A view of some of the fair grounds

A portion of the midway on the fair grounds

A building designed as a birthday cake in honor of the 150th anniversary of the fair in 2006

The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902.

The state fair buildings and grounds are used for a variety of other shows when the fair is not being held. The largest building at the fairgrounds is the Pepsi Coliseum, formerly known as the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, where the Indiana Ice usually play. The fairgrounds are on 38th Street and Fall Creek Parkway.

Beginnings[link]

In February 1851, at the urging of agricultural promoter Governor Joseph A. Wright, the Indiana General Assembly passed an act intended "to encourage agriculture" growth in the state, which also included the formation of a State Board of Agriculture. A primary goal of the Board was to organize an Indiana State Fair. On October 20–22 1852, the first State Fair was held in downtown Indianapolis at the Marion County Fairgrounds.^[1] Indiana became the sixth state to begin holding an annual state-wide agricultural fair.^{[citation needed]}

During the American Civil War, the county fairgrounds was converted into Camp Morton, a prison camp for captured Confederate soldiers. During the war years no state fair was held, but it was resumed again in 1865 and held in Fort Wayne. The gates opened at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on East 38th Street for the first time on September 19, 1892. Since then, the fair has continually been held in Indianapolis.

The State Fair has been held in Indianapolis for the majority of its existence but other Indiana cities hosted the event during the mid-19th century:^[2]

• 1853 - Lafayette
• 1854 - Madison
• 1859 - New Albany
• 1865 - Fort Wayne
• 1867 - Terre Haute

Competitions[link]

During each annual run of the Indiana State Fair, several competitions take place. The 4-H has a large participation in the fair and competitions are held in numerous areas for 4-H youth members. 4-H winners at county fairs can progress to the state fair with their live-stock, crafts, gardening, or other exhibits. The winner at the state fair can, in some cases, advance to a national competition. The winners receive scholarships and other awards.

Other competitions also occur including art contests, a hot air balloon race, and a high school marching band contest on "Band Day". Adult competitions also occur in various farm related categories.^[3]

Entertainment[link]

Numerous nationally-known entertainers have performed at the Indiana State Fair.

In 1964, The Beatles performed two sold out shows to nearly 30,000 audience members September 3^{[citation needed]} and, in 1989, New Kids on the Block set a Grandstand attendance record with 18,509 audience members.^{[citation needed]}

The fair also presents Latino/Hispanic entertainment for Indiana's Hispanic population.

1963 coliseum explosion[link]

On October 31, 1963 a propane tank exploded in the Indiana State Fair Coliseum, killing 54 at the scene and another 20 died due to injuries, with a total of 74 people killed. Around another 400 were injured. It was the deadliest disaster in Indianapolis history.^[4]

2011 stage collapse[link]

On August 13, 2011, high winds from an approaching thunderstorm collapsed the main stage just before Sugarland was about to perform, killing seven people and injuring 43.

Famous visitors[link]

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to a crowd of 40,000 on a day known as "Big Thursday." Over the years, President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, President John F. Kennedy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and President Barack Obama have all made appearances at the Fairgrounds.

See also[link]

Indiana portal

• List of attractions and events in Indianapolis

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site

Coordinates: 39°49′47.82″N 86°8′3.68″W / 39.82995°N 86.1343556°W / 39.82995; -86.1343556

Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.

The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running,^[4] and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S. News & World Report while the graduate program in nursing was recognized as among the "Top 75' in the nation by U.S. News.^[5] The magazine currently classifies Indiana State University as a tier 2 national university. The current Carnegie classification for ISU is Doctoral/Research University.^[6]

Indiana State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.^[7] ISU is also included in Carnegie's new Curricular Engagement and Outreach & Partnerships category that recognizes substantial commitments to both an academic approach to mutually beneficial and respectful community collaboration and extensive outreach and partnerships.^[8]

Indiana State offers 100+ majors, notably education, business, criminology, finance, insurance and risk management, nursing, athletic training, and construction technology;^[9] the university's graduate education, financial services, nursing and clinical psychology programs are nationally recognized.

