ALW ENTERTAINMENT’S HOPEVILLE TOUR
KICKS OFF ITS SECOND LEG ON JANUARY 13 IN STOCKTON, CA
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Gospel crossover trio Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams & Donnie McClurkin
together again to sing their message of unity to the heavens and into the New Year

Super-promoter Al Wash has another hit gospel tour on his hands, but this time they aren't concerts in the traditional sense.
His line-up of artists is A-list, as usual, but their performances will be much more interactive as they each contribute to a storyline that centers on a message of unity. And who better to sing it to the heavens and carry it to 35 cities than the platinum-selling, multi award-winning crossover stars Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Donnie McClurkin? The event is called HOPEVILLE, a concept-of-living musical that Franklin created and is directing.

Explains Franklin of this innovative and thoroughly uplifting experience, "The magic of Hopeville is that it’s going to be a West Side Story type of production. It’s going to look like a Broadway musical, where we are all three interacting throughout the whole event. There’s going to be singing and dancing, some theatrical moments, some choreographed moments. It’s going to be a whole musical experience."

In terms of the spectacular talent providing this "musical experience," Franklin praises, "Donnie’s gift is being the most incredible male singer on this planet. Yolanda’s gift that God has given her is that she’s the most amazing female singer in our time--not only in gospel music, but in all of pop culture. There is not another female singer in any other genre of music that can top Yolanda Adams. No other. And you can quote me on that."

Franklin says that he sees his God-given gift as the ability to "put together a visual expression of music and make it come to life."

Adams and McClurkin appeared on Franklin’s recent album, The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin, though the fact that they are all touring together is more of a coincidental blessing than an extension of their studio work together.

"Hopeville is a make-believe city, and three friends were raised together there. We shot a video with three kids who portrayed a young Donnie, a young Kirk and a young Yolanda talking about what they wanted to do when they grew up, promising that they would stay friends forever. When the video ends, the stage set looks like a city. Hopeville is a blueprint of what every city can be, with everyone coming together as one through good times and bad times. The blessing about this tour is that all three of us will be on the same level at the same time on one stage—which doesn’t happen in any other genre of music."

Though he is as dynamic as the stars and the events he promotes, Wash doesn’t lay claim as the only gospel promoter (he also handles comedy and other entertainment forms, as well), but longtime friend Franklin insists, "He’s the best."

Wash and his 15-year-old ALW Entertainment have mounted eight gospel tours over the past six years (Franklin and Adams rolled out with the maiden voyage) and have certainly contributed to gospel music’s current growth.

Wash predicts, "Hopeville will take gospel music to the next level," and has secured sponsorship for the tour from Southwest Airlines, proving that it's already gaining altitude.

He states, "It’s a plus to have a sponsor like Southwest, who has never dealt with the gospel industry, but they understand marketing. They are the official sponsor for the Superbowl. They get it. It’s a plus to have them on our team."

Franklin’s vision for Hopeville is "for people to see Christian entertainment outside of the box. That’s what I’m excited about -- for them to be able see that it’s bigger than what they may see it just as a Sunday morning experience. It can become part of a person’s everyday lifestyle for enjoyment, but also leads to inspiration and a better way of life."

And that is definitely music to everybody’s ears.

Confirmed 2003 Hopeville Tour Dates

JANUARY:
1/13 Stockton, CA (Civic Memorial Auditorium)
1/14 Sacramento, CA (Memorial Auditorium)
1/16 & 17 Oakland, CA (Paramount Theatre)
1/18 Los Angeles, CA (Universal Theatre)
1/20 Phoenix, AZ (Dodge Theatre)
1/22 Oakland, CA (Paramount Theatre)
1/24 San Diego, CA (S.D. Sports Arena)
1/25 Las Vegas, NV (Aladdin Theatre)
1/27 Denver, CO (Magness Arena)
1/28 Kansas City, MO (Midland Theatre)
1/30 Biloxi, MS (Miss Coast Coliseum)
1/31 Houston, TX (Hofheinze Pavilion)

FEBRUARY:
2/1 Grambling, LA (T.H. Harris Auditorium)
2/2 St. Louis, MO (Fox Theatre)
2/4 Savannah, GA (Civic Center)
2/6 Jacksonville, FL (Jax Coliseum)
2/7 Orlando, FL (Seaworld)
2/8 Kingston, Jamaica (Church on the Rock)
2/9 Montego Bay, Jamaica (Caribbean Beach)
2/11 White Plains, NY (Westchester City Center)
2/12 Rochester, NY (Eastman Theatre)
2/13 Buffalo, NY (HSBC Arena)
2/14 Worcester, MA (Worcester Centrum)
2/15 Norfolk, VA
2/16 Philadelphia, PA (Liacouras Center)
2/18 Columbia, SC (The Carolina Center)
2/20 Greenville, SC (Pepsi Pavilion)
2/21 Fayetteville, NC (Cumberland Arena)
2/22 Atlanta, GA (Newbirth Church)
2/24 Milwaukee, WI (US Cellular Arena)
2/25 Chicago, IL (Arie Crown)
2/27 Detroit, MI (Fox Theatre)
2/28 Lansing, MI (Breslin Center)

MARCH:
3/1 Louisville, KY (Louisville Gardens)
3/2 South Bend, IN (Morris Civic Auditorium)
3/3 Dayton, OH (Schuster Center)
3/5 Tulsa, OK (Brady Theatre)
3/6 Lafayette, LA (Cajun Dome)
3/7 San Antonio, TX (Municipal Auditorium)
3/8 Dallas, TX (Nextstage Arena)
3/9 Oklahoma City, OK (Civic Center Music Hall)