Billy Porter brings national tour to D.C. ‘on his own terms’
Actor, musician, writer, and director Billy Porter is embarking on his first-ever music tour this spring. Porter, 53, will visit 25 cities across the United States. “The Black Mona Lisa Tour: Volume 1,” tells Porter’s life story through song.
The show will feature songs from his new album due this fall, “Black Mona Lisa,” and his well-loved hits like “Love Is on the Way” and “Love Yourself.” It also nods to his long Broadway career and role in “Pose.” The tour kicked off in Seattle in late April and will end in Mashantucket, Conn., in early June.
As part of the tour, Porter will visit his hometown of Pittsburgh and perform at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. The process of crafting his new album was a collaborative one, Porter said.
He had a clear vision for the project — to inspire, encourage, and motivate. Porter wants to bring people healing, joy, and peace through the show, and “give the world a big bear hug.” “We’ve been in the middle of a very, very intense collective trauma, still in it,” Porter said in an interview with the Washington Blade. “And I believe that it’s inside of the gathering, that’s where the healing lies.” For example, in the latest song released from his new album, “Fashion,” the idea of fashion is aligned with kindness, love and joy.