Indiana State is a diverse university, with 3.8% of students attending as international students and 19.5% of students belonging to a minority. Of the 19.5% minority students, 75.4% are African American, 8.3% are multiracial, 8.3 percent are Hispanic and Latino American, 5.8 percent are Asian American, and 2.1 percent are Native American.^[10]

Indiana State is the first public university in Indiana to require incoming freshmen to have a laptop. ISU offers Dell Latitude E6420 laptops to incoming freshmen with high high school GPAs of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) as part of its Laptop Initiative.^[11]

History[link]

Fairbanks Hall Dome

Indiana State University was established by the Indiana General Assembly on December 20, 1865, as the Indiana State Normal School in Terre Haute. As the State Normal School, its core mission was to educate elementary and high school teachers. The school awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1908 and the first master's degrees in 1928. In 1929, the Indiana State Normal School was renamed the Indiana State Teachers College, and in 1961, was renamed Indiana State College due to an expanding mission. In 1965, the Indiana General Assembly renamed the college as Indiana State University in recognition of continued growth.

Campus[link]

Rankin Hall

The Indiana State University main campus is located on the north side of Terre Haute’s downtown business district and covers more than 200 acres (0.81 km²) in the heart of the city. Over 60 brick and limestone buildings and laboratories comprise the main campus. Starting in the 1960s and continuing through the 1990s, ISU lost many of its historic buildings, but efforts to beautify the campus continue: a section of Seventh Street that runs by the university has been converted into a boulevard with flower beds and antique light posts; the old power plant was razed in 2002 and replaced with a modern facility;^[12] Stalker Hall reopened in fall 2005 after a complete renovation;^[13] Normal Hall, a Neo-Classic building erected in 1909, originally served as the library, and is line for renovation in 2011-12.^[14] In 2009, the university dedicated a more than 109,000-square-foot (10,100 m²) Student Recreation Center, financed via private funding and student fees. Also in 2009, the College of Education was relocated to the newly renovated, historic University Hall.^[15] Beginning in 2012, the College of Business will relocate to the renovated Terre Haute Federal Building, a classic Art Deco building erected in 1933.^[16]

The Indiana State University field campus is an outdoor teaching, learning, and research area designed to accommodate educational programs and services. The field campus is located on 93 acres (380,000 m²) approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of Terre Haute near Brazil, Indiana, and includes eight man-made lakes.^[17]

2010 Master Plan[link]

Dede Plaza

Student Recreation Center

On December 18, 2009; the Indiana State University Board of Trustees accepted a new Master Plan, This plan will guide the physical growth and development of the Indiana State University campus for the next 15 to 20 years. It provides a blueprint for campus improvements in the near and mid-term and an overriding philosophy for the long term. Primary components of the plan include: • Meeting the functional needs of academic programs within the current facility square footage. • Improving student housing choices. • Serving as a partner and catalyst to the redevelopment of downtown Terre Haute. • Improving vehicular and pedestrian circulation systems and wayfinding. • Supporting the redevelopment of the Wabash Riverfront. • Providing athletic facilities that are competitive with peer institutions • Responding to contemporary and practical sustainable design practices.^[18]

Academics[link]

Colleges and school[link]

Indiana State University is organized into six academic colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences
  • containing the Departments of: African and African American Studies • Art • Biology • Chemistry and Physics • Communication • Criminology • Economics • English • Earth and Environmental Systems • History • Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics • Mathematics and Computer Science • Music • Philosophy • Political Science • Psychology • Theater
  • also containing: Center for Biodiversity Studies • Criminology Institute • Center for Economic Education • Center for Governmental Studies • Sociology Research Lab (SRL) • Center for the Study of Health, Religion, and Spirituality • Science Education Center • Center for Urban and Environmental Change

• Donald W. Scott College of Business
  • organized into the three Departments effective January 2011: Accounting, Finance, Insurance and Risk Management (AFIRM) • Marketing and Operations • Management, Information Systems, and Business Education (MISBE)
  • also containing: Small Business Development Center • Gongaware Center for Insurance Management • NetWorks Financial Institute • Center for Public Service and Community Engagement • Center for Research, Enterprise and Economic Development (CREED) • Leadership Development Institute (LDI)[1]

• Bayh College of Education [2]
  • containing the Departments of: Communication Disorders • Counseling • Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology • Educational Leadership, Administration, and Foundations • Educational and School Psychology • Elementary, Early, and Special Education
  • also containing: Education Student Services • Professional Development Schools (PDS) • Blumberg Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Special Education • Instructional & Information Technology Services • North Central Association (NCA)

• College of Graduate and Professional Studies

ISU offers more than 90 programs in the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, Technology, and Nursing, Health and Human Services. The College of Graduate and Professional Studies offers programs that lead to doctoral and master's degrees. Students can also pursue certificates in a concentrated area of study, enroll in professional development courses, and fulfill continuing education requirements.

