DIXIE CHICKS ANNOUNCE PLANS
FOR THEIR 2006 WORLD TOUR
The Accidents & Accusations Tour
Goes On-Sale in June and Kicks Off in Detroit July 21st
MSN partners with Dixie Chicks to provide unprecedented
access to in depth tour information, behind the scenes coverage, web cast of
June 15 London concert, and will have the exclusive premiere of the trio’s new
album,Taking The
Long Way,
on May 22
Nashville,
Tenn. (May 18, 2006) – Dixie Chicks announce plans for their 2006 world tour, The Accidents & Accusations Tour.
The North American leg of the tour, whose
name comes from a line in “Easy Silence”, a song off their highly anticipated
album, Taking the Long Way, will kick off July 21st in
Detroit, MI and will run through early November. Tickets for all North American shows will go
on sale over the first two weeks of June through normal ticketing outlets. Fans who purchase the band’s new CD at Target
stores in the U.S.
beginning May 23 will be given a password for a special online presale purchase for up to four tickets
for most shows on the tour.
When
describing what fans can expect from this year’s tour, Natalie Maines says that
it will be "more of an old-style rock show, not so much about theatrics
and props but just about the music." She also notes "to rock out, we
used to have to pull out a cover tune, so it's nice to have your own songs to
fill that part of the set."
What
is different for the Chicks? “The last tour we only had two little kids, this
time it’s seven under the age of six,” laughs Emily Robison. “Our entourage just consists of nannies!”
adds sister and band mate Martie Maguire.
All
North American dates on The Accidents & Accusations Tour will be promoted
by AEG Live, with the exception markets of Minneapolis and Chicago that will be
promoted by Jam Productions, and Sacramento and Oakland that will be promoted
by Another Planet.
In
addition to new music from Taking the
Long Way album, Dixie Chicks will perform all their previous hits and have
recently been in rehearsal with their A-list touring band. Austin sensation
David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp) reprises his 2003 role as leader of
the Dixie Chicks band which this time features returning acoustic guitarist
extraordinaire Keith Sewell, (Ricky Skaggs), as well as Wallflowers drummer
Fred Eltringham, Black Crowes/Chris Robinson guitarist Audley Freed, west coast
keyboard studio legend Larry Knechtel
(Simon & Garfunkel, Mamas & Papas, Beach Boys) former Soul
Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, pedal steel player Pete Finney (Doug
Sahm, Alison Moorer), Rod Stewart violinist Janna Jacoby and cellist John
Krovoza.
Before
the North American tour kicks off, the famed trio will perform two concerts in
London as part of their promotional activities for the June 12 international
release of their new album. Ironically,
their first concert performance in two years will be on Thursday, June 15 at
Shepherd’s Bush Empire, the so-called “scene of the crime” of lead singer
Natalie Maines’ infamous words. The
Dixie Chicks have also been added as special guests to The Eagles’ June 17 show
at Twickenham Stadium.
The Dixie Chicks have signed an
exclusive two-year deal with MSN who will connect their fans worldwide and
provide the most comprehensive information on the band’s new album and tour at www.dixiechicks.msn.com. Beginning today, all information
about the
Chicks’ upcoming North American tour is available on MSN.
MSN
is also the online destination for fans to stream select tracks from the new
album this weekend and will host a premiere of the entire album on May 22, a
day before its North American release. MSN will also serve
as the web portal for U.S. fans that purchase the new Dixie Chicks CD at Target
to be able to purchase presale concerts tickets for U.S. shows. MSN has commissioned a writer to follow the
band 24/7 for one year with an all-access pass. The writer will document his
experiences with the band and post behind-the-scenes exclusive interviews,
articles and video footage on the site.
Additionally, MSN plans to web cast an exclusive on-demand stream of the
Dixie Chicks’ June 15 London concert.
The Dixie Chicks are the
biggest-selling female group in history, having sold more than 30 million CDs.
They are a multi-platinum selling act in North America, Europe and Australia.
The Chicks have won seven Grammy Awards and more than four dozen other major
awards since 1998. They are one of a mere handful of acts with multiple albums
achieving "Diamond" status (meaning sales over 10 million copies) - both
Wide
Open Spaces (1998) and Fly (1999) hit that stratospheric
landmark. Their on-stage reputation has helped them sell over $100 million
worth of concert tickets to date.
