Public Image Ltd launches first North American tour in eight years

John Lydon's band Public Image Ltd (PiL) begins a North American tour on September 3, the first such trek in eight years. The itinerary covers major U.S. cities—including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago (Riot Fest), Minneapolis, New York, Detroit, Boston—and Toronto, Canada, before concluding on October 9 in Nashville, with a second leg already slated for February 2027. Supporting act Plague Vendor will appear on every date, and tickets are sold through venues and the band’s website.

The tour follows a period of personal loss for Lydon, who lost his wife Nora and longtime manager John Rambo Stevens in 2023 and briefly considered retiring from live performance. Fan support encouraged him to return to the road. A new live album, "Alive," recorded on the previous year’s tour, is now available via A Way With Media, and PiL is working on a new studio album expected in early 2027. The current lineup includes vocalist John Lydon, guitarist Lu Edmonds, bassist Scott Firth, and drummer Mark Roberts, who replaced Bruce Smith at the end of 2023.