• College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services [3]
  • containing the Departments of: Advanced Practice Nursing [4] • Applied Health Sciences [5]• Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation [6] • Baccalaureate Nursing [7]• Baccalaureate Nursing Completion [8]• Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport [9] • and Social Work [10] as well as The Landsbaum Center for Health Education [11]• Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health [12] • West Central Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC) [13](This College was created July 1, 2007, incorporating the former College of Nursing and the College of Health and Human Performance. The first Dean of the College is Dr. Richard Williams [14]).

• College of Technology
  • containing the Departments of: Applied Engineering and Technology Management • Aviation Technology • Built Environment • Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology • Human Resource Development and Performance Technologies
  • also containing: Indiana Packaging Research and Development Center • Technology Services Center • Technology Student Services • Air Force ROTC • Army ROTC

Library[link]

The Cunningham Memorial Library collections include more than 1.3 million items. Undergraduate students may check out most materials for a three-week loan period, using their student ID. The library is part of the Library Consortium of Vigo County. Through a search engine called Fusion, students may search through 400,000 records found in the library catalogs for the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, and the Vigo County Public Library.

More than 110 full-time service computers are available throughout the library. Nine computers are equipped with scanners and one computer has ZoomText capabilities that enlarges print and screen and reads aloud for the visually challenged. New furniture, computer hardware, and software enable groups of students to collaborate electronically. Printers and photocopiers are also available. Collaborative, group, and individual study areas are offered as well as group study rooms. One study area is dedicated to adaptive technology, which includes a Braille display, a reading machine,a special individual monitor for people with retinal degenerative diseases, a head tracker, a multi-colored QWERTY layout with keys four times larger than normal, a voice-to-text program, and software to help people who struggle with reading. ^[19]

Degrees[link]

• Undergraduate baccalaureate degrees: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.),
• Graduate degrees: Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.), Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Education (M.E.), Master of Music (M.M.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Masters of Physician Assistant Studies (M.S)
• Doctorates: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

Accreditation[link]

Indiana State University as a whole has been accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools continuously since 1915.^[20] The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). The Bachelor in Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The Undergraduate Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The Graduate Athletic Training program is accredited by the National Athletic Trainers' Association-Graduate Review Committee (NATA-PPEC). The Physical Education programs are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

University traditions[link]

Donaghy Day[link]

Named for Fred Donaghy, graduate of the Normal School (1912) and a professor of life sciences, this tradition was initiated in 1976 as a day set aside for the community to celebrate the season and to work to help beautify the campus and surrounding community; Donaghy Day is now conducted during the first week of the fall semester and is used to acquaint new students with the university's commitment to community engagement.^[21]

Homecoming[link]

The term Homecoming was first used in print announcements for the Alumni-Varsity Basketball Game on December 9, 1916. By 1919, this event became known as Blue and White Day and featured dances and entertainment for alumni of the Normal School. In 1921 the events were organized around a football game scheduled earlier in the autumn. A bonfire and pep rally were added to the festivities in 1922; the Blue-and-White Parade in 1923; and in 1937, Bette Whitmore (Kappa Kappa) was elected ISU¹s first Homecoming Queen.^[21]

Founders Day[link]

Conducted in January or February of each year, this event commemorates the opening of the institution in 1870 when 23 students presented themselves to a faculty of three on the first day of classes at the Indiana State Normal School.^[21]

Mascots[link]

The school has had two mascots.^[21] Early on in the school's history, the athletes were referred to as the "Fighting Teachers", until the students chose the name "Sycamores", from the abundance of Sycamore trees in Indiana and especially in the Wabash River Valley; though it is believed that the students voted on 'Sycamores' on a lark, never thinking it would win. During the 1950s and 60s, the sycamore tree itself was used as Indiana State's mascot. However, as a tree does not lend itself well to an athletic mascot, especially considering Indiana State's in-state rivalries with the Ball State Cardinals and Butler Bulldogs, the university created an Indian mascot named Chief Quabachi, and his Princess, in 1969. This change paid homage to the fact that ISU was the "State" university of a state named after Indians (prior to statehood Indiana was primarily inhabited by Indians). However, the university stopped using Chief Quabachi as a mascot in 1989. For six years, Indiana State did not have a mascot, until 1995, a blue-and-white "furry woodland creature" named "Sycamore Sam" was developed to replace Chief Quabachi and continues to serve as Indiana State's mascot.

