Groban Eyes First Headlining Tour

Josh Groban will kick off 2004 with his first solo headlining tour. The 40-date outing gets underway Jan. 22 in Boise, Idaho, and will close April 23 in Miami. The only multiple-night stand planned on the Clear Channel Entertainment-promoted tour is an April 1-2 stop at New York's famed Radio City Music Hall.

The singer will be on the road in support of his sophomore album, "Closer," due Tuesday (Nov. 11) via Reprise. The 13-track album has been preceded by the single "You Raise Me Up, which is No. 16 in its third week on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

"I knew I would be touring with this album," Groban says, "and I want these songs to sound as good on stage as they do in the studio."

"Closer" is the follow up Groban's 2001 self-titled debut, which peaked at No. 8 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 3.6 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The 2002 disc "Josh Groban in Concert," culled from a show taped for PBS' "Great Performances" that was also released on DVD, peaked at No. 34 on the album chart.

On Tuesday, Groban will perform on ABC's "Good Morning America" and on Thursday on the network's "The View."

Here are Groban's 2004 tour dates:

Jan. 22: Boise, Idaho (Morrison Center)
Jan. 24: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)
Jan. 25: Portland, Ore. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall)
Jan. 27: Sacramento, Calif. (Memorial Auditorium)
Jan. 28: Oakland, Calif. (Paramount Theatre)
Jan. 30: Los Angeles (Shrine Auditorium)
Feb. 2: San Diego (Copley Symphony Hall)
Feb. 3: Phoenix (Dodge Theatre)
Feb. 5: Salt Lake City (Delta Center)
Feb. 6: Denver (Buell)
Feb. 8: Milwaukee (Milwaukee Theatre)
Feb. 9: Minneapolis (Orpheum)
Feb. 11: Kansas City, Kan. (Midland Theatre)
Feb. 12: Chicago (Rosemont Theatre)
Feb. 14: Detroit (Fox Theatre)
Feb. 15: Cleveland (State Theatre)
Feb. 17: London, Ont. (John Labatt Center)
Feb. 19: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Feb. 20: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Feb. 22: Ottawa (National Arts Center)
Feb. 24: Boston (Wang Center)
Feb. 25: Portland, Maine (Merrill Auditorium at City Hall)
March 26: Upper Darby, Pa. (Tower Theatre)
March 27: Washington, D.C. (DAR Constitution Hall)
March 29: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)
March 30: Pittsburgh (Heinz)
April 1-2: New York (Radio City Music Hall)
April 7: Providence, R.I. (Providence PAC)
April 8: Wallingford, Conn. (Oakdale Theatre)
April 10: Cincinnati (Arnoff Theatre)
April 12: Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Theatre)
April 13: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
April 15: Louisville, Ky. (Palace Theatre)
April 17: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa PAC)
April 18: Melbourne, Fla. (King Center)
April 20: Atlanta (Fox Theatre)
April 21: Nashville (Grand Ole Opry House)
April 23: West Palm Beach, Fla. (Kravis Center)
April 23: Miami (Jackie Gleason Theatre)