This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It is rare when a big act names a great act as an opener, but luckily Taylor Swift has some great taste,

Taylor Swift announced today that the talented and exciting NEEDTOBREATHE has been added as a featured artist to the North American dates of her TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011.

From the press release:

Since the 2006 release of their debut album on Atlantic Records, NEEDTOBREATHE has enjoyed great success across several radio formats, and played more than 1,000 live shows, increasing their audience at each turn. Maybe best known for their hits "Something Beautiful" and "More Time," their music has been featured in countless television shows and movies, including MTV's "The Hills," and the motion picture P.S. I Love You. The band has built an impressive following for their live shows, which are renowned for their seamless blend of ambient, arena-ready soundscapes with the band's own decidedly Southern sensibility.NEEDTOBREATHE's third and most recent album, "THE OUTSIDERS," was released late last summer to universal critical acclaim and a Top 20 debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The band plans to record and release a new album for Atlantic in 2011."It means a lot to us that Taylor hand-picked us for her Speak Now tour," NEEDTOBREATHE guitarist and co-songwriter Bo Rinehart says. "Everyone knows she has amazing fans, and we thrive on performing live, especially in front of new audiences."NEEDTOBREATHE will join the SPEAK NOW Tour when the North American leg kicks off on May 27th in Omaha, Neb., and will be featured on all shows in the US and Canada.Taylor is currently slated to play 87 shows in 19 countries spanning four continents on the TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011, which kicks off February 9th in Singapore.The North American leg of the tour is sponsored by COVERGIRLĀ®, and produced and promoted by The Messina Group (TMG). Ticket prices start at $25.Tickets for the following shows of the TAYLOR SWIFT SPEAK NOW WORLD TOUR 2011 go on sale this week:

DATE CITY VENUE June 25 Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium July 9 & 10 Atlanta, Georgia Philips Arena July 14 Montreal, Quebec Bell Centre July 15 & 16 Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Centre August 23 & 24 Los Angeles, California Staples Center September 1 & 2 San Jose, California HP Pavilion September 3 Sacramento, California ARCO Arena

Log on to: http://www.taylorswift.com for a complete list of tour dates and up-to-date onsale information.

Note: Utah's September tour date has not had ticket info released yet.