Billboard is reporting that Live Nation and the Grammy Award-winning band Maroon 5 have signed an agreement for the concert promotion giant to produce the band’s 28-city fall arena tour, but also for the entertainment company to produce the band’s huge amphitheater tour for summer 2008. Maroon 5 will play at least 60 shows under the Live Nation banner by the end of next year.

Live Nation is constantly looking to lock up acts for multiple tours, so the deal falls in line with previous statements by Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino that he wants to extend the life of the relationship between the artist and promoter.


At a time when the touring industry is focusing on developing more arena-level headliners, many think Maroon 5 might fit the bill.

“They are uniquely poised at this point in their career to be a huge force in the industry for years to come,” Jason Garner, president of North American music for Live Nation, told Billboard. “This is what everyone has said they would like to see — the promoter taking a step in the direction of helping to grow an artist’s career. We think we’ve come into this partnership at exactly the right time.”

The band’s fall “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” tour, announced recently at the Live Nation-owned House of Blues in Los Angeles, begins September 29 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan with the Hives as support.