Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Nickelodeon Boy Band "Big Time Rush" To Hit Over 50 US Cities With Second Major National Tour "Big Time Summer Tour"

Below is a Nickelodeon Press Release from Nickelodeon USA's "Nickelodeon Kids And Family" press website, NickPress.com:
BIG TIME RUSH TO HIT OVER 50 CITIES WITH SECOND MAJOR NATIONAL TOUR "BIG TIME SUMMER TOUR"

CODY SIMPSON AND RACHEL CROW TO JOIN BTR ON SELECT DATES

TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING MARCH 10th AT 10AM

(NEW YORK, NY - February 27, 2012) — In overwhelming response to their sold-out “Better With U Tour,” Big Time Rush announced today that they will kick off “Big Time Summer Tour,” performing in over 50 cities across the US and Canada including stops in New York, Chicago, Boston and Toronto. Beginning on July 5th in Columbus, OH, the Nickelodeon stars and Columbia Recording artists will perform songs off their latest album Elevate including "Music Sounds Better With U," "All Over Again" and "Elevate." During select dates, emerging Australian pop phenomenon Cody Simpson and X-Factor finalist and newly signed Nickelodeon talent Rachel Crow will open for Big Time Rush. Additional acts will be announced shortly. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the public beginning March 10th at 10 a.m. at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

"We can't wait to hit the road again!" said Big Time Rush. “The Better With U tour has been amazing and we’re incredibly grateful to our fans who have supported us and made our first headlining tour a success.”

The “Big Time Summer Tour” will hit famed arenas such as PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Chicago, IL and Comcast Center in Boston, MA, once again, bringing their powerhouse performance to fans across the country.

A special ticket pre-sale to American Express card members will be available beginning March 5th at 10 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. on March 9th. Citi card members will have access to presale tickets for Wantagh, NY and Holmdel, NJ beginning March 5th at 10 a.m. through Citi’s Private Pass Program. In addition, Big Time Rush has teamed up with VIP Nation to provide a variety of VIP ticket packages for the tour, including premium seats, meet-and-greets, access to sound check, photo ops, parties and more. For fan club pre sale tickets/VIP packages, exclusive tour content and more please visit: www.BigTimeTour.com.

Big Time Rush was recently nominated for “Favorite Music Group” at the 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards along with LMFAO, Black Eyed Peas, and Lady Antebellum. This is their second nomination in the category. They are also scheduled to perform on “Live with Kelly” on March 9.

Big Time Rush – Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson – recently released their second album, Elevate. The highly anticipated follow-up to the group's Gold-certified debut BTR, Elevate features tracks including “Music Sounds Better With U (featuring Mann),” “Show Me” and “All Over Again,” plus brand-new music that will debut on upcoming episodes of the TV series. And on March 6th, Big Time Rush will release the soundtrack for their movie, Big Time Movie, exclusively on iTunes. The soundtrack features covers of beloved Beatles songs including "Help," "Revolution" and "Hard Day's Night." Big Time Movie will premiere on Saturday, March 10th at 8pm, only on Nickelodeon.

Now in its second season, Big Time Rush – which follows four best friends from Minnesota who trade in their hockey sticks for music superstardom in Los Angeles -- averages 3.6 million total viewers (+2%, over season one). The launch of the hit series on Nickelodeon drew 6.8 million viewers, making it the most watched live-action series premiere in the network's history.

