(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) —
Clay Aiken might sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas," but he won't be, as he embarks on his "Joyful Noise 2005" tour, his second consecutive holiday tour. He perform 40 shows in 36 cities, starting Nov. 2 in Vancouver, BC. The tour then crosses into the United States and concludes with two shows on Dec. 29-30 at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, FL.
"Joyful Noise 2005" tour is the sequel to Aiken's first holiday tour, which was a huge success, playing to sold-out theaters at every stop. The 2005 tour will feature songs from Aiken's platinum-selling "Merry Christmas with Love," the best-selling new holiday album of 2004. The song list will differ from the 2004 tour and will include a number of songs Clay recorded for the album that didn't appear on the CD, as well as new arrangements for some traditional favorites.
The tour will feature a new element: a series of vignettes with a running storyline written by Aiken. The vignettes will feature two main characters and supporting roles will be cast in each city with local actors.
"I've always loved Christmas music and holiday songs," says Aiken. "And even though there's no place like home for the holidays, I'm looking forward to touring the country with the second installment of the 'Joyful Noise' tour."
This is the sixth tour of Clay's career, and it caps a busy year with a schedule filled with everything from fulfilling his role as UNICEF Ambassador to being a reporter for the TV series "The Insider." Aiken has also been in the studio recording his next RCA Records album and will continue to work on that project during the closing months of 2005.
As part of his UNICEF duties, Aiken is the spokesperson for their annual trick-or-treat fundraising campaign. While the money raised from this effort is usually earmarked exclusively for other countries, this year, for the first time, half of the money raised will be donated to victims of Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
Clay Aiken "Joyful Noise 2005" itinerary:
11/2 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theater
11/3 Portland, OR Theatre of the Clouds
11/5 Eugene, OR Hult Center
11/6 Seattle, WA McCaw Hall
11/8 Oakland, CA Paramount Theater
11/9-10 Hollywood, CA Kodak Theatre
11/11 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Theater
11/13 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
11/15 Salt Lake City, UT NuSkin Theater at Delta Center
11/16 Denver, CO Lecture Hall
11/18 Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Center
11/19 Kansas City, MO Midland Theater
11/21 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium
11/22 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
11/25 Louisville, KY Palace Theater
11/26 Cincinnati, OH Music Hall
11/27 Youngstown, OH Convocation Center
11/29 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Hall
11/30 Reading, PA Sovereign Center
12/2 -4 New York, NY Beacon Theater
12/6 Boston, MA Orpheum
12/8 Albany, NY The Palace
12/9 Providence, RI Providence Perf Arts Center
12/10 Wallingford, CT Oakdale Theatre
12/11 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center
12/13 Washington, DC Constitution Hall
12/14 Baltimore, MD Lyric Theater
12/16 Nashville, TN Gaylord Entertainment Center
12/17 Atlanta, GA Civic Center Theater
12/18 Pensacola, FL Civic Center
12/20 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
12/21 Charlotte, NC New Charlotte Arena
12/22 Raleigh, NC Moonlight Theatre
12/27 Hollywood, FL Seminole Arena
12/28 Melbourne, FL King Center for the Arts
12/29-30 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen