Kenny Wayne Shepherd brings 30th anniversary tour to New London’s Garde Arts Center on March 11

Kenny Wayne Shepherd to perform at the Garde Theatre in New London Connecticut in March 2026

Platinum-selling, five-time GRAMMY-nominated blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd will bring his “Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour” to the Garde Arts Center on March 11, 2026, as part of a nationwide celebration of his landmark debut album.

The tour, which kicks off February 19 in Dallas, Texas, revisits Ledbetter Heights in its entirety – an album that helped ignite a blues revival when it was released in 1995. In addition to performing the record front to back, Shepherd and his band will showcase highlights from his three-decade career, tracing his journey from teenage prodigy to one of modern blues’ most vital and enduring voices.

“Ledbetter Heights is the album that gave me everything,” Shepherd said. “Revisiting it put me back in touch with the wonder and excitement of those days. I didn’t know what lay ahead. I just knew I loved playing the blues.”

Originally recorded when Shepherd was still in high school, Ledbetter Heights quickly went Gold and then Platinum, powered by the guitarist’s fiery fretwork and reverence for blues icons like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. The album was named in honor of an historic Shreveport neighborhood and blues legend Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, and it established Shepherd as a rising star in American music.

Over the years, Shepherd has toured with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and has released 12 albums, plus two with the supergroup The Rides alongside Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg. His work has earned five GRAMMY nominations and recognition as one of Guitar World’s top three blues artists, behind only B.B. King and Eric Clapton.

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This anniversary tour also delivers a special moment for longtime fans: vocalist Noah Hunt, who has appeared on every Kenny Wayne Shepherd album since the debut but did not sing on Ledbetter Heights, will perform its songs live for the first time. “That’s always been the missing piece – and now the circle feels complete,” Shepherd said.

Tickets for the Garde Arts Center performance go on sale on Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. local time. For tickets and more information, visit click here.

2026 Ledbetter Heights 30th Anniversary Tour Dates

Thursday, February 19th – Majestic Theatre – Dallas, TX
Friday, February 20th – ACL Live – Moody Theatre – Austin, TX*
Saturday, February 21st – House of Blues – Houston, TX
Tuesday, February 24th – The Criterion – Oklahoma City, OK
Thursday, February 26th – Graceland Soundstage – Memphis, TN
Friday, February 27th – Atlanta Symphony Hall – Atlanta, GA
Saturday, February 28th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN*
Friday, March 6th – Wind Creek Event Center – Bethlehem, PA
Saturday, March 7th – Chevalier Theatre – Medford, MA
Sunday, March 8th – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
Tuesday, March 10th – Bergen PAC – Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, March 11th – Garde Arts Center – New London, CT
Thursday, March 12th – Mayo PAC – Morristown, NJ
Friday, March 13th – Paramount Hudson Valley – Peekskill, NY
Saturday, March 14th – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
Friday, April 10th – Joe Bonamassa’s Beach Vacation – Miramar Beach, FL
Saturday, April 11th – Tampa Bay Blues Festival – St. Petersburg, FL
Sunday, April 12th – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
Tuesday, April 14th – Broward Center @ Au-Rene Theater – Ft Lauderdale, FL**
Wednesday, April 15th – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL**
Thursday, April 16th – Charleston Music Hall – Charleston, SC
Saturday, April 18th – Hollywood Casino – Charles Town, WV
Sunday, April 19th – Palace Theatre – Greensburg, PA
Wednesday, April 22nd – Brown County Music Center– Nashville, IN
Thursday, April 23rd – Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH
Friday, April 24th – Hard Rock – Gary, IN
Saturday, April 25th – MGM – Northfield, OH
Sunday, April 26th – Hollywood Greektown Casino / Music Hall – Detroit, MI
Wednesday, April 29th – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live @ 20 Monroe
Thursday, April 30th – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
Friday, May 1st – Blue Gate PAC – Shipshewana, IN
Saturday, May 2nd – Hard Rock – Rockford, IL
Sunday, May 3rd – Hoyt Sherman Theatre – Des Moines, IA
Tuesday, May 5th – Virginia Theater – Champaign, IL
Thursday, May 7th – Uptown Theatre – Kansas City, MO
Friday, May 8th – Walker’s Bluff Casino – Carterville, IL
Saturday, May 9^th – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
Saturday, June 13th – Paradise Theater @ Margaritaville Resort Casino – Bossier City, LA

*With Special Guest Jimmie Vaughan
**With Special Guest Eric Johnson

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Kenny Wayne Shepherd brings 30th anniversary tour to New London’s Garde Arts Center on March 11