NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Machine recording artist Taylor Swift, who topped Nielsen SoundScan's all-genre year-end music sales report as 2008's top-selling artist, announced today that she will tour as a headliner this year. Taylor will take her North American FEARLESS TOUR 2009 to 52 cities in 38 states and provinces in the US and Canada over the span of 6 months. In most markets, ticket prices will start at only $20 plus local fees.
"Headlining my own tour is a dream come true! This way I can play more music every night than I ever have before," says Taylor. "Having written my own songs, they are all stories in my head, and my goal for this tour is to bring those stories to life. My favorite thing when I go to a concert is having lots of changing things to look at, so I've been working really hard to make this show as multi-dimensional as possible. I want to be sure that everyone has the opportunity to come see my show, so we have affordable tickets available for every date we do this year."
One of the most-anticipated musical experiences of the year, Taylor Swift's FEARLESS 2009 show will feature an incredibly theatrical presentation of graphics, sets and visual elements designed by Taylor herself. During each show, Taylor will play five different guitars, as well as the piano. Multiple costume changes and a fairy-tale castle illuminated by more than a million lumens of light are just some of the highlights of the three-act show.
Prior to the tour launch in late April, Taylor will play three US headlining shows, in addition to several dates in the UK and Australia. Tickets to these shows have been in unparalleled demand, selling record numbers in record time, including the nearly 71,000 individual tickets for Taylor's March show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo that sold out within 48 hours of going on sale to the public.
Taylor's good friend, American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler, will join Taylor as a featured artist on all of the dates on the TAYLOR SWIFT FEARLESS TOUR 2009, and each show will also include another special guest, Gloriana.
When her self-titled, sophomore album debuted at number one on Billboard's Country Album Chart in the fall of 2008, Kellie Pickler became only the sixth country artist in history to have both their first and second albums debut at number one. From the sassy "Red High Heels" to the searing, soul-bearing honesty of "I Wonder," (both songs she co-wrote) Kellie Pickler is plowing the road on her own terms. Her current single, "Best Days Of Your Life," is a musical revenge song that she co-wrote with Taylor, who lends background vocals on the album as well.
Gloriana represents an exciting new and vibrant force in country music. The group -- Tom Gossin, Mike Gossin, Rachel Reinert and Cheyenne Kimball -- consists of four uniquely talented and enthusiastic young musicians joining forces to create a fresh, one-of-a-kind sound with soaring four-part harmonies and an electric stage presence that reflects the best of today's Nashville. Their first single, "Wild At Heart", is just arriving at Country radio to rave reviews, and their debut album is set for release later this year.
This week marks Taylor's eighth in the #1 position atop Billboard's all- genre Top 200 Albums sales chart, marking the longest run at #1 for a female artist (all genres) in thirteen years. Taylor's sophomore CD, Fearless, has sold more than 2.4 million copies since its release in November of last year. Her MySpace music streams recently crossed the 150 million mark.
Taylor's 50-city tour officially kicks off in April in Evansville, Indiana, and will go through the summer and fall. The first tickets available to the public will be for the May 22nd date at Los Angeles' STAPLES Center. Those tickets go on sale Feb. 6th at 10 a.m. PT through Ticketmaster. Venues and ticket sales information for other tour stops will be announced in the coming weeks. The Taylor Swift FEARLESS 2009 tour will include the following:
DATE CITY
February 10 San Antonio, TX
March 1 Plant City, FL
March 20 Houston, TX
April 23 Evansville, IN
April 24 Jonesboro, AR
April 25 St Louis, MO
April 30 Charleston, SC
May 1 Jacksonville, FL
May 2 Biloxi, MS
May 14 Spokane, WA
May 15 Seattle, WA
May 16 Portland ,OR
May 17 Yakima, WA
May 21 Phoenix, AZ
May 22 Los Angeles, CA
May 23 Las Vegas, NV
May 24 San Diego, CA
May 26 Salt Lake City, UT
June 4 Enterprise, AL
June 11 Baltimore, MD
June 12 Greensboro, NC
June 24 Oshkosh, WI
June 25 Caddott, WI
July 8 Calgary, Alberta
July 10 Craven, Saskatchewan
July 11 Winnipeg, Manitoba
July 16 Twin Lakes, WI
July 17 Columbus, OH
July 18 Charleston, WV
July 23 Cheyenne, WY
July 24 Rapid City, SD
July 25 Minot, ND
August 7 Detroit Lakes, MN
August 9 Omaha, NE
August 27 New York, NY
August 28 Uncasville, CT
August 29 University Park, PA
August 30 Louisville, KY
September 4 Greenville, SC
September 5 Charlotte, NC
September 10 Lafayette, LA
September 11 Bossier City, LA
September 12 Birmingham, AL
September 25 Dallas, TX
September 26 Little Rock, AR
September 27 Tulsa, OK
October 1 Cleveland, OH
October 2 Grand Rapids, MI
October 3 Pittsburgh, PA
October 8 Indianapolis, IN
October 9 Chicago, IL
October 10 Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Tour information will be continually updated on http://www.taylorswift.com and http://www.myspace.com/taylorswift .
In addition to her headline tour, this year Taylor will also play ten previously announced dates with Keith Urban.
To hear music from Taylor Swift, log on to: http://www.taylorswift.com or http://www.myspace.com/taylorswift .
For Fearless album art and downloadable photos of Taylor Swift, log on to http://www.bigmachinerecords.com and click the media tab.
For more information, please contact:
Paula Erickson Claudine Ottinger - Tour Publicist
Erickson Public Relations Erickson Public Relations
615.665.5950 843.971.9840
paula@ericksonpr.com claudine@ericksonpr.com
For Kellie Pickler: For Gloriana:
Wes Vause Denise Carberry
BNA Records PFA Media
615.301.4373 212/334-6116
wes.vause@sonymusic.com dcarberry@pfamedia.net
