NashvilleGab - Country music news and Nashville celebrity gossip

The Band Perry to join Rascal Flatts for 2013 tour dates (from the mailbag)

Super group Rascal Flatts announced today they will extend their Farmers Insurance Presents "Changed Tour" with a winter leg of 20 dates starting January 10 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Special guest The Band Perry will join Rascal Flatts for the 2013 leg of the tour.

Rascal Flatts is known for their highly energetic performances and state-of-the-art production. The

Minneapolis Star shared, "country music's best-selling trio of all time brought lots of harmonies, a little humor and imaginative video. They came across as committed, fun-loving, crowd-pleasing entertainers." And the Orange County Register claimed Rascal Flatts performance of "What Hurts The Most" in their encore at the mid-September show at Verizon Amphitheater "definitely helped put the show over the top as the best country performance of the fading summer season."

Remaining Farmers Insurance Presents "Changed Tour" 2012 dates:

• 10-20 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood 
• 10-26 Tampa, FL 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
• 10-27 W Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre

Farmers Insurance Presents "Changed Tour" 2013 dates:

• 1-10 Green Bay, WI Resch Center 
• 1-11 Moline, IL i wireless Center
• 1-12 Springfield, MO JQH Arena
• 1-17 Sioux City, IA Tyson Events Center
• 1-18 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
• 1-19 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena
• 1-24 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena
• 1-25 Missoula, MT Adams Event Center 
• 1-26 Billings, MT Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark
• 2-7 Terre Haute, IN ISU Hulman Center
• 2-8 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
• 2-9 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
• 2-14 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum
• 2-15 Greensboro, NC GreensboroColiseum
• 2-16 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
• 2-23 Pikeville, KY Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center
• 2-24 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre
• 2-28 Topeka, KS Landon Arena
• 3-1 Jonesboro, AR ASU Convocation Center 
• 3-2 Tupelo, MS BancorpSouth Arena

Dates subject to change

Live Nation is the national tour promoter. Log on to www.rascalflatts.com or www.livenation.com for tour dates and information.

The Cowboy Rides Away Tour is a "Strait" Away Sell-Out (from the mailbag)

Fans lining up outside St. Paul, Minn.'s Xcel Energy Center Friday morning, Oct. 12, 2012.

George Strait’s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour featuring special guest Martina McBride was so popular when tickets went on sale this morning that six tour markets sold out within the first few hours—with Lubbock, Texas selling all 15,431 tickets within just 15 minutes.

“I never expected the fans would react like this. It’s just incredible,” shared an ecstatic Strait upon learning the news. “I really do have the best fans in the world, and I’m looking forward to seeing you all on the road very soon.”

In addition to Lubbock, sold out cities include Oklahoma City, Okla., St. Paul, Minn., Albuquerque, N.M., Las Vegas, Nev., and Las Cruces, N.M. In select markets, remaining single show tickets are still available for purchase.

The full list of tour dates is listed below with tickets available by visiting www.GeorgeStrait.com; ticket prices begin at $69.50 with V.I.P. packaging available for purchase.

THE COWBOY RIDES AWAY TOUR – 2013 DATES

JAN 18 | Lubbock, Texas | United Spirit Arena

JAN 19 | Oklahoma City, Okla. | Chesapeake Energy Arena

JAN 25 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Energy Solutions Arena

JAN 26 | Nampa, Idaho | Idaho Center

JAN 31 | Sacramento, Calif. | Power Balance Pavilion

FEB 1 | Fresno, Calif. | Save Mart Center

FEB 2 | Las Vegas, Nev. | MGM Grand Garden Arena

FEB 15 | St. Paul, Minn. | Xcel Energy Center

FEB 16 | Grand Forks, N.D. | The Alerus Center

FEB 22 | Buffalo, N.Y. | First Niagara Center

FEB 23 | Hartford, Conn. | XL Center

MAR 1 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Thompson-Boling Arena*

MAR 2 | Lexington, Ky. | Rupp Arena

MAR 17 | Houston, Texas | Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

MAR 22 | Greenville, S.C. | Bi-Lo Center**

MAR 23 | Greensboro, N.C. | Greensboro Coliseum Complex

APR 5 | Albuquerque, N.M. | The Pit

APR 6 | Las Cruces, N.M. | Pan American Center

APR 12 | N. Little Rock, Ark. | Verizon Arena+

APR 13 | New Orleans, La. | New Orleans Arena*

JUN 1 | San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome++

*On-Sale date Oct. 19, 2012

** On-Sale date Oct. 26, 2012

+ On-Sale date Dec. 14, 2012

++ On-Sale date March 9, 2013 

Vote for Miranda Lambert (or some other country artists) for Billboard's best tour of the year award

November 7-8 in New York is the Billboard Touring Conference & Awards and right now Billboard has a voting section set up for fans to vote for their favorite tour of 2012. 

