What’s the 411? Mary J. Blige is bringing her “For My Fans Tour” to Ohio in April of 2025.
The queen of hip-hop soul confirmed Monday that her tour would include a stop at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on April 2, 2025. No Cleveland date was announced, but Blige will be in town on Oct. 19 to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock Hall has announced that she will perform at the ceremony.
“I am so excited to kick off this tour. I have amazing fans and am so grateful for all of the love and support they have given me throughout the years,” Blige, 53, said Monday in a statement announcing the tour dates. “This tour is for them, and I cannot wait to be able to travel to all these cities and see everyone. I am in such a place of immense gratitude and peace at this moment, so also having the chance to release my new album ‘Gratitude’ on Nov. 15 ahead of this tour is really special to me.”
The nine-time Grammy Award winner will launch the 27-city tour Jan. 30 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., before making her way across the U.S. She will play in Chicago on March 14, Detroit on March 19 and Buffalo on March 22. The tour is set wrap up in Boston on April 14.
“The tour and album are a celebration of the love and gratitude that Mary has towards her life, family, friends, and her beloved fans,” concert promoter Live Nation said in a statement.
Ticket presales begin Tuesday,and general on-sale begins Friday at ticketmaster.com. Citi cardholders will have access to presale tickets Wednesday through Thursday through the credit card’s Citi Entertainment program, Live Nation said.
Blige’s tour will still include R&B superstar Ne-Yo — despite some fan protests — and “Let Me Love You” hitmaker Mario. When Blige announced last week that she was going back on tour, fans took issue with the inclusion of Ne-Yo amid concerns about his personal life and called on Blige to drop him from the lineup because he’s “not a good look right now.” Others questioned why she hadn’t yet said much about the indictment of her former producer Sean “Diddy” Combs,” who helped launch her career.
The “No More Drama” and “Real Love” singer, who famously performed with hip-hop legends Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at the 2022 Super Bowl, last embarked on a solo tour in late 2022.
That tour, called Good Morning Gorgeous, was timed to her album of the same name, her first since she finalized her protracted divorce from record producer Kendu Isaacs. The “Mudbound” and “Power Book II: Ghost” star released “Gratitude’s” first single, “Breathing,” last month. She is next scheduled to perform Oct. 26 at the AZ Jazz Fest in Glendale, Ariz.
A few days before that show, the R&B titan will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Oct. 19 along with Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, the Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang and A Tribe Called Quest.
In an appearance on “Sherri” last week, Blige said she had so much to be thankful for.
“Look at my life right now,” she said. “I’m in a constant state of gratitude. I feel good. I have jobs and opportunities. I’m healthy. My family’s healthy. I have people around that care for me and love me and I have amazing fans. So I’m so grateful to my fans for all the years of love that they’ve given me and support.”
