Shemekia Copeland and Paul Thorn Set for Spire Center Concerts

Plymouth's Spire Center for Performing Arts has announced two new shows going on sale this weekend.  On May 23 acclaimed blues and soul singer Shamekia Copeland will be in Plymouth and southern blues rocker Paul Thorn comes to town June 20.  Tickets go on sale Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 6:00am.

Shemekia Copeland, who possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time, brings that artistry to The Spire on May 23. The multi-GRAMMY nominee is beloved and honored worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty, and humor of her revelatory songs, as well as for her winning, engaging personality. The Chicago Tribune says, “Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. There's no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery.”  

On Copeland's new album, the Grammy-nominated Blame It On Eve, the songs all hit hard, with jaw-dropping performances that instantly take hold and command repeated listening. “There's serious business on the new album,” Copeland says, “but there are a lot of smiles here too, a lot of joyous moments. It's my blues for sure but it's the brighter side. Issues are always important to me, but so is rocking, dancing and just having fun. And that's something we all can all agree on.”

When it comes to songwriting, less is more, and simplicity is strength. Paul Thorn comes to The Spire June 23, having spent three decades turning soulful grooves and small syllables into songs that pack a big wallop. Maybe he learned the power of minimalism from his years as a pro boxer; maybe it just comes naturally. But whether he's targeting heads, hearts, hips, or the occasional funny bone, he somehow manages to condense large nuggets of wisdom into tight little mantras, the kind embroiderers stitched onto pillows before internet memes existed.

Thorn has created an innovative and impressive career, pleasing crowds with his muscular brand of roots music – bluesy, rocking and thoroughly Southern American, yet also speaking universal truths. Raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, Paul Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled four-time world champion boxer Roberto Duran on national television, signed with and been dropped by a major label, performed on stages with Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and John Prine among many others, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time. Paul's most recent release, Life Is Just a Vapor, was five years in the making and came out in 2025.

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