In an email to fans and on their website Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush announced the “In the Hands of the Fans” Tour for 2012 and beyond.

It has been a tough past year for the band that is still rebounding from a tragic stage collapse that shocked the concert and festival world.

The new tour will be innovative. They tell fans “The tour will rely solely on YOUR requests to determine the set list played in each city.”

“This year’s tour is based around the concept of putting the show into the hands of the fans,” said Jennifer. “THEY will make the requests that will help form the set list and guide the show. Through texts, handwritten signs, the Internet (Twitter, Facebook, etc) phone calls made during the show and selections directly from the stage, the fans will become the conductors as well as the audience. If it’s on one of our records or if we’ve played it on a stage it is fair game.”

Fans can start requesting songs soon at the bands website.

Lauren Alaina and Canaan Smith will open select shows.

TOUR DATES FOR “IN THE HANDS OF THE FANS” :

4/5 Toledo, OH
4/6 Youngstown, OH
4/10 Niagara, ON
4/11 Niagara, ON
4/13 Pikeville, KY
4/14 Louisville, KY
4/19 Thackerville, OK
4/20 Thackerville, OK
4/21 Mississippi State, MS
4/26 Virginia Beach, VA
4/27 Charlotte, NC
4/28 Raleigh, NC
5/25 Rancho Mirage, CA
5/31 San Diego, CA
6/1 Mountain View, CA
6/21 Oshkosh, WI
6/22 Cadott, WI
6/23 Chicago, IL
7/21 Harrington, DE
7/22 Bristow, VA
7/27 Tampa, FL
7/28 Valdosta, GA
7/29 West Palm Beach, FL
8/3 Cincinnati, OH
8/10 Sturgis, SD
8/17 Brownsville, OR
8/18 Stateline, NV
The band adds that there will be more… announced soon!

Jennifer Nettles and Justin Miller Christopher Polk/ACMA2011/Getty

Jennifer Nettles had a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.

The Sugarland singer, 37, quietly tied the knot Saturday in a small, sunset ceremony in Tennessee.

Wearing an Alexander McQueen gown, Nettles married entrepreneur Justin Miller at a chapel nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in front of an intimate group of close family and friends, including bandmate Kristian Bush.

Miller is a former model who’s been dating Nettles for more than two years. He appeared in the video for the band’s 2006 single, “Want To,” and accompanied the singer to the CMA Awards on Nov. 9, where Sugarland took home the award for vocal duo of the year.

But the honeymoon may have to wait, since Nettles is performing Wednesday with Lady Gaga at the Grammy Nomination Concert Live, and hosting the annual CMA Country Christmas special, airing Thursday on ABC at 9 p.m. ET.

Here’s a copy of the letter from Sugarland after the tragic Fair accident / stage collapse that killed five. It has been posted on sugarlandmusic.com. Also, on the site will be a link to the memorial
fund being set up for the families by the Indiana State Fair.

Dear Fans, Family and Friends,

We have taken a couple of days to try and even begin to emotionally
process the magnitude and gravity of the tragedy in Indiana on Saturday.
While the path to healing from this type of trauma and loss is long and
winding, we wanted to reach out and update you on where we are and how
we are.

We are in the process of planning a private memorial in Indiana, to
honor those fans who died. We would first like to hold space so that
their families can have time to go through their own services and
memorials. Until that time we are holding vigil for them. We join them
on their mourning benches. And we stand in the gap asking God to offer
them peace and healing. For those suffering from injury we hold you up
with prayers for complete healing of your own.

We are also addressing our own specific healing. Our road family
experienced its traumas together. While we all scattered to our given
families for their comfort, the trauma we experienced together binds us
in a unique way that we share only with each other and those who were
there. There is healing in our being together. There is healing in our
working together. For this reason we are planning to get back on the
road this weekend, beginning with our scheduled show in Albuquerque this
Thursday, August 18th. The emotions have us yearning to be close to
each other immediately. The logistics have us needing to replace all of
our instruments and equipment. (The set is a loss that is insignificant
in light of the tragedy).

