Two bands that appear to be in their musical prime got together for a few west coast dates recently and I had the opportunity to catch their show at the McDonald Theatre in downtown Eugene, a beautiful 77-year old building owned and operated by the late Ken Kesey
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson are hitting the road again for a ballpark tour that’s sure to be nostalgic for veteran fans and enlightening for the younger crowd.
This will mark the second time that Dylan – poet-prince of folk and rock – and Nelson – easily one of the most accomplished country-western artists of his time – have done a tour of minor league stadiums. Their last stadium tour was August and September of 2004. That outing received Pollstar’s Concert Industry Award for Most Creative Tour Package.
The tour will begin May 25 at Fort Myers, Fla.’s William H. Hammond Stadium The remainder of month will be spent in Florida, and the beginning of June will be marked by a show in at the BellSouth Park in Chatanooga, Tenn.
More dates in the Southeast follow before the tour finds it way up to New England with shows in Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Dylan and Nelson will play at the AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn., on July 1. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, this will be that stadium’s first ever on-field concert. July will be spent playing show in the middle-South and plain states, with the tour wrapping up on July 12 in Saint Paul at Midway Stadium.
The ballpark tour will be supported by Texas band, The Greencards, who were recently named Best New Band at the Austin Music Awards.
Currently, Dylan is on tour with another country legend – Merle Haggard. That trek continues until the end of this month – ending with a five-show run at New York’s Beacon Theatre. The Fourth of July will also bring Dylan and Nelson to the annual Willie Nelson Picnic in Fort Worth, Texas. This year’s picnic also features the Grammy-winning trio Los Lonely Boys.
Source pollstar.com.
In support of their new album, TREE CITY, Robbers on High Street are pleased to announce that they’ll join Hot Hot Heat on the road as their main support act, beginning May 20th in New York City at Webster Hall and wrapping up in Salt Lake City on June 21st.
Currently on the Virgin Mega College tour with Cake and Gomez, and looking forward to a handful of dates with Ivy in early May, this piano-driven quartet has been hypnotizing fans with their live show for the past year, sharing the stage with the likes of Fountains of Wayne, Ambulance Ltd, VHS or Beta, The Dears, Sloan The Robbers on High Street dates with Hot Hot Heat are as follow. More dates TBD:
May 20: New York, NY: Webster Hall
May 21: Northampton, MA: Pearl Street
May 22: Philadelphia, PA: Trocadero
May 23: Boston, MA: Avalon
May 26: Cincinnati, OH: Bogart’s
May 27: Columbus, OH: PromoWest
May 28: Cleveland, OH: Scene Pavilion
May 30: Detroit, MI: 89X Festival
May 31: Milwaukee, WI: The Rave
June 1: Minneapolis, MN: The Quest
June 4: Seattle, WA: Showbox
June 7: Boston, MA: WFNX Festival
June 9: Sacramento, CA: Boardwalk
June 13: Los Angeles, CA: Avalon
June 13: Los Angeles, CA: Avalon
June 15: San Diego, CA: House of Blues
June 17: Phoenix, AZ: Brickhouse
June 18: Las Vegas, NV: House of Blues
June 20: Denver, CO: Ogden Theatre
June 21: Salt Lake City, UT: In The Venue
Singer/songwriter John Hiatt is backed by North Mississippi Allstars sibling duo Cody and Luther Dickinson on his upcoming album, “Master of Disaster.” Due June 21 via New West, the project was produced family patriarch Jim Dickinson and also features longtime Muscle Shoals studio bassist David Hood.
“Master of Disaster” will be released as a Super Audio CD with a standard stereo mix as well as a high-resolution mix playable only on SACD-compatible devices. Raves Jim Dickinson of the latter mix, “It’s like being in the room with first generation audio.”
Hiatt’s tour in support of the album will find him backed by the Allstars, who will also play their own opening set at some shows. The outing begins June 23 in Albany, N.Y.
“Master of Disaster” is the follow-up to 2003’s “Beneath This Gruff Exterior,” which debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart.
