A legendary rock musician will begin his new tour tonight in State College.
Billy Bragg will be performing at 9 tonight at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave. The Watson Twins will open the show. Tickets, which are $32, are still available.
Bragg is a British rocker who was originally in Riff Raff, a punk band that gained fame in England during the first wave of punk rock. Since then, he's built a successful solo career, State Theatre marketing director Kristy Cyone said.
"The band was very well known in the '70s," Cyone said. "He made a mark on the British music scene."
Bragg has a reputation for being extremely outspoken, especially on political matters, City Lights Records owner Greg Gabbard said.
"He's always been very political," Gabbard said. "But I think he may have mellowed a bit with age."
Regardless, Gabbard said the audience can probably still expect to hear Bragg's opinion on the looming American presidential election.
Bragg also recently collaborated with alt-country band Wilco on Mermaid Avenue, a two-volume collection of lyrics by Woody Guthrie, legendary American folk songwriter, put to original music by Bragg and Wilco.
Guthrie wrote the lyrics but the songs were never completed before his death. Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie, contacted Bragg in 1995 to pitch the idea of completing them and Bragg, in turn, contacted Wilco, according to the allmusic Web site. Wilco's lead singer Jeff Tweedy and Bragg traded lead vocal duties on the album.
Gabbard said Bragg's participation in the product was appropriate, considering his musical legacy.
"I would call him a modern day Woody Guthrie," Gabbard said.
Gabbard added that Mermaid Avenue was an example of Bragg's mellower side and not typical of his music.
"Even when he plays solo, it's not always acoustic," Gabbard said. "It's usually him banging out songs on an electric guitar."
The Watson Twins will be opening the show. Chandra and Leigh Watson, who are actually twins, recently gained recognition for a collaboration with Jenny Lewis, lead singer of Rilo Kiley, on her most recent solo album Rabbit Fur Coat. The album earned the Twins a measure of publicity.
"They've been on a lot of late night shows," Cyone said. "I've been hearing a lot around town about people who want to check them out."
Cyone said the concert's start time was moved to 9 p.m. to allow concertgoers a chance to attend the Homecoming parade.
"Ticket sales have been pretty good," Cyone said. "It's difficult on football weekends to predict turnout, but we do expect a large walk up crowd."
