Janet Jackson to visit intimate venues in a bid to get ‘up close and personal’ with fans on new tour
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Janet Jackson fans have been clamoring for her return to the stage after her brief 2008 ‘Rock Witchu Tour’ was marred with cancellations.
Despite releasing only a couple of singles over the past two years in favor of turning her attention to films, the pop icon wasn’t a stranger to the stage during that time; she performed on the finale of “American Idol,” paid tribute to her late brother, Michael, on the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009 and headlined the 2010 Essence Music Festival — breaking attendance records.
Jackson is finally ready to reward patient fans waiting for her return with the ‘Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour,’ the U.S. leg of which will kick off in March, she announced Monday.
For the trek, Jackson called on her fans to vote for the 35 cities (one for each of her 35 No. 1 hits) that would constitute the itinerary, with dates in Singapore, Hong Kong and Manila being the first to be announced.
The stateside trek kicks off March 7 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and wraps April 22-23 in Las Vegas. With a setlist culled exclusively from Jackson’s 2009 greatest hits package, ‘Number Ones,’ and a focus on intimate venues, she promises fans a more revealed and personal experience.
‘These concerts will be different from anything I have ever done. I will be as up close and personal as possible,’ Jackson said in a statement. ‘These concerts are not about special effects. This is a love affair between me and those of you who have supported me and my work for all these years. I’ll be singing and dancing from my heart. The music will all be songs that you’ve made number ones for me. Let’s go!”
She also plans to pay tribute to 20 young leaders, as nominated by their peers. At each concert the 20 chosen and the person who nominated them will be VIP guests of the show. She is also selecting the fan who is the first to submit an online vote for each of the selected cities. The winner will be announced on her website and will receive an autographed copy of “Number Ones” as well as an autographed copy of her upcoming book “True You.”
Her tour will roll through in Los Angeles on April 14 when she plays the Gibson Amphitheatre. Tickets for her L.A. date go on sale Friday through Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
Check out the dates after the jump:
March 4 — Houston, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
March 7-8 — Chicago, the Chicago Theatre
March 12 — Toronto, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
March 16 — Uncasville, Conn., Mohegan Sun Arena
March 18 — New York, Radio City Music Hall
March 22 — Washington, D.C., DAR Constitution Hall
March 25-26 — Atlantic City, N.J., Borgata Spa & Resort Event Center
March 29 — Atlanta, Fox Theatre
March 31 — St. Louis, Fox Theatre
April 2 — Grand Prairie, Texas, Verizon Theatre
April 6 — Denver, Wells Fargo Theatre at the Colorado Convention Center
April 8 — Phoenix, Comerica Theatre
April 9 — Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Bowl
April 14 — Los Angeles, Gibson Amphitheatre
April 19 — San Francisco, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
April 22 & 23 — Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, The Colosseum — Gerrick D. Kennedy
twitter.com/GerrickKennedy