Here are John Hiatt’s tour dates:
June 23: Albany, N.Y. (Hart Theatre)
June 24: Northampton, Mass. (Calvin Theatre)
June 25: New York (Webster Hall)
June 27: Hampton Beach, N.J. (Hampton Beach Casino)
June 28: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
June 29: Knoxville, Tenn. (Tennessee Theatre)
June 30: Columbus, Ohio (Promowest Pavilion)
July 2: Bloomington, Ind. (Axis)
July 3: Detroit (Comerica TasteFest)
July 4: Chicago (Taste of Chicago)
July 5: Milwaukee (Summerfest)
July 6: Apple Valley, Wis. (Music in the Zoo)
July 8: Boise, Idaho (Eagle Park Pavilion)
July 9: Portland, Ore. (Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre)
July 10: Seattle (South Lake Union Park)
July 11: Vancouver (Commodore Ballroom)
July 13: Medford, Ore. (Britt Festivals)
July 14: San Jose, Calif. (Plaza de Cesar Chavez)
July 16: Los Angeles (House of Blues)
July 17: Phoenix (Celebrity Theatre)
July 18: Tucson, Ariz. (Rialto Theatre)
July 20: Denver (Botantical Gardens)
July 21: Boulder, Col. (Chautauqua Auditorium)
July 23: Austin, Texas (Stubb’s BBQ)
July 24: Dallas (Gypsy Ballroom)
July 27: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Revolution)
July 28: Tampa, Fla. (Jannus Landing)
July 29: Asheville, N.C. (Bele Chere)
July 30: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
July 31: Atlanta (Botanical Garden)
Aug. 3: Glenside, Pa. (Keswick Theatre)
Aug. 4: Oyster Bay, N.Y. (FOTA Pavilion)
Source billboard.com.
Bringing together high profile acts and emerging artists, Superfly Productions have continuously assembled a Bonnaroo line-up that exceeds fan expectations. Now in its 4th year, the annual event has moved beyond the proving grounds, and finds itself permanently circled in red on 90,000 summer calendars.
Superfly Productions, in conjunction with A Bonnaroo Event has unveiled the Zooma Tour from June 16-July 31. Headliners will be Trey Anastasio and Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals. Additional artists, tour dates and on sale info will be announced shortly. This is the first attempt to spread the Bonnaroo name beyond the landmark Tennessee festival held the past four Junes in Manchester, TN. The Zooma tour will feature a complete activity village with vendors and attractions. For more info please visit Zooma Tour
Paul McCartney will tour North America this fall, beginning Sept. 16 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The outing, dubbed the “US” tour and presented by Lexus, will come in support of the artist’s upcoming Capitol album, which is yet untitled. So far, 28 shows are on tap through a Nov. 29 finale at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Highlights of the itinerary include return visits to Boston’s Fleet Center, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Chicago’s United Center and Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. Other markets include first-time McCartney visits to Des Moines, Iowa and Omaha, Neb. Such cities as Miami and Seattle will see McCartney’s return after nearly 15 years.
McCartney last toured North America in 2002, when he was the top touring artist in the world, grossing $126 million from 58 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.
The former Beatles legend will be joined by drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr., guitarist Rusty Anderson, guitarist/bassist Brian Ray and keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens.
Tickets for some shows go on sale beginning Thursday (April 22).
Here are Paul McCartney’s tour dates:
Sept. 16: Miami (American Airlines Arena)
Sept. 17: Tampa, Fla. (St. Pete Times Forum)
Sept. 20: Atlanta (Philips Arena)
Sept. 22: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Sept. 26: Boston (FleetCenter)
Oct. 4-5: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Oct. 8: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
Oct. 10: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Oct. 14: Detroit (Palace at Auburn Hills)
Oct. 18: Chicago (United Center)
Oct. 22: Columbus, Ohio (Value City Arena)
Oct. 23: Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Oct. 26: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
Oct. 27: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Oct. 30: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
Nov. 1: Denver (Pepsi Center)
Nov. 3: Seattle (Key Arena)
Nov. 4: Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden)
Nov. 7: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Nov. 11: Anaheim, Calif. (Arrowhead Pond)
Nov. 16: Sacramento, Calif. (Arco Arena)
Nov. 19: Houston (Toyota Center)
Nov. 20: Dallas (American Airlines Center)
Nov. 23: Phoenix (Glendale Arena)
Nov. 25-26: Las Vegas (MGM Grand Garden)
Nov. 29: Los Angeles (Staples Center)
Source billboard.com.
