Clay Aiken Hits Road for a Three-Month Headline Solo Tour

Multi-Platinum RCA Artist Follows Co-Headlining Tour With Kelly Clarkson With 42-Date Road Tour in Support of 'Measure of a Man' CD

LOS ANGELES, June 3 /PRNewswire/ - Clay Aiken, who received rave reviews all over the country when he co-headlined a tour with Kelly Clarkson earlier this year, is going back out on the road in his first ever solo headlining tour. This will be the third time Aiken has toured the United States since last summer. Aiken commences a 42 date solo tour on July 6th in Bismarck, North Dakota, in support of his multi-platinum album "Measure of a Man." Though some of the dates are in cities that Clay performed in during his previous tours, many of cities have never experienced a Clay Aiken show.

Measure of a Man is nearing sales of three million. It includes Aiken's first single, "This Is the Night," which was the best-selling single of 2003. Aiken will perform songs from the album along with other material, including his current single, "Solitaire," which also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Sales chart and remains on top after eight weeks with sales of over 260,000 copies.

Aiken's meteoric rise to stardom continues at a hot pace. He is currently recording a holiday-themed CD, to be released for Christmas 2004. On July 2, Aiken will perform live on "Good Morning America" for their "Summer Concerts" series to kick off the next leg of his tour.

Those lucky enough to see Aiken on his first solo tour are in for a fantastic evening, judging by the reviews he received for his tour with Clarkson. "If Aiken's easy-going charms, honey-sweetened tenor and obvious popularity with the mostly female crowd is any indication, he doesn't have to play second fiddle to anyone anymore," wrote Doug Pullen in the Flint Journal. "Whatever X-factor makes an 'Idol' an idol, Aiken obviously has it," enthused David Hiltbrand in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"When placed under the lights on a concert stage, the lanky Southerner is an entertainer," said Dan Aquilante in the New York Post. "He truly appears to capture the feelings of the songs' lyrics, and thus, makes them his own (Elvis and Sinatra did the same)," praised Alan K. Stout in the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader.

  Following are the dates and locations for Aiken's first solo tour:
   Tuesday, July 6th         Bismarck, ND       Bismarck Civic Center
   Wednesday, July 8th  Grand Fork, ND     Ralph Engelstad
   Thursday, July 9th        Sioux Falls, SD    Sioux Falls Arena
   Friday, July 10th         Appleton, WI       Fox Cities Stadium
   Monday, July 12th         Lexington, KY      Rupp Arena
   Tuesday, July 13th        Charleston, WV     Charleston Civic Center
   Wednesday, July 14th      Nashville, TN      Gaylord Entertainment Center
   Friday, July 16th         Greensboro, NC     Greensboro Coliseum
   Saturday, July 17th       Greenville, SC     Bilo Center
   Sunday, July 18th         N. Charleston, SC  Charleston Coliseum
   Tuesday, July 20th        Portsmouth, VA     Harbor Center
   Wednesday, July 21st      Roanoke, VA        Roanoke Civic Center
   Friday, July 23rd         Baltimore, MD      First Mariner Arena
   Saturday, July 24th       Syracuse, NY       On Center
   Tuesday, July 27th        Harrington, DE     Delaware State Fair
   Thursday, July 29th       Mushantucket, CT   Foxwoods Resort Casino
   Friday, July 30th         Atlantic City, NJ  Caesars
   Saturday, July 31st       Atlantic City, NJ  Caesars
   Sunday, August 1st        Portland, ME       Cumberland County Civic
                                                Center
   Tuesday, August 3rd       Kingston, RI       Ryan Center
   Thursday, August 5th      Gilford, NH        Meadowbrook Farm
   Friday, August 6th        Bethlehem, PA      Arts Quest Musikfeet
   Sunday, August 8th        Albany, NY         Pepsi Arena
   Wednesday, August 11th    Columbus, OH       Ohio State Fair
   Thursday, August 12th     Jackson, MI        Jackson County Fair
   Friday, August 13th       Springfield, IL    Illinois State Fair
   Sunday, August 15th       Des Moines, Iowa   Iowa State Fair
   Monday, August 16th       Indianapolis, IN   Indiana State Fair
   Tuesday, August 17th      Knoxville, TN      Thompson Boling Arena
   Friday, August 20th       Clio, MI           Clio Amphitheater
   Saturday, August 21st     Clio, MI           Clio Amphitheater
   Monday, August 23rd       Rockford, IL       Rockford Metro Center
   Tuesday, August 24th      Cleveland, OH      Scene Pavilion
   Thursday, August 26th     St. Paul, MN       Minnesota State Fair
   Friday, August 27th       Milwaukee, WI      US Cellular Arena
   Saturday, August 28th     Dayton, OH         Nutter Center
   Sunday, August 29th       Ft. Wayne, IN      War Memorial Coliseum
   Tuesday, August 31st      Topeka, KS         Landon Arena
   Wednesday, September 8th  Dallas, TX         Nokia Live
   Friday, September 10th    Hutchinson, KS     Kansas State Fair
   Tuesday, September 14th   Evansville, IN     Roberts Stadium
   Thursday, September 16th  York, PA           York Fair

Additional Tour Dates Will Be Announced Closer To The Start Of The Tour.

For More Tour Date Information go to clayaiken.com.