Forty-five-show, 88-truck excursion expected to be largest pop tour ever.
‘NSYNC’s highly anticipated summer tour, PopOdyssey, is apparently such a spectacle, the group has been forced to delay opening night by six days to properly prepare.
The outing is now scheduled to kick off May 18 at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, according to promoters. The previous opening night, May 12 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida, has been moved to August 2.
Other dates have been changed (May 15 in Tampa, Florida, to July 31; May 24 in Atlanta, Georgia, to August 11; June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to June 8; June 12 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to June 13; June 29 in Detroit, Michigan, to June 30; August 10 in Louisville, Kentucky, to August 9), deleted (May 22 in Charlotte, North Carolina; July 31 in Las Cruces, New Mexico; August 18 in Memphis, Tennessee) and added (August 18 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; August 22 in New Orleans, Louisiana).
Extra time was needed by the production staff to complete the tour’s staging, according to a press release. Promoters said the 88 trucks it will require to carry the production make PopOdyssey the largest tour in pop history.
“[‘NSYNC] wanted to make sure that all their fans got the full effect of this dynamic tour,” Brad Wavra of SFX, the tour’s promoters, said in the release. “We, along with the group, regret any inconvenience this schedule change may have caused for the fans. We promise this tour will be a musical extravaganza for the record books.”
Refunds will be given to fans who purchased tickets to canceled shows.
‘NSYNC is scheduled to play 45 dates in 38 cities. Television-spawned pop group Eden’s Crush will join the group on June 19 and open for the remainder of the tour.
In other ‘NSYNC news, marionettes of the group, like those featured in their “It’s Gonna Be Me” video, are for sale beginning today at www.nsyncdirect.com.
Each $300 puppet is two feet high, weighs four pounds and comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the band member depicted. Only 440 marionettes are available. A portion of the proceeds will go to ‘NSYNC’s charity, Challenge for the Children.
‘NSYNC are in the studio recording tracks for their next album (see “‘NSYNC To Release Celebrity On June 26”). Jive Records hopes to release the first single by the end of April.
‘NSYNC PopOdyssey Tour Dates, According To SFX:
- May 18 – Jacksonville, FL – Alltel Stadium
- May 20 – Jackson, MS – Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
- May 26 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Park Stadium
- May 28 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Park Stadium
- May 31 – Foxboro, MA – Foxboro Stadium
- June 1 – Foxboro, MA – Foxboro Stadium
- June 3 – East Rutherford, NJ – Giants Stadium
- June 8 – Cincinnati, OH – Cynergy Field
- June 10 – Buffalo, NY – Ralph Wilson Stadium
- June 13 – Philadelphia, PA – Veterans Stadium
- June 16 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field
- June 19 – Toronto, ON – Skydome
- June 22 – Cleveland, OH – Browns Stadium
- June 24 – Minneapolis, MN – Metrodome
- June 26 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller Park
- June 30 – Detroit, MI – Comercia Park
- July 2 – St. Louis, MO – Trans World Dome
- July 4 – Little Rock, AR – War Memorial Stadium
- July 6 – Houston, TX – Reliant Astrodome
- July 8 – Dallas, TX – Texas Stadium
- July 10 – Kansas City, MO – Arrowhead Stadium
- July 13 – Denver, CO – Mile High Stadium
- July 16 – San Diego, CA – Qualcomm Stadium
- July 18 – Scottsdale, AZ – Bank One Ballpark
- July 21 – Oakland, CA – Network Associates Coliseum
- July 24 – Pasadena, CA – Rose Bowl
- July 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Sam Boyd Stadium
- July 31 – Tampa, FL – Raymond James Stadium
- August 2 – Miami, FL – Pro Player Stadium
- August 5 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
- August 7 – Birmingham, AL – Legion Field
- August 9 – Louisville, KY – Cardinal Stadium
- August 11 – Atlanta, GA – Georgia Dome
- August 13 – Washington, DC – RFK Stadium
- August 16 – Indianapolis, IN – RCA Dome
- August 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Steeler Stadium
- August 22 – New Orleans, LA – Louisiana Superdome