Article Contributed by Mark Pucci Media
Published on 2026-11-13
“Louisiana's Living Legend,” Bayou Blues guitarist-vocalist Tab Benoit, launches his “Blues & Brass” 2026 Winter Tour featuring special guest Bonerama, with the first show taking place at Beacon Theatre, 401 N. Main St., in Hopewell, Virginia, on Thursday, December 3. Show: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $44–$79. Info: (804) 446-3457 or visit myticketstobuy.com/event/2438.
Tab Benoit’s “Soul of the South” Tour meets Bonerama’s “So Much Love” Tour for the Blues and Brass 2026 Winter Tour — bringing two Louisiana powerhouses together for a night of blues, brass, funk, and deep Southern roots. Tab Benoit brings his unmistakable Louisiana blues and swamp-soaked sound, while New Orleans brass veterans Bonerama hit the road behind their eighth studio album, So Much Love. Their first full-length release in seven years, the album features an all-star cast carrying Bonerama’s signature trombone-driven sound into its next chapter.
Each band brings its own full set for a night that connects the blues of the Louisiana Bayou with the brass and funk of New Orleans. Two full sets. Two distinctly Louisiana sounds. One Blues and Brass 2026 Winter Tour.
I Hear Thunder marked Benoit's triumphant return to releasing new albums, charting #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart during September of 2024. The following year, 2025, saw the Bayou Blues guitarist win four Blues Blast Music Awards: “Rock Blues Album” (I Hear Thunder); “Blues Band”; “Male Blues Artist”; and “Electric Guitarist of the Year.” The victories were real acknowledgment by Tab's peers for a much-deserving longtime musician.
Benoit's journey began in 1992 with a radio hit from his debut record Nice and Warm. Since then, he has received multiple Blues Music Awards and four Grammy nominations. Beyond the music, Benoit is celebrated for his years of activism, particularly concerning the Louisiana Wetlands and coastal erosion. He seamlessly intertwines his artistic brilliance with a profound commitment to environmental advocacy, ensuring his legacy extends beyond the stage into the heart of the land that inspires his bluesy soul. Benoit does more than play the blues; he defines its future while paying homage to its rich past.
“Benoit cries, 'you need a Bayou man like me/to come along/and save you,' before shredding a solo which inspires a standing ovation,” writes Spotlight Central in New Jersey Stage, reviewing Benoit's Atlantic City show from this past July.
“Multiple BMA winner Tab Benoit excelled on his beat-up 1972 Telecaster, delivering masterful guitar rhythms and dynamics,” wrote Jim Hynes of Rock & Blues Muse, reviewing Tab's set at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, also last July. “His soulful vocals and visibly tight chemistry with his trio were on display as he worked his way through an emotional roller coaster, mixing aching soul ballads with incendiary up-tempo burners, as his guitar reached stratospheric levels.”
Bonerama is a force of nature. It is a band that in many ways defies categorization. A funky rock band with brass…a funky brass band that rocks. Pick Yer Poison. Bonerama is a New Orleans-based band that fuses everything that has made that city’s music famous into a genre-defying gumbo. The band has taken the best elements of rock, soul, fusion, pop, jazz, funk, brass, gospel and blues to forge its unique sound. Formed in 1998 by New Orleans trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, Bonerama has built a distinctive sound. Currently comprised of Mullins (founding member, trombone, electric trombone and lead vocals), Greg Hicks (trombone and vocals), Chris Butcher (trombone), Bert Cotton (guitar), Matt Perrine (sousaphone) and Eric Bolivar (drums), Bonerama is one of the funkiest and most unique bands to ever come out of New Orleans.
December 3 – Hopewell, VA – Beacon Theatre
December 4 – Virginia Beach, VA – Elevation 27
December 5 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater
December 9 – State College, PA – State Theatre
December 10 – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall
December 11 – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
December 12 – Cranston, RI – Historic Park Theatre
December 13 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall
December 15 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
December 16 – Phoenixville, PA – The Colonial Theatre
December 17 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Hall
December 18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
December 19 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
For additional information and tickets, visit Tab Benoit's official tour page or boneramabrass.com.
