The 22-show run begins on March 22nd in California
Former Burt Bacharach music director and arranger Rob Shirakbari has teamed with Todd Rundgren and Wendy Moten from The Voice for What the World Needs Now, a show dedicated to honoring the award-winning music of the songwriting icon. The 22-city tour kicks off on March 22nd in Ventura, California with a nine-piece multi-instrumentalist ensemble that’s worked with Brian Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Adele, Stevie Wonder, and Elvis Costello.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 17th at 10 am local time.
Meet and greet and VIP experiences are available. The best seats package will include a ticket in the first ten rows, early entry, a pre-show meet & greet, a personal photograph captured, a limited-edition autographed poster, a tote bag, an exclusive tour merch item, and an official laminate and lanyard, with pricing set at $250 plus the ticket cost and associated fees. The meet & greet includes one premium ticket, early entry, a pre-show meet & greet, a personal photograph captured, a limited-edition autographed poster, a tote bag, an exclusive merch item, and an official laminate and lanyard. There is limited availability with pricing set at $200 plus the ticket cost and associated fees. For the VIP tour package, buyers will receive one premium reserved seat, a limited-edition autographed tour poster, an exclusive tour merch item, and a commemorative laminate and lanyard. Availability is limited at a cost basis of $100 on top of the ticket cost and associated fees.
“After Celebrating David Bowie I swore that I was done with tribute tours,” Rundgren shares. “But there is too much Bacharach in my blood to let the opportunity to explore the depth and breadth of this libretto pass by. It may be that I not only owe a debt for his great influence, I squandered an opportunity to meet the Master when I failed to play “Hello It’s Me” the time he quietly joined the audience solely to hear it. It may also be that I would feel unbearable envy for whomever was lucky enough to perform the music that meant so much to me. Anyway, I can’t think of another artist whose tribute could make me break my vow and rise to the challenge of audience expectations around the greatest songwriter of my lifetime.”
Show producer Angelo Bundini is the creator and producer of the global hit Celebrating David Bowie concerts which have been staged in 17 countries across five continents. Bundini’s latest tour presented is the runaway success BEAT, which hit capacity in the vast majority of the 65 events presented across North America in 2024.
Bacharach is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Over one thousand artists have recorded Bacharach songs such as The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, Sheryl Crow, The Pretenders, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Christopher Cross, The White Stripes, The Carpenters, Michael McDonald, Herb Alpert, Stevie Wonder and, of course, Dionne Warwick.
What the World Needs Now:
Mar 22 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theater
Mar 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Mar 25 – Del Mar, CA @ The Sound
Mar 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
Mar 28 – Dallas, TX @ Longhorn Ballroom
Mar 29 – Houston, TX @ Heights Theater
Mar 31 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Apr 1 – Akron, OH @ Akron @Civic Center
Apr 2 – Detroit, MI @ MotorCity Casino – Sound Board
Apr 4 – Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center
Apr 5 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Music Box at Borgata
Apr 7 – Munhall, PA @ Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
Apr 9 – Boston, MA @ The Wilbur
Apr 11 – Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center
Apr 12 – Ridgefield, CT @ The Ridgefield Playhouse
Apr 13 – Patchogue, NY @ Patchogue Theatre
Apr 15 – Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
Apr 16 – Annapolis, MD @ Maryland Hall
Apr 18 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
Apr 20 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
Apr 22 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theater
Apr 23 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ The Parker
