Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

Get the Right Beat Going With the English Beat

The eighties pop stars-The English Beat are making plans to celebrate the band’s 30th (yes 30th) anniversary in style.  They will kick things off with a busy tour schedule that started earlier this week in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  The band will be on the road in both the U.S. and Canada through late May of this year.  Fans will yuck it up with Dave Wakeling and the gang in places like Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Las Vegas, Vancouver and many other cities in between.

The band will play some of its most famous tunes like: “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Save It For Later” and “Stand Down Margaret,” as well as some recognizable covers like “Tears of Clown,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” and “Tenderness.”  Some new ballads will include: “The Love You Give Lasts Forever” and “How Can You Stand There.”  Fans can pick up a pair of The English Beat tickets from Stubhub.com.

Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet tour goes on

You can’t hold back Madonna. Her last tour, titled “Sticky and Sweet,” was massively successful for her. Now, the aging pop queen will be appearing at more locations, this time in England and Europe. Reuters reports that the tour is the highest grossing tour of any ever by a female or solo artist starts in London on July 4. After performing several shows in the U.K., the Material Girl will move on to the rest of Europe.

Reuters has an interesting quote from Arthur Fogel, the tour’s producer: “Adding another leg to a tour is a highly unusual move for Madonna. “It absolutely has not happened in the four tours I’ve been involved with,” Fogel told Billboard.com. “There has been talk (of extending) during each one, but it has never come to be. But with this one, she loves the show, she’s had a great time and she’s excited about playing new markets.”“

If you’re looking for Madonna tickets, look at this page. Other concert tickets can be found on StubHub.com.

Coachella Lineup Announced!!!!

Paul McCartney, the Cure and the Killers will headline the tenth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival April 17-19 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Other confirmed acts are Amy Winehouse, Morrissey, Leonard Cohen, My Bloody Valentine and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Paul McCartney issued a statement about his maiden Ameircan music festival appearance: “I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world. I’m really excited to get out there and rock.” My Boody Valentine was on the bill for 2008 but frontman Kevin Sheilds decided the recently reunited band wasn’t ready and Cohen’s Coachella appearance will be part of his first American tour in 15 years. Coachella will be Amy Winehouse’s first major American appearance since the 2008 Grammy’s and fans are anxious to see how the troubled U.K. artist will appear on stage.

Other acts lined up for the 2009 festival are TV on the Radio, Conor Oberst, Fleet Foxes, Dr. Dog, the Black Keys, the Hold Steady, Okkervil, Band of Horses, Girl Talk, Thievery Corporation, MSTRKRFT, the Crystal Method, Throbbing Gristle, Roni Size and Groove Armada, offering equal parts indie rock and dance/electronica. Among the Coachella virgin acts are White Lies, the Airborn Toxic Event,Gang Gang Dance, Cage the Elephant, Vivian Girls, Lykke Li, Late Of The Pier, the Knux, Hercules and Love Affiar and the Gaslight Anthem. The Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the MGs, Paul Weller, Henry Rollins, Bob Mould and X are among the veteran acts.

Get your Coachella Music Festival tickets at StubHub.com.

Amy Winehouse was robbed

Burgled, to be exact. While Winehouse wined and dined in the Caribbean, making a very public spectacle of herself (which, to be fair, you can’t help doing when you’re followed around by paparazzi every minute of every day), there were those in London who saw an opportunity. That opportunity involved, shall we say, clearing out Winehouse’s home of instruments and music recording equipment. The home was apparently left empty.

A spokesman for Winehouse told the AP that her neighbors saw the burglars and called the police, but they were gone by the time they got there. The police found the door kicked in and the place ransacked. Word to the wise: When you go on vacation, keep it on the downlow. There are those who mean you ill who will take advantage of that “opportunity.”

In any case, Amy Winehouse tickets aren’t available, so her fans can’t see her at the present moment. But there are plenty other concert tickets that are available at StubHub.com.

PJ Harvey debuts a score on Broadway

Singer/songwriter PJ Harvey has been a major figure in the indie world for years now. And with the opening of a new production of Hedda Gabler on Broadway, she’s a major figure in the world of theater, as well. The artist recently told the Guardian that she has always wanted to become involved in the theater or in film—since the first days that she started writing, it’s been a dream of her’s. The new production features music that she wrote periodically throughout the play, as well as in the opening. It’s described as, “’mashed up guitar feedback…played at the wrong speed,’ incorporating drones and spooky sounds that recall ’something wrong ... something destabilising ... like radio static or like things breaking down’.”

