THE PRESS ROOM
Tampa is First Stop on New PAETEC Music Tour Opens April 4th and 5th with Two Fantastic Shows! Boz Scaggs, Dr. John, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, Al Green, George Benson, and Soulive -- Tickets on Sale Friday Feb. 15 at 10 AM!Feb 14, 2008
Rochester, New York—February 13, 2008—PAETEC, one of the nation’s leading business communications companies, will kick off its new five-city music tour, the PAETEC Music Tour www.paetecmusictour.com in Tampa, Florida April 4 and 5 with two fantastic shows. The Tour will continue through September in Chicago, Charlotte, Baltimore and Dallas.
The two-day event will be held at the Ford Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
April 4, Dr. John, 5:00 p.m.
April 4, Dickey Betts & Great Southern, 6:30 p.m.
April 4, Boz Scaggs, 8:30 p.m.
April 5, Soulive, 5:00 p.m.
April 5, George Benson, 7:00 p.m.
April 5, Al Green, 9:00 p.m.
Doors open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $10-$70 and go on sale Friday February 15 at 10 a.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre box office, at www.paetecmusictour.com, www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets.
The new PAETEC Music Tour will present an eclectic range of musical genres including rhythm and blues, jazz, soul and more. Two to three acts will be presented nightly in a double or triple bill for one entry price. Each Tour city will feature a unique artist lineup.
PAETEC offers its personal approach and comprehensive suite of data, voice, and IP-based solutions to more than 80 percent of the top Metropolitan Service Areas in the U.S. The Tour is an outgrowth of the highly successful PAETEC Jazz Festival, sponsored by PAETEC in Baltimore last summer. The event drew more than 25,000 people and sold out headliner events, prompting the company to expand and sponsor a tour encompassing additional cities where it has a growing and dynamic business presence.
“As PAETEC has developed a national footprint, we created this Music Tour to be held in the markets we believe important to our growth. Tampa has without question been a successful market for our company, but we also feel that there is an opportunity to increase our presence,” said PAETEC Chairman and CEO Arunas A. Chesonis. “I can’t wait to enjoy what Tampa has to offer and, in turn, share how important Tampa is to PAETEC.”
PAETEC Music Tour Tampa Artists
Visit www.paetecmusictour.com for artist bios and photos and to sign up for enews alerts.
Boz Scaggs
Intimate, understated, distinguished by the interplay of a handful of virtuoso musicians Boz Scaggs has the silken voice of one of the classic singers of our time. He grew up in Texas immersed in rhythm and blues, soul music, early rock 'n' roll and raw Delta and Chicago. In high school, he played in a band with classmate Steve Miller, before striking out on his own. In 1965 he landed in London, and traveled around Europe playing everywhere before making his first record. In 1967, Scaggs headed to San Francisco, where he joined the Steve Miller Blues Band and took part in the Bay Area scene that was helping to revolutionize American rock 'n' roll.
Dr. John
When a BBC interviewer recently asked Dr. John, “What is the secret to musical longevity?” the legendary New Orleans artist answered, “Living.” Through more than half a century of music making, Mac Rebennack Jr. has rolled with the highs and lows and these days finds himself in an extended stretch of being in the right place at the right time. Now 65, this American icon continues to take all that life has to offer, crisscrossing the country and spanning the globe with his band of virtuosic veterans, the Lower 911, and recording whenever the spirit moves him, which is frequently.
Dickey Betts
Dickey Betts, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, has one of the most distinctive voices in music today. Known as one of the most influential guitar players of all time, Betts has mastered a seamless style of lyrical melody and rhythm -- marrying country, jazz, blues, and rock into one unparalleled sound. The New York Times has called Betts "one of the great rock guitarists...who thinks like a jazz improviser, in thoughtfully structured, cleanly articulated, intelligently paced phrases."
Al Green
Al Green was the first great soul singer of the '70s and arguably the last great Southern soul singer. With his seductive singles for Hi Records in the early '70s, Green bridged the gap between deep soul and smooth Philadelphia soul. He incorporated elements of gospel, interjecting his performances with wild moans and wails, but his records were stylish, boasting immaculate productions that rolled along with a tight beat, sexy backing vocals, and lush strings.
George Benson
Appreciated as both musician and performer by millions, George Benson has always had the duel personae of expert improviser and vibrant entertainer. He has always placed his keenly discerning art in the service of a rousing good time. Rounding out his singular approach with sly, seductive rhythm and blues, he's earned himself an impeccable reputation as one of music's most enterprising and engaging stars.
Soulive
Stax is back with Soulive's "No Place Like Soul", a bold new statement from New York's preeminent groove machine and the first new-artist release from the Concord Music Group's relaunch of the legendary Memphis soul label. Since forming Soulive in 1999, guitarist Eric Krasno, organist Neal Evans and drummer Alan Evans have developed a reputation as one of the most sought after instrumental soul-funk trios around, a hard-touring live act that's thrown down everywhere from small rock clubs to opening arena shows for the Rolling Stones.
2008 PAETEC Music Tour Schedule
Tickets for other cities go on sale six to eight weeks prior to each tour stop. For concert schedules and artist information visit www.paetecmusictour.com and sign up for news alerts.
April 4 and 5, Tampa, Florida, Ford Amphitheatre –Tickets on sale February 15
July 12 and 13, Chicago, Illinois, Charter One Pavilion
August 1 and 2, Charlotte, North Carolina, Bobcats Arena
August 15 and 16, Baltimore, Maryland, Pier Six Concert Pavilion
About PAETEC
PAETEC (NASDAQ GS: PAET) is personalizing communications solutions for business customers across the United States. We offer a comprehensive suite of data, voice, and IP services, as well as enterprise communications management software, network security solutions, CPE, and managed services. For more information, visit www.paetec.com.
About PAETEC Music Tour
PAETEC Music Tour is produced by Rochester, NY- based RIJF LLC for PAETEC. Its principals, John Nugent, Producer and Artistic Director and Marc Iacona, Producer and Executive Director, produce the Rochester International Jazz Festival, now in its seventh year and scheduled for June 13-21, 2008. Last’s year Festival drew more than 121,000 people. Nugent also produces the Stockholm Jazz Festival, now in its 25th year. The team also produced the PAETEC Jazz Festival in Baltimore.
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Media Contact
Jean Dalmath
jean@paetecmusictour.com
585.586.6650 direct
585.755.6911 mobile
Note to Editors: Artist bios and high res photos are available in the Press Room at www.paetecmusictour.com
