Black Eyed Peas Concert Tour Information
In 1995, "Atban Klann" changed their name to "The Black Eyed Peas". will.i.am explained the name change in a note on the "Monkey Business" album stating that,(like their music) "Black Eyed Peas are food for the soul" He also, cited the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" as being a major influence and decided to name his band after a food, like them. Besides the name, other changes made included replacing their Mookie Mook, with Dante Santiago as singer and adding Taboo (born Jaime Gomez) to the group.
Black Eyed Peas differed from most other hip-hop acts, choosing to perform with a live band. Their wild musical and clothing style was definitely not of the "gangsta rap" genre so popular at the time. Through the mid-'90s, they performed in the local club circuit alongside fellow acts such as Ozomatli and Jurassic 5.
1998 saw the group signed with Interscope Records and releasing their debut album, "Behind the Front". The album won the group critical acclaim and featured the single "Joints & Jams". Their second album, Bridging the Gap, was released in 2000; it included the single "Request + Line" featuring Macy Gray.
"Elephunk",their breakout album, was released in 2003. It was the first album that featured the vocals of Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson. She had replaced singer Kim Hill, who left the band in 2000. "Where is the Love?", a single from the album. featuring Justin Timberlake, became the Black Eyed Peas' first major hit. The song peaked at #8 on the U.S. Hot 100, but topped the charts practically everywhere else. It spent six weeks at number one in the UK and became the biggest-selling single of 2003 in that country.
Hit albums "Monkey Business" and "Maximum Black Eyed Peas" were both released in 2005 with the band touring extensively using the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus to travel to their gigs. In September 2005, The Black Eyed Peas released an iTunes Originals play list of their greatest hits, as well as some songs re-recorded especially for purchase through iTunes. The play list includes such popular songs as "Don't Lie," "Shut Up," and a restyled version of "Where Is the Love?." It also contained short stories with info about the songs and how the group first met.
In April 2006, the Black Eyed Peas once again hit the road as the featured headliner for the 6th Annual Honda Civic Tour. They again brought the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus along with them. The year also. included the band's first international tour, playing for fans in Ireland, United Kingdom, Israel, Italy and Germany. They finished the year with a final tour stop in Bangkok,Thailand.
The Black Eyed Peas embarked on the Black Blue & You World Tour in 2007, visiting over 20 countries. These include Macao, Sweden, Poland, Romania, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, China, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, El Salvador and Brazil. Pepsi, will present this tour in conjunction with the new 'Pepsi More' advertising campaign, featuring The Black Eyed Peas. In fact, more is a promotional single made just for new Pepsi spot.