Several country artists including Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw, and Taylor Swift are all nominated. 

Personally I think you should vote for Miranda, but you know, go with your gut. 

Head over here to make your vote count. Just demand the concert you want in your area and the artist with the most Demands will win the Eventful 2012 Fans' Choice Award for "Best Tour of the Year!" Voting is open until 9am PST Friday, October 29, 2012. 

Full list of tours nominated:

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band 
Brad Paisley 
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band 
Coldplay 
Dave Matthews Band 
Drake 
Elton John 
Guns 'N Roses 
Jason Aldean 
Jay-Z/Kanye West 
Kenny Chesney/Tim McGraw 
Kiss/Motley Crue 
Lady Gaga 
Madonna 
Miranda Lambert 
Nickelback 
One Direction 
Pearl Jam 
Phish 
Rascal Flatts 
Red Hot Chili Peppers 
Rod Stewart 
Roger Waters 
Taylor Swift 
Van Halen

Carrie Underwood plans lots of costume changes and a duet with Hunter Hayes during Blown Away Tour

Source: Rick Diamond/Getty Images North America

Carrie Underwood celebrated her #1 song, Good Girl, at a party on Tuesday in Nashville and spent a little time talking about her upcoming Blown Away Tour. 

Carrie tells The Country Vibe that there will be "a lot of very dramatic costumes and no two shows will be exactly the same as far as what I wear and when I wear it. I like to have options."

Carrie's also planning a duet with opening act, Hunter Hayes, although no plans are firm yet. 

"That is the plan, yeah. We haven't actually tried anything yet, of course we'll have to get in there and see what we can do, but surely we'll figure out something," she laughed. "We're both talented individuals so we'll find some way to sing together and perform together."

Carrie's Blown Away Tour kicks off September 14th in New Hampshire.

More photos here.

Full tour dates below:

David Nail sets tour dates for coming months

David Nail is heading out on tour this fall. Check out all the details from his website: 

Having spent the last two years on tour with Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Billy Currington and Gavin DeGraw, David Nail understands working the big rooms – but there’s still nothing he enjoys more than a packed club where the fans have come to hear the Grammy-nominated vocalist go deep into his own music. Sept. 6 at Cincinnati’s Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, the Kennett, Missourian kicks off a fall tour that focuses on making the music as intimate as possible for as many fans who want to come.

“I’ve been blessed with some pretty great songs, and you just can’t get them all in during a shorter set,” says the son of a high school band director. “The great thing about playing your own shows, you can play all the music you want to – and a lot of the great album cuts get to be heard, which is a lot of times what fans tell me they like the best.”

Luke Bryan announces Farm Tour 2012, talks about 2013 headlining tour

Luke Bryan will embark on his fourth-annual "Farm Tour" 2012 set for this October with eight concerts planned through several southern states, including five in his home state of Georgia.

And speaking of Luke Bryan tours, Luke recently spoke with my radio buddy, Broadway, about his upcoming 2013 headlining tour and just who might be opening for him. Hint -- it's a group. Check out the video below.  

The "Farm Tour" 2012 locations announced so far are....

• October 3 *Claxton (Statesboro), GA
• October 4 *Clemson, SC
• October 5 *Auburn, AL
• October 6 Valdosta, GA
• October 10 Villa Rica, GA
• October 11 *Colbert (Athens), GA
• October 12 Tallahassee, FL
• October 13 *Macon, GA

Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw break attendance record in New Jersey (from the mailbag)

Photo of NJ Metlife Stadium via KennyChesney.com

Saturday's sold-out 'Brothers of the Sun' show, with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, at NJ's MetLife Stadium set the record as the largest ticketed country event in NYC/NJ history, with 56,285 tickets sold. The concert broke the record Chesney set last year with his sold-out 'Goin' Coastal' date on August 13, 2011. Not only is the 'Brothers of the Sun' Tour the biggest tour of 2012 according to Pollstar, but this week it broke the million ticket mark and became the 9th time in 10 years that Chesney's touring resulted in ticket sales of one million or more.

