NASHVILLE, TN (Broken Bow Records)– Grammy nominees
Rascal Flatts will kick-off their 'Me & My Gang Tour' Feb. 2 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 'Me & My Gang Tour' 2006 will launch with opening acts
Blake Shelton, on all dates, as well as
Keith Anderson (**) and
Jason Aldean (*), who will alternate dates through March.
'We could not be more happy to get back out on the road to see our fans,' says lead singer Gary LeVox. 'We aim to make our live shows better every year and to give a reason for our fans to come back again and again,' says bassist Jay DeMarcus.
Fans will enjoy three hours of entertainment including a 90-minute set with Rascal Flatts. The tour will enlist the help of nearly 90 employees each day who will travel city to city in nine buses and nine semi-trucks. The state-of-the-art set was designed by Bruce Rogers, Tribe Inc., best known for set designs for Madonna, Sting and the Dave Matthews Band.
Blake Shelton recently appeared in the CBS Television movie "The Christmas Blessing" performing his hit single "Nobody But Me" and had three of his singles spend 12 weeks in the number one position on the Country singles charts. His current single, "Nobody But Me," is making its way to the upper reaches of the charts now and the video is currently airing on CMT and GAC. Blake was recently nominated for his hit 'Some Beach' at the Radio Music Awards.
New Arista Nashville sensation Keith Anderson hit the country landscape in a big way, scoring a Top 10 radio smash and a No 1 CMT video with 'Pickin' Wildflowers,' the first single from his debut album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll. The only country artist chosen for People magazine's 2005 '50 Hottest Bachelors' issue, Keith's energy, charisma, and dynamic concerts have been turning heads, as have segments on the Today show, Inside Edition, and Access Hollywood. Country radio is ready to keep the excitement high with Keith's next single, 'Every Time I Hear Your Name,' while his album has drawn praise from such outlets as Amazon.com, which raved, 'Anderson's riding a cutting edge of rawer 21st-century country that honors tradition, yet remains totally of the moment.'
Broken Bow recording star Jason Aldean has taken the country scene by storm, garnering a Top 10 hit and No 1 music video on CMT with 'Hicktown', the first single released from his self-titled debut album which has officially been certified gold by the RIAA only 12 weeks after its release. His new single, "Why," (written by John Rich, Vicky McGehee and Rodney Clawson) climbs the country singles charts hitting Top 40 in only 4 weeks and the music video is airing on CMT and GAC. Jason has been selected as one of five artists to perform at the New Faces Show, during the 37th Country Radio Seminar.
Rascal Flatts closed out 2005 with the No 2 country tour ('Here's To You') with 750,000 fans attending the 70-city concert run. The successful tour coincided with the Billboard Touring Awards who named them as the Break-Through Touring Act of the Year. Additional year-end career accolades included ITunes naming 'Bless The Broken Road' as its top selling country track and Feels Like Today as its top-selling country album, nods as Billboard and Radio & Records Artists of the Year, a win at the Radio Music Awards for 'Bless The Broken Road' as Country Song of The Year as well as their first Grammy nominations. Their current album Feels Like Today wrapped 2005 as the best selling country album of the year according to Neilsen SoundScan and sales of the album also placed Rascal Flatts at No 7 for album sales in all genres of music, besting out all other country artists.
For additional and up to date tour information, go to www.rascalflatts.com. Ticket on sales launch this weekend.
2-2 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena **
2-3 Green Bay, WI Resch Center **
2-4 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center **
2-10 State College, PA Bryce Jordon Center *
2-11 Amherst, MA Mullins Center *
2-12 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena *
2-17 Dekalb, IL Convocations Center *
2-18 Lincoln, NE Pershing Auditorium *
2-19 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena *
2-24 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum **
2-25 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center **
2-26 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Civic Center **
3-2 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum *
3-3 Oklahoma City,OK Ford Center *
3-4 Wichita Falls, TX Kay Yeager Coliseum *
3-16 Orlando, FL TD Waterhouse Centre **
3-17 Ft Myers, FL Germain Arena **
3-18 Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee Leon Co. Civic Center **
3-23 Jackson, MS Mississippi Coliseum *
3-24 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena *
3-25 Lafayette, AK Cajundome *
(Blake Shelton on ALL dates.)
