Daughtry has revealed the dates for the first leg of its Break The Spell tour, which kicks off March 25, in Buffalo, New York.

The 25-show tour will tour theatres in support of its most recent release, Break The Spell, which was released in November 2011.

“We recorded a hard-hitting rock album that is primed to blow the doors off these great theaters,” Daughtry said in a release issued Tuesday (January 17). “Fans who come out are going to get an incredible show every night.”

The tour is currently scheduled to conclude April 30 in New York City. One dollar from the sale of each ticket will benefit Malaria No More.

Support acts will include SafetySuit and singer-songwriter Mike Sanchez.

The itinerary for Daughtry’s spring tour of North America follows:

March 20 – Buffalo, NY (Shea’s Performing Arts Center)
March 21 – Reading, PA (Sovereign Hall)
March 24 – Toronto, ON (Massey Hall)
March 25 – Cleveland, OH (Palace Theatre)
March 27 – Atlanta, GA (Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center)
March 28 – Little Rock, AR (Robinson Center Music Hall)
March 30 – Nashville, TN (Ryman Auditorium)
March 31 – Louisville, KY (The Louisville Palace Theatre)
April 2 – Columbus, OH (Franklin County Veterans Memorial)
April 3 – Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Music Hall)
April 4 – Pittsburgh, PA (Benedum Center)
April 7 – Greensboro, NC (Greensboro Coliseum Complex)
April 9 – Charlotte, NC (Owens Auditorium)
April 11 – Clearwater, FL (Ruth Eckerd Hall)
April 14 – Boca Raton, FL (Mizner Park Amphitheatre)
April 15 – Jacksonville, FL (Moran Theatre)
April 17 – Columbia, SC (Township Auditorium)
April 18 – Richmond, VA (Landmark Theatre)
April 20 – West Long Branch, NJ (Monmouth University)
April 21 – Syracuse, NY (Landmark Theatre)
April 23 – Lowell, MA (Lowell Memorial Auditorium)
April 24 – Newark, NJ (New Jersey Performing Arts Center)
April 27 – Mashantucket, CT (Foxwoods Resort Casino & MGM Grand at Foxwoods)
April 28 – Albany, NY (Palace Theatre)
April 30 – New York, NY (Hammerstein Ballroom)

 Checkered Flag Productions, Inc. and Starbooker Presents, LLC Announce Joint Booking Partnership!

September 9, 2011 Greensboro, NC – Checkered Flag Productions, Inc. has agreed to employ the booking services of Starbooker Presents, LLC as its exclusive booking agency for all events currently produced by CFP, and any future projects to be developed.

CFP will maintain and service all of their historic and existing clients while SBP will immediately begin booking new clients for the motorsports production company specializing in:  MONSTER TRUCK SHOWS, TRACTOR AND TRUCK PULLS, MUD BOGS, ARENACROSS, DEMO DERBYS, FREE STYLE, MX JUMPER SHOWS, MINI SPRINT CARS, LEGEND CARS, and a variety of special attractions such as ROBOTIC CAR CRUSHING TRANSFORMERS – FIGHTING ROBOTS –MOTORCYCLE STUNT JUMPERS, etc.

Ed Beckley, President of CFP stated, “I am thrilled to bring Starbooker Presents into the Checkered Flag family.  I’ve known Jeff Bowen for years, and he and I are cut from the same showbiz mold.  This is a great day for Checkered Flag and venue business.”

Beckley has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years and was featured on the cover of Fortune Small Business Magazine as an innovator in motorsports entertainment, and for his history working with some of the most well-known promoters in the world, along with being a legacy motorcycle jumper in his own right.

Beckley has written many of the safety rules for different types of motorsports events that still remain in place today.  He also serves as a safety consultant for K&K Insurance, a prominent entertainment insurance company.

When asked about the new partnership Bowen said, “Ed and I have talked about this kind of collaboration for a long time and we feel now is the time to put our collective talents to work.  There are some very exciting opportunities out there and I firmly believe that Checkered Flag Productions has one hell of a bright future based on decades of success stories and some projects that will be coming into play very soon.”

Bowen has been involved in show business all his life beginning as a baby model and child actor.  A triple threat, Bowen has been an actor in Television, Film, and Theatre, and has extensive experience in producing high profile events and venue management.  “I have worked with some of the top venues in the nation and written, directed, and produced world class events.  And I believe that with my experience and reputation as a venue advocate, and Ed’s talent as a producer, we can put shows together that any venue would be thrilled to host,” said Bowen.