T TOUR DATES

July 5 Columbus Nationwide Arena
July 6 Milwaukee Summerfest
July 7 St. Louis Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 8 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center
July 10 Atlanta Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
July 11 Birmingham Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
July 14 Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion
July 15 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
July 17 Phoenix Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion
July 19 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 20 San Diego Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
July 21 Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center
July 22 Mountainview, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 23 Paso Robles, CA California Mid-State Fair
July 25 Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre
July 27 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
July 28 Minneapolis Target Center
July 29 Indianapolis Klipsch Music Center
July 31 Detroit DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug 1 Cleveland Blossom Music Center
Aug 3 Louisville KFC Yum! Center
Aug 4 Chicago First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug 5 Pittsburgh First Niagara Pavilion
Aug 7 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Aug 9 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug 10 Philadelphia Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug 11 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Pavilion
Aug 12 Boston Comcast Center
Aug 14 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center
Aug 16 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fair
Aug 17 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach
Aug 18 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 19 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
Aug 21 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
Aug 22 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Aug 24 Miami Cruzan Amphitheatre
Aug 25 Tampa 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre
Aug 26 Puerto Rico Coliseo de Puerto Rico
Aug 29 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug 31 Bangor, ME Bangor Waterfront Pavilion
Sep 1 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Sep 2 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
Sep 4 Montreal Bell Centre
Sep 5 London, ON John Labatt Centre
Sep 7 Ottowa, ON Scotiabank Place
Sep 8 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
Sep 10 Winnipeg MTS Center
Sep 12 Regina, SK Brandt Centre
Sep 13 Edmonton Rexall Place
Sep 14 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome
Sep 16 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Sep 18 Portland Rose Garden Arena
*More dates to be announced

Contact
Kristen Foster
PMK*BNC
Kristen.Foster@pmkbnc.com
212.582.1111
Also, from Examiner.com:
Rachel Crow's first U.S. tour announced: opening act for Big Time Rush

Rachel Crow, the precocious teen who came in fifth place on "The X Factor" U.S. in 2011, is doing her first U.S. tour as the opening act for Big Time Rush on "The Big Time Summer Tour." The concert trek will be at mostly outdoor amphitheaters and will go to major metropolitan areas in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

The news comes soon after it was announced that Crow, 14, has signed deals with Syco Music/Columbia Records and with Nickelodeon. Crow has a recurring role on the Nickelodeon sitcom "Fred: The Show," which is expected to premiere sometime in March 2012.

She also has a starring role in a still-untitled musical show on Nickelodeon, which has ordered a pilot episode and will later decide if the show will be picked up as a series.

In a Ustream chat on February 22, 2012, Crow said that she hopes to film the Nickelodeon pilot sometime in the fall of 2012. She also said in the chat that she hopes to record her album as soon as possible, and she wants to do music that has a "retro" sound.

Big Time Rush, a male quartet, is also signed to Columbia and stars in a self-titled Nickelodeon TV series.

Crow is the second former "X Factor" act be chosen as an opening act for Big Time Rush's 2012 tour dates. One Direction (the boy band that came in third place on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010) is opening for Big Time Rush from February 24 to March 9. As previously reported, One Direction is upstaging Big Time Rush on the "Better With U" tour, since numerous audience members are cheering louder for One Direction and are leaving the show right after One Direction performs, so Big Time Rush is left playing to half-empty venues.

One Direction (which is also signed to Syco/Columbia in the U.S.) is rumored to be in talks to star in its own Nickelodeon TV series. One Direction also made a guest appearance on Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly," in an episode that will premiere on a date to be announced.

Crow and Australian teen idol Cody Simpson are doing select dates on Big Time Rush's "Big Time Summer Tour." Tickets go on sale on March 9 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, and can be puchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Here are the tour dates:

Rachel Crow will not be on all of the tour dates. Check with the venue box office or ticket agency to verify who will be the opening acts.

