Legendary R&B superstar R. Kelly, still fresh off the release of his latest album, Write Me Back, has just announced that he's going on a North American tour this fall. The "Single Ladies Tour" kicks off Oct. 13 in Columbia, South Carolina and continues through early December. Write Me Back, which was released in late June, was the sequel to his December 2010 release, Love Letter. Both albums were a vast departure for Kells in that they were retro-R&B/Soul projects and paid stylistic tribute to Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and other legendary performers. But along with the tour announcement, Kells revealed that his next album will be along the lines of what people usually expect to hear from him. "The name of my next album is Black Panties -- that's my next 12 Play," he told the Associated Press, referencing his classic 1993 album, which contained the hits "Bump N Grind" and "Your Body's Callin'," among others. As for the upcoming tour, Kelly told the AP that he wants it to be "one big, giant 'Dating Game."
"We really want the single ladies up there, and where guys know there's single ladies, they're going to be in the mix, because they're looking for a woman," he said.
The opening act for at least some of the shows will be pop-R&B singer Tamia, who just released her latest album, Beautiful Surprise, in late August. The full tour schedule as of today is listed below, and tickets for the first few shows go on sale Sept. 6. Since the dates are always subject to change, the latest info can always be found on the 'Events' page at R. Kelly's official website.
R. Kelly's Fall 2012 "Single Ladies Tour" Schedule:
- Oct 13 -- Columbia, SC -- Township Auditorium
- Oct 14 -- Birmingham, AL -- BJCC Concert Hall
- Oct 18 -- Atlanta, GA -- Fox Theater
- Oct 21 -- Miami, FL -- JL Knight Center
- Oct 23 -- Memphis, TN -- Orpheum Theater
- Oct 25 -- Chicago, IL -- Arie Crown Theatre
- Oct 31 -- Oakland, CA -- Paramount Theatre
- Nov 2 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Nokia Theatre at LA Live
- Nov 7 -- Houston, TX -- Jones Hall
- Nov 8 -- Dallas, TX -- Verizon Theatre
- Nov 10 -- Milwaukee, WI -- Milwaukee Theatre
- Nov 11 -- Cincinnati, OH -- P&G Theatre: Aronoff
- Nov 14 -- Louisville, KY -- Palace Theater
- Nov 15 -- St. Louis, MO -- Fox Theater
- Nov 17 -- Detroit, MI -- Fox Theater
- Nov 18 -- Detroit, MI -- Fox Theater
- Nov 21 -- New York, NY -- MSG Theatre
- Nov 24 -- Washington, D.C. -- Constitution Hall
- Nov 27 -- Baltimore, MD -- Lyric Theater
- Nov 29 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Tower Theater
- Nov 30 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Tower Theater
- Dec 2 -- Columbus, OH -- Veterans Memorial
- Dec 6 -- Cleveland, OH -- State Theatre
- Dec 7 -- Merrillville, IN -- Star Plaza
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