Melissa Etheridge Releases New Album ‘RISE’ and Announces Massive “The Rise Tour”
Melissa Etheridge, Shooter Jennings, Chris Stapleton, Johnny Cash, Sun Records,
The legendary rock powerhouse Melissa Etheridge has delivered her eagerly awaited new studio album, RISE, available now via Sun Records, and has simultaneously announced her massive “The Rise Tour” for 2026. This phenomenal new collection is Etheridge’s first studio album in five years and is positioned to be her most personal project to date, featuring 11 incredible new songs. The album boasts a stunning duet, “The Other Side of Blue,” with Chris Stapleton and was co-produced by Etheridge and the acclaimed Shooter Jennings, who called the experience “one of the greatest times of my life” and hailed her as “one of the greatest rock and roll artists of our lifetime.”
Giving fans a fantastic taste of the record, Etheridge released the new single, “Matches,” where she beautifully reflects on the spark that ignited her interest in music—Johnny Cash’s 1970 performance at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth. As she puts it: “When I say ‘Mama, let me play with the matches’ I really wanted to play that music.” Songs from this vital new album will be featured on “The Rise Tour,” which kicks off on March 26 in Detroit and travels across the country hitting major markets through May 9. This is a triumphant new chapter from an artist whose excellence and musicianship define a generation.
“The Rise Tour” Dates:
March 26 – Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Detroit, MI
March 27 – Venue TBA, Pickering, ON
March 28 – The Vine at Del Lago Resort & Casino, Waterloo, NY
March 31 – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT
April 2 – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH
April 3 – Stadium Theatre for the Performing Arts, Woonsocket, RI
April 4 – Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
April 8 – Plymouth Memorial Hall, Plymouth, MA
April 10 – Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
April 11 – Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Patchogue, NY
April 12 – Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Poughkeepsie, NY
April 14 – The Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
April 15 – Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA
April 17 – Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ
April 18 – XCite Center at Parx Casino, Bensalem, PA
April 19 – The Ramkat, Winston-Salem, NC
April 21 – Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount, VA
April 22 – Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, KY
April 24 – Venue TBA, Tulsa, OK
April 26 – ACL Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX
May 1 – The Factory, St. Louis, MO
May 2 – Four Winds Casino Resort, Silver Creek Event Center, New Buffalo, MI
May 3 – Payne & Mencias Palladium at Allied Solutions Center, Carmel, IN
May 5 – Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead, Munhall, PA
May 6 – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy, NY
May 8 – Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
May 9 – Weldon Mills Theatre, Roanoke Rapids, NC

