Alicia Keys, photographed as she arrives onstage at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines for the 150th anniversary of the Iowa State Fair on August 17, 2002.

The second leg of Alicia’s “Songs in A Minor Tour” kicked off in July and ran through a half-dozen state fairs, among them New York, Iowa and Minnesota. 

Other acts on the State Fair's bill included Kenny Chesney, Journey, Toby Keith, REO Speedwagon and Styx, Sara Evans, Trick Pony, and Brooks & Dunn.

Alicia’s appearance was listed on her official website, and on the concert site, pollstar.

 

Alicia Keys, photographed as she performs at the Palace Theatre in Columbus, Ohio by James DeCamp on Monday, February 4, 2002.

As she sits at her Kurzweil PC88, Alicia performed at the theatre for her “Songs in A Minor Tour,” that had kicked off in Connecticut in late January.

 

Alicia Keys, photographed as she performs at the Palace Theatre in Columbus, Ohio by James DeCamp on Monday, February 4, 2002.

As she sits at her Kurzweil PC88, Alicia performed at the theatre for her “Songs in A Minor Tour,” that had kicked off in Connecticut in late January.

 

Alicia Keys, Common and Rihanna, photographed as they attend an after party for Prince in concert at the O2 Arena in London on August 24, 2007.

Prince was in the country to promote his newly released album "Planet Earth," performing on his “21 Nights in London” ‘tour’ at the newly opened O2 Arena in Greenwich, London. Filling the same 23,000 capacity venue 21 dates in a row. Tickets for all 21 nights were sold-out. Alicia would perform at the O2 Arena the following year to promote her album “As I Am” released the prior November.

Scheduled for release that day was “The Nanny Diaries” starring Alicia in her second film role alongside Scarlett Johansson. But for hers and Common’s first feature film role was Joe Carnahan’s 2006 action/crime “Smokin’ Aces.” Common spoke to Entertainment Weekly about working with the singer: ”It was nice to be able to share that experience with the great Alicia Keys,” he says. “I knew her from music and so I didn’t feel totally alone on this. She was new to this as well, [so] she knew what I was going through.”

In the same interview, Alicia added: ”It was nice to not be the only new kid on the block, and it’s nice to hear that Common felt that way too,” she says. “We know each other from music, so it felt like a piece of home with me on the set.”

That year Rihanna had released her third studio album “Good Girl Gone Bad,” but in 2013 she was mentioned in an interview with the London Evening Standard by Alicia: “I’m proud of Rihanna,” she said. “Because it’s not easy to stand up in this crazy world and make it and keep going and try new things. And find your way through it.” Adding: “I don’t know her personally like that. But I do know there’s a lot of good people at Roc Nation and I do think that as we all get older, you start to be able to say, ‘No, I’m not gonna take that from you any more.’”

 

Alicia Keys, photographed helping to motivate a Chicago inner-city 8th-grade class at the Betty Shabazz International Charter School to dream big and set goals on Thursday, March 31, 2005.

While on tour to promote her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia was in Chicago to perform two sold-out shows at the Chicago Theatre. It was here she visited Chicago's Betty Shabazz International Charter School on South Side, teaming up with nonprofit organization Frum Tha Ground Up to assist teens in learning the importance of self-worth and direction. 

Alicia told the 300 students at the Afrocentric-themed school named after the late wife of Malcolm X: "I would like to create a school like this in New York City. I've never seen anything like it," reports the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's going to take time and a lot of learning on my part, but I'm going to do it." The R&B superstar and the in-school motivational program, started by Alicia’s road manager DJ Walton, were scheduled to visit schools in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York City during her tour.

Pupils performed a traditional song for Alicia, singing in Swahili and wearing traditional Kente clothing. She told them: "I am honoured to be here today with you celebrating me as I am celebrating you. To see a place that's really connected to something, holds onto traditions, I've never seen that anywhere."

 

Alicia Keys, photographed helping to motivate a Chicago inner-city 8th-grade class at the Betty Shabazz International Charter School to dream big and set goals on Thursday, March 31, 2005.

While on tour to promote her sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, Alicia was in Chicago to perform two sold-out shows at the Chicago Theatre. It was here she visited Chicago's Betty Shabazz International Charter School on South Side, teaming up with nonprofit organization Frum Tha Ground Up to assist teens in learning the importance of self-worth and direction. 

Alicia told the 300 students at the Afrocentric-themed school named after the late wife of Malcolm X: "I would like to create a school like this in New York City. I've never seen anything like it," reports the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's going to take time and a lot of learning on my part, but I'm going to do it." The R&B superstar and the in-school motivational program, started by Alicia’s road manager DJ Walton, were scheduled to visit schools in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York City during her tour.

On June 4, 2002, roughly 100,000 students, teachers, parents and rap fans crammed eight blocks outside New York’s City Hall in Lower Manhattan in protest of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal of drastic new school budget cuts. The city had also failed to approve a pay raise for the severely underpaid teachers, who had been working 18 months without a contract.

The demonstration, organized by rap mogul Russell Simmons of Def Jam Records as part of his HipHop Action Network and in conjunction with United Federation of Teachers and the Alliance for Quality Education, drew a who's who of celebrities: Alicia Keys, LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Rza from Wu Tang Clan, Erykah Badu, Common, Rah Digga and P. Diddy, among others. 

Taking place a day before Bloomberg was scheduled to present his proposed $1 billion cut in the city’s education budget to City Council, artists voiced their disapproval in a generally peaceful rally, that being until rapper Wyclef Jean was arrested in his own protest, which prompted chaos to break out in one block. With kids rushing the block, some of them throwing boxes and bottles at the police van carrying the rapper, some of them sobbing.

All week, activists had been protesting outside City Hall. But this rally was the first to join artists with labor activists and students.

Earlier, Jay-Z took to the airwaves on New York radio stations, urging students to join the protest after school let out. Organizers said police were not prepared for the large turnout.

Many in the crowd were teenagers who said they wanted to demonstrate against the budget cuts in their schools -- and to catch a glimpse of their favorite artists. Artists whom said they were also products of the city's public school system, an adamant Alicia Keys spoke onstage: “We are not just gonna take what we’re given,” she said. “We’re not gonna take $1.2 billion in cuts. We’re worth more than that. I’m a New York City resident, born and raised here. When I was in school we were fighting the same fights against budget cuts. Once again they constantly want to take from the system of education, from schools, from the people that are going to be the future. I’m out here to show my support that we’re not going to accept this.”

Continuing: “It’s important that we’re here for each other and make support for public education our priority.” Also demonstrating that her younger brother Cole’s school had already cut some programs due to budget constraints.

After the rally, Mayor Bloomberg said that he would be postponing the proposal.