User blog:BeccaSchmecca/Musetta Shimmin in Real Life: Where My Heart Belongs Tour

Where My Heart Belongs Tour was the second headlining concert tour by American singer Musetta Shimmin, in support of her third studio album Where My Heart Belongs. The tour began on September 28, 2007 in Osaka and concluded on April 13, 2008 in Bern, comprising 53 concerts.

Background and development
The tour was initially announced via Shimmin's website in April 2007. It was scheduled for almost 40 dates in North America, running from mid-July to late September, beginning with the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. For the first time, Shimmin would be playing in arenas instead of the smaller amphitheatres that her previous tours were staged in. Describing the tour, Shimmin stated: "This is gonna be the biggest headlining tour ever! We'll bring extra musicians all while making an arena environment a big experience." The show would feature a series of walkways and a b-stage in order to make large venues intimate for her fans.

The tour was to be sponsored by Kodak. The company set up an exclusive website which offered a pre-sale through Ticketmaster as well as other cross-promotional activities with Shimmin. Ticket sales started in early May and prospects for the tour got caught up in Shimmin's very public career drama concerning the contents and commercial potential of Where My Heart Belongs.

In mid-June, Shimmin's website announced the cancellation of the arena tour. However, low ticket sales were acknowledged by promoters and her representatives as the reason for the cancellation.

The album itself was finally released on June 29, and within a few weeks it was clear that its sales would be considerably less than those of her previous two albums. The only public performances to survive the tour cancellation were promotional appearances on morning and late-night television programs in conjunction with the album's release.

Second incarnation
On September 4, 2007, a new Where My Heart Belongs Tour for fall 2007 in Asia and North America was announced. It was specified to play nearly 30 dates in theaters with a capacity ranging from 1,000 to 6,000 rather than the previous arenas. Ticket sales, when they happened, were now more fitting to the venue; her three shows in Washington, D.C. were sold out, while her performance at the Nokia Theatre in New York City shared something in common.

Rehearsals for the second incarnation of the tour took place at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina throughout August 2007.

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Personnel

 * Musetta Shimmin - lead vocals
 * Francis Davenport - guitar
 * Maya Bolívar - backup vocalist
 * David Holek - drums
 * Rafael Bomprezzi - guitar
 * Tina Gorion - backup vocalist
 * Joseph Latsis - keyboards, piano, & musical director
 * Ferdinand Videnov - bass guitar