ON RECORD AND IN CONCERT "TIMELESS" IS A HIT Posted on Friday, February 10, 2006 Famed Radio City Music Hall One Of Many Sold-Out Shows NASHVILLE, TENN. (February 8, 2006) - The success of Martina McBride's boldly different "The Timeless Tour" emphasizes what makes the singer special-while reiterating that she's the rare top modern music star who scores high across the board commercially, creatively and critically. The four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year decided to give her fans something different with her new tour, continuing a risk-taking year that started with the gutsy release of Timeless, her platinum-selling album of classic country styles recorded with traditional reverence and taste. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country charts and No. 2 on the overall pop charts. The concert, a combination of songs from Timeless and Martina hits, has produced a string of sold-out concerts in Milwaukee, Kansas City, Cleveland and Chicago. In addition, upcoming shows that are already sold out include shows in Springfield, MA, Fairfax, VA, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. One of the highlights of the tour is the sold out show at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City on February 18. Jay Marciano, President of Radio City Entertianment, says that "to have a country star sell out Radio City in her first appearance there is outstanding. To say we are thrilled would be an understatement." With no country station in New York, this sell out at the legendary Hall is impressive. Another highlight is a rare two-night performance at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville in April. Known as the "Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman Auditorium is a perfect stage for this Timeless music. Only a few hundred tickets remain. As the Cleveland Plains-Dealer wrote of her show, "Martina McBride is a classic." The success of Martina McBride's boldly different "The Timeless Tour" emphasizes what makes the singer special-while reiterating that she's the rare top modern music star who scores high across the board commercially, creatively and critically. While the reviews pour in and standing ovations keep coming, it's obvious that her gamble and instincts once again have paid off with enormous benefits to fans. The extended evening allows the personable Martina to open up and intimately share stories of herself and her music with her fans. In concert, she has been relating stories about meeting idols like Tammy Wynette, who she told her Chicago audience "was one of the first people to go out of her way to welcome me to Nashville and to country music." McBride spins similar stories of Loretta Lynn ("the original redneck woman," she tells her crowds) and she also relates how she included a cover of Hank Williams' "You Win Again" on the demo tape she originally passed around Nashville to get a record deal before performing the version from her Timeless album. In concert, she gets the chance to show fans what National Public Radio critic Ken Tucker calls "the difference between ambition and artistry," explaining that "McBride makes her CD sound like music she had to record before her heart burst." Despite breaking barriers about contemporary singers recording traditional music, the Timeless album was certified platinum by the RIAA less than eight weeks after its release-without the help of a Top 10 hit, a rarity in country music even for an established superstar like McBride. The album has become her fastest million-selling effort to date and Timeless marks her eighth platinum album with total sales in excess of 15 million. With her classics album, McBride has not only continued to delight fans, but to mightily impress critics, many of whom tend to be tough on contemporary country stars. Timeless has drawn outstanding reviews in the New York Times, People, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly, among others. She's been featured in recent multi-page spreads in People magazine and In Style, and her performance at Madison Square Garden during the annual CMA Awards telecast drew one of the most thunderous ovations of the evening. She also has appeared as a guest on The Today Show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Don Imus Show, Ellen, The View, Larry King Live, Dr. Phil, A&E Breakfast with the Arts, PBS Soundstage, CNN Showbiz Tonight and Emeril Live. She also starred in her own CMT special concert and was given an unprecedented full hour show on Grand Ole Opry Live. Back To News Page