Little River Band has confirmed more than six dates for 2027, including a short tour with the Marshall Tucker Band, named the Rivers and Highways Tour. This follows another dozen concerts in North America to conclude 2026.
Key upcoming locations include Detroit, Kansas City, Nashville, Ottawa, and the Chicago metro area. Their joint performances with the Marshall Tucker Band are scheduled for February 2027. A complete list of dates, cities, and venues is provided below. For additional information and tickets for Little River Band, visit their official website.
“Little River Band and the Marshall Tucker Band have been part of the same musical family for a long time,” said Doug Gray, a stalwart member of the Marshall Tucker Band, in a news release. “I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and sharing the stage with those guys.”
Who is Currently in the Little River Band?
Similar to their touring partners from South Carolina, Little River Band continues with one legacy member. However, unlike Doug Gray, Wayne Nelson was not an original co-founder. He joined in 1979 through Graeham Goble and sang “The Night Owls,” which reached the U.S. Top 10 in 1981.
“Little River Band’s legacy and history is certainly strong,” Nelson told The Daily Times, “but that history and legacy are always peering over our shoulders. Now they’re in my care, and I take that responsibility very seriously.”
Goble founded Little River Band in the mid-’70s alongside Glenn Shorrock in Australia. They achieved two consecutive Top 20 finishes in the U.S. with Sleeper Catcher in 1978 and First Under the Wire in 1979, featuring hit singles like “Reminiscing,” “Lonesome Loser,” and “Cool Change.” In the early ’80s, John Farnham joined to help spark a comeback with the gold-selling Time Exposure.
However, band members began leaving after co-founder Beeb Birtles departed. By 2000, Nelson had become the frontman while Birtles, Shorrock, and Goble formed an offshoot group. All other members of Little River Band’s current lineup have joined since then.
“We don’t try to pretend that we are those people,” Nelson stated to City View magazine. At the same time, however, “we have to get as close to it as we can to honor that memory.”
When Does Little River Band’s Tour Start?
Unfortunately, health issues have affected other legacy members. Original bassist Roger McLachlan passed away in April at age 71 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Farnham, who was the vocalist on Little River Band’s most recent Top 40 hits, has also been diagnosed with mouth cancer and may never sing again.
READ MORE: How Wayne Nelson Kept the Little River Band Together
Nelson will be accompanied on tour by guitarists Bruce Wallace and Colin Whinnery, drummer Ryan Ricks, and keyboardist Chris Marion. “We’re still singing the songs in the same keys,” Nelson added, “and we make it feel like that memory.”
Dates with the Marshall Tucker Band are set for Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. “There’s something special about taking these songs to people who’ve grown up with them while also introducing them to a whole new generation,” Gray remarked. “We’re going to have a great time and I know these shows are going to be something special.”
Little River Band’s 2026-27 North American Tour Dates
10/23 – Mahnomen, MN @ Shooting Star Casino Hotel & Event Center
10/24 – Medina, MN @ Medina Entertainment Center
10/29 – Carterville, IL @ Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort
11/6 – Dubuque, IA @ Five Flags Center
11/7 – Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre
11/13 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center
11/14 – Effingham, IL @ Effingham Performance Center
11/20 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion Ballroom
11/21 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
12/4 – Pickering, Canada @ Pickering Casino Resort
12/5 – Ottawa, Canada @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa
12/10 – Lafayette, IN @ Long Center For the Performing Arts
12/11 – Troy, OH @ Hobart Arena
12/13 – Richmond, KY @ Eastern Kentucky University
1/16 – Marietta, OH @ Peoples Bank Theatre
2/2 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre
2/4 – Rockford, IL @ Hard Rock Live Rockford
2/5 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
2/11 – Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center
2/13 – Lancaster, PA @ American Music Theatre
3/5 – Jacksonville, FL @ Florida Theatre
Bands With No Original Members
Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
