Christina Aguilera will forever be cemented in history for her epic vocal runs on “Lady Marmalade,” and for wearing some of the lowest pants of the early 2000s. And though she hasn’t appeared on the charts since 2013’s piano ballad “Say Something,” she’s currently plotting a comeback: she recently released her Kanye West-produced single “Accelerate” featuring 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla $ign, gearing up for her new album, Liberation, due out June 15.
On Wednesday, Aguilera announced her first major tour in over a decade. It comes to Oakland’s Paramount Theatre on Oct. 22, and as usual, buying tickets is a labyrinth of promotions, presale codes, and tie-ins. Here’s what you need to know.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on May 18, but there’s a presale for American Express cardholders on May 14. There’s also an artist presale and a Spotify presale on May 16 (for the artist one, we suggest joining her mailing list; for Spotify, make sure to follow her on the streaming service). May 17 is the Live Nation presale (the codes are rumored to be COVERT for the mobile app and PLAYLIST for web), as well as Ticketmaster and Paramount Theatre (check back on the venue’s website for codes for the latter).
As far as what to expect from the Liberation Tour: Aguilera seems to be going in a few different directions. On one hand, her recent makeup-free looks suggest a more stripped-down, introspective approach. But her video for “Accelerate,” which sounds like it could have been written for Iggy Azalea, is anything but subtle, with Aguilera licking a glittery, viscous substance (cringe) as the camera zooms in on her tape-covered nipples.
