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23 May 2024, 14:35
He's heading back... to bedlam.
Twenty years and seven studio albums later, singer-songwriter James Blunt is revisiting the moment where everything started for him.
Crazy to think it's been two decades since he topped the singles charts with 'You're Beautiful' and the album charts with Back To Bedlam.
His 2004 debut album became the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK, and the biggest selling debut album by a British artist.
Now the star (and beloved, self-deprecating social media personality) is celebrating the legacy left by his breakthrough album.
Announcing the Back To Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour, Blunt will hit the road around the UK and Europe to celebrate the milestone.
He'll perform concerts at Belfast's SSE Arena, Leeds First Direct Arena, Glasgow's OVO Hydro, Manchester's AO Arena and London's O2 Arena in 2025.
In an accompanying press statement, James said: "I've been touring now for twenty years, and really, it’s only Back To Bedlam that people want to hear…" with his typically wry sense of humour.
"So on that album’s twentieth anniversary, what better way to celebrate than to head out on the Back To Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour!"
"I’ll play all the songs from Back To Bedlam in full, from start to finish, and chuck in the better-known songs from later albums to finish. It’s going to be, well, it pains me to say it… beautiful."
The tour has been scheduled for 2025 as Blunt is still currently touring in support of his most recent album, Who We Used To Be.
Adding to the 20th-anniversary celebrations, the 'Goodbye My Lover' singer has also announced a remastered reissue of Back To Bedlam too:
"I’ve released seven studio albums, but Back To Bedlam was the one people actually bought," he joked.
"So on its twentieth anniversary, the record label and I thought we should repackage it with some early demos, and milk it for all it’s worth. It was one of the biggest selling albums of the Noughties, so here’s hoping it makes a dent in the 20s."
James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (Official Music Video) [4K]
Tickets for the Back To Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour go on general sale at 10am local time on Friday 31st May.
For the full 2025 tour dates across the UK and Europe, see below:
11th February 2025 - BELFAST SSE Arena Belfast
13th February 2025 - LEEDS first direct Arena
14th February 2025 - GLASGOW OVO Hydro
15th February 2025 - MANCHESTER AO Arena
16th February 2025 - LONDON O2 Arena
18th February 2025 - BRUSSELS Forest National
20th February 2025 - PARIS Adidas Arena
22nd February 2025 - BOLOGNA Unipol Arena
23rd February 2025 - ZURICH Hallenstadion