‘Anger Management Tour’ starts July 7
In what’s shaping up as one of the biggest tours of the summer – and one of the most notable rap packages ever – Eminem will join his hit-making protege 50 Cent, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz, G-Unit and others on the “Anger Management Tour.”
The lineup packs a formidable sales punch – the latest albums by those four acts have sold a combined 11.7 million copies – and anticipation has been sharpened by Eminem’s three-year absence from the tour circuit.
“Both of these artists are very fresh and have not toured extensively,” Billboard magazine senior writer Ray Waddell said of the two headliners.
“It could potentially be one of the top, if not the top, hip-hop tours ever if it had more dates,” Waddell added. “This is a major deal for the genre, no doubt about it.”
The 24-date tour starts July 7 in Indiana and includes a July 17 stop at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Wash. Tickets will go on sale at a later date through Ticketmaster (509-735-0500, www.ticketmaster.com).
50 Cent will miss the first two dates because of the filming schedule for his movie debut, and rapper Ludacris will fill in at those shows. The tour also features D12, Obie Trice and Stat Quo.
Springsteen sails solo
Bruce Springsteen will travel light on his upcoming tour.
The Boss will perform by himself when he begins a series of live shows in support of his upcoming “Devils & Dust” album, with the first performance slated for April 25 in Detroit. The album comes out a day later.
A series of dates across the United States and Europe will carry Springsteen through the end of June, when additional domestic shows will be scheduled. No concerts are yet planned for the Northwest.
These will be Springsteen’s first solo shows since the 1995-97 “Ghost of Tom Joad” tour, where he was accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and harmonica. Several of the songs on the new CD were written during that tour, Springsteen has said.
“Devils & Dust” is Springsteen’s first new studio album since “The Rising” three years ago.