Tandem[link]

Tandem race

This student-organized race was first run as part of Spring Week activities in 1970. Teams are coed mixed pairs, which compete on tandem bicycles.^[21]

Trike[link]

The Indiana State Tricycle Derby was first run in 1963 as a 10-lap race around the sidewalks of the Quadrangle on children's tricycles.^[21] The races featured a men's and women's division (the Powder Puff Derby). The races now feature men's and women's teams racing on specially built tricycles at the new Recreation East complex at Ninth and Sycamore streets. In October 2005, the Michael Simmons Student Activity Center opened at Rec East, featuring commemorative displays chronicling the history and the participants of trike and tandem, containing bleacher seating, an all-purpose room, restrooms, an observation deck, and storage.

The Walk[link]

The unofficial tradition during homecoming is known as "The Walk." A large number of students, typically reaching in the thousands, make the two mile (3 km) walk east on Wabash Avenue towards the Football Stadium stopping and having a drink at each bar along the way. In 2010, the university launched “SoberRide” and “Designated Walker” programs for homecoming.^[22]

The Walk can be traced back to the early 1980s when students walked from Saturday night football games back to campus, stopping for a beer at every establishment that served beer, including the Pizza Hut, on Wabash.

Songs[link]

Fight Song[link]

Marching Sycamores

March On (You Fighting Sycamores), the university’s fight song, was authored and arranged by Joseph A. Gramelspacher, an ISU professor of music, as a pep song. It was first performed at a homecoming-eve pep rally on October 20, 1939.

Indiana State
"March On! (You Fighting Sycamores)"

March on! March on, you fighting Sycamores, Sycamores!

March on, you Statesmen tried and true!

March on! March on to glorious victory

Raise that flag of royal blue!

March on! March on, you fighting Sycamores, Sycamores!

Shout out that vict'ry song!

Onward, ever onward to our goal!

As we march on and on!

Go Big Blue! Fight Big Blue!

GO! STATE! WIN!

Alma Mater[link]

Charles M. Curry, Professor of English and Literature authored The Alma Mater.^[21] It was originally entitled, "Indiana’s Normal" and first printed in a June 1912 issue of the Normal Advance. Dr. Curry used the music of Annie Lisle for The Alma Mater.

Athletics[link]

The school's athletic teams are known as the Sycamores. They participate in the Division I Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA FCS Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Athletically, it is best known as the alma mater of basketball legend Larry Bird; World Champion gymnast Kurt Thomas; and Olympic, World and Pan-American Champion free-style wrestler, Bruce Baumgartner. The legendary basketball coach John Wooden coached the Sycamores before accepting the Head Coaching position at UCLA. The Men's Basketball team won the 1950 NAIB National Champions and were National Runner-Up in 1946 and 1948. They were also the NCAA College Division (Div II) National Runner-Up in 1968 and the Division I National Runner-Up in 1979. The 1950 team comprised the core of the 1951 Pan-American Gold Medal Team. In 1971, Coach Grete Treiber led the ISU Women's gymnastics team to a National Runner-up finish at the AIAW National Championships. Kurt Thomas led the Men's Gymnastics Team to the 1977 NCAA National Championship. Indiana State University Chess Captain, Taylor Pinnick, has led the Sycamores to 9 consecutive wins in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Facilities[link]

Hulman Center, originally named Hulman Civic-University Center, is a multi-use arena that opened in December 1973.^[23] It seats 10,200 people for basketball and is home to the Indiana State University Sycamores men's and women's basketball teams of the Missouri Valley Conference. It has hosted multiple concerts and the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament title game in 1979, the year legendary Larry Bird helped the undefeated Sycamores reach the championship game of the NCAA tournament.

The baseball field is located within a mile of the main campus along the scenic Wabash River. Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium is home to the Terre Haute Rex team.^[24] Memorial Stadium, the home field for Indiana State's NCAA Football Championship Subdivision football team of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and the women's soccer team is located on Wabash Avenue, two miles (3 km) east of the main campus.^[25] Walter E. Marks Field for track and field and Ferne Price Field for softball are among the many athletic facilities located on campus.^[26]

Indiana State University has hosted eight (2002, 2004–2010) NCAA Division I cross country championships at the spectacular LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Indiana State will host the championships in 2013.

The University also hosted the 1975 NCAA Gymnastics National Championships. The school also hosted the 10th NCAA Wrestling Championships in 1937; remarkable considering the school had yet to establish a wrestling program.