Starbooker Presents, LLC currently represents Bojangles’ Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC in an exclusive booking agency capacity.  The company also consults with other venues throughout the southeastern United States, and manages artists from actors to musicians, across the country.  Checkered Flag Productions, Inc. will be the company’s exclusive motorsports company.

To book any of CFP’s events contact:

Jeffrey B. Bowen

President

Starbooker Presents, LLC

P.O. Box 4001

Greensboro, NC 27401

336.285.7571

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.starbookerpresents.com

Ed Beckley

President

Checkered Flag Productions, Inc.

P.O. Box 1198 Bridgeport, TX 76426

Direct - 940.683.4742

Fax – 940.683.3935

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.checkeredflagproductions.com

 Full Bios / Resumes for both companies, Mr. Beckley and Mr. Bowen are available upon request.  Please contact the representatives directly for additional information, quotes, and references.

 Ed Beckley crash landed during a practice run Friday, causing him to cancel his plans to attempt the big jump later that night in front of a crowd at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

On Friday morning, Venues Today interviewed the 61-year-old Beckley before his planned jump. The 300-pound former daredevil said he was feeling very nervous about the stunt — the promoter hadn’t attempted a motorcycle jump in 17 years and had gained so much weight since his last attempt that he now outweighed his 2,000cc BTR Harley-Davidson by at least 70 lbs. On top of it, the bike badly needed a tuneup and Beckley said he had done zero practice for the stunt that was supposed to be the highlight of his Monster Truck Winter Nationals.

“I’m very nervous about making this jump,” he said, later adding, “I called my kid and we talked. I got things ready in case this goes badly.”

Things did go badly for Beckley — he crashed his motorcycle during rehearsals on his first attempt at the jump. Here’s how he recounts it:

During the setup, I could tell I was going to need to move a lot of dirt to make it all fit, but I thought I could get a couple of practice jumps in first. I was using a ramp I had never used, but I calculated the run to land it just right. The ramp felt really fast — I was dropping two stories pretty damn quick. I thought I had enough speed. I made a run and headed back to the top of the takeoff ramp, and then turned around and everything seemed perfect. I took off, threw it into second gear, switched it into third and when I went to hit the takeoff ramp, that baby launched. I went straight up into the air. I was flying through the air, I thought all was good and then, oops, I saw that I was going to be short at the last minute.

Beckley landed about 10 feet in front of the ramp and was able to ditch the bike into the dirt, but the impact of the landing ripped the front forks off the bike and sent the handlebars into his chest. While he didn’t sustain any broken bones, Beckley suffered a contusion on both his heart and lungs.

“From the top of my knees, all the way to my neck, I have one big giant bruise,” he said, adding that the incident landed him in the intensive care unit. “I feel like King Kong hit me in the chest with a frickin’ 12-pound sledge hammer,” he said.

Beckley said he should have practiced more — “and I felt really bad that afternoon. I thought I had the flu or a cold, but I later learned it was pneumonia — but I didn’t find that out until I crashed,” he said.

Beckley is a long time motor sports promoter and former daredevil, traveling the country in the 1960s, 70s and 80s as the “World’s Heaviest Jumper.” The last time he attempted a jump was in 1994, which ended badly when he crashed at the end of the landing ramp.

Beckley said there were at least two cell phone videos of the crash — he’s hoping to sell the footage to a television production company for a reality TV show he's pitching to cable networks.

Perhaps the ultimate irony from Beckley’s failed jump was that the promoter had major reservations about attempting the stunt in the first place, but committed to making the attempt because he had already sold hundreds of tickets to the event.

“I wish I could have crashed in front of the crowd,” said Beckley, who asked his announcer to tell the audience who later showed up that the jump had been canceled. 

Not to be deterred by his crash, Beckley said he’s going to make an another attempt at the Death Jump, a 95-foot leap over 12 cars from a two-story takeoff ramp with an apex height of 16 feet. His attempt will be Feb. 3 at Resistol Arena, Mesquite, Texas.

“I’m not done with jumping, but I am done with crashing,” he said.

Contact: Ed Beckley, (620) 789-0329