The Get Happy Tour

infobox music festival
music_festival_name = The Get Happy Tour
location = United States, United Kingdom, Europe
years_active = 2006 - present
founders = Army of Freshmen and Bowling for Soup
genre = Pop punk and other mainstream rock music
website = [http://gethappytour.com Get Happy Tour Official MySpace]

The Get Happy Tour is a regular concert package tour that has taken place in the United States, the UK and Europe. Co-founded in 2006 by the bands Bowling for Soup and Army of Freshmen, the tour is named after the Bowling For Soup song, “Get Happy.”

The tour is advertised as a fun, family-friendly, all ages rock show that focuses on heavily in fan interaction including theme nights, autograph sessions and contests. The line-up consists of various pop punk and pop rock bands who appeal to all audiences because of their focus on fun.

History and past lineups

Headline acts in Bold

2006

USA (Summer-Autumn)

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Get Happy Tour"


image_caption =
artist = Bowling for Soup
start_date = 18 June, 2006
end_date = 9 December, 2006
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 59 played (Bowling for Soup missed twelve)
*Bowling For Soup
*Lucky Boys Confusion
*Punchline
*Army of Freshmen

The inaugural Get Happy Tour. It was initially organised by Bowling for Soup and friends Army of Freshmen who had supported them in the past. The bands initially met in 2003 when Freshmen supported Bowling for Soup on 28 dates in their US National Tour. They played together again for three dates in 2004, with Bowling for Soup joining Freshmen for five dates of their "Fighting the Good Fight Summer 2007" of the UK in July/August 2005.

Following this they embarked on a 20 date UK tour together in October (though Bowling For Soup missed a date). After this success the two groups decided to organise the first Get Happy Tour, with Freshmen bringing along Lucky Boys Confusion who they had toured with in 2004. The bill was completed by Punchline.

Headline act Bowling for Soup actually were not in attendance for 12 of the concerts. The only band not actually promoting a new release was Bowling For Soup. Army of Freshmen had recently released the "Under the Radar" album and Lucky Boys Confusion released the "How to Get Out Alive" EP as the tour began. In April, a few months before the show, Punchline had also released their "37 Everywhere" album. The tour was a big success, though Bowling for Soup were absent for an unusual amount of dates for a headline act.

2007

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Get Happy Tour UK Winter 2007"


image_caption =
artist = Bowling for Soup
start_date = 6 February, 2007
end_date = 19 February, 2007
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 14 played (Son of Dork and Wheatus both missed one)

UK (Winter)

*Bowling For Soup
*Son of Dork
*Wheatus
*Army of Freshmen

After success in their homeland, Bowling for Soup and Army of Freshmen headed to the UK. Pop punk was a more popular phenomenon in the UK, and Bowling for Soup were better known than in the USA. This led to the stronger support acts on the tour. To promote the tour and their recent release, "The Great Burrito Extortion Case" (released February 5th 2007 in the UK), Bowling for Soup released the single "When We Die". The tour sold out at all venues. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2007/10/17/get_happy_tour_review_feature.shtml Get Happy Tour @ Newcastle Academy] ]

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Get Happy Tour USA Summer 2007"


image_caption =
artist = Bowling for Soup
start_date = 22 June, 2007
end_date = 27 August, 2007
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 41 played (Melee missed two, Quietdrive missed one)

USA (Summer)

*Bowling For Soup
*Quietdrive
* Melee
*Army of Freshmen

The Get Happy Tour returned to the USA in 2007, in much the same mould as before. Melee were touring in support of the Devils & Angels album which had been released in March, while Quietdrive had also released a single that year.

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Get Happy Tour Europe"


image_caption =
artist = Bowling for Soup
start_date = 10 October, 2007
end_date = 14 October, 2007
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 5 played

Europe (Autumn)

*Bowling For Soup
*Army of Freshmen

After success in the USA and the UK, the Get Happy Tour expanded once again, this time into Europe. Pop punk is not nearly as well known in Europe as it is in the UK and USA, and American bands are less popular in Europe too. With the tour's success not so guaranteed in the region, only three German dates, a French date and a Netherlands date were scheduled for this mini-tour which featured no support acts. Immediately after, a UK tour more on the scale of past Get Happy Tours began.

UK (Autumn)

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = "Get Happy Tour UK Fall 2007"


image_caption =
artist = Bowling for Soup and Bloodhound Gang
start_date = 16 October, 2007
end_date = 26 October, 2007
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 11 played
*Bowling For Soup
*Bloodhound Gang
*Zebrahead
*Army of Freshmen

The European leg of the Get Happy Tour in October 2007 immediately continues a few days later in the UK, but with the addition of the tour's now-standard four band lineup. With Bowling for Soup and Army of Freshmen's fame expanding as years go by, the latest incarnation of the Get Happy Tour is the largest yet.

References

External links

* [http://www.bowlingforsoup.com/ Official Bowling for Soup website]
* [http://www.armyoffreshmen.com/ Official Army of Freshmen website]
* [http://gethappytour.com Get Happy Tour Official MySpace]