Devin Townsend has announced that his upcoming spring headline tour — his first since 2020 — will be his last “for the foreseeable future.” While it’s not a full-on retirement from live performance, the great Canadian PowerNerd has redubbed the trip his “It’s Time for a Damn Break Tour.”
Townsend revealed his plans to “stop touring for a while” today (April 28th) on Instagram, confirming that he’ll enter a touring hiatus once his PowerNerd tour winds down May 23rd at Los Angeles, California’s Wiltern venue. He cited personal reasons, as well as economic factors and the cost of staging a traveling production in a post COVID landscape
“For nearly 35 years, I’ve followed a creative path guided by instinct—each album, each tour, each project a new chapter in a story I’ve felt compelled to tell. My mind latches onto concepts, and I love chasing them down. That chase has made this journey wild, unpredictable, and deeply fulfilling,” he wrote in a separate statement.
“Over the years, I’ve heard it countless times: ‘Dev, take a break… please.’ But the flood of ideas, the excitement, and the support of incredible musicians and listeners have kept me going, kept me touring, and kept me grateful for a life on the road.
“That said, things have changed—especially since the pandemic. Booking tours now means planning up to two years in advance. With fewer venues, fewer crews, and a saturated touring circuit, it’s become more challenging than ever to line things up.
“And beyond the logistics, life has simply caught up with me: my parents need help, my dogs are on their last legs, the kids have moved out, The Moth is nearly complete, and truthfully, I need some time to breathe and recalibrate.”
Townsend assured that he isn’t retiring from concert performance in general, just touring. “Touring has been a beautiful, exhausting constant in my life, and for once, I’m listening to the voice that says: slow down. I want to create from a place of calm inspiration rather than frantic obligation. And until I can truly be there for the people who rely on me, my creativity won’t be at its best.”
He also noted that he’ll soon be launching a YouTube series called The Ruby Quaker Show in which he’ll discuss the many projects he’s been involved in over the years.
As for the tour — which begins May 2nd at Nashville, Tennessee’s Marathon Music Works — Towsend says the shows will be “digging deep into the catalog, pulling out some big ones, and making these shows a true celebration.”
You’ll find the date rundown for Townsend’s upcoming trip, which is being done alongside British progressive metal force TesseraT, down below.
Devin Townsend, TesseracT tour dates 2025:
5/2 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
5/3 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
5/4 Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues (Orlando)
5/6 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
5/7 Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
5/9 New York, NY – Palladium Times Square
5/10 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
5/11 Boston, MA – House of Blues
5/13 Montreal, QC – MTELUS
5/14 Toronto, ON – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
5/16 Detroit, MI – Masonic Cathedral Theatre
5/17 Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Metal Fest
5/19 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater
5/21 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
5/23 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern