Links To Michael Johns and Brooke White Tour Dates 2009

Originally published at BC Magazine at the following link.

American Idol Alums Michael Johns and Brooke White Go On Tour
As is our custom at BC Magazine, we deliver the news more thoroughly than virtually every other news source out there.  It's not enough to hear that American Idol Season 7 finalists Michael Johns and Brooke White will be touring together this summer.  That much is widely known already.  But to fully deliver the story to you, not only will you find the dates and a list of what cities, but you'll also find links to each of the venues below.  You should expect no less than that from a quality source of news.

Before I get to the actual Michael Johns/Brooke White Tour 2009, there are a few other engagements to announce in the meantime. Michael Johns and Brooke White will be performing a free concert this coming Saturday, August 15, alongside Carolina Liar and fellow Idol Alum Elliott Yamin.  The concert will be held at Eisenhower Park, East Meadow Long Island and is being presented by Fresh 102.7.  Check out the details at the radio stations website.

There are no tickets to buy and no tickets you have to win.  As a matter of fact, you don't have to do anything but be there for the show.  I would suggest the you bring your newly bought CDs of Michael Johns new album Hold Back My Heart, or Brooke White's High Hopes and Heartbreak, and Elliott Yamin just released Fight For Love in May.  If you're lucky enough, you might get your CDs autographed by the stars themselves.  Idols have the tendency to stick around for awhile and do things like that for their fans.  You can also find Carolina Liar's album Coming To Terms to bring along with you.

There's still at least one other show to tell you about before delivering the summer tour dates.  According to a press release made by Live-PR, Michael Johns will be performing at the 5th Annual Miss Malibu Pageant being held on August 23rd, 2009.  That audience can look forward to hearing songs from Michael's debut album Hold Back My Heart (available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and retail stores everywhere). The album features Michael's new single "Heart On My Sleeve", which can be downloaded FREE from Amazon.com on the album link.

The Miss Malibu Pageant will be held at a mansion formerly owned by Cher and will be host to ten celebrity judges from the movie, television and music industry.  The list of distinguished guest judges includes ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Linda Thompson, and Elizabeth Rohm, just to name a few.

Musical entertainment for the event will be provided by Michael Johns and Atlantic Records recording artist Ryan Cabrera.  Please click on Live- PR to see further details on the 5th Annual Miss Malibu Pageant. 

With Michael Johns and Brooke White touring together, fans might also look forward to hearing them perform "Life Is Okay" from the soundtrack album Don't Look Down.  Although it was originally scored for the Shaun White documentary, the soundtrack was an independent effort co-written and produced by Foxworth, Johns, and Randa.  The album is seventeen tracks (eighteen songs) of sheer creative brilliance, and was nominated for "Best Original Music Score" at the 2009 X-Dance.

And now for the dates and venues, along with the links for more information on how to purchase tickets.  Almost all of the venues offer a discount for tickets that are purchased in advance.  Most every website I visited listed the ticket price as $20.00 in advance and a few dollars more if you wait to purchase your tickets until at the door or box office on the day of the tour.  That's why I took the time to include the links and phone numbers in advance. 

Michael Johns and Brook White Tour:

THU 9/17/09 - Pomona, CA Glass House
200 W Second St
Pomona CA 91766
Information Line: (909) 865-3802 

FRI 9/18/09 -The Boardwalk (Sacramento)
9426 Greenback Lane
Orangevale, CA 95662
Phone: (916) 988-9247 

SAT 9/19/09  - Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort
2500 East 2nd Street
Reno, Nevada, 89595
(800) 501-2651 

MON 9/21/09  - Portland, OR Roseland Grill
8 NW 6th Ave
Portland, OR 97209-3607
(503) 219-9929 

WED 9/23/09 - Spokane, WA Knitting Factory 
919 W Sprague Ave
Spokane, WA 99201-4014
(509) 244-3279 

THU 9/24/09 - Seattle, WA Chop Suey
1325 E Madison St
Seattle, WA 98122-4058
(206) 324-8005 