Lance Armstrong will retire from professional cycling after this summer’s Tour de France, ending one of the great careers in all sports.
“Ultimately, athletes have to retire … the body doesn’t just keep going and going,” Armstrong said Monday at a news conference.
The 33-year-old Texan will attempt to win his record seventh straight Tour de France in July. Before Armstrong, Miguel Indurain’s five straight Tour de France wins were the record.
Eddy Merckx of Belgium and Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil of France are the only other riders to win five Tour de France races overall.
Armstrong’s streak of six straight titles, along with his inspirational recovery from testicular cancer, has made him a superstar in the sport and an international celebrity.
Armstrong’s possible retirement plans had become the focus of growing speculation as he spoke in recent months that he wants to spend more time with his three children and in his campaign against cancer.
Armstrong says he is “100 percent committed” to his decision to retire and that he will not be participating in any other races after July 24 — the scheduled end of the Tour de France.
The announcement came on the eve of Armstrong’s defense of his Tour de Georgia championship. The six-day, 648-mile event he uses as a training tool for the Tour de France begins Tuesday.
His new two-year contract to race for the Discovery Channel team requires he compete in just one more Tour de France.
“I was fortunate to win six times. Can I win again this year? I’m not sure, but I’m going to try,” he said. “It’s my ambition to win and also a little bit of my job to win.”
He has said previously if he retires he would amplify his high-profile role as a cancer survivor.
Armstrong’s relationship with rock star Sheryl Crow has also made him the focus of the tabloids and paparazzi.
“Sheryl, you’ve been an amazing woman. For someone who is the queen of rock n’ roll, you’ve been a great cycling fan … a great teammate,” he said.
Source yaho o.com.
Nathan Moore may very well be one of the finest singer/songwriters of our generation. With songs that are so pure and honest, you can follow his pains and his joys note for note and word for word. Stepping away from his regular band, ThaMuseMeant, Nathan teamed up with the members The Slip to rejuvenate Surprise Me Mr. Davis, a band that grew out of a Boston blizzard a couple years ago.
Legendary jazz impresario George Wein, CEO of Festival Productions, has announced that the JVC Jazz Festival – Newport will take place in Newport, Rhode Island on August 11 – 14.
The festival concerts take place over the weekend of the 13th and 14th on three stages at Fort Adams State Park. Tickets go on sale April 16 through ticketweb.com.
The Saturday program features Stanley Clarke, Ravi Coltrane, Jon Faddis, Bela Fleck, Slide Hampton, Dave Liebman, Charles Lloyd, Joe Lovano, Wynton Marsalis, Medeski Martin and Wood, T.S. Monk, Jean-Luc Ponty and many, many others.
On Sunday, the performers will include Michael Brecker, Dave Brubeck, Gary Burton, Don Byron, Chick Corea, Larry Coryell, Bill Frisell, Benny Green, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland, Hank Jones, Julian Lage, Russell Malone, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Jason Moran, Joshua Redman, and plenty more.
The 2005 festival will be a continuation of last year’s 50th Anniversary celebration of the glory that the Newport Jazz Festival has brought to genre.
This year s 51st anniversary festival starts August 11 with a special screening of the documentary film “Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue” at the Jane Pickens Theatre. The film features the late jazz icon Miles Davis in concert at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival at the very beginning of his innovative electric period.
A Jazz Fest tradition continues with the annual Friday night celebration August 12th at the Newport Casino at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The nights program will feature Eartha Kitt and the Artie Shaw Orchestra under the Direction of Dick Johnson.
Source pollstar.com.
