He kicked off his tour on September 12, 2018 in Franklin, Tennessee, where he is playing his smash hits including “The Riddle,” “100 Years” and “Superman,” as well as fan-favorite recordings such as “Chances,” “Two Lights” and “I Just Love You,” among others. “I am speaking to you from Kent, Ohio, and I am out with the string quartet and I am having a great time,” he said. “It is such a privilege to play with these amazing players. For Five For Fighting fans, the quartet adds a new dimension.”
Ondrasik continued, “On this tour, we are releasing our live quarter album. A lot of folks have been asking me for years to do a quartet show, and I finally gave in. Hopefully, the live album will be available on digital platforms for the Thanksgiving holiday.”
On his “Christmas Where You Are” collaboration with pianist Jim Brickman, Ondrasik said, “The reception was very nice, especially from the military folks, and we are getting some requests to do Christmas shows this year, so hopefully we will keep that song going. We are very excited about it.”
Five for Fighting was recently the musical voice of the third season of Code Black on CBS, starring Rob Lowe and Marcia Gay Harden, where he sang four cover tunes and co-produced a distinct gospel version of “Superman.”
He also penned the song “Song of the Innocents” for the upcoming film Gosnell, which will be out on October 12. The movie deals with the shocking story of the investigation and trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. The song will be available on digital retailers one week prior to the film’s release. “I wrote the end title for that, which is certainly a hard subject, but I think it’s a good film,” he said.
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine as a musician, Ondrasik said, “We had a five-hour ride today, and basically all I did was listen to all my work tapes and Voice Memos of all my song ideas. My wife and I are on the verge of being ’empty-nesters,’ so that was very emotional for me.”
Ondrasik added, “Don’t be surprised if you hear an ’empty-nester’ song from me on my next record.”
For his fans, he concluded, “They are very inspiring to me. It is fun to see some of the kids that heard ‘Superman’ and ‘100 Years’ growing up, and now their kids are listening to the songs. It is just wonderful to see all the different ages and groups, and people from all walks of life, coming to the shows, and it gives me a purpose to keep on going. I am very grateful to them.”
To learn more about singer-songwriter and composer John Ondrasik and his Five for Fighting tour dates, check out his official website.
