Robert Earl Keen is swapping tinsel for a mirror ball this December. His annual holiday show, I Will Survive … Christmas, lands at The Buddy Holly Hall in Lubbock on Tuesday, Dec. 15, with Drayton Farley opening. The venue announced the date Oct. 20, and tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today.
The 1970s-themed production mixes holiday favorites and disco hits with selections from Keen’s deep catalog. Fans are encouraged to arrive in full party mode, with bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and leisure suits all welcome.
The tour runs Dec. 8-20 through Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. It opens at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri; Washington’s in Fort Collins, Colorado; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. A six-night Texas run then hits Lubbock, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth before wrapping at The Aztec Theatre in San Antonio.
The Lubbock stop adds another mile to a career that mirrors Keen’s signature song, “The Road Goes On Forever.” Across 21 records and thousands of shows, he has kept an eclectic band by his side. He stepped away from touring and public performances in 2022, but the stage kept pulling him back.
Recent milestones include his Grand Ole Opry debut, a sold-out Hollywood Bowl night with Tyler Childers, and a Red Rocks Amphitheatre appearance alongside Turnpike Troubadours. In 2026, he reunited with Lost Highway Records to release anniversary editions of Gravitational Forces and Ready for Confetti, with more music announcements coming in the months ahead.
His impact reaches beyond the stage. After the July 2025 floods, Keen organized REK and Friends: Applause for the Cause, an Aug. 28, 2025, benefit that raised more than $3.2 million for Central Texas flood victims. The Texas Legislative Conference later named him its 2026 Texan of the Year.
Now 70, Keen first picked up a guitar in Houston, graduated from Texas A&M University in 1978, and moved to Austin to pursue music. George Strait and The Highwaymen have recorded his songs, and BMI made him the first recipient of its Troubadour Award in 2015.
Keen also hosts the Americana Podcast: The 51st State, and this month’s episode features Hayes Carll.