This Incredible Machine is more than a tour and more than a set. We
have always celebrated music as a Healer. While music cannot change the
events and losses at the Indiana State Fair, it can hopefully serve as a
ritual and a balm to provide comfort and facilitate healing in this time
of great sorrow. We hope to see you all soon.

Love,
Sugarland

Nettles / Wikipedia

International super duo Sugarland (Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush) will continue their highly-successful 2010 The Incredible Machine Tour into 2011 and return to the road this spring with guests Sara Bareilles, Little Big Town and Matt Nathanson (each guest performing in selected cities).

The tour will kick off in Houston, TX on March 3rd and travel to over 59 cities nationwide including biggies like Chicago and Atlanta.

The Incredible Machine Tour was one of Pollstar’s Top 50 North American Tours of 2010 and has been described as “stunning,” “fantastically fun” and “not one to be missed.”

Markets and Tour Dates:
3/3 Houston, TX
3/4 North Little Rock, AR
3/5 Tulsa, OK
3/10 Greenville, SC
3/11 North Charleston, SC
3/12 Jacksonville, FL
3/17 Grand Rapids, MI
3/18 Bloomington, IL
3/19 Sioux City, IA
4/14 Pensacola, FL
4/15 Tuscaloosa, AL
4/16 Nashville, TN
5/5 Evansville, IN
5/6 Chicago, IL
5/7 Minneapolis, MN
5/13 Cleveland, OH
5/14 Camden, NJ
5/15 Pittsburgh, PA
5/20 Boston, MA
5/21 Holmdel, NJ
5/22 Columbia, MD
5/26 Lubbock, TX
5/27 San Antonio, TX
5/28 Baton Rouge, LA
6/16 Charleston, WV
6/17 Roanoke Rapids, NC
6/18 Scranton, PA
6/23 Augusta, GA
6/24 Choctaw, MS
6/25 Thackerville, OK
7/8 Darien Lake, NY
7/9 Detroit, MI
7/15 Calgary, AB
7/16 Craven, SK
7/18 Everett, WA
7/22 Paso Robles, CA
7/23 San Diego, CA
7/25 Los Angeles, CA
7/26 Los Angeles, CA
8/5 Detroit Lakes, MN
8/6 Omaha, NE
8/7 Kansas City, MO
8/12 Rockford, IL
8/13 Indianapolis, IN
8/14 Des Moines, IA
8/18 Albuquerque, NM
8/19 Denver, CO
8/20 Salt Lake City, UT
8/25 Sacramento, CA
8/27 Las Vegas, NV
9/2 Allentown, PA
9/3 Syracuse, NY
9/4 Essex Junction, VT
10/6 Knoxville, TN
10/7 St. Louis, MO
10/8 Wichita, KS
10/14 Uncasville, CT
10/15 Uncasville, CT
10/20 Orlando, FL
10/21 Tallahassee, FL
10/22 Atlanta, GA

For more information on the 2011 Sugarland tour, visit www.sugarlandmusic.com

UPDATE– from the bands website– webcast Tomorrow– they write:

We are thrilled beyond measure to announce that we will be streaming a live concert on YouTubethis Monday night, Oct. 18, as part of the AmEx Unstaged series. The show will air at 9pm ET/6pm PT on Sugarland’s VEVO channel, straight from NYC’s Best Buy Theater into your living room.

We’ve got a whole bunch of tricks up our sleeve for this gig — including some amazing special guests — and the chance for YOU to be involved in the show!  Watch the Sugarland Unstaged trailer on VEVO to get yourself pumped, and then spread the word! Call your friends! Wake the neighbors! Feed the dog! It’s a Sugarland party on Monday night — followed by the release of our fourth album,The Incredible Machine, available all over the dang place this Tuesday, Oct. 19.

Every Tuesday until the release of The Incredible Machine. iTunes will offer another track for sale. Collect ‘em all, and then click “Complete My Album” on release day to own the whole record!

