Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

Jakarta Off Rihanna’s List

The singer Rihanna has taken the Indonesian capital of Jakarta off of her tour schedule because she claimed that she was concerned about security breaches.  Rihanna had been touring through Australia when she made the decision to cancel Jakarta and was influenced by the Australian government, one of several countries issuing travel advisories to Australian citizens in Indonesia.

Part of the current concern about traveler safety revolves around the recent execution of three Islamic militants who were convicted in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings.  These militants have called on their followers to carry out revenge attacks for their executions.  The terrorists were all put death by the method of firing squad.  There is still hope that Rihanna will make plans to visit Jakarta in January, once the security concern is not so high.  In the meantime check out where she is playing now by getting your own pair of Rihanna tickets.

CMAs Honor Paisley, Chesney, Strait and Underwood

The 42nd annual Country Music Association Awards were held last night and traditionalists like George Strait and Brad Paisley racked up the biggest honors. Held at Sommet Center in Nashville, the Eagles and Kid Rock (along with Lil Wayne) may have taken the CMA stage but it was Strait who stole the show, picking up him 20th, 21st and 22nd CMA awards. Troubadour, co-produced by Strait and Tony Brown, was hailed album of the year and “I Saw God Today” was named single of the year. Carrie Underwood and Paisley co-hosted the show and Paisley picked up his second straight win for male vocalist as well as the music video award for “Waitin’ on a Woman,” which was directed by Jim Shea and Peter Tilden and featured Andy Griffith. Paisley and Keith Urban opened the show with “Start a Band” and later performed “Waitin’ on a Woman.”

Sugarland picked up its second straight vocal duo award and Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles was a big winner of the night, taking home a song of the year award for “Stay.” Kenny Chesney, who was introduced by Shania Twain, was named entertainer of the year (his fourth win in the category and third straight nomination). Underwood was named female vocalist for the third straight year and performed “Just a Dream” and Rascal Flatts didn’t disappoint, picking up vocal group honors (their sixth straight win in the category). Other notable winners of the night were Lady Antebellum, who won in the top new artist category (group member Hillary Scott also took home the songwriter of the year honor), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won musical event honors for “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” and Mac McAnally was hailed musician of the year.

If the CMAs made you want to see some of your favorite country stars live, get your Carrie Underwood tickets, Kenny Chesney tickets, Brad Paisley tickets, George Strait tickets and much more at StubHub.com.

Jerry Garcia biopic coming out?

Few bands ever manage to capture the kind of cult following that The Grateful Dead have. Over the decades, the band’s mythic status seems to have continued to grow, probably inflating the images of the band’s figures, such as Jerry Garcia. But as luck would have it, there may be a more realistic look at the band on the horizon. Producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa and Eric Eisner have announced that they’re putting together a biopic on Garcia. It doesn’t focus quite as much on the band itself, according to Billboard, but rather looks at Garcia’s early life and experiences that shaped him as a person and artist.

The trio of producers have apparently acquired the rights to “Dark Star,” a biography of sorts on Garcia. The book itself was an oral history, essentially taking down accounts from various counter-cultural figures who know   Garcia. We’ll see if that structure follows the figure to screen.

Sadly, you can only see Garcia perform with concert tickets and a time machine. But a more feasible option is getting Dark Star Orchestra tickets, and seeing that Grateful Dead cover band live. Find tickets at StubHub.com.

Foo Fighters to judge show on Bravo

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time to spend with your family, food, and for those who get Bravo, the Foo Fighters. The rock band has apparently been invited to be guest judges on Bravo’s hit reality television show Top Chef for a special “Thanksgiving episode” (though it airs on Nov. 26). According to EW.com, they’re going to be appearing alongside Grant Achatz, a restauranteur “who was recently named 2008’s Best Chef by the James Beard Foundation.”

It should prove interesting to see the band’s tastes, as well as what’s cooked up for them. Thanksgiving usually comes with pretty standard meals—meaning turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and some cranberry sauce. But if you get creative with a meal like that, what could you whip up? Viewers will have to tune in to find out. Hopefully Dave Grohl and company aren’t actually taping the episode on Thanksgiving, giving them two Thanksgiving meals in the same week.

If you’re looking for concert tickets, check out StubHub.com. Foo Fighters tickets can be found there.