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Casting Crowns expand extensive tour
Christian soft-rock stars Casting Crowns have added more shows to their upcoming US tour, which now spans 40 dates.
The outing is set to kick off Jan. 31 in Oklahoma City, OK, and travel from the Midwest to the East Coast into May. Since last check, shows have been added in Wichita, KS; Tulsa, OK; Tampa and Jacksonville, FL; Erie, PA; Columbia, SC; Knoxville and Chattanooga, TN; and Evansville, IN. The final date on the itinerary is the May 19 launch of The Music Boat 2008 Cruise, which leaves from Miami and features a host of Christian artists including TobyMac and Matthew West. Casting Crowns' full tour schedule is listed below.
The band is riding high on the success of its third album, "The Altar and The Door," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 in August, setting a new record for a Christian artist without crossover promotion in the mainstream market. The set has since scored a gold-album certification and three Grammy nominations: Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album, as well as Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song for the lead single, "East to West."
Last fall's 36-date "The Altar and The Door Tour" logged 20 sellouts and attendance figures topping 200,000, according to a press release. The trek was the best-selling Christian music concert event of the fall touring season and No. 30 overall, as ranked by trade mag Pollstar.
During its four-year career, Casting Crowns has collected two platinum-album certifications and won multiple Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association. The band is the most played artist on all Christian radio formats combined, with seven consecutive No. 1 AC radio hits, according to a press release.
Despite their success, the seven members of Casting Crowns remain part-time musicians, touring around their local church duties in the Atlanta area. Lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall is serving his 17th year as youth minister at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church.
