(CelebrityAccess News Service) — The Rolling Stone 2003 Readers' and Critics' Polls for Best Tour did not agree on any consensus with Justin Timberlake/Christine Aguilera "Justified and Stripped" tour coming in first in the Readers' Poll while Radiohead's tour "Hail to the Thief" won the Critics' Poll.
Ozzy Osbourne's "Ozzfest" and The Rolling Stones' "Licks" tour came in second and third with the readers while David Bowie's "A Reality" tour and Jaz-Z/50 Cent "Rock the Mic" tour took second and third with the critics. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson To Go On Tour
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "American Idol" stars Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson will be going on tour together on Feb. 24 in Charlotte, N.C.
Aiken was the runner-up in the popular American Idol television show last year. His first album, "Measure of a Man", debuted No. 1 and went double-platinum.
The collection of pop tunes and love songs features "This Is the Night," the ballad the Raleigh, N.C., native first belted out during the finals of the Fox singing competition.
Clarkson was the original winner of Fox's "American Idol" series and her debut album "Thankful" has sold more than 1 million copies.
Clarkson was nominated for a Grammy Award for best female pop vocal performance for "Miss Independent," a song co-written by Christina Aguilera, who was also competing in the category for "Beautiful."
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Shelton Opening Up For Keith On Tour
NASHVILLE (AP) — Blake Shelton spent part of Thursday night onstage in Tupelo, Miss., opening the new leg of Toby Keith's tour. The rest of the weekend will take them to Louisiana and Mississippi.
Shelton says he's thrilled with how much easier it is this year to open on the Keith tour, because audiences know who he is now. Shelton says when he first started out, audiences only knew him for his debut single "Austin," so he would sing it twice and sometimes even three times during a night. He says that once he scored three or four hits, his sets became more enjoyable and exciting for the audiences — and for him, too.
This time around, Shelton tells CMT that he now has Scotty Emerick living on his bus, even though he's in Keith's band and is supposed to ride on Keith's bus. But Shelton says when he got on his bus in Nashville, Tenn., Emerick was on it, "laughing and drinking and having a good time." Now he's ensconced in the bunk two above Shelton, and Shelton says he doesn't know if Emerick will go with him or Keith when the tour is over.
Shelton's take on the situation? Shelton says Emerick owes him "for about $300 worth of groceries, and about the same in beer."
Fans Camp Out To See Kenny Chesney
NASHVILLE, TN (AP) — Kenny Chesney fans are willing to brave all kinds of weather to see him, but the people camping out waiting for his performance this time have a much easier time of it.
Last month, almost 1,000 people braved the cold outside the Mall of America in Minnesota, waiting for his mid-December appearance there.
This month, fans and Florida State students are camping outside Florida's Music Store in Tallahassee. Chesney laughs that he wants to see "just how hard you guys can party."
Chesney's spokeswoman said the intensity of calls to Gainesville's Palace actually shut down their phone system.
The tour kicks off tonight in Gainesville and continue over the next two weeks.
Chesney's new CD, "When The Sun Goes Down," hits stores on Feb. 3.
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On the net:
B.B. King to Host Mississippi Blues Festival February 26-28
(CelebrityAccess News Service) — B.B. King will host the second annual Blues Today Symposium on February 26-28 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. Hosted by Living Blues magazine, the festivities will highlight the blues, from a panel discussion on the current state of the musical genre to a goat roast at a local juke joint.
"We're trying to create a rich and multi-layered conversation about the blues," Adam Gussow, symposium chair and UM assistant professor of English and Southern studies, said. "We're bringing together musicians, academics, poets, promoters, DJs, combining people whose business is blues with people who have an intellectual interest in blues."
Following King's concert on February 27, a "blues crawl" will be held, which will showcase artists throughout Oxford's town square. Performers include Corey Harris, Abraham Yameogo, T. Model Ford, and Precious Bryant. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
OutKast To Perform At NBA All-Star Game
NEW YORK (AP) — OutKast, Christina Aguilera and Nelly Furtado will all be front and center for the NBA All-Star game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 15.
OutKast, the Atlanta-based hip-hop duo that earned six Grammy nominations last month and whose album "Speakerboxxx-The Love Below" is the top-selling album in the country, will perform "Hey Ya" and "The Way You Move" as part of the player introductions.
The two songs are Nos. 1 and 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
Aguilera, a three-time Grammy winner, will sing the national anthem, and Canadian songbird Furtado will sing the Canadian anthem.
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On the Net:
http://www.christinaaguilera.com/
Johnny Rivers To Play Alabama Festival
GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) — Singer Johnny Rivers will headline Gadsden's Riverfest music festival, scheduled for June 11-12.
Grand Funk Railroad, Patty Loveless and Darryl Worley also will headline, festival organizers announced recently.
For several years, the festival has been held during the third week in May. But some entertainers have been unable to perform because of heavy rain and storms.
"It seems that our weather pattern has changed and our rainy season, at least over the past three or four years, has moved from April to May," said Riverfest chairman Bill Peppenhorst. "We appreciate our loyal fans staying with us these past few years."
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On the Net:
www.johnnyrivers.com/main.html
