38 Special has announced an initial run of 12 concert dates in 2026 to promote its newly released album, “Milestone.” The band will perform multiple shows in Illinois, Georgia and South Dakota, with additional stops planned in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and other states.
Don Barnes, the band’s frontman and only remaining classic-era member, co-founded 38 Special with Donnie Van Zant. The group’s final announced 2026 appearance is scheduled for June at the Rock Ribs & Ridges Festival in Augusta, New Jersey, alongside Blackberry Smoke and the Artimus Pyle Band. Donnie Van Zant’s late brother, Ronnie Van Zant, was a bandmate of Pyle’s during their tenure in Lynyrd Skynyrd in the 1970s.
Tickets are available at the band’s official website. The list of announced tour dates, cities and venues is below.
“Milestone” marks 38 Special’s first album since 2004’s “Drivetrain.” The new album features guest performances and songwriting contributions from Randy Bachman, Pat Monahan of Train and Jim Peterik, co-founder of Survivor. Peterik, who also produced “Milestone,” has previously collaborated with 38 Special, including co-writing the band’s 1980 breakthrough single, “Rockin’ Into the Night.”
38 Special achieved its commercial peak in 1982 when the album “Special Forces” and the Peterik co-written single “Caught Up in You” both reached the Top 10. The band continued to chart hits throughout the 1980s, including “Second Chance,” which peaked at No. 6 in 1989. Peterik also co-wrote eight tracks on “Drivetrain.”
In 2025, 38 Special toured alongside Kansas and Jefferson Starship. Donnie Van Zant released an album last year, “Always Look Up,” with his brother Johnny Van Zant, the current lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
38 Special 2026 U.S. Tour Dates
– Feb. 6: Peoria, Ill., Prairie Home Alliance Theater
– Feb. 7: Rockford, Ill., Coronado Performing Arts Center
– Feb. 11: Greeneville, Tenn., Niswonger Performing Arts Center
– Feb. 12: Evans, Ga., Columbia County Performing Arts Center
– Feb. 13: Fayetteville, Ga., Trilith Live
– Feb. 14: Sarasota, Fla., Thunder By the Bay Music and Motors Festival
– Feb. 25: New Braunfels, Texas, Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre
– Feb. 27: Lake Charles, La., Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
– March 20: Newkirk, Okla., 7 Clans First Council Casino Hotel
– April 16: Brookings, S.D., Swiftel Center
– April 19: Deadwood, S.D., Deadwood Mountain Grand
– June 26-27: Augusta, N.J., Rock Ribs & Ridges Festival
For a complete and updated list of 2026 rock tours, visit 38 Special’s official website.