Memorial Stadium

Men[link]

• Baseball - Sycamore Field
• Basketball - Hulman Center
• Cross Country - LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, Wabash Valley Family Sports Center
• Football - Memorial Stadium
• Track & Field - Marks Field

Women[link]

• Basketball - Hulman Center
• Cross Country - LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, Wabash Valley Family Sports Center
• Soccer - Memorial Stadium
• Track & Field - Marks Field
• Softball - Eleanor Forsythe St. John Softball Complex
• Golf - multiple (The Country Club of Terre Haute {Private}; Idle Creek {Semi-Private}, Rea Park {Public} and Hulman Links {Public} Golf Courses)
• Volleyball - ISU Arena

Notable faculty and alumni[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Athletic website
• Indiana Statesman - Student Newspaper
• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/IndianaState
• Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/indianastate
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/indianastate
• YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/IndianaStateU
• Indiana State Blogs - http://blogs.indstate.edu/
• Indiana State Podcast - http://www.indstate.edu/sycamorepodcast/

Coordinates: 39°28′10″N 87°24′25″W / 39.469525°N 87.40706°W / 39.469525; -87.40706

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Agricultural show. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2012.

A state fair is a competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in their categories at the more-local county fairs.

Originally a state fair was just a competitive exhibition of livestock in various competitions, the display of farm products which were not necessarily for sale, and the competition among various fair goers and participants in such categories as handicrafts, baked goods, jams and jellies, etc., but has since been expanded to include carnival amusement rides and games, music, races, tests of strength and skill, etc. Large fairs can see more than a million visitors over the course of a week or two. The first official U.S. state fair was in Detroit, Michigan in 1849.^[1]

Events similar to state fairs are also held annually in each state capital in Australia, known as Royal Shows. Australian Royal shows are organized by state agricultural and horticultural societies, and are described further in the agricultural show article.

List of state fairs[link]

United States[link]

The Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks, Alaska

Awards[link]

State and county fairs are famous for a variety of competitions. Awards are generally given according to the following scale

• First place - blue ribbon
• Second place - red ribbon
• Third place - white ribbon
• Fourth place - yellow ribbon
• Fifth place - green ribbon
• Sixth place - orange ribbon
• Seventh place - purple ribbon
• Eighth place - brown ribbon

Attendance[link]

The largest attendance at a State Fair in the USA is in Texas attracting an estimated 3,000,000 people annually. The largest average per day attendance is at the Minnesota State Fair averaging over 150,000 people per day.

See also[link]

• Agricultural show

References[link]

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (November 2010)

Tokio Hotel
Tokio Hotel, 2010. L-R: Georg Listing, Bill Kaulitz, Tom Kaulitz, and Gustav Schäfer
Background information
Origin	Magdeburg, Germany
Genres	Pop rock,[1][2] alternative rock,[3] emo,[4] glam rock,[5] power pop,[6][7][8][9]
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Universal Music Germany, Cherrytree, Interscope
Website	www.tokiohotel.com
Members
Bill Kaulitz Tom Kaulitz Georg Listing Gustav Schäfer

Tokio Hotel is a rock band from Germany, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing.^[10] The quartet have scored four number one singles and have released three number one albums in their native country, selling nearly 5 million CDs and DVDs there.^[11] After recording an unreleased demo-CD under the name "Devilish" and having their contract with Sony BMG Germany terminated, the band released their first German-language album, Schrei, as Tokio Hotel on Universal Music Germany in 2005. Schrei sold more than half a million copies worldwide^[12] and spawned four top five singles in both Germany and Austria. In 2007, the band released their second German album Zimmer 483 and their first English album Scream which have combined album sales of over one million copies worldwide and helped win the band their first MTV Europe Music Award for Best InterAct. The former, Zimmer 483, spawned three top five singles in Germany while the latter, Scream, spawned two singles that reached the top twenty in new territories such as France, Portugal, Spain and Italy. In September 2008, they won in the US their first MTV Video Music Award (VMA) for Best New Artist. In October 2008, they won four awards including Best International Artist and Song of the year at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica (MTV Video Music Awards Latin America) held in Mexico. Tokio Hotel became the first German band ever to win an award at the MTV VMAs and also at the MTV Latin America Awards. They also picked up the Headliner award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 held in Liverpool on November 6, 2008 and the Award for Best Group on November 5, 2009 at the MTV Europe Music Award (EMA) held in Berlin. They won an Award for Best World Stage Performance on November 7, 2010 at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid. In July 2011, they became the first German band to win an MTV Video Music Awards Japan (VMAJ). And won MTV's 2012 Musical March Madness.