July 5, 2012: Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena

July 6, 2012: Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Summerfest

July 7, 2012: St. Louis, Missouri – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

July 8, 2012: Cincinnati, Ohio – Riverbend Music Center

July 10, 2012: Atlanta, Georgia – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

July 11, 2012: Birmingham, Alabama – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre

July 14, 2012: Dallas, Texas – Gexa Energy Pavilion

July 15, 2012: Tulsa, Oklahoma – BOK Center

July 17, 2012: Phoenix, Arizona – Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion

July 19, 2012: Irvine, California – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

July 20, 2012: San Diego, California – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

July 21, 2012: Las Vegas, Nevada – Mandalay Bay Events Center

July 22, 2102: Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheatre

July 23, 2012: Paso Robles, Calforna – California Mid-State Fair

July 25, 2012: Salt Lake City, Utah – USANA Amphitheatre

July 27, 2012: Kansas City, Missouri – Sprint Center

July 28, 2012: Minneapolis, Minnesota – Target Center

July 29, 2012: Indianapolis, Indiana – Klipsch Music Center

July 31, 2012: Detroit, Michigan – DTE Energy Music Theatre

August 1, 2012: Cleveland, Ohio – Blossom Music Center

August 3, 2012: Louisville, Kentucky – KFC Yum! Center

August 4, 2012: Chicago, Illinois – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

August 5, 2012: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – First Niagara Pavilion

August 7, 2012: Bethel, New York – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

August 9, 2012: Buffalo, New York – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

August 10, 2012: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Susquehanna Bank Center

August 11, 2012: Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hershey Park Pavilion

August 12, 2012: Boston, Massachusetts – Comcast Center

August 14, 2012: Saratoga Springs, New York – Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center

August 16, 2012: Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa State Fair

August 17, 2012: Wantagh, New York – Nikon at Jones Beach

August 18, 2012: Holmdel, New Jersey – PNC Bank Arts Center

August 19, 2012: Washington, D.C. – Jiffy Lube Live

August 21, 2012: Virginia Beach, Virginia – Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach

August 22, 2012: Raleigh, North Carolina – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek

August 24, 2012: Miami, Florida – Cruzan Amphitheatre

August 25, 2012: Tampa, Florida – 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre

August 26, 2012: San Juan, Puerto Rico – Coliseo de Puerto Rico

August 29, 2012: Charlotte, North Caroline – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

August 31, 2012: Bangor, Maine – Bangor Waterfront Pavilion

September 1, 2012: Manchester, New Hampshire – Verizon Wireless Arena

September 2, 2012: Hartford, Connecticut – Comcast Theatre

September 4, 2012: Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre

September 5, 2012: London, Ontario – John Labatt Centre

September 7, 2012: Ottowa, Ontario – Scotiabank Place

September 8, 2012: Toronto, Ontario – Molson Amphitheatre

September 10, 2012: Winnipeg, Manitoba – MTS Center

September 12, 2012: Regina, Saskatchewan – Brandt Centre

September 13, 2012: Edmonton, Alberta – Rexall Place

September 14, 2012: Calgary – Scotiabank Saddledome

September 16, 2012: Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena

September 18, 2012: Portland, Oregon – Rose Garden Arena

*More dates to be announced
Nickelodeon and "Big Time Rush" star Carlos Pena, Jr (Carlos Garcia) recently announced in a interview with the BTR boys that the Nickelodeon boy band "Big Time Rush" have plans to and are hoping to visit the UK and Germany again during Summer 2012 to perform a few big shows for UK Rushers (UK fans of "Big Time Rush") and German Rushers (German "Big Time Rush" fans).

Also, from the Winnipeg Free Press:
TV's Big Time Rush makes leap to arena shows

Big Time Rush

BIG Time Rush is making the leap from television to arenas.

The boy band created for the Nickelodeon TV series Big Time Rush is embarking on a 50-date North American tour with a stop at the MTS Centre set for Sept. 10. Tickets go on sale March 10 but prices weren't announced Monday.

Australia's Cody Simpson is opening all dates of the Big Time Summer Tour.

The television series Big Time Rush debuted in 2009 and aired in Canada on YTV. The titular band has released two albums in the past two years.
Also, from the Times Herald-Record:
Update: Changes to Big Time Rush concert at Bethel Woods

Ticket price change; Rachel Crow off the bill

There are a few changes for the Aug. 7 Big Time Rush concert at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Big Time Rush will be joined by Cody Simpson, but Rachel Crow is off the show. Also, lawn tickets are now only $26.50, or $86 for a four-pack. A first-week lawn special that was originally offered has been revoked.

