Italian prog-rock keyboardist Claudio Simonetti and his band Goblin are hitting the road this fall for a North American tour celebrating Dario Argento’s 1982 Giallo classic “Tenebre.”
Kicking off Oct. 21 in Philadelphia, the tour features a live performance of the film’s iconic score, paired with a screening of a newly restored 4K print. Following a brief intermission after the film’s finale, the group will return to the stage for a “best of” set featuring classic tracks from “Suspiria,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Deep Red,” and “Demons.”
Simonetti’s work with directors like Argento, George A. Romero, and Lamberto Bava helped define horror cinema scoring. While earlier Goblin compositions favored prog-rock and dark synth soundscapes, “Tenebre” embraced 1980s electronic and disco influences, driven by vocoders and high-energy synthesizer rhythms.
“After many years—and having performed the scores for ‘Suspiria,’ ‘Deep Red,’ ‘Demons,’ and ‘Dawn of the Dead’ in North America—I have finally decided to play ‘Tenebre’ on tour, partly in response to requests from so many North American fans,” Simonetti said. “It is a wonderful new experience to perform the soundtrack to one of Dario Argento’s most beloved films live, newly restored to 4K.”
Simonetti noted that the arrangement balances vintage synthesizers with modern energy.
“I have sought to recreate the original electronic style while injecting a dose of high-energy rock to give the sound a more contemporary feel,” Simonetti explained. “The music for ‘Tenebre’ was composed during the heyday of 1980s dance music; the title theme was a staple of the disco scene, and the vocoder parts were and still are frequently sampled by various artists.”
Joining Simonetti on stage are bandmates Daniele Amador (guitar), Cecilia Nappo (bass), and Federico Maragoni (drums).
The 26-city tour will span landmark historic theaters across the continent, including Glendale, California’s Alex Theatre (opened in 1925), San Francisco’s Castro Theatre (opened in 1922), and Boston’s Somerville Theatre (opened in 1914). The trek also stops at unique contemporary spaces, such as New Orleans’ Music Box Village.
Claudio Simonetti and Goblin are hitting the road this fall to perform their iconic score to Dario Argento’s “Tenebre” live alongside a screening of the recently remastered film, followed by a set of classic hits from Goblin’s catalog. The tour will kick off on Oct. 21 in Philadelphia before playing over 20 other dates across North America.
The first round of tour dates was announced in August, and the reception has been incredible, with sold-out shows in Saugerties, New York; Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; and Asheville, North Carolina. Due to popular demand, newly added dates include:
- Nov. 3: Lincoln, Nebraska
- Nov. 14: Austin, Texas
- Nov. 17: Atlanta, Georgia
- Nov. 18: Tampa, Florida (Second show added)
Tickets and the complete list of North American tour dates are available at https://tonedeaftouring.com/goblin.
