In the music industry, “farewell” tours have a funny way of evolving into “welcome back” celebrations. Three years after Candlebox announced their retirement with “The Long Goodbye” tour and a “final” album of the same name, frontman Kevin Martin has confirmed that the Seattle rockers are nowhere near finished. In fact, they are busier than ever.
During a candid new conversation on the “Stupid And Contagious Podcast,” Martin revealed that despite his genuine intentions to step away from the stage in 2023, the band is now plotting a new studio album with original guitarist Peter Klett and scheduling performances that stretch well into 2027.
According to Martin, the decision to walk away three years ago was sincere, driven by a desire to focus on family and his business ventures. However, the very act of announcing a farewell seemed to revitalize the band’s career.
“I was done [in 2023],” Martin admitted to the podcast (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “We were putting out the record and we were going out with 3 Doors Down, and I really wanted to focus on my family and my relationship with my wife and son more, and I was also releasing this bourbon and I wanted to focus on it. And I just kind of felt like I was done with this music business. And then the minute you say that, your value becomes tenfold.”
The catalyst for the reversal was an offer too good to refuse—a tour package with long-time friends and grunge legends.
“An then I was asked to go out with Bush, and, of course, Gavin [Rossdale, Bush frontman] and I have been friends since the ’90s, and I was, like, ‘I can’t pass up on that.’ And it was [also] with Jerry Cantrell [on the bill]. And then it kind of all kickstarted again. And my wife’s, like, ‘Look, you know you’re not done with this.'”
With the creative fires restoked, the band has adopted a tongue-in-cheek name for their current run: the “We Can’t Quit You, Babe” tour. Martin noted that they are hardly the first rock band to struggle with the concept of retirement.
“And then Pete‘s [original Candlebox guitarist Peter Klett], like, ‘Hey, man, I’d like to come back.’ So, yes, it’s now — we’re calling it the ‘We Can’t Quit You, Babe‘ tour. I mean, f**king Rainbow said they were retiring. So did The Who, KISS…”
Fans can expect plenty of activity in the coming year. Martin outlined a busy schedule that includes studio time for new material and extensive global touring.
“Yeah, we have rehearsals starting in February. We’re only doing a short spring run, because Pete and I are working on a new record. So, that spring run will be short and sweet, but we’re working on a big summer thing and a fall tour. We’re also doing South America. I think we’re working on Europe for ’27, depending on how the record does, all that sort of stuff. [We’ll] keep ourselves busy.”
While the passion for playing remains, Martin was blunt about the logistical nightmares facing touring bands in 2026. From social media pressure to skyrocketing inflation, the landscape has shifted drastically since their 1993 debut.
“It’s a hell of a lot harder. It’s a hell of a lot more expensive. Certainly with socials and social media and stuff, it’s difficult because there are expectations, I think, that fans have of the bands,” Martin explained. “I mean, back in the day, Candlebox was the most faceless rock and roll band out of Seattle. So it was easy to play a show and go out and watch the opening band and nobody knew who we were. Now your face is all over everything and people can reach out and say, ‘Oh, my uncle’s a huge fan.’ And, ‘I met you guys through this person’ and ‘You’re not coming to my town. Why not?'”
He addressed the frustration of fans in smaller markets, breaking down the cold financial reality of modern tour routing.
“That that kind of stuff… Everybody asks that, and it’s, like, you live in a tiny little town in the middle of Iowa. Nobody goes there because it’s the most difficult place to get to and it’s incredibly expensive to get there. And it’s not that we don’t want to — we would love to. If we could afford to hit 70,000 cities in the United States in one year, we would, but the odds are stacked against you.”
Martin provided a sobering breakdown of the costs involved in keeping a band like Candlebox on the road, citing everything from aging tour buses to hotel prices and political economic policies.
“But other than that, it’s really just the expense of being a touring band. It’s so financially unbalanced now. A tour bus, for example. If you’re in a 2010 tour bus, let’s say. That’s 15 years old — a 15-year-old tour bus that probably hasn’t been very well taken care of or upgraded or anything like that. It should be about $500 a day, but what you end up paying is about $1,500 a day for that bus. That doesn’t include the driver, that doesn’t include the fuel. So you’re looking at a bus that’s 15 years old that’s gonna cost you $2,200 a day. The cost of hotels is $350 a night, [plus] taxes, insurance. I mean, my daily nut to tour is $22,000. That’s a day what I have to pay to tour.”
He also touched on the rising cost of merchandise, attributing high t-shirt prices to the need for retail markups to survive.
“And the merchandise isn’t cheap. To print a shirt is about $12 to $15. That’s why t-shirts at shows are $40 and $50 and $60 because it’s like retail markup. You’ve gotta make a hundred percent markup. And it’s not gonna get any easier as long as Trump‘s in office, with tariffs.”
This news follows the July 2024 digital release of A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition), which featured bonus live tracks and the single “Washed Up.”
