Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire; 3 Hour Extravaganza Brings Together Two of Popular Music's Greatest Hit Makers

Business Wire, March 26, 2004

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2004

Chicago, the legendary rock 'n roll band with horns, and Earth, Wind and Fire, one of the greatest R&B bands of all time, will tour the U.S. together this summer, it was announced today by Clear Channel Entertainment. The two artists, both of whom started in the city of Chicago and have achieved massive worldwide fame and record sales, will co-headline this historic tour. Fans can expect to hear more than 3 hours of hits during the tour de force concert, which will begin and end with both bands playing onstage together. The middle sections will feature full sets from each band.

According to Bruce Kapp, Sr. Vice President, Clear Channel Entertainment Touring, "This is an incredible show on so many levels. We think this could be the start of an American tradition. Fans will be overwhelmed by the amazing number of hits." The tour starts June 11 in Dallas, and will continue throughout the entire summer.

Chicago has written, recorded and performed some of the most popular and best loved songs in rock history. Through it all, they have remained a working band, releasing 28 albums and touring continually since forming in 1967. Once the Grammy-award winning group began making records, fans rewarded the group with record sales of 122,000,000, 20 Top 10 hits, 5 number one albums, 5 Number One singles, and 5 Gold singles. When Rhino Entertainment released "The Very Best Of Chicago: Only the Beginning" in 2002, the 2-CD collection entered the charts at #38, making Chicago the first American rock band to chart a Top 40 album in 5 consecutive decades. In addition to the Grammy, Chicago has won American Music Awards, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and had a downtown Chicago street renamed in their honor.

Earth, Wind & Fire is one of the greatest R&B bands of all time. Since forming in 1969, the group has sold more than 30,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. Their live shows have always been spectacular, and in fact, they used to hire magician Doug Henning (and his then unknown assistant, David Copperfield) to help design effects. They have won 8 Grammies, numerous American Music Awards, and a BET Lifetime Achievement Award. EWF has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

6/11   Dallas             Smirnoff Music Centre
6/12   Houston            The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/15   Cincinnati         Riverbend Music Center
6/17   Detroit            DTE Energy Music Theatre
6/18   Indianapolis       Verizon Wireless Music Center
6/19   Chicago            Tweeter Center
6/20   Columbus           Germain Amphitheater
6/22   Cleveland          Tower City Amphitheatre
6/23   Pittsburgh         Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/25   New Jersey         PNC Bank Arts Center
6/26   Hartford           Meadows Music Theatre
6/30   Boston             Tweeter Center
7/1    Manchester         Verizon Wireless Arena
7/2    Philadelphia       Tweeter Center by The Waterfront
7/3    Long Island        Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach
7/6    Virginia Beach     Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
7/8    Washington DC      Nissan Pavilion
7/9    Raleigh            Alltel Pavilion
7/10   Charlotte          Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
7/11   Atlanta            Chastain Park
7/27   Tampa              Tampa Bay Amphitheater
7/28   West Palm Beach    Sound Advice Amphitheatre
7/30   Nashville          Starwood Amphitheatre
7/31   St. Louis          UMB Bank Pavilion
8/1    Kansas City        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/3    Milwaukee          Marcus Amphitheater
8/4    Minneapolis        Target Center
8/6    Denver             Universal Lending Pavilion
8/7    Albuquerque        Journal Pavilion
8/8    Phoenix            Dodge Theatre
8/10   Los Angeles        Greek Theatre
8/11   Los Angeles        Greek Theatre
8/13   San Francisco      Chronicle Pavilion
8/15   Seattle            White River Amphitheater

About Clear Channel Entertainment

Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU), a global leader in the away-from-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books approximately 130 live entertainment venues, including nearly 100 in North America and more than 30 in Europe. In 2003, 69 million people attended approximately 32,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; museum exhibitions, and specialized sports and motor sports events. In addition, the company's independently operated athlete representation business, SFX, provides management, marketing and financial consulting services to many of the world's top professional athletes. Clear Channel Entertainment also provides marketing services through LIVE Channel, a company dedicated to creating and executing live events for companies seeking brand promotion. Clear Channel Entertainment operates throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. More information may be found by visiting www.cc.com and www.clearchannel.com.