Duff McKagan announces 'Tenderness Live in Los Angeles'

The punk rock troubadour celebrates the fifth anniversary of his second solo LP

Duff McKagan is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his acclaimed second solo album, Tenderness, with Tenderness Live in Los Angeles, a new double-live collection arriving everywhere on Friday, May 31st.

Recorded June 13, 2019, at Los Angeles’ historic El Rey Theatre just days following Tenderness‘ May 2019 release, the concert recording sees McKagan taking an intimate journey through his canon of songs along with a few deeply personal cover versions, backed by three-time Grammy Award-winning Tenderness producer Shooter Jennings and his band. Tenderness Live in Los Angeles is heralded by the premiere of an electrifying rendition of “River of Deceipt,” originally performed by McKagan’s close friends, Seattle supergroup Mad Season – comprised of guitarist Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), drummer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), and the late Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) and bassist John Baker Saunders (The Walkabouts) – and available everywhere now.

“It was such a complete pleasure and honor to be able to work with Shooter Jennings and his stellar band for the recording of the songs that became the Tenderness record,” says Duff McKagan. “Having Aubrey and John playing fiddle and pedal steel guitar on the tracks, really led the music in a brand new direction for me. I strive for change and growth in life, and these guys ushered me into a brand-new musical world. This relationship was made more special when Shooter and the band agreed to tour TENDERNESS with me. Remember, Ted Kemp, Jamie Douglas, Aubrey Richmond, John Scheffler, and Shooter had been touring for years together. They are a tight-as-hell unit. I won the lottery!

“This live recording from the El Rey in Los Angeles showcases not only the songs on the record but some cover songs we started to fold into the live set as we toured. We’ve highlighted a couple of tracks from this show – Tenderness being one of course, and our version of the Mad Season song, ‘River of Deceipt.’ Such a beautiful song written by guys from back home that I know now, and a couple who are no longer with us. It feels like a celebration to me. All of these live shows we did on that tour felt like a shedding, a prayer to better things, and a beautiful coming together of all you bad motherfuckers.”

“One of the highlights of my life was making Tenderness with Duff McKagan,” says Jennings. “A thoughtful songwriter and even more thoughtful person. Touring with Duff checked another box of personal dreams come true! We had a blast out on the road. “I remember playing the El Rey. The crowd was packed. I remember leaving the stage feeling like we had done something really special.

“Getting to mix the album all these years later was such a treat. To be able to mix it on the 1976 Frank Demedio custom API console (the same console that Prince recorded and mixed Purple Rain on) in legendary Sunset Sound Studio 3 (aka Snake Mountain), was like being able to distill a righteous memory through a flawless diamond. Sitting in that studio listening to the band play through those big speakers allowed for me to get lost in the music and let it guide me to bring this experience to record players everywhere!”S

Newly mixed in the legendary Sunset Sound Studio 3 by Jennings using the famed custom API console on which Prince recorded and mixed Purple Rain, Tenderness Live in Los Angeles is further highlighted by powerful takes on The Clash’s classic “Clampdown” and such Guns N’ Roses fan favorites as “You Ain’t the First,” “Dust N’ Bones,” and “Dead Horse.” But at its heart, the set casts a spotlight on McKagan’s own striking songcraft, with live versions of tracks originally featured on Tenderness, including the volatile rocker, “Chip Away,” which earned extraordinary praise from the Maestro himself, Bob Dylan, who recently declared the song a personal favorite.

Named by Loudwire as one of 2019’s “50 Best Rock Albums,” Tenderness marked a powerful new chapter for the ever-evolving McKagan, taking on societal ills and his transgressions against a rich sonic backdrop of Americana-fueled arrangements. Fueled by such songs as the nuanced “It’s Not Too Late” and the deeply hopeful title track, Tenderness was met by widespread acclaim.

Tenderness Live in Los Angeles follows last year’s release of McKagan’s equally acclaimed third solo album, Lighthouse.

McKagan recently announced plans to celebrate Lighthouse with a major European and UK tour. The Lighthouse ‘24 Tour gets underway September 30th at Dublin, Ireland’s The Academy with stops in Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Sweden through late October.