"The excitement and buzz for this show was through the roof since the day it was announced," said Interim MetLife Stadium President Ron VanDeVeen. "We couldn't imagine how last year's 'Goin' Coastal' show could be topped, but this truly was the biggest country show we've ever seen."

Opening with the one-two punch of his #1 single "Beer in Mexico" and "Keg in the Closet," Chesney captivated the audience with a non-stop performance that featured a guest appearance from Grace Potter on "You & Tequila," which Chesney said has grown into one of his favorite songs, and his current single "Come Over," which is #1 on Billboard's Country Songs chart for the second consecutive week. Chesney conveyed his gratitude to the history-making crowd throughout the show, saying how much he had missed NYC and speaking about the commonality between people from all areas.

"I want to thank you for having us back, and thank you for letting us be a part of your summer," Chesney told the crowd. "After tonight we only have four shows left, and we're gonna take this night with us all winter."

With the NFL season just weeks away, Chesney acknowledged the area's deep pigskin divide by holding up a Giants helmet in one hand and a Jets helmet in the other before presenting them to two awe-struck fans pulled onstage from the pit. After a joint encore with Chesney and McGraw that featured all acts joining in on Jackson's Browne's "Running on Empty," everyone in the stadium, whether Jets or Giants fans, left having witnessed a piece of NJ/ NY history.

Tour dates: https://tickets.kennychesney.com/
http://kennychesney.com
http://fishbowl.kennychesney.com
http://www.facebook.com/KennyChesney
http://twitter.com/#!/kennychesney
http://noshoesradio.com/index.aspx
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/kchesney

Glen Campbell pulls out of Australian tour with Kenny Rogers due to illness

Glen Campbell is currently on his Goodbye Tour, hitting various spots around the country to perform one last time for family, friends, and fans before his recently diagnosed Alzheimer's makes touring impossible. 

But it appears the touring he's been doing over the last year or so may finally be taking a toll on legend.

Campbell was scheduled to hit Australia in August with friend Kenny Rogers for multiple shows, but was recently forced to pull out due to illness, but most people seem to agree that it's probably Campbell's progressing Alzheimer's that has made him unable to travel the long distance to Australia.     

According to Kenny Rogers' official website, multiple Australian country music stars will take Campbell's place on the tour including John Williamson, Beccy Cole, Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar-Daley and Sara Storer. 

Campbell currently has 8 stops left on his Goodbye Tour with the last being October 20 in Torrington, CT. So far only his Australian shows have been canceled.  

Sending out well wishes to the country great.  

Brantley Gilbert announces first headlining tour with Uncle Kracker, Greg Bates, & Brian Davis -- Hell on Wheels (from the mailbag)

While still reveling in the excitement of his second consecutive #1 hit, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” Brantley Gilbert announced his first headlining tour today. The HELL ON WHEELS TOUR will kick off Thursday, September 27 in Lafayette, IN. Special guest Uncle Kracker, Greg Bates and Brian Davis will be featured on various dates.

Town finds out just how trashy Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw fans can be

Ha! I wonder how many people will read the title of this post and get mad without realizing that this story is actually about trash? 

So, once the lights and the stage and all the equipment is gone from a Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw concert, you know what you have left? 

A ton of garbage, that's what.  

Actually, more like 25 tons!

Kenny and Tim had one of their massive tour stops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over the weekend, which I'm sure was a blast for those who got to attend it, unfortunately for cleanup crews, once the tour was over, the real work was just beginning.  

Crews from Three Rivers Power Sweep Inc. hit Heinz Field soon after the Brothers of the Sun Crew finished dismantling things and got to work cleaning up for events taking place there the next day.  All in all, Power Sweep says it cleaned up more than 400 cubic yards of trash, or about 50,000 pounds of who only knows what.  

“Chesney is the worst (for trash),” said boss man Leroy Stotler. "This was as bad, if not worse, than other years.”

Well yeah, they had Tim and Kenny both this year. Double the fun, double the trash. Seems about right to me.  

If you think all the fans were trashy, never fear because some were a bit greener than others. It's reported that there was a large pile of blue recycle bags full of recyclables left for cleanup crews to hopefully recycle.

I'm just curious if it's the city that hosts the show that has to pay the cleanup crew, the stadium where the show takes place, or if this is something that Kenny foots the bill for? Something I've never thought of before just this exact minute. Interesting.