Australian Tour Dates announced...

Josh has delighted his legion of devoted fans in Australia by announcing dates for the "All That Echoes" tour. The first dates to promote the new album. Aussie fans were treated to a release date on Friday Feb 1st and this announcement must be seen as icing on the cake for many fans who have been patiently waiting to see him again since 2007.'

Picture source - Live Nation Australia & New Zealand Facebook page

The announcement on joshgroban.com reads:

Josh will be joined by an ensemble of world class musicians plus a local eight-piece orchestra when he embarks on his April 2013 Australian tour, in what will be only his second Australian tour following a stellar sold-out debut tour in September 2007!

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 9am Monday, February 11. My Live Nation members can be among the first to access tickets during the exclusive pre-sale beginning this Wednesday, February 6 at noon. Sign up at www.livenation.com.au.

Check out a full list of dates below:

Perth - Kings Park - Tuesday, April 16
Adelaide - Festival Theatre - Thursday, April 18
Melbourne - Palais Theatre - Saturday, April 20
Sydney - Sydney Opera House - Tuesday, April 23
Brisbane - Qpac Concert Hall - Friday, April 26

Times Talk...

Josh sat down for a 90 minute chat with Hugo Lindgren, Editor of the New York Times Magazine. It was great and in the audience were quite a few fans, who apart from the chat also enjoyed a few songs and then the opportunity to ask some questions.

If missed it, or want to watch it again, here it is.

Answering fan questions...

When recently interviewed for Billboard, they put out the call for fans to submit questions via Twitter. Here is the video...

Live on HSN...

Josh debuted a number of new songs off his album on HSN on Jan 19th.

Songs he performed:

1. Brave
2. False Alarms
3. Falling Slowly
4. Below The Line
5. Un Alma Mas
6. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
7. Happy In My Heartache
8. Hollow Talk
9. I Believe (When I Fall IN Love It Will Be Forever)

Changing Colours was also performed as a encore on the HSN website.

And a review from Eric Snider of the evening from BayPop-

Josh Groban Captivates HSN

Talk about working a room. Singer Josh Groban held court at HSN last night, answering questions from show hosts, talking to fans via Skype, sitting for an online interview, posing for pictures with fans, chatting with HSN CEO Mindy Grossman.

Oh, and he sang, too—several numbers from his new album, All That Echoes, which HSN pitched throughout his hour-plus performance. While a maelstrom of activity swirled around him in the studio, which included a hundred or so invited guests, the 31-year-old popera star was relaxed and affable.

And get this: Josh Groban is one funny dude. When, during the first break to pitch the CD/(in-the-studio) DVD package, Josh was informed that HSN had already sold 2,000 units, he quipped, “I guess I’ve gone aluminum.”

Just before the show went live, Groban worked out a few kinks in his upper body. “I’m so tight,” he said. “I need one of those stretchers they were selling earlier.”

Amid a luxe (and very temporary) stage set, graced by a chandelier and with twinkling lights enveloping the room, a band took their places: five-man rhythm section, four-man horn section, a string trio of three pretty women, and three background singers. That’s quite a production by any standard, let alone in such a compact space.

HSN hosts pumped up the audience and issued instructions: cheer loudly, no photography or recording during the performance, don’t attempt to leave for a bathroom break, check that cell phones are off, don’t jump up and get whacked by a moving boom camera.

Groban sipped something from a styrofoam cup and chilled, waiting for his cue. “Does everyone work at HSN?” he asked the audience. No. “Any fan club members?” A big yes. He nodded, recognizing a few faces. “Anyone who just couldn’t care less?” he joked. “Husbands who were dragged here?”

He let the laugh trail off. “Don’t worry guys,” he added. “We’ll warm the women up for you. This is just one hour in a very long night.”

Like I said: He was masterful.

Now, I don’t want to be disingenuous. My tastes in music run contrary to Josh Groban’s big-voice, big-gesture, big-crescendo style. But I’ll say this: He’s very good at what he does.

The program progressed with Groban singing a tune, then the hosts breaking in and pushing the CD/DVD set. Big gestures followed by big gestures. Host Diani Perkovic asked Groban softball questions, to which he issued witty and humbles answers. And remember, all of this was happening live. The ace production crew saw to it that the show went off without a hitch.

Groban sang “Falling Slowly,” the Oscar-winning ballad from the movie Once; Jimmy Webb’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” made famous by Joe Cocker in 1974. The show picked up in it last quarter when Groban and company performed “Hollow Talk,” by the Danish band Choir of Young Believers, a ruminative ballad with an oddly contoured melody that was outside his usual milieu. (Groban told me later that someone at his label, Warner Bros., had discovered the song, presented it to him and he fell in love with it.)

Then a choir—seven men and seven women—assembled on a platform to the left of the stage. They were there for the big—make that HUGE—finish, a lush version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever).” A long-time Stevie fan, I decided not to nitpick Groban’s version and just gave in to its unabashed grandiosity.

After Groban finished an online-only encore of “Changing Colors,” a host announced that he would do an impromptu meet-and-greet. He left the studio briefly, after pausing to say hello to former N’Sync-er Lance Bass (photo below), who was in the audience, and returned for a photo and autograph session.

I overheard him telling Grossman how pleased he was with the experience, how it went so smoothly; he was so glad he did it.

Grossman accepted the well deserved praise with a beaming smile.

Not long now...

I don't know about you, but I'm sooooooo excited about the new album.



Worldwide release dates -

• 1st Feb: Australia | New Zealand
• 4th Feb: South Africa
• 5th Feb: Canada | Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Mexico | Japan | Hong Kong | Singapore | South Korea | Thailand | United States
• 22nd Feb: Belgium | Finland | Ireland | Netherlands
• 25th Feb: Denmark | France | Norway | UK
• 26th Feb: Italy
• 27th Feb: Sweden
• 1st March: Austria | Germany

(And to my readers, sorry I've been MIA for a couple of months, but I've been away, but now I'm back and ready for the excitement of the new album.)