On July 3, 2004 in Santa Barbara, Calif., Phantom Planet stepped off the stage and 20 minutes later, the giant ND curtains dropped to reveal Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young of No Doubt. The cheering was wild, but Gwen Stefani was nowhere to be seen.
But then the focus shifted towards the middle of the Santa Barbara Bowl. Stefani burst through the middle of the crowd, got everyone to their feet and ran to the stage. Just over an hour later, Stefani was in tears, blowing the crowd kisses. No Doubt was not only ending the show. They were ending their touring days and going on an indefinite hiatus.
Since then, each member has gone through their solo projects. Stefani pushed herself further into the limelight by launching a two-album music career with Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and The Sweet Escape. Always known for her stand-out fashion sense, Stefani also furthered her L.A.M.B. clothing line with the Japanese-inspired Harajuku Girls line.
Dumont released an indie project, Invincible Overlord. Young drummed for Bow Wow Wow and Unwritten Law between 2004 and 2005. Kanal spent plenty of time producing for acts including Stefani, Pepper and Pink.
Everything was fine. No Doubt’s later projects didn’t quite match their earlier work, but they could still put on a killer performance. Of course, most of the focus was on Stefani. Her first album was a solid outing and did well amongst the fans.
The album reached multi-platinum status in the United States and was received well by critics. But her follow up effort left a sour taste in people’s mouths. Despite both projects, there was plenty of clamor that she was better off with No Doubt.
And now, nearly five years after they stopped official touring (the band, however, did play a show in Anaheim, Calif. in 2005), No Doubt is hitting the road again for a revival. They plan to kick things off in New Jersey, playing a show in Atlantic City before being a headliner at this year’s Bamboozle Festival.
Their tour will take them back and forth across the nation, playing with Tinted Windows, Bedouin Soundclash, The Sounds and Janelle Monáe. Paramore will be their primary opening band.
This is an incredibly smart move for No Doubt. For starters, fans are going to have a field day heading back out to their respective arenas and screaming for their favorite hits. After such a long hiatus, there is little doubt the energy will be high at all of their shows.
Also, it could give them the opportunity to take it back to their ska/alternative roots. In 2006, MTV revealed that the band was in the early stages of a new album without Stefani. With that looking like it will not come to light, it gives them a perfect chance to create an album with Stefani on board.
Their official Web site offers a possible hint: fans can vote on an official tour shirt with an updated classic logo on the front. It is not much of a stretch that this could mean No Doubt will be featuring their earlier work.
So with all that, the tour could pan out well. As stated, their tour kicks off in Jersey, the first date being May 2. They will stick around until May 3 for Bamboozle before heading back to the area in mid-June. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, March 7.