[Jonular]

He just can't wait to get back on the road again, and soon Michael W. Smith will have his chance as the singer/songwriter launches an extensive U.S. headline tour that takes him all across the country. Sharing the bill with Smith is the trio Selah. The first leg of the "Healing Rain" tour kicks off April 7th in San Antonio, TX and winds up May 22nd in Memphis. (See below for a complete itinerary, all dates are subject to change.)

The tour comes on the heels of his newest single, a remake of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water," from Michael's hit Healing Rain CD.

As a prelude to the tour, Smith headlined and co-hosted a benefit concert for victims of the Asian tsunami called "An Evening for Restoration: Music City Comes Together for Tsunami Relief" held last Wednesday at Nashville's Belmont University. Other performers on the line-up included Steven Curtis Chapman, Marty Roe of Diamond Rio, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Steve Cropper and the Oak Ridge Boys. All proceeds went to tsunami relief. The concert gained local and national attention as the Nashville Tennessean and both USA Today and the Associated Press ran features on the event.

Smith's "Healing Rain" debuted at #11 on Billboard's Top 200, while the title track rose to #1 on Radio & Records A/C charts. West Virginia native Michael W. Smith is one of the most successful artists in Contemporary Christian music. He's tallied 29 #1 singles, 13 Gold and five Platinum albums, over 40 Dove Awards and three Grammy Awards. Sales of his 18 studio albums account have topped 10 million. Smith is also a label owner, having formed his own Rocketown Records imprint in 1996.

The following is an itinerary of Michael W. Smith's "Healing Rain" Tour 2005:

APRIL

7th San Antonio, TX Municipal Auditorium
8th Houston, TX Woodlands
9th Jackson, MS MS Coliseum
14th El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center
15th Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
16th Anaheim, CA Verizon Amphitheatre
17th Sacramento, CA Arco Arena
19th Colorado Springs, CO World Arena
20th Salina, KS Bicentennial Center
21st Springfield, MO Hammond Center
23rd Wilmore, KY Ichthus Fest
24th Peoria, IL Civic Center
27th Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
28th Louisville, KY Broadbent Arena
29th Saginaw, MI Dow Event Center

MAY

5th Tyler, TX Oil Palace
6th Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
12th University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
13th Bethlehem, PA Stabler Arena
14th Salisbury, MD Wicomico Civic Center
18th Dayton, OH Nutter Center
20th Salem, VA Salem Civic Center
21st Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
22nd Memphis, TN Desoto Civic Center

For more information on Michael W. Smith, click here.