October 05, 2005
Retooled INXS Ready to Roll
INXS' made-for-TV search for a new lead singer is over. Now it's time to see if J.D. Fortune can make the band a new sensation again.
The Aussie rockers on Tuesday announced the itinerary for the long-awaited world tour they've been promising since the beginning of their reality TV competition, Rock Star: INXS.
The first leg of INXS' Switched On tour will commence Jan. 18 in Vancouver and travel to theaters in more than 20 cities across North America before wrapping up on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C.
Tickets will go on sale via Ticketmaster the weekend of Oct. 15. A complete listing of tour dates can be found at INXS.com.
Before hitting the road, however, the veteran band will put the wraps on its first album with Fortune, Switch, which Epic Records plans to release Nov. 29.
The day after Fortune was crowned winner of Rock Star, the band issued the Fortune-fronted single "Pretty Vegas," its first studio release of any kind since original vocalist Michael Hutchence committed suicide in 1997.
INXS hopes the tour will build on the success of the Mark Burnett-produced American Idol-style reality contest on CBS, in which surviving band members Andrew, Tim and Jon Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, and Garry Beers auditioned 15 aspiring rock stars. The show increased its viewership throughout its 13-week run and helped propel The Best of INXS to the top of Billboard's Pop Catalog Chart last week.
To play to the TV fans, INXS has tapped runner-up Marty Casey and his band, the Lovehammers, as the opening act.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the 32-year-old Chicago-based Casey is currently working on new material and plans to play the track "Trees," which he debuted to much acclaim on Rock Star.
In addition to the tour, INXS will join the newly reunited Gang of Four and Dredg for an Oct. 17 performance at the grand opening of the new Virgin Megastore in Hollywood. The gig will mark Fortune's official concert debut.
Posted by MK Magazine at October 5, 2005 07:12 AM