He debuted his new album at the annual Rock and Roll for Children event at the Fillmore Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland, on March 18, 2017. Van Zandt debuted a doo-wop song called "The City Weeps Tonight," that was an outtake from "Men Without Women". At the end of the show, he covered "Bye Bye Johnny" as a tribute to the late Chuck Berry. According to "Backstreets", Van Zandt's new album was going to be called "Soulfire", titled after the song he co-wrote for the Breakers. The album was officially released on May 19, 2017.