Sinead O'Connor throws down her arms, returns to touring
Sinead O'Connor, who earlier this year ended her short-lived "retirement" from the music industry, continues her comeback with a new album and a supporting tour.
The often-controversial Irish singer will make her return to a U.S. stage with a Nov. 28 appearance in Minneapolis, the first of 10 dates currently scheduled for North America. The Minneapolis appearance will follow a number of shows in Europe during the first half of November. O'Connor's complete itinerary can be found on her website.
She will be accompanied on all her tour stops by the legendary reggae team of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
O'Connor's new album, "Throw Down Your Arms," hits stores Tuesday (10/4) and is being released on her own label, That's Why There's Chocolate and Vanilla. The set, produced by Sly & Robbie , was recorded in April in Kingston, Jamaica, and focuses on "roots" songs.
In February, O'Connor said that she would resume her music career, telling the magazine Hotpress that she wants to "at least aim my records at a more spiritualized market."
"The shows are the whole point," O'Connor said in a statement. "I can't wait to be onstage with Sly and Robbie. I want to pass on the teachings of the Rastafarai movement, sing the songs and have fun. It will be better than mass."
At the time of O'Connor's "retirement" in 2003, she asked on her website that her fans respect her decision to stop making music. "I would request that as of July, since I seek no longer to be a 'famous' person, and instead I wish to live a 'normal' life, could people please afford me my privacy."
The retirement announcement wasn't O'Connor's first. In 1992, she announced plans to retire to study opera and help children in Dublin, her native city.
November 2005
28 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
29 - Chicago, IL - Riviera
December 2005
1 - Detroit, MI - State Theatre
2 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
3 - Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus
5 - Boston, MA - Avalon
6 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
8, 9 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
10 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
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