Atlantic Group Heats Up Summer Concert Season as Artists Get Set to Head Out On the Highway.

Entertainment Editors

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 23, 2001

Regardless of the unavoidable "No coolers, no cameras, no recording devices" mantra, the upcoming 2001 summer concert season is shaping up in blockbuster style as a host of top Atlantic Group recording artists book their buses, select their double-secret laminate designs, formalize itineraries, and plot the best route from La Jolla to Hershey.

With the official start of summer just around the proverbial corner, the following performers have announced plans to hit the nation's highways and byways.

-- matchbox twenty: The Melisma/Lava/Atlantic quintet continues their
road-hungry ways in August, when they begin the next leg of their hugely
successful "Mad Season - 2001" headlining tour of North American amphitheaters.
The band's RIAA triple-platinum second album, "mad season by matchbox twenty,"
has yielded the #1 Billboard pop single, the RIAA gold "Bent"; the #1 Hot AC
smash (12 weeks running) and top 5 AC hit, "If You're Gone"; and the newly
released "Mad Season," already a #1 "Most Increased Plays" track at Hot AC
outlets across the U.S.

-- Sugar Ray & Uncle Kracker: Sure to be one of the most anticipated double
bills of the summer, the Lava Records teammates are set to burst into theaters
across North America beginning in July. For tour headliners Sugar Ray, the
outing will follow the release of their forthcoming fourth Lava/Atlantic album.
"SUGAR RAY" is slated to hit the retail shelves on June 12th. In addition, the
announcement of the five-week outing follows the RIAA gold certification of
Uncle Kracker's Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic debut, "DOUBLE WIDE."

-- Robert Plant: The Atlantic recording artist and rock `n' roll icon is set to
make his return to the North American concert circuit for a whirlwind series of
rare theatre performances. The jaunt, which marks Plant's first Stateside solo
performances since 1993, will hit just seven cities in the Northeast and
Midwest between May 25th and June 6th, with West Coast shows tentatively on tap
for July. Plant will be accompanied by his new ensemble, dubbed Strange
Sensation: Clive Deamer (drums), John Baggott (keyboards), Charlie Jones
(bass), Justin Adams (guitar), and Porl Thompson (guitar). The shows will
reportedly feature a mix of Led Zeppelin material and Plant originals.

-- Rod Stewart: The recording legend returns to the road in June for a major
North American concert tour in support of his Atlantic Records debut, "HUMAN."
The 42-city itinerary - Stewart's first since 1999 - kicks off on June 1st at
Vancouver's General Motors Place, with dates slated through mid-August.

-- Collective Soul: The Atlantic recording quintet - with a remarkable eight #1
rock hits to their credit - resume touring this summer in support of their RIAA
gold-certified fifth album, "BLENDER."

-- The Cult: The famed platinum-plus rockers are set to begin a far-reaching
tour of the nation's theaters and large halls in conjunction with the June 5th
release of their Lava/Atlantic debut, "BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL." The tour,
presented by House of Blues, is the first on these shores since the group's
widely hailed 1999 outing, which boasted the reunited line-up of Ian Astbury,
Billy Duffy, and Matt Sorum.

-- POE: The FEI/Atlantic recording artist has announced plans to perform as
support act on the first leg of Depeche Mode's highly anticipated "Exciter"
tour of North America. The Los Angeles-based artist will join the legendary
British group beginning June 11th at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec,
with dates continuing through a July 17th concert at Dallas, Texas' Smirnoff
Music Center.

-- Edwin McCain: The Lava/Atlantic singer/songwriter and his band embark on an
ambitious U.S. tour beginning May 3rd at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, North
Carolina. The trek comes in advance of the artist's fourth label release, "FAR
FROM OVER," due June 19th. The much anticipated new collection includes the
upcoming single, "Hearts Fall," which features harmony vocals from Shawn
Colvin.

-- Tori Amos: The Atlantic recording artist is tentatively slated to embark on
a series of North American and European concert dates late this summer. The
tour will coincide with the release of her forthcoming sixth Atlantic solo
release.

-- Emmylou Harris: The Nonesuch/Atlantic recording artist - recently presented
with the Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy Award for her label debut, "RED
DIRT GIRL" - is slated to begin an extensive North American tour of theaters
and outdoor venues in June. 2001 has already seen the ten-time Grammy winner
touring across Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.

-- Big Wreck: The Atlantic rock quintet is readying a special U.S. club tour in
conjunction with the June 5th release of their second album, "THE PLEASURE AND
THE GREED." Produced by Dave Jerden (The Offspring, Jane's Addiction), John
Whynot (Blue Rodeo, Bruce Cockburn), and lead singer/guitarist Ian Thornley,
the new set follows 1997's critically acclaimed "IN LOVING MEMORY OF...," an
album that yielded the top 10 rock track, "The Oaf." In commenting on "The Oaf"
and "That Song" singles, The New York Daily News stated that "each boasts more
hooks than the Fulton Fish Market."

-- TapRoot: The Velvet Hammer/Atlantic group joins the cast of the Ozzfest for
a second consecutive summer. The Michigan-based quartet's label debut, "GIFT,"
has earned widespread acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone, which calls the
album "a short, sharp shock - forty-three-and-a-half minutes of pure heartland
heavy-rock rage." The word on TapRoot has also made its way to the four corners
through relentless worldwide touring, with the likes of Deftones, Papa Roach,
Incubus, Linkin Park, Alien Ant Farm, and Static-X.