After much-needed time off, Will Wood returns to the stage to tell the tales of why and what happened
Will Wood Returns: The Enigmatic Artist’s National Tour Comeback
After nearly two years of uncertainty, indie artist Will Wood has officially announced his return to the stage, a thrilling surprise for fans who once believed they had seen the last of him. His comeback has been met with the same excitement as if Brit rock legends Oasis themselves had reunited. But for those closely following Wood’s career, it wasn’t entirely unexpected—he gave fair warning.
In 2022, after the release of his deeply personal album “In case I make it,” and his 2023 live album IN CASE I DIE, Will revealed that he had endured a battle with his mental health and announced that it was time to take a much-needed break intimating that this hiatus could be indefinite. Music journalist Caitlin Hsu noted in a BTCM exclusive story that Wood’s 2023 album was both “a farewell message and a career retrospective,” signaling that Will Wood, as fans knew him, might never return. Indeed, there was little clarity about what he would do next—he kept his next steps under wraps.
With the release of the album “The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)”, a remastered and nuanced “Normal Album” originally released in 2020, fans had to ask themselves,
Is Will Wood back to working on music again? Could he ever really escape it?
Now, the answer seems to clear. He’s back to it. Will Wood has embarked on a national tour, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, a hybrid of storytelling and music where he’s poised to open up about his journey during his first year off from music in years. Calling it a show is an understatement, as the audience should expect to see what we call a one-man musical.
As of today, October 17, the tour is nearly sold out, but not a giant surprise since the shows are booked in smaller-than-expected clubs. As explained to Josh Nelson, a journalist who interviewed Will for SwitchBitch News, Will opted to book the shows in smaller theaters because “this tour requires a kind of vibe you can’t get at 1000-cap rock venues.”
As Will steps back into the spotlight, fans will be eager to learn more about his year off. For a fan base that has long wondered about his future, this tour will not only bring them closer to his music but also provide a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the most enigmatic artists in the indie music scene.
Stay tuned for updates from our journalists Caitlin Hsu and Josh Nelson as they will be conducting new interviews with Will toward the end of the Slouching Towards Bethlehem tour. The story is far from over, and if history has shown us anything, it’s that Will Wood will always keep us guessing.