Tickets are available at 10 a.m. March 10; a pre-sale is 10 a.m. March 6. Reserved tickets range from $36.50-$81.50. Ticket prices reflect full costs; parking is free.

For more information, visit www.bethelwoodscenter.org.
Also, from the Norwich Bulletin:
Hall about Pop: Big Time Rush the latest boy band to grace Foxwoods

They are a big-time deal to fans of Nickelodeon, and now Big Time Rush is out on their own headlining tour and playing tonight at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods.

It was nearly five years ago when Nickelodeon began auditioning for their new teen series, “Big Time Rush.” More than 1,500 teens auditioned for a part on the show and in the end producers chose Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena Jr. and Logan Henderson as the main characters.

The show revolves around four hockey players from Minnesota chosen to form a boy band and the misadventures they have in Hollywood. And though the adventures may be scripted, the music they make is very real.

The Nickelodeon network has a partnership with the Columbia/Epic Label Group, which is why music is incorporated throughout the show and why Big Time Rush managed to land a TV deal and record deal at the same time. But it’s their talent and likeability that have made both ventures such a success.

Their show debuted in January 2010 to 6.8 million viewers, making it Nickelodeon’s highest-rated live-action series. They have already been signed to a third season, which has started filming and should debut later this year. But between takes on set, the guys hit the studio.

Big Time Rush’s debut album, “B.T.R.,” dropped about nine months after their show first aired and their fans were clearly excited. The record debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 3, selling more than 67,000 copies in its first week. It later peaked at No. 1 on the Top Soundtracks chart and became certified gold by RIAA. But Big Time Rush didn’t stop there.

Since the show first started, the guys have done four TV movies for Nickelodeon, recorded two albums and a Christmas EP and sang the national anthem at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game. Now the guys are tackling their first headlining tour.

The Better With U Tour started in February and saw some dates sell out in a matter of minutes. On the road with Big Time Rush is Irish boy band One Direction, so parents should be warned to bring along some ear plugs. With two groups of young guys taking the stage for thousands of fans at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods tonight, it’s tough to tell which will be louder, the music or the screams from their fans.
Also, from Louisville.com:
Big Time Rush made the girls go wild [Music]

If you were in downtown Louisville this past Friday and were worried by the loud girly screams, fear not, it was just the very expected reaction to the Big Time Rush summer tour. For those of you non-rushers, Big Time Rush is a boy band formed in Los Angeles in 2009 after Nickelodeon signed them. They are also the stars of their own television show on Nickelodeon and the Big Time Movie, which was released in March 2012.

Big Time Rush came to Louisville on Friday, August 3 to perform for a huge crowd at the KFC Yum! Center. Opening for them were Rachel Crow, 14-year-old star from Colorado who got her big break from Disney after being eliminated from The X Factor in 2011; and, Cody Simpson, originally from Queensland, Australia who will be releasing his debut album, Paradise, this October. They definitely rocked the stage with their amazing fresh voices and dance moves, however, all the anticipation was for Kendall, James, Carlos and Logan—the members of the BTR band.

Fireworks, glow sticks and of course stage lights were just part of what brought the performance to shine. The crowd was wowed by the set and not to forget, the impressive flips that the members did off of the trampoline on stage!

Every pre-teen girl in Louisville seemed to be screaming, “oh my gosh, marry me” at the Yum! Center on Friday. And if not, she was hoping to win a ticket so she could do just that. The BTR boys broke hundreds of hearts but won four by each bringing a girl from the crowd on stage. They soon made up for it though by going into the crowd, which made the floor of the Yum! Center look like a giant mosh pit of little girls.

Among the many songs they sang were “Elevate”, “Invisible”, and “Windows Down” from their newest album. They also performed “No Idea” which caused much controversy when released as some accused the band of “stealing” the title and chorus from All Time Low’s song “No Idea”.

