Dispatch Reunite for 2011 Summer Tour, Future Possibilities

You may remember Dispatch as that little roots-rock band from the Northeast college circuit, circa the late '90s, but unless you caught them in action, you may forget just how big they actually got -- most of their success was underground, organic and by word of mouth. When the trio, which includes solo artist Pete Francis (pictured), announced their "final gig" in 2004, more than 110,000 fans reportedly showed up to watch, at Boston's Hatch Shell. Three years later, in 2007, a string of reunion shows at New York's Madison Square Garden sold out at the speed at which Superman is said to fly.

And now they're back. Well, kinda anyway. The trio announced a six-city summer tour that includes some rather notable stops on its short itinerary -- the band will kick off their revival tour at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheater just outside of Denver, Colo. on June 4, and then will have the honor of performing the first rock concert ever at the new 25,000 capacity Red Bull Arena in New Jersey (June 18). Dispatch will also be dispatched to Berkeley, Calif. for a show at the venerable Greek Theater (June 11) and the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago (June 8). They'll also swing through Atlanta on June 21 before coming home to play the one and only TD Garden in Boston on June 25.

Dispatch's reunion shows were benefits for causes in Zimbabwe and while this tour isn't strictly philanthropic, a portion of ticket sales will directly benefit local educational programs in each respective local market.

"If I could predict the future, I'd say that doing something like this every two or three years isn't out of the question," Chad Stokes told Relix Magazine via Jambands.com. "If something comes up that the three of us feel really psyched about, we can get our act together and do it ... But that being said, I don't see Dispatch as a regular thing."