Alabama News

[Luvin1stdegree 0]

Hello all, I have read that some of our members are Alabama fans so I thought I'd share this press release from thier website. I also heard there will be a DVD released but I don't know if it will be in conjuction with the CD or not.

 

RCA RELEASES SONGS FROM ALABAMA'S FAREWELL TOUR ON COMMEMORATIVE CD Nashville, TN -- Long after the curtain has fallen on RCA supergroup Alabama's Farewell Tour, fans can relive the memories of this historic event by merely popping in their Alabama: The American Farewell Tour CD, available from RCA Records October 7th.

 

Twenty songs from the nostalgia-laden tour are included on the CD, and are sequenced almost exactly like the actual set list for the band's Farewell Tour, although this is not a live album, but previously released material culled from Alabama's two-dozen RCA albums. Although members of the much-awarded group stunned and saddened their legions of fans by announcing in mid-2002 that they would embark on a Farewell Tour of America commemorating their 25th anniversary, they left the door open to recording together again in the future and may even share the stage for special events. However, this will almost certainly be the end of their touring days, during which they played more than 3,000 shows. Long considered the gold standard in country music and the standard bearers for self-contained groups, Alabama is the best-selling country band of all time, amassing an astounding legacy with 42 chart-topping singles, more than 150 industry awards and album sales totaling upwards of 65 million.

 

The band's association with RCA dates back to 1980, currently the longest consecutive tenure by a major act at one label. During a seven-year stretch, from 1980-87, they released 21 consecutive Number one country hits, many of which are included on the American Farewell Tour CD: "Love In The First Degree," "The Closer You Get," "High Cotton," "Sad Lookin' Moon," "Feels So Right," "Lady Down On Love," "Down Home," "Give Me One More Shot," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)," "Song Of The South," "I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)," "Old Flame," "Dixieland Delight," "Mountain Music" and their first #1 record, "Tennessee River." For Alabama, the first band to ever win CMA's Entertainer of the Year Award, and the only act to win it three consecutive years, it has always been about the music.

 

The group's Randy Owen said, "After a successful 25 years, we always felt like we would know when the time was right to step back, and we wanted to do it while we could still get down and do it right." For the Farewell Tour, Alabama was determined to make the event as much a celebration of the music to enjoy with their fans as an historical overview. Each tour stop was designed to be different to provide a unique entertainment experience to fans no matter how many concerts they attended. The numerous sell-outs have given the band their highest career box-office numbers and set several personal and venue records along the way.

 

According to Patrick McDill at Clear Channel Communications, the national promoter, the Farewell Tour stop at Birmingham's Oak Mountain Amphitheatre was the venue's fastest sell-out and highest grossing show ever, and at Charlotte's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, it was their highest grossing country show.

 

More than 22,173 fans crowded the sold-out Post Gazette Pavilion in Pittsburgh, on a day that was declared "Alabama Day" by the mayor of the river city. Similarly, the Governor of Colorado declared "Alabama Day" for the entire state of Colorado on the date of their Denver concert. The USO and two U.S. Congressmen made separate presentations to honor the band's contributions to the military at Washington's Nissan Pavilion, a show attended by some two dozen wounded soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, who, in a moving moment, joined the band onstage to sing "America."

 

For the ACM's first Artist of the Decade, their American Farewell Tour has been one enormous group hug with the band and their fans. Thanks to their long-time record label, the band will not be saying good-bye.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

I had read about this on Jeff Cooks board, my question is will the songs be from the tour (Live) or just repackaged songs from past recordings?

[Luvin1stdegree 0]

It sounds to me like they will be just repackaged recordings from the old CD's, not live. I do believe, though, that the DVD will be from the Farewell tour since they were recording the Milwaukee show. I'm guessing they will pick various songs from different venues from the tour.