Fire Records four-disc box set arrives alongside 14 U.S. performances

The Dream Syndicate will perform their 1984 album Medicine Show across fourteen U.S. dates starting November 1 at Shakedown in Bellingham, Washington. The tour ties to Fire Records’ deluxe reissue of the band’s second album, which expands the original release across four CDs.

Title: Medicine Show
Artist: Dream Syndicate
Release Date: 2025-10-17
Genres: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Post-punk, Psychedelic Rock
Label: Fire Records
Description: Dream Syndicate tour Medicine Show reissue with 14 U.S. dates. Fire Records four-disc box set includes unreleased WXRT broadcast.

The western leg runs through early November, hitting Seattle’s Tractor Tavern, Vancouver’s Rickshaw Theater, Portland’s Mississippi Studios, San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill, Pioneertown’s Pappy and Harriets, Los Angeles venue Zebulon, and San Diego’s Soda Bar. The band returns in December for five eastern dates: Hamden’s Space Ballroom, Boston’s Crystal Ballroom, New York’s Le Poisson Rouge, Philadelphia’s Johnny Brenda’s, Washington DC’s Union Stage, and Richmond Music Hall in Virginia.

The deluxe box set includes the full WXRT radio broadcast from master tapes, previously issued in truncated form on A&M’s live LP. Additional material features rehearsal and live recordings with original bassist Kendra Smith from the period before her departure. The original album appears separately on vinyl, remixed and remastered.

Medicine Show arrived during a shift in the band’s personnel and sound. Karl Precoda‘s guitar work expanded outward while Dave Provost and later Mark Walton replaced Smith on bass. Tommy Zvoncheck contributed keyboards briefly during this period. Dennis Duck remained on drums. Steve Wynn‘s 2024 memoir I Wouldn’t Say It If It Wasn’t True, published by Jawbone Press, details the strain of recording the album under major label conditions with producer Sandy Pearlman.

The Dream Syndicate formed in Los Angeles in 1981. Wynn had previously played in The Suspects with Smith. The band’s 1982 debut The Days of Wine and Roses emerged from the Paisley Underground scene alongside groups like The Bangles, Rain Parade, Thin White Rope, and Green on Red. The lineup dissolved in 1989. Wynn continued solo and with Gutterball before the band reformed in 2012. Precoda worked with Wednesday Week and later scored films. Smith formed Opal with David Roback, who later started Mazzy Star. Duck played with The Salvation Army and collaborated on various Los Angeles projects. The current touring lineup includes Wynn, Precoda, Walton, and Jason Victor on guitar.

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