Over 25 years since his breakout hit, Will Smith is heading on a UK and European tour — but the venues are a little unexpected.
The Men In Black star announced on Instagram that he would be embarking on his ‘first ever’ headline tour this summer.
This coincides with a new album, Based on a True Story which will be the actor’s first since 2005 and is set to be released later this month.
Will is playing some festivals and open-air gigs around Europe before heading to Scarborough Open Air Theatre and Cardiff’s Bute Park.
The Based on a True Story tour will then reach Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, London’s O2 Academy in Brixton, and Wolverhampton’s The Halls.
These indoor venues have a capacity of less than 5,000 people each — a shocker considering the magnitude of the 56-year-old icon’s career.
Usual cities like Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and even Dublin have been completely skipped in this tiny tour.
The biggest of these gigs will be Cardiff, which has space for 15,000 while the smallest will be Manchester at 2,500 capacity.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on March 21 through Ticketmaster UK for the five dates.
Unfortunately, fans who miss out on tickets won’t have much chance to see him elsewhere as major European gig cities like Berlin and Amsterdam don’t get a look-in either.
Despite the small scale of the tour, with far more festivals than headline dates, Will seemed incredibly upbeat about the gigs.
‘I’M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! We’re hitting up UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises ;-),’ Will wrote.
‘All these years, I’ve NEVER done a headline tour and I can’t wait to see you guys!!’
He has already dropped lead single Beautiful Scars which features Big Sean, plus longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor, and his son Jaden.
It’s possible the promised surprises are guest spots from some of these big names or others nestled in his back catalogue.
Will’s biggest hits include Gettin’ Jiggy wit It, Miami, Wild Wild West and the Men In Black title song, which he performed a Coachella last year with J Balvin.
His return to music was marked by an incredibly raunchy live rendition of his new song, First Love, with India Martínez at the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards.
The Oscar-winner and Hitch star and India, 39, inched closer and closer together in what seemed to be a choreographed section, bringing their faces right towards each other, before brushing past.
This intimate performance raised eyebrows, especially due to his unconventional marriage arrangement with wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
When India then sang her verse, she walked right back up to him, putting her hand around his neck, leaning up to apparently kiss him – to cheers and whoops from those filming onstage.
Will and Jada are reportedly still together despite previously separating and the infamous Oscars debacle where she was apparently shocked he called her his ‘wife’.
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