In the spring of 2024, Cindy Lee became a sensation. Patrick Flegel, formerly of the indie band Women, had been recording and performing as the drag persona Cindy Lee for years, attracting a fervent cult following in the process. But Diamond Jubilee — a sprawling double-disc project that felt like a secret radio broadcast from an alternate past, streamable only on YouTube and on sale through a Geocities website — captured seemingly the whole underground's imagination, both for its musical content and its off-the-grid release strategy. There was a major clamor around the project, which led to packed shows on Cindy Lee's spring tour. But Flegel ultimately pulled the plug on the tour, canceling its last several shows and offering no statement as to why.
Some of us wondered whether that would be the end of Cindy Lee, but Flegel has made some moves behind the scenes since then. Last fall, Diamond Jubilee began streaming on Bandcamp. A couple weeks ago, the full Cindy Lee catalog moved exclusively to that platform, with plans for vinyl reissues of every release. Now comes news of the first Cindy Lee shows since that curtailed Diamond Jubilee tour.
In November, Flegel will play four shows at Cindy Lee. The concerts will take place in Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and Brooklyn. A press release frames these shows as a resumption of the Diamond Jubilee tour; Freak Heat Waves, who were opening that tour, will be back on board as support for three of these gigs, and Chicago's Empty Bottle, which was scheduled to host one of the canceled events, will host Cindy Lee's first show back as part of the venue's 33 1/3 anniversary series. Check out all the show information below.
TOUR DATES:
11/05 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle with Freak Heat Waves, Accessory XL [tickets]
11/06 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall with Blue Light [tickets]
11/10 - Montreal, QC @ Rialto Theatre with Freak Heat Waves [tickets]
11/15 - New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount with Freak Heat Waves [tickets]
