Kelsea Ballerini extended her first-ever headlining arena tour with several added destinations. She announced the new shows on Wednesday morning (October 30), following her sold out album release show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Ballerini will kick off her headlining tour in January 2025 with special guests Maisie Peters and Marynn Taylor. The “First Rodeo” artist added tour dates into early April, with new stops in Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Greenville, South Carolina; and North Charleston, South Carolina. Tickets are available to the general public beginning Friday (November 1). Find the full list of tour dates on Ballerini’s website here.
Ballerini shared photos on Instagram from “a sold out evening at Madison Square Garden,” which also featured sister duos Aly & AJ and Tigirlily Gold in the lineup. “I’m truly on the floor over this. Thank you from every ounce of my being for showing up. For the night, for the music, for each other. Wow wow wow. To the moon, no suit. 😭”
Ballerini’s extended tour announcement arrives at the heels of her fifth studio album’s debut. She released Patterns on Friday (October 25), a highly-anticipated record following Subject To Change and Rolling Up The Welcome Mat. Ballerini assembled an all-female team of songwriters and producers to bring the 15-track collection to life. It includes a heartfelt love letter to her relationship with her mother, a glance at what it’s like to open up to romantic relationships after divorce, a tribute to best friends, a NSFW track and more. Ballerini said when the album arrived that she took “the beautiful and brutal look into myself and the people I love the most. The celebrations and challenges in the name of betterment, growth, and all around elevated vibes. The healthy habits that I hold close and the ones that gotta go.”
Patterns also includes two bonus tracks that Ballerini released as a digital download on her website for a limited time. The bonus tracks include a stripped version of “Two Things” and “To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak,” a romantic ballad she teased on TikTok and debuted live at the Grand Ole Opry. Many of Ballerini’s social media followers expressed their surprise that the song did not appear on the Patterns track list, though Ballerini assured, “I’m not gonna do you dirty. I definitely got you.”
“The reality is, I’ve been singing about a chapter of my life that is far past me now,” Ballerini said when she performed the song for the first time with songwriters Karen Fairchild and Hillary Lindsey. She was referring to Rolling Up The Welcome Mat, which shared her story of heartache after divorce. She’d been dating actor Chase Stokes for nearly a year at that time. “And I’m writing about the chapter of life that I’m in, and it looks very different, and I kind of wanted to share a bit of it now. I’m very gently and slowly starting to make the next record. I really want to take the time to handle it with care.”