History[link]

[edit] Formation (2001 - 2004)

Tokio Hotel by vocalist Bill Kaulitz and guitarist Tom Kaulitz, who are identical twin brothers, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bass-guitarist Georg Listing. The four met in 2001 after a live show in a Magdeburg-Club, where Listing and Schäfer, who knew each other from music school, watched from the audience while Bill and Tom Kaulitz played on the stage.^[13][14] Under the name Devilish, the band soon began playing in talent shows and small concerts.^[15] After Bill Kaulitz's participation in a children's Star Search in 2003 at age thirteen (which he lost in the quarter-final), he was discovered by music producer Peter Hoffmann. Devilish changed their name to Tokio Hotel: "Tokio", the German spelling of the Japanese city Tokyo, due to a love of the city, and "Hotel" due to their constant touring and living in hotels.^[13] Soon after Sony BMG took them under contract, Hoffmann hired David Jost and Pat Benzner into the team of creators and authors, and had them give the teens instruction on songwriting and instrument playing; most of the songs of the first album were written by Hoffmann, Jost and Benzer (including the singles "Scream" and "Rescue me" which were completely written by them), only the single "Unendlichkeit" was written completely by Tokio Hotel themselves. Shortly before release of their first album, Sony terminated their contract. The band is now one of the biggest modern acts from Germany and the biggest in 20 years.

[edit] Schrei (2005 - 2006)

Bill Kaulitz performing in Hessisch-Lichtenau, Germany in 2006.

In 2005, Universal Music Group took Tokio Hotel under contract and developed a marketing plan. Their first single, "Durch den Monsun" ("Through the Monsoon"), quickly rose in the charts, appearing on the German official Media Control single chart at #15 on August 20, 2005 and eventually reaching #1 on August 26, 2005; it also reached #1 on the Austrian singles chart. Their second single, "Schrei" ("Scream"), climbed to the #5 position in the German charts. These two songs were written by singer Bill Kaulitz together with their group of producers Peter Hoffmann, David Jost, Pat Benzer and Dave Roth. Their debut album, Schrei, was released on September 19, 2005, and was certified triple gold by the BVMI in 2006 for selling over 300,000 copies in Germany.^[16] In 2006, a third and fourth single, "Rette mich" ("Rescue Me") and "Der letzte Tag" ("The Final Day"), were released; both reached #1 as well. "Der letzte Tag" contained a B-side called "Wir schließen uns ein", which was also accompanied by a music video.

[edit] Zimmer 483 (2007 - 2008)

The first single off their second album Zimmer 483 (Room 483), called "Übers Ende der Welt" (later re-released in English under the name "Ready, Set, Go!"), was released on January 26, 2007 and quickly reached #1 in Germany and Austria, and #2 in France. Zimmer 483 was released in Germany on February 23, 2007, along with a deluxe edition of the album containing a DVD. The album's second single, "Spring nicht" ("Don't Jump") was released on April 7. The tour accompanying the release of the album, The Zimmer 483 Tour, was scheduled to start in March 2007, but was delayed by two weeks because the band members wished to have a different stage design. A third single, "An deiner Seite (Ich bin da)" ("By Your Side"), was released on November 16. The single contains the B-side "1000 Meere" ("1000 Oceans"), for which a music video was also produced. On April 28, 2008 Tokio Hotel released their single "Heilig" but no music video for the single was released, because of the tight schedule they had.

[edit] Scream (2007 - 2008)

Tokio Hotel's first English language album, Scream, was released on June 4, 2007 throughout Europe. In Germany, the album was released as Room 483 in order to emphasize the continuity with their last German album Zimmer 483. Scream contains English versions of a selection of songs from their German-language albums Scream and Zimmer 483. "Monsoon", the English-language version of "Durch den Monsun", was the first single from the album. "Ready, Set, Go!" (the translation of "Übers Ende der Welt") was released as the album's second single and "Don't Jump" (the translation of "Spring nicht") as the third single. A video for "Scream", the English-language version of their 2005 hit "Schrei", was also recorded, and was released to the iTunes Store in early March 2008.

Tokio Hotel gave their first concert in the United Kingdom on June 19, 2007. "Ready, Set, Go!" was released in the UK as the band's first single on August 27, 2007. The song reached #77 in the UK Singles Chart.

Tokio Hotel won an MTV Europe Music Award for Best InterAct on November 1, 2007 and were also nominated for Best Band. They performed "Monsoon" at the event.