Sugarland release time is almost here and Jennifer Nettles is letting a few out early.  Week one, they brought you the title track off the record, “Incredible Machine.” Last week, you got the song that’s been opening the Incredible Machine Tour all summer: “Wide Open.”
Little Miss – Single – Sugarland

Today, it’s “Little Miss,” a song that might describe a lot of you out there — and a lot of women you might know. “Little Miss I’ll get tough, don’t you worry ’bout me anymore,” Jennifer sings, over Kristian’s acoustic guitar. “Little Miss I’ll take less, when I always give so much more.” Then there’s the therapeutic chorus: “It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right — sometimes you gotta lose until you win… it’ll be all right again.”

Download the song from iTunes and give it a good listen. It’s all right — you are loved! How does it feel to hear those words today? Who would you give this song to, and why? Are you gentlemen in the audience connecting this song to the women in your lives, or is there a message in there for you, too? Head to Sugarlandmusic.com and share your comments.

And don’t forget: Next Tuesday, you get THE WHOLE MACHINE. Spread the news…

Meet the Sexy and Talented Ladies in Country Music Today

By Joe Hansen

The likes of Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton evoke images of traditionally-clad country singers decked in western-style frocks and ensembles. These are all great artists in their own and rights and have held supremacy in more ways than one. However, at present, new artists have continued to reshape and slowly change our perceptions regarding women in country music. Today, country love songs are not just about heartaches and broken relationships anymore.

In the 1990′s, artists such as Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and Lee Ann Womack first opened the doors with their brand of country music doused with sex appeal and tremendous commercial and crossover potential. Today, artists such as Miranda Lambert, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland continue in this tradition, giving audiences a different and, dare we say, bolder image of modern day country singers. Let’s take a look at their career highlights.

Miranda Lambert

Twenty-six year old Miranda Leigh Lambert first broke into the scene through her participation in the 2003 season of Nashville Star, a reality TV program aired over at NBC. Her third place finish did not prevent her from eventually achieving superstardom. She later signed with Epic Records, through which she released her debut album, “Kerosene.” All four singles from the album- “Bring Me Down,” “Kerosene,” “Me and Charlie Talking,” and “New Strings”-were certified Top 40 hits. In 2007, she transferred to Columbia Records Nashville and recorded her sophomore album, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” which produced her first Top 10 hit (“Gunpowder & Lead”). All of her three albums debuted at the No. 1 Spot on the Billboard Country Music Album Charts. She has been nominated for Grammys, CMAs and ACM awards in which she won a Top New Female Vocalist award in 2007.

Hillary Scott

Scott is, of course, one-third of the fast rising group Lady Antebellum (known for their harmony-driven country love songs), which recently grabbed the Award for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group for “I Run To You” at the recent Grammy Awards, successfully establishing their hold of the category over veterans such as Rascal Flatts and Brooks & Dunn. After graduating from high school, Scott, a country singer by heart, worked with singer-songwriter Victoria Shaw, through which she met her future band mates. Scott, a native of Nashville, TN, is not just a pretty face with a big voice, she is also an award-winning songwriter recognized for her contributions to “Love Don’t Live Here” and “Lookin’ for a Good Time,” two of Lady Antebellum’s hit songs.

Jennifer Nettles

The sexy, on-stage presence of Nettles helped propel Sugarland as one of the fast-rising musical acts of today. Together with Kristian Bush, Nettles successfully translated their electrifying stage performance into hit singles and multi-platinum record sales. Prior to joining Sugarland, Nettles had already been an established singer working the Atlanta, Georgia music circuit through her previous bands, Soul Miner’s Daughter and the Jennifer Nettles Band. Like Scott, Nettles is also an established singer and songwriter, co-writing songs with Cory Jones for two Soul Miner’s Daughter albums, “The Sacred and Profane” (1996) and “Hallelujah” (1998).

Joe Hansen is a music expert, specialized in country songs reviews.

For more tips and information about country singers, please visit country love songs

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Hansen
http://EzineArticles.com/?Meet-the-Sexy-and-Talented-Ladies-in-Country-Music-Today&id=3731193

Lambert Enjoying The Spotlight