Hot Tuna Rides Again With 2025 Tour To Celebrate Jorma Kaukonen’s 85th Birthday
Hot Tuna is hitting the road again this fall with a full set of tour dates from September to December, but that’s nothing new. The iconic duo of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady have been performing together since 1968 in both acoustic and electric formats. However, this year will feature special events as part of Kaukonen’s 85th birthday celebrations. The nationwide excursion will feature marquee performances in Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, and Denver in honor of the guitarist’s legacy.
“From the psychedelic heyday of San Francisco’s Summer of Love with Jefferson Airplane, to the intimate acoustic settings of Hot Tuna’s storied live performances, Kaukonen’s guitar work has long been celebrated for its virtuosic fingerpicking and heartfelt expressiveness,” a press release explains. “These special events mark a milestone in a career that has spanned more than six decades and influenced generations of musicians with a seamless fusion of folk, blues, rock and a now classic original form.”
The tour is slated to begin September 10th in Seattle, Washington and cover the Mountain States before heading to the East Coast in October. They’ll be performing in their acoustic format with Casady on his Ribbecke Diana bass as well as his signature Epiphone.
Casady and Kaukonen have a musical connection like no other, with Casady’s melodic bass approach being the perfect foil to Kaukonen’s style. They each grew up in the Washington, DC area, but are probably best known for their time in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check out this 2016 performance of “San Francisco Bay Blues.”
Hot Tuna 2025 Tour Dates:
| Date | Venue | Location | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 10 | Neptune Theatre | Seattle, WA | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 11 | Bing Crosby Theatre | Spokane, WA | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 13 | The Wilma | Missoula, MT | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 14 | Pine Creek Lodge | Livingston MT | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 16 | The State Room | Salt Lake City, UT | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 18 | Avalon Theatre | Grand Junction, CO | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 19 | Strings Music Pavilion | Steamboat Springs, CO | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 22 - 24 | The MIM | Phoenix, AZ | Acoustic Hot Tuna |
| Sept 28 | Stuart's Opera House | Nelsonville, OH | Jorma opens for Suzy Bogguss |
| Oct 24 | Kleinhans Music Hall | Buffalo, NY | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/Justin Guip |
| Oct 25 | Smith Ctr for Arts | Geneva, NY | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/Justin Guip & Ross Garren |
| Oct 27 | Paramount Theatre | Rutland, VT | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/J. Guip & R. Garren |
| Oct 29 | Bardavon | Poughkeepsie, NY | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/J. Guip & R. Garren |
| Oct 30 | The Grand Opera Hse | Wilmington, DE | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/J. Guip & R. Garren |
| Nov 01 | The Warner Theatre | Washington D.C. | Jorma Kaukonen w/special guests |
| Nov 04 | The Ark | Ann Arbor, MI | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/J. Guip & R. Garren |
| Nov 05 | North Shore Ctr for Perf. Arts | Skokie, IL | Acoustic Hot Tuna w/J. Guip & R. Garren |
| Nov 29 | Carnegie Hall | NYC, NY | Jorma Kaukonen w/special guests |
| Dec 05 | Masonic Aud. | San Francisco | Jorma Kaukonen w/special guests |
| Dec 13 | Paramount | Denver, CO | Jorma Kaukonen w/special guests |
| Dec 18 | Natalies | Columbus, OH | Jorma Kaukonen and John Hurlbut |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
Not Denver, unfortunately. Two sites in Colorado though.