FRI 9/25/09 - Boise, ID Knitting Factory
416 S 9th St
ID 83702
(208) 367-1212 

SAT 9/26/09 - Salt Lake City, UT Avalon Theater 

3605 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

801-266-0258

SUN 9/27/09 - Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
3317 E Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 377-1666 

TUE 9/29/09 - Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
737 New Hampshire St
Lawrence, KS 66044-2737
(785) 841-5483 

WED 9/30/09 - Des Moines, IA People’s Court
216 Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 422-5128

If you read my previous interview with Michael Johns featured in the article "Former American Idol Finalist Michael Johns Discusses Hold Back My Heart", which was published here at BC Magazine, you'll already know that Michael Johns will continue to tour after he's finished the summer dates.  In October, he'll be joining David Foster and Friends as they take the stars that fill up the DVD and CD of the same name on the road this autumn.

David Foster's Website is professionally done and includes all the links to find which cities will be graced by this "Hitman" and how to purchase tickets to this incredible showcase of multiple talents.  Instead of retyping and linking each venue, I'll just furnish you with the cities and venues, and a link to David Foster's site instead.  There are fabulous photos of all the stars that were featured on the PBS special as well.  Do yourself a favor and go have a look by clicking on his name above.

David Foster and Friends Tour 2009:

10/21 - Chicago, IL - Rosemont Theatre

0/23 - New York, NY - WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden

10/24 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center

10/25 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena

10/28 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

10/30 - Tampa, FL - Blue Line Theatre @ St. Pete Times Forum

11/1 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live

11/5 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk

11/6 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

11/8 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place

As is the case with all of my articles, I'll leave you with this promise.  If there is other Michael Johns news or more dates that are added to either of the tours listed above, you can just about bet I'll be back to deliver that news personally.

Even David Foster himself recognized the talent and potential in this shining new star.  On his DVD David Foster and Friends, David is quoted as saying this of Michael Johns. "He is destined for greatness for years to come, I promise."  What a compliment to come from a man of such tremendous stature in the music industry.  I tend to agree with his opinion.  David has been successfully Fostering huge new talents for years.

I'll leave you with this one final wish for those of you who just can't wait to see your Idols or David Foster with all of his talented friends on tour.  May every fan out there find a tour date in a city near you.  Cheers and best wishes until next time.

Collective Soul - Collective Brilliance In Music and Marketing

For any artist that's new to the social media and technology scene, may I suggest that you take a few lessons from a band that totally "gets it"?

Just how important is it to stay in touch with all of your fans? Collective Soul would tell you it's very near the top of their list as being one of the golden (or should I say platinum?) keys to their huge success.

Of course, the absolute number one most important criteria for any artist to achieve success in the business, is in having exceptional talent and music - but even creating great music doesn't guarantee you'll break through to the top. Not if your fans don't know the first thing about you, or where they can find you on tour, or when they can buy your music.

Collective Soul understood that Platinum Rule from day one, and in using that knowledge, they've become one of the most successful groups anywhere. Having scored seven multi-platinum records in the US, they also boast seven #1 hits, and they've gone multi-platinum 18 times in Canada. Those numbers are impressive by anyone's standards, but they're nowhere near done adding to that set of accomplishments yet.

In the wake of a failing economy, now more than ever, it's critically essential to utilize every possible means of free advertising made available to every artist on the internet. Simply put, the ability to mass market yourself is quite literally at your fingertips.

What better way is there, than to have your loyal fans advertise every step of your career for you? Where and how do you find these most willing loyal fans? The answer is just as simple. You must first and foremost be loyal to them. Here's how Collective Soul shows that level of loyalty to their fans.

You can find and follow them on Twitter to interact with them directly. If you clicked on that link I provided you with to get to their Twitter page, you should immediately notice a difference between their profile and most "celebrity" sites. Collective Soul have over 18,000 followers so far, but that's not the surprising part.

