MTV Games, Harmonix and Electronic Arts Kickoff Nationwide Tour looking for the best of the best of Rock Band. Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, announced that Rock Band is hitting the road on a coast-to-coast tour to give consumers the chance to try the game everyone is talking about before it even hits the stores. In addition, budding musicians can choose to participate in a “Rock Off” audition for an opportunity to appear on MTV’s TRL. Two selected bands will participate in a live "Battle of the Bands," with the top group being asked to open for one of rock’s biggest bands at the Rock Band launch concert this Holiday 2007.

“We’re a couple months away from the launch of Rock Band and the response has already been incredible,” said Jeff Yapp, EVP, MTV Program Enterprises. “We simply couldn’t wait any longer to get the game into consumers’ hands and give them a taste of the power of the Rock Band experience. This tour will give everyone from casual music fans, to hard core gamers and professional musicians the chance to live out their rock star fantasies on an authentic concert stage and the chance to audition for a once in a lifetime opportunity to fulfill their rock star fantasies live on MTV in front of thousands of fans.”

The battle begins Sunday, September 9th in Las Vegas during the “2007 MTV Video Music Awards” Weekend. Rock Band outfitted tour rigs will spread across the country on a 24 city tour – from coast to coast, to give music-game fans the chance to play on a full concert style stage with all of the lights and sound systems they’re used to seeing at a classic arena rock concert. Whether gamers are instrument experts or wanna-be’s, everyone will get a chance to rock with Rock Band.

It will not stop there. Aspiring rockers will have the chance to participate in a nationwide casting call through MTV’s Rock Band “Rock Off” events. All performers brave enough to play on the Rock Band tour bus main-stage will be captured on video and viewed by MTV casting directors. Two bands will be chosen and flown to New York City to spend a day with a real rock band and receive true rock star training. The auditions will culminate with the bands rocking on-air on MTV’s TRL, and one band ultimately chosen to open on a real stage for a yet-to-be-named mega band at the Rock Band launch concert.

The Rock Band tour rigs will travel to local college campuses and other locations around the country including:

Las Vegas, NV
September 9 – 16, 2007
Milwaukee, WI
September 13 – 16, 2007
Sacramento, CA
September 20 – 23, 2007
Columbus, OH
September 20 – 23, 2007
Seattle, WA
September 27 – 30, 2007
Chicago, IL
September 27 – 30, 2007
Portland, OR
October 4 – 7, 2007
Pittsburgh, PA
October 4 – 7, 2007
Oakland, CA
October 11 – 14, 2007
Cleveland, OH
October 11 – 14, 2007
San Francisco, CA
October 17 – 21, 2007
Philadelphia, PA
October 18 – 21, 2007
San Diego, CA
October 25 – 28, 2007
Baltimore, MD
October 25 – 28, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
October 31 – November 18, 2007
New York, NY
November 1 – 4, 2007
Boston, MA
November 8 – 11, 2007
New Jersey
November 15 – 18, 2007
Phoenix, AZ
November 27 – 30, 2007
Atlanta, GA
November 27 – December 2, 2007
Austin, TX
December 6 – 9, 2007
New Orleans, LA
December 6 – 9, 2007
Dallas, TX
December 13 – 16, 2007
Orlando, FL
December 13 – 16, 2007

Specific locations for each city will be released separately. In addition, fans can visit http://www.rockband.com/tour beginning September 9th for more information on dates, locations and Rock Band news.

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