Toosii starts his Platinum Nights run at House of Blues

Houston gets the first of five dates behind Toosii's new album 'Platinum Heart 2' on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

When a tour is only five nights long, the first one counts. Toosii is starting his in downtown Houston.

Toosii plays House of Blues Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. Tickets are through Ticketmaster. It's the opening night of the Platinum Nights Tour, a short run built around his new album.

That album is *Platinum Heart 2*, a 13-track project that came out Oct. 23 on South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records, per The Music Universe. Toosii set it up with the single "Nights Prayed," and the tour followed. So Houston gets those songs about three and a half weeks after release: long enough for the crowd to know the words, early enough that most cities haven't heard them live yet.

After Houston the run goes to New Orleans on Nov. 18, Philadelphia's Theatre of Living Arts on Nov. 22, Washington's Howard Theatre on Nov. 23 and Detroit's Saint Andrew's Hall on Nov. 24, according to Live Nation's listings. That's five club-sized rooms, not arenas. Houston's is the biggest stop on that list and the only one in Texas.

If you know Toosii mostly from the radio, the live show is a different look. He writes in the space where hip-hop meets R&B, and that tends to mean a room that sings as much as it raps along. He's been at this a while: his earlier headline tour backed his debut album *Naujour*, and he has talked about the lessons he took from touring with Summer Walker.

House of Blues sits on Caroline Street in the GreenStreet development downtown, a short walk from the rest of the night out. It's a Tuesday, so if you're coming from work, plan for parking and get in early.

Long enough for the crowd to know the words, early enough that most cities haven't heard them live yet.

Opening nights are a gamble for artists and a good deal for fans. The set is new, the band is fresh, and nobody has settled into a routine. Houston gets that version of Platinum Nights first.

Sources: The song previews his upcoming album (The Music Universe) (themusicuniverse.com); Toosii Releases 'Nights Prayed' Ahead of New Album (uDiscover Music) (udiscovermusic.com); Toosii events (Live Nation) (livenation.com); Toosii announces U.S. headline tour in support of his debut album Naujour (lenoxandparker.com); Toosii reflects on a hard lesson learned while touring with Summer Walker (KISS Richmond) (kissrichmond.com); House of Blues Restaurant & Bar Houston (locations.houseofblues.com); Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.evyy.net); JamBase listing (jambase.com)