The crowd consisted of cute little girls all dressed up with poster board signs and lit up arrows, and parents with a much-needed drink in hand. One thing is sure; they all had an experience that will not be forgotten for years.

Here are some pictures from the concert [click here to view on the official Louisville.com website courtesy of Lucky Bunny Photography]:
Also, from The Hollywood Reporter:
Big Time Rush Caters to 'Two Separate Audiences' With Live Performance

The Nickelodeon pop sensation attempts to prove that they're not the average boy band, balancing their television characters and real-life personalities while on tour.

Despite the heat -- and with no air conditioning in their dressing room -- pop band Big Time Rush invaded the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif., Thursday night with tons of energy -- and plenty of confetti to boot.

In light of the extreme temperatures, the boy band, comprised of Kendall Schmidt, Logan Henderson, Carlos Pena, Jr. and James Maslow, joked about taking their clothes off to a mostly female audience. As is to be expected, the crowd responded in kind with thousands of ear-shattering shrieks.

VIDEO: Big Time Rush: Wango Tango 2012

Most of the audience (an expecting Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green among them) was decked out in neon homemade shirts and carrying signs that read “Dibs on James” or “Marry Me, Logan,” as well as the obligatory "It's My Birthday!" proclaimations. But the fans, dubbed Rushers, were surprisingly not all teenagers.

“If you look at the crowd we’ve kind of got two separate audiences,” James told The Hollywood Reporter before the show. “We’ve got the young kids who pretty much watch the TV show and so they know us as the characters, and they still enjoy the music. But then you have a lot more now -- more and more growing -- of just the pop audience. 18 and up.”

Big Time Rush formed in 2009 as an extension of the Nickelodeon TV show of the same name. Now in its third season, the show airs new episodes Mondays at 8 pm.

“People don’t see us -- not every person -- but they don’t see us as real people. We’re these characters that come to their living room every single night at 8 o’clock,” Logan explained. “Then they see us in real life and they’re like, ‘wait a minute.’ We each have pieces of our characters in us, but we’re actual real people who have certain personalities and we like to do certain things and they start to realize that.”

Rachel Crow (of The X Factor) and another boy band called New Hollow served as the night’s opening acts, earning a respectable reaction from the audience, but all that paled in comparison to the deafening screams that would follow.

After New Hollow exited the stage, a massive timer appeared on screen in the center of the stage to count down until the band came on. On either side of the stage, tweets and pictures were posted from the fans.

When the band did come out (belting the title track of their second album, “Elevate”), the audience got their first look at the set. Comprised of poles the boys could slide down, ramps, platforms (one literally elevated the band into the air) and a trampoline in the center of it all, the set looked more like a massive jungle gym than a stage. BTR used every bit of the set in their performance, and even ventured out into the audience for their performance of “Halfway There.”

More screams erupted when the guys brought four girls up on stage with them to sing “Worldwide.” They tugged on some heartstrings when Carlos brought attention to a diehard fan who had been to dozens of their concerts -- too many to count, she confessed -- and had expressed on Twitter how she wanted them to call her up to the stage if they saw her. The band, who claims to read every single tweet directed at them (one even inspired the song “Invisible”), proved why they have such a loyal following.

Despite several slower paced songs (“Worldwide,” “Cover Girl”) the band kept their energy up throughout the entire show, which lasted just over an hour. Towards the end, the band also performed covers of the famous Beatles songs “Hold You Hand” and “Help,” set to images from the band’s film Big Time Movie. The highlight of the evening, though, was during the band’s latest song, “Window Down.” The audience -- if possible -- got even louder when the band lead the audience in the chorus.

The band bounced off stage -- literally -- before returning with their fourth costume change. Keeping the encore short, the boys belted out the show’s theme song, “Big Time,” leaving a big time impression amidst pyrotechnics and confetti.

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