Five For Fighting Sets Summer Tour with Special Guest Vertical Horizon

Five For Fighting (aka John Ondrasik) will be back on the road, headlining shows this August, with special guest Vertical Horizon.  Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 28 HERE; select venues will be releasing presale tickets Wednesday March 26 and Thursday, March 27, check venue websites for details.  

Ondrasik will bring along his band, drummer Randy Cooke (Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart), bassist John Button (Sheryl Crow, The Who, Shakira), and guitarist Peter Thorn (Chris Cornell, Melissa Etheridge, Don Henley), to play the songs his fans have loved for over two decades along with his recent viral hits. 

To date, Five For Fighting, has released six studio albums, including the platinum certified America Town and The Battle for Everything; and the top 10 charting Two Lights, along with an EP and live albums. Ondrasik has penned major hits, including the chart-topping “100 Years,” “The Riddle,” “Chances,” “World,” and “Easy Tonight,” which have earned tens of millions of streams and place him as a top 10 Hot Adult Contemporary artist for the 2000s. The reflective “100 Years” has joined “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” as part of the American Songbook and continues to stand the test of time at weddings, birthdays, graduations, memorials, and many a home video. Five For Fighting’s music has also been featured in more than 350 films, television shows, and commercials, including the Oscar-winning The Blind Side, Hawaii Five-O, The Sopranos and the CBS drama, Code Black.  

Ondrasik’s passion for supporting humanitarian efforts and freedom has been a longstanding commitment for the artist as well.  Recently, he’s been writing songs about key events around the world from a humanistic perspective including "Can One Man Save The World?" which was inspired by the courage of President Vladimir Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.  He performed the song in Ukraine with the Ukrainian Orchestra amongst the ruins of the Antonov Airport in front of the Ukrainians’ beloved Mriya, the world’s largest cargo plane that Russia destroyed at the outset of the war. Ondrasik wrote “OK (We Are Not Ok)” in response to the October 7th Hamas attacks in Israel, while addressing the cultural aftermath both in America and around the world. On April 13 Ondrasik performed “OK (We Are Not Ok)”and "Superman (It’s Not Easy)” in Tel Aviv hours before Iran's missile attack on Israel - watch the performance HERE. 

 Ondrasik is also a longtime supporter of music education.  He’s teamed up with Let Music Fill My World again this year, a privately funded nonprofit launched by Tullman Community Ventures. They announced the return of the Music Matters Challenge, a nationwide competition aimed at rekindling the transformative power of music education in schools across the country. Running through the end of May, the Challenge offers a chance for participants to compete for prizes while making a lasting impact through the power of music.

Before the summer rock tour kicks off, Five For Fighting will be playing a series of special string quartet shows beginning April 25 in Lawrence, KS (all dates below) tickets are on sale HERE. Ondrasik will be bringing top musicians including Tony-Award winning concertmaster and co-orchestrator of Moulin Rouge! The Musical Katie Kresek (Violin), Melissa Tong (Violin), who toured with Post Malone in 2023, and Broadway’s Chris Cardona (Viola) and Peter Sachon (Cello).  The unique nature of the shows allows Ondrasik to go behind the music and tell stories while the format allows for a deeper dive into the catalog, while there is always a surprise or two in store. 

FIVE FOR FIGHTING WITH VERTICAL HORIZON TOUR DATES:

August 13, 2025 in Columbus, OH at TempleLive at the Columbus Athenaeum

August 14, 2025 in St. Charles, IL at The Arcada Theatre

August 16, 2025 in Oklahoma City, OK at Scissortail Park (Free Show)   

August 17, 2025 in Dallas, TX at Bomb Factory      

August 19, 2025 in Arvada, CO at Arvada Center Summer Concert Series

August 20, 2025 in Grand Junction, CO at Avalon Theatre              

August 22, 2025 in Salt Lake City, UT at The Union               

August 23, 2025 in Boise, ID at Knitting Factory Concert House

August 24, 2025 in Spokane, WA at Knitting Factory Concert House

Five For Fighting STRING Quartet TOUR DATES:

Fri 4/25 in Lawrence, KS at Liberty Hall

Sat 4/26 in Omaha, NE at The Admiral

Sun 4/27 in Wichita, KS at The Cotillion Ballroom

Tue 4/29 in St. Louis, MO at City Winery St. Louis

Wed 4/30 in McMinnville, TN at Park Theater

Fri 5/2 in Cincinnati, OH at The Ludlow Garage

Sat 5/3 in Pontiac, MI at The Flagstar Strand Theatre

Sun 5/4 in Akron, OH at Goodyear Theater

Wed 5/7 in Nashville, TN at City Winery Nashville

Fri 5/9 in Charlotte, NC at Neighborhood Theatre

Tue 5/13 in Atlanta, GA at City Winery Atlanta

Wed 5/14 in Newberry, SC at Newberry Opera House

Sat 5/17 in Pittsburgh, PA at City Winery Pittsburgh

Mon 5/19 in Annapolis, MD at Rams Head On Stage

Tue 5/20 in Alexandria, VA at The Birchmere

Photo Credit: John Krebs

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