War Announce ‘The World Is a Ghetto’ 50th Anniversary Tour
War are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their landmark album The World Is a Ghetto with a North American tour this spring. Led by sole original member Lonnie Jordan, the band will perform songs from the album and the rest of its catalogue. Check out the dates below.
Last year, WAR released a 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of The World Is A Ghetto, which was the biggest selling album in the US in 1973. The box set was a Record Store Day Black Friday-only release curated by WAR’s producer, Jerry Goldstein, Jordan, and Jeremy Levine. It included the original album, newly remastered, as well as six unreleased bonus tracks and unreleased “the making of” recordings that trace the evolution of each of the six original album tracks from the first note to the master take. The original album and bonus tracks were pressed on two gold-vinyl LPs, while “the making of” tracks were pressed on three black-vinyl LPs.
In 1972, The World Is A Ghetto soared to the top of the Billboard album and R&B charts, generating two gold singles, including the title track and The Cisco Kid, which shipped gold and remains WAR’s highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100. This album also marked the beginning of an extended period of creative and commercial triumph for WAR, which boasts 17 gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums in the band’s remarkable career.
Today, WAR’s music provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration for R&B and hip-hop artists. Samples from four of the six songs on The World Is A Ghetto have appeared on tracks by artists like A$AP Mob, Geto Boys, Janet Jackson, and a hip-hop supergroup featuring Method Man, Redman, and Cypress HilL.
War upcoming tour dates
March
8 Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Casino
9 Chandler, AZ – Wild Horse Pass Casino
14-17 Fort Lauderdale, FL – ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise
22 Orlando, FL – Plaza Live
23 Immokalee, FL – Seminole Casino
April
20 Visalia, CA – Visalia Convention Center
27 Dania Beach, FL – The Casino at Dania Beach
28 New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theater
May
3 Pomona, CA – Los Angeles County Fair
June
2 San Mateo, CA – San Mateo County Fair
August
7 Sparks, NV – Hot August Nights
31 Inglewood, CA – Fool in Love Festival
September
13-16 Super Legends Cruise