmonie de Paris, and has now decided to follow the show with further appearances in the UK and the US.
"I’m often reluctant to spend too much time on things past, then a time marker shows up – The Velvet Underground & Nico turns 50," Cale said. "As so many bands can attest to, it is the fulfilment of the ultimate dream to record your first album. We were an unfriendly brand, dabbling in a world of challenging lyrics and weird sonics that didn’t fit into anyone’s playlist at the time.
"Remaining ferociously true to our viewpoints, Lou and I never doubted for a moment we could create something to give a voice to things not regularly explored in rock music at the time. That bizarre combination of four distinctly disparate musicians and a reluctant beauty queen perfectly summed up what it meant to be The Velvet Underground."
The Liverpool show will take place on May 26 on an open-air stage facing out to the Atlantic on Liverpool’s Docklands. Cale will be joined by a number of special guests to perform the album – their identities will be revealed in the run-up to the show. Tickets for that show go on sale at 9am this Friday (October 28). Details on the New York show are expected to be revealed in due course.
