'Nashville' Cast Hits the Road for New Tour

'Nashville' Cast Hits the Road for New Tour:

With cast members like Charles Esten and Sam Palladio regulars at the Grand Ole Opry and playing Music City festivals, like this week's Tin Pan South, ABC's Nashville has fully blurred the line between life and art. The series will further expand its reach when it launches its second concert tour in April.

Making stops in eight cities, the Nashville tour will feature cast members Esten, Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Aubrey Peeples and young duo Lennon & Maisy. Jonathan Jackson will also appear at the Chicago date, while Palladio, who plays Gunnar on the series, will perform at the New York and Los Angeles concerts.

The soapy drama, about the musical and personal relationships of a cast of characters in the Tennessee capital, debuted its first live tour in 2014. Buoyed by the success of that trek, as well as the series' respectable ratings, the producers decided an encore was in order. And with solo albums reportedly due from both Bowen and Palladio, the tour could include some new material, as well as the hits heard on TV.

"This job [on Nashville] has been such an incredible platform for me. It's developed my music and my style," Palladio told Rolling Stone Country last year. "I'm really close to my first record. The songs are done; I've been writing like crazy over the last few years. So I'm really excited to press the 'go' button on that, and in the next six months or so have people hear my original stuff."

The tour will kick off at New York City's Beacon Theater and hit a number of major markets, including Boston, San Francisco and Phoenix.

Here's the full itinerary:
April 29 — New York City, Beacon Theater
May 2 — Boston, Wang Theater
May 3 — Washington, D.C., DAR Constitution Hall
May 5 — Chicago, Rosemont Auditorium
May 6 — Minneapolis, Northrop Auditorium
May 8 — San Francisco, Warfield Theater
May 9 — Los Angeles, Nokia Theater L.A. Live
May 10 — Phoenix, Comerica Theater

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