Melissa Etheridge expands summer trek

April 7, 2008 06:04 AM

LiveDaily Contributor

Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ]'s summer tour plans continue to grow with the addition of more than a dozen new dates for her upcoming run behind last year's "The Awakening."

The new dates move the start of the Oscar-winning singer/songwriter's tour forward, with the outing now set to kick off June 15 in Clearwater, FL. The trek currently boasts 19 destinations, including two-night engagements in both Lowell, MA (7/18-19) and Chicago (8/7-8). All current dates for the run are shown below.

Members of the singer's online fan club--the Melissa Etheridge Information Network--will receive priority ticketing for most of the shows. More information on the club can be found at the performer's official website.

"The Awakening," Etheridge's ninth studio album, hit stores last September. The disc was co-produced with David Cole and features Etheridge's regular touring bandmates, guitarist Philip Sayce, bassist Mark Browne and drummer Mauricio 'Fritz' Lewak.

The album debuted at number 13 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling about 48,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set's first single, "Message to Myself," peaked at No. 25 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" took home the award last year for Best Original Song after being featured in former Vice President Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." The song appears on the enhanced version of the singer's 2005 greatest-hits album, "The Road Less Traveled," although it does not appear on the standard version of the disc.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

June 2008
15 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
16 - Orlando, FL - Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
19 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre Jacksonville
20 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain park Amphitheatre
25 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall

July 2008
1, 2 - Hyannis, MA - Cape Cod Melody Tent
5 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion
15 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Performing Arts Center
18, 19 - Lowell, MA - Lowell Memorial Auditorium
21 - Montreal, Quebec - Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
22 - Ottawa, Ontario - National Arts Center
28 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall

August 2008
2 - Columbus, OH - Celeste Center @ Ohio State Fair
7, 8 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
9 - St. Paul, MN - O'Shaughnessy Theatre at College of St. Catherine
23 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
24 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
29 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
30 - Alpine, CA - Viejas Concerts in the Park