Tokio Hotel released their first US single, simply called "Tokio Hotel", in late 2007. The single contains the tracks "Scream" and "Ready, Set, Go!", and was available exclusively at Hot Topic stores. Their second US single, "Scream America", was released on December 11, 2007. The single contains the track "Scream" and a remix of "Ready, Set, Go!" by AFI's Jade Puget. In February 2008, the band toured North America for five dates starting in Canada and finishing up in New York.^[17] After appearing and performing live on MuchMusic, while touring in Canada, "Ready, Set, Go!" entered the MuchOnDemand Daily 10, a countdown of videos chosen by viewers. It remained there for over a week, then returned to the top of the MOD Daily 10 chart on April 8. "Scream" was released in Canada on March 25 and in the US on May 6. The "1000 Hotels" European Tour began on March 3, 2008 in Brussels and continued to locations including The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Scandinavia, and was scheduled to finish on April 9; during the concert in Marseille, France on March 14, Bill started to experience vocal problems.^[18] He let the audience sing more frequently than normal and instead of the original 21 songs that were on the set list, they only played 16 songs. Bill apologized, in German, for his bad singing and explained that he was sick. Two days later, the band canceled Lisbon, Portugal concert minutes before it was supposed to commence. The rest of the "1000 Hotels" Tour and a scheduled North American Tour were cancelled following an announcement in Bild by the band's manager that Bill Kaulitz had to undergo surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cords.^[19][20]

Bill Kaulitz had been putting strain on his voice after playing 43 concerts in the 1000 Hotels tour without vacation.^[21] He had to undergo Larynx surgery on March 30 to remove a cyst that had formed on his vocal cords.^[22] The cyst was the result of a throat infection that went untreated.^[23] Following his surgery, Bill was unable to speak for twelve days, and had four weeks of vocal rehabilitation.^[24] If Bill had continued singing the rest of the tour, his voice would have eventually been permanently damaged.^[18][25] Tokio Hotel started performing again in May 2008^[26] and after that they embarked on a 2nd part of their 1000 Hotels European Tour adding many Open Air concerts and wrapping up the tour on July 13 in Werchter, Belgium.

[edit] North American Tours and Humanoid (2009 - 2010)

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Tokio Hotel embarked on a second tour of North America in August 2008, which included a performance at the Bamboozled festival in New Jersey. The band's music video for "Ready Set Go!" was nominated for Best Pop Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards,^[27] where they also won the award for Best New Artist.^[28] They returned to North America again in October 2008 for a month long tour of concerts and record store signings. In December 2008, a behind-the scenes DVD called Tokio Hotel TV – Caught on Camera was released. It contains footage from Tokio Hotel TV and backstage feature stories of the previous year on disc one entitled "History – The very best of Tokio Hotel TV!". A deluxe edition contains a second disc entitled "Future – The road to the new Album!" which features footage of the band on promotion tours and preparing for their third studio album.^[29]

In between the North American tours, the band returned to their record studio in Hamburg to record their third studio album, Humanoid, which, according to their producer David Jost, is currently set for release on October 2 in Germany & October 6, 2009 in the U.S.^[30][31][32] This is despite earlier statements predicting a March/April 2009 release or a May/June 2009 release.^[33][34][35] The album was recorded in both German and English with both versions were released simultaneously worldwide.^[34][35]

On August 10, it was announced on MTV news that the first German single would be "Automatisch" and its English counterpart, "Automatic", would also be released as a first single in the United States. On August 20, MTV Buzzworthy released a video which previewed "Automatic" and Cherrytree Records announced that the English version of the song would be released in the US on September 22.^[36][37] Nevertheless, the video for the single was released on September 3.

On November 2, it was announced on Tom's Blog that the second English single would be "World Behind My Wall" and its German counterpart, "Lass uns laufen", would be the second German single.^[38] The music videos for both versions were released on December 14 and December 15.

On June 24, the live music video for their single, "Dark Side of the Sun" was released on the band website.

On July 20, 2010 they released their second live album Humanoid City Live from Milan, Italy On November 22, 2010, their new song "Hurricanes and Suns," premiered on the Greek radio station Mad Radio. It was included in the bonus track on all versions of "Tokio Hotel: Best Of," a compilation album of their most successful songs. As well as the single for the 'Best of' release. The album will also include "Mädchen aus dem All", the first song the band recorded in a studio.

On December 14, 2010 their 'Best of' was released. December 2 was the World Premiere of the video for "Hurricanes and Suns" on their Official Website. On April 28, 2011 they received the "Fan Army FTW" award at the MTV O Music Awards, the networks first online award show. A clip of Bill and Tom thanking their fans was played after the winner was announced.