Sound like another fascinating piece of work from Harvey. Sadly, the production is getting some negative reviews. But that’s not going to stop Harvey, who is already busying herself with a new album coming out in a few months. You can look for PJ Harvey tickets at that time. Until then, look for other concert tickets at StubHub.com.

Micheal Jackson being sued over Thriller video

The King of Pop may be earnestly moving forward on plans for a Broadway musical based on the “Thriller” video, but John Landis wants to make sure he sees a part of the action. The acclaimed cult horror director is suing Jackson for not paying him his due. Landis co-wrote and directed the video and, naturally, expects royalties from the iconic MTV hit. He claims he’s due half of all net profits from the video—and with the musical comming out, that’s included, too.

Landis hasn’t specificed how much money he expects to be coming with him, but most estimates place it at about $1 million. You would think the King of Pop could afford that—though it’s true that in the past couple decades, the guy has been spending more and making less (less records, that is—the ones he has out still sell pretty decently). We’ll see how that plays out in court—or whether it slows down the process of getting this musical made.

Though Jackson tickets are in rare supply these days, plenty of other concert tickets can be found at StubHub.com.

The Musical Brain

Former Police frontman and now solo-man Sting volunteered in experiments conducted by McGill’s Dr. Daniel Levitan for The Musical Brain which will air Saturday on CTV at 7 p.m.  The study provides a look at the connections between music, memory and the functions and growth of the brain.  Although Sting was a willing participant, he eventually admitted that examining the science behind music made him uneasy.  Michael Buble also appears on the show, who was apparently fascinated by the results, noting that he and Sting are very different on several different creative levels.

In an article posted on Pollstar.com, Buble says, “He (Sting) writes in a completely different way.  They said at one point in the special that he almost gets the same kind of emotional kick out of playing Sudoku that he does writing.  For me, it’s purely emotional.”  Check out the program this Saturday and ponder what kind of musical brain you might have.  Also get your Sting tickets and Michael Buble tickets.

Grammy Performance Lineup Expands

U2, Rihanna, Kid Rock and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have been added to the performance lineup for the 51st annual Grammy Awards, which will be held at Los Angeles’ Staples Center Feb. 8 and broadcast live on CBS. Previosuly announced performers are Kenny Chesney, Jennifer Hudson, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, Radiohead, Katy Perry, Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl on drums), T.I. and Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kayne West and Carrie Underwood.

Among the presenters for the 2009 Grammys are Jack Black, Duffy, Josh Brogan and Charlie Hayden. Actors Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Simon Baker will also present. Stay tuned for more Grammy updates as music’s big day approaches.

To see these Grammy performers live get your concert tickets at StubHub.com.

“Pissed Off” Metallica Fans

Things often get crazy at Metallica concerts, that’s just widely expected.  But when a Massachusetts police officer is accused of urinating on a concertgoer and then fighting with security guards to get back into the show after they booted him out, that’s just pure comedy.  Officer Joseph Houston has been charged with trespassing following the incident and is facing a $100 fine and/or 30 days in jail.

Houston, who obviously was not in the best of conditions, most souces say he was allegedly drunk, I’m going to venture to say inebrieated, apparently flashed his badge at security officers to try and re-enter the stadium and shouted at a black officer repeatedly, calling him “an Obama.”  This is all sourced by the Cape Cod Times.  Goes to show that racial discrimination is alive and well on the East coast.  But then again, maybe he meant it as a compliment…it seems sort of idiodic to try insult someone by comparing them to an incredibly popular personality.  Either way, Metallica concerts are entertaining, get your tickets today!

And the Oscar May Go To… M.I.A.

The 2009 Oscar nominations were announced last week, and although Bruce Springsteen fans were undoubtedly surprised the Boss got snubbed for “The Wrestler,” M.I.A. was one happy MC. The pregnant Sri Lankan was nominated for “O… Saya,” the song she co-wrote with Slumdog Millionaire score composer A.R. Rahman for the Danny Boyle-directed film that was the breakout star of the year. Slumdog Millionaire garenered nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Score in addition to the Best Record of the YEar nomination for “O… Saya.”

M.I.A., who currently calls Brooklyn home with her fiance and The Exit frontman Ben Brewer, is set to give birth the night of the Grammys (Feb. 8) and may be able to attend the Oscars on February 22 in Los Angeles. After hearing the news of her nomination, M.I.A. gushed, “This is great honor. Thank you to all the people who are supporting us and the making of a real story of a slubdog millionaire. Maybe I can afford to book Dave Chappelle at the baby shower now. Thank you again; My mum wants everyone to know what wonderful news this is for her.”

To see the M.I.A. once her bun is out of the oven, get your M.I.A. tickets at StubHub.com.