These guys have taken the time to follow more than 20,000 other people, including (and most importantly), each and every one of the fans that follow them. They've used their Twitter account as a means of two-way communication, in order to answer questions and comments on a daily basis. That's right folks, they interact with their fans personally - and here's why.

In an article they shared with us recently, titled "A celebrity that gets social media? I know shocking…", the reasons for following fans were thoroughly explained. This article should be required reading for every music marketing agency in the world.

It shows just how quickly an artist (or anyone with a need for massive advertisement) can instantly share an announcement with their target audience, all at once. The example used in the article shows how one music celebrity increased her Twitter followers to over a million by returning the follow to her fans. Here's a quick excerpt from the article, but you should read it in its entirety to understand the full effect following fans in return can have.

With the competition brutal due to Twitter going mainstream, celebrities are starting to clamor for more follows to be ranked higher in the overall Twitter follower rankings. When looking at the column data it is from left to right: Date, Followers, Following.

You can see the incremental amounts that were increased from a mere 1,000 people that the Britney Spears account was following to three days later an additional 9,000. The action of following an additional 9,000 people resulted in a follower jump of 23,837. However, the biggest monumental jump was when an additional 58,000 people were followed which increased the people following the Britney Spears account by 581,000 additional followers.

Now that's impressive indeed. Can you imagine being able to Tweet the name of your new album, or single, or give your tour dates and venues to millions of people all at once? Not only can Collective Soul imagine doing all of that for their fans, they're well on their way to achieving that million mark goal for themselves.

Their claim to fame doesn't end with just using their Twitter account as a means to broadcast news of their newest releases and tour dates. Instead, they utilize that marketing tool by holding different contests between their fans. Offering prizes that range from free tickets and backstage passes to autographed guitars, makes for some stiff competition and brings out the absolute best in advertising from those fans who choose to compete.

The most current contest is a for bloggers and ends on June 15th. Who knows? They might even find a professional writer or two willing to offer their praises in a blog. You can visit the article posted above for details on how to get in on the action. Just by offering ways for their fans to make even the smallest measure of difference toward their success, they now have over 18,000 followers currently vying for their attention by blogging their love of Collective Soul.

Marketing genius. (there's more to the story after this musical interlude)


These guys (or whoever represents them technologically speaking) are the quintessential definition of marketing professionalism. The Twitter account is just one example of how a tech savvy marketing team can advertise your goods, without spending anything more than some time. If you go to Collective Soul's Website for NEWS, or follow them via THEIR BLOG, you'll see what I mean.

Their website boasts different sections - all geared toward satisfying the fans need for news and merchandise, and all located at the same place. They have sections listing Tour Dates, a Media space for sharing their behind the scene (aka vlog) videos. That's just another way they add the personal touch to make fans feel like they're truly an important part of their lives.

There's a message board (aka fan forum) where fans can discuss the latest events and offer their opinions. You'll also find an online store where you can purchase their most recent merchandise, like Collective Soul Dog Tags, and T-shirts, and CD's, etc. Still more sections feature their Discography, Biography, Photos...and yes, they even have a special place reserved for their Fan Club.

To a certain degree, Collective Soul are collectors themselves. Right now, they're collecting fans, MySpace Friends, Twitter followers, Audioacrobat.com phone callers, and selling out tour dates by posting news of their tour far enough in advance that their fans can plan an entire vacation around seeing them live. I already know which concert I'll be attending. If you're not certain what cities and dates to reserve, let me give you a hint where to find that TOUR INFORMATION.

By the way, that neat little widget in the midst of the page that's playing Collective Soul music was also offered at their official website. You should visit there now to get yours. To do that, just click on their picture at the top of the widget. While you're visiting their website, you might also notice they have a new album called Rabbit coming out on August 25th of this year. The classic sound will still rock you down to your Collective Soul. Their new single "Staring Down" from that album was one of the most requested songs at AOL's Tweet Requests radio and rightfully so.

Collective Soul are collective geniuses as far as I'm concerned. If they're collecting fans that hold them in the highest esteem, now they've collected me.