Tokio Hotel performed their first concert in Asia (excluding their concert in Israel) at the Audi Showcase in Singapore, followed shortly by the TM Connects With Tokio Hotel event in Malaysia, promoting the sales of their album Humanoid. They concluded the series of mini-concerts with Taiwan. They returned to Malaysia a couple of months later to perform at MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2010. They performed in Tokyo on December 15, 2010, after their South American Tour concluded in Distrito Federal, Mexico on December 2, 2010. In February, 2011 Tokio Hotel travelled to Japan to complete a second promo tour. A number of TV appearances and media interviews took place between February 8 and February 11.

On June 24, 2011 Tokio Hotel performed in Japan at “The Next Premium Night Tokio Hotel in Tokyo". The event was presented by Audi A1 and 150 fans were chosen to win tickets to attend the show. The event was the band's first acoustic performance in Japan. On June 25, 2011 the band performed live at the MTV Video Music Aid Japan in Tokyo. The show, which was formerly called the Video Music Awards Japan, was used as a music benefit to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross in order to help those who were affected by the recent earthquake.

Modeling and commercials[link]

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On January 19, 2010, lead singer Bill Kaulitz teamed up with twins Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared to walk the runway at a fashion event in Milan.^[39] Kaulitz made two appearances, as he opened and closed DSquared's Menswear Autumn/Winter 2010 show to Tokio Hotel song "Screamin".^[40]

Car maker Audi hired the two frontmen to star in their new advertising campaign to attract the younger generation. They were featured in an episode of Tokio Hotel TV (on Tokio Hotel's website) and also in a commercial.^[41]

On August 4, 2010, Tom Kaulitz got his own Reebok shoe commercial.^[42] Reebok signed the 20-year-old Tokio Hotel guitarist and sneaker addict to model shoes for the company. "At home, I created a little room like a little storage room," he said of his sneakers. He also said that he gets 10 new pairs a week.^[42]

Best Of Tokio Hotel (2010)[link]

At 13th December in Germany and 14th December internationally Tokio Hotel released their first compilation album named "Best Of". It comes in two languages: english and german. It contains the most popular songs from all the previous albums and two new songs: "Hurricanes and Suns" (was recorded for Humanoid but not included in it) and "Mädchen aus dem All" (was recorded for Schrei but not included in it).There is a deluxe edition too which comes with both german and english versions of album and a bonus DVD with all Tokio Hotel's music videos and "making of" scenes.

[edit] New album and duet with Far East Movement (2011 - present)

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After finishing "Welcome To Humanoid City Tour" Bill and Tom with their manager David Jost moved to Los Angeles and still are living there. They said they are working on the new album, which will be released in the late 2012. Paparazzies caught Bill, Tom and Gustav in a shop in Los Angeles. MTV said the new album will be named "Dark Anthem".^[43]. Bill and Tom released an app named "BTK Twins" for iOS (16 January 2012),^[44] and Android(19 December 2011),^[45] for keeping in touch with their fans. Here Bill and Tom post their photos, videos and text messages, and fans can leave messages for posts. Bill and Tom answer to these comments very often. The app costs 2.99$, and if a user wants to leave comments besides watching only he must pay 0.99$ a month. Tokio Hotel launched a service named "VIP Call".^[46] Fans may pay 4.99 Euros for a month or 3.49 Euros for 3 months and Tokio Hotel call them and leave audio messages. Fans can even ask them questions and Tokio Hotel will answer to them. On 18 May 2012 Far East Movement released an album named "Dirty Bass". In it there is a song named "If I Die Tomorrow" which is a duet with Bill. Far East Movement accepted there will be a music video released for "If I Die Tomorrow" soon. Bill Kaulitz will take part in shootings too.

Band members[link]

• Bill Kaulitz - lead vocals
• Tom Kaulitz - guitar, piano, backing vocals
• Georg Listing - bass, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
• Gustav Schäfer - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Schrei (2005)
• Zimmer 483 (2007)
• Scream (2007)
• Humanoid (2009)
• Best Of (2010)

Awards[link]

Since the release of the "Durch den Monsun" single in 2005, Tokio Hotel have gone on to win 104 awards in various categories and countries.

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tokio Hotel

• Official site
• Cherrytree records profile
• Interscope records profile
• Tokio Hotel on MySpace
• Tokio Hotel on Facebook
• Tokio Hotel on Twitter
• Tokio Hotel on MTV