Rick Wakeman has revealed a nine-date US tour to take place in July, featuring the vocals of Strictly Come Dancing’s Hayley Sanderson.
Billed as the Strictly Wakeman tour, it opens in Richmond, VA on July 18 and ends in Phoenixville, PA on July 31, with some tickets on sale now and the remaining ones going on sale on Friday (April 26). They’re available from the venues listed below.
“Rick and Hayley have been working together for several years,” a statement notes. “He accompanied her on her 2009 album, Just Songs.
Impressed by her versatility and clarity, he invited her to sing lead vocals on a number of his shows in the UK and South America, at prestigious venues like the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the O2 Arena.
“Her awesome vocals also feature on the definitive Live At The London Palladium from 2023, and on his studio album A Gallery Of The Imagination. Rick was the person who gave her the affectionate nickname ‘Strictly’!”
“Hayley is great to work with – she has the talent to feel the music in such a way as to make all the arrangements seamless,” Wakeman himself says. “We’ve never worked in concert with just the piano and voice.
“It opens up opportunities for new arrangements of pieces from rare albums, like Make Me A Woman from The Time Machine album, and Julia and The Hymn from 1984.”
Strictly Wakeman 2025 tour dates
18/07: Richmond, VA – The National
20/07: Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
21/07: Ocean City, NJ – Ocean City Music Pier
23/07: Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
25/07: Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage
26/07: Northfield Park, OH – MGM Northfield Park
29/07: Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
30/07: Poughkeepsie, NY – Bardavon Opera House
31/07: Phoenixville, PA – Colonial Theatre