For a guy that went to the prom stag, Josh Groban has come a long way. Even though he’s still single, that’s more a result of his hectic tour schedule than a lack of female admirers.
Tomorrow morning (Nov. 16) at 10 a.m. his newest release, “Awake,” will be the source of pre-sale codes for his 2007 tour. When you buy his CD at Target, a unique code is included and you can get tickets before they go on sale to the general public. It’s like a little window to Josh’s soul.
His latest release promises the same, as he was more hands-on this time around, writing and producing a number of songs on the 13-track album. It takes Josh to new places musically, with songs in Italian, Spanish and English. He collaborated with such legends as Herbie Hancock, Ladysmith Black Mambayo, Glen Ballard and even Dave Matthews.
"I learned from touring that my fans are really open-minded, musical, intelligent people and I feel like they want to come on this new journey with me," Groban said in a statement. "The music still sounds like it's coming from my heart and my soul and my voice. That is always the most important thing to me. My goal on 'Awake' was to create the music and find the best people to help me create it."
The ballads in this pop album feature Groban’s beautiful baritone rising above a classical orchestra while he accompanies himself on the piano. Quite a change from the penny whistle he played as a kid.
The tour begins February 17th in Verona, NY and will criss-cross across the country, hitting spots in Canada along the way. The full tour listing is below.
February 2007
17 - Verona, NY - to be announced
18 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
20 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
21 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
23 - Auburn Hills, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
24 - Chicago, IL - United Center
26 - London, Ontario - John LaBatt Centre
27 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiaplace (formerly The Corel Centre)
March 2007
1 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
2 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
4 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
5 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Center
7 - Providence, RI - Dunkin' Donuts Center
8 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
10 - Rochester, NY - Blue Cross Arena
12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
13 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
16 - Raleigh, NC - RBC Center
17 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
19 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Arena
21 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
22 - San Antonio - TX - AT&T Center
25 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Arena
27 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
28 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
31 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
April 2007
4 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
6 - San Diego, CA - ipayOne Center
7 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Garden Arena
