Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

New Bat for Lashes video

Natasha Khan is an artist with a capital “A”—and she doesn’t let you forget it. Her music videos have all been uniquely dark, weird and compelling, from the supremely creepy video for “What’s a Girl To Do?” to her most recent video for the single “Daniel.” “Daniel” struck an odd note, featuring Khan fighting off some masked figures and falling into the arms of a Ralph Macchio (of Karate Kid fame) look-alike. And the cover of the single itself features Khan standing nude on a beach with her back to you—and a massive Ralph Macchio tattoo across her entire back.
Stereogum has her latest video up, though, from another song off her new album, Two Suns. The song, “Pearl’s Dream,” is a lovely one, drenched in the atmospherics that make Khan’s artistic alter ego, Bat for Lashes, so appealing to indie rock lovers everywhere. Fittingly, the video features Khan floating through a dream, sometimes literally, as she drifts through the air above a foggy stage. It’s pretty trippy and betrays more of the hippyish art school girl quality in Khan’s personality. Check it out here. Then look up when she’s coming to your town and get concert tickets.

A Whole Lotta Love For Taylor Swift Fans

Taylor Swift is giving fans plenty of opportunities to see her perform.  She gave a performance at New York City’s Rockefeller Center for NBC’s Today show this morning and she also has her own NBC special on the horizon.  Called Dateline: On Tour with Taylor Swift, it is a behind-the-scenes look at the singer’s first headlining tour and her subsequent life on the road.  The program is set to air on May 31st at 7pm EST and includes plenty of concert and backstage footage from the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.  Fans will get to see interviews conducted with Swift and her band and crew as well as be privy to exclusive looks at her tour bus, the backstage living room, dressing rooms, dancer auditions and concert performances.  For any die-hard fan of Taylor Swift, this is the perfect chance to get the inside scoop on the talented performer.

For all concert tickets and especially Taylor Swift tickets, be sure to check out Stubhub and do so well in advance so that you are guaranteed a great spot at one of her many upcoming shows!

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode recovering from a tumor

Earlier in the month, Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan collapsed in his dressing room after catching what some thought was a really terrible stomach flu. But according to some new information that Pitchfork is reporting, the singer actually had a low-grade malignant tumor. This is sad news for Depeche Mode fans all over the world—and especially right now, as lots of them were buying up concert tickets to see the band in the middle of a global tour. They’re still in Europe right now, and it’s a long, long tour, but the latter half includes many dates in the U.S. You can lay down money on the bet that a lot of fans will be packing stadiums to hear the band’s newest music.
Hopefully, Dave’s okay. There seems to be a good sign in the fact that they’re continuing the tour. It resumes June 8, heading to Leipzig. Other changes in the touring schedule include a rescheduled date in Norway for next year. Check out the new schedule on Pitchfork’s post, and plan to see the band while they’re still in decent health.

Dr. Dre Finally Unveils ‘Detox’

Dr. Dre’s much-delayed, highly-anticipated Detox album has finally surfaced, or at least some of it. The West Coast hip-hop producer appears in the latest installation of a Dr. Pepper ad campaign called “Trust Me, I’m a Doctor,” along with a teaser of his song “Sh** Popped Off,” referenced by T.I., from Dre’s long-awaited Detox album. Detox is set to be released via Aftermath/Interscope in late 2009 while the commercial will begin airing on Monday (June 1). In the commercial Dr. Dre says, “Scientific tests prove when you drink Dr. Pepper slow, the 23 flavors taste even better. For me, slow always produces a hit.” After delivering his lines Dre steps behind a DJ booth, puts on his signature “Beats” headphones and slows down the fast-paced techno song by putting a can of the soft drink over the record. Then “Sh** Popped Off” comes on and a party erupts with Dr. Dre telling the camera “Slower is better—trust me, I’m a doctor.” The campaign also features Dr. J., Gene Simmons (aka “Doctor Love”) and Dr. Frasier Crane.

Detox is Dr. Dre’s follow-up to 1999’s Dr. Dre 2001, which has sold 7.23 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Detox will feature guest spots by Dr. Dre’s protégé Eminem, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Nas, among others.

Get your Concert tickets to see Dr. Dre live at StubHub.

Jay-Z Closing In On Record Deal With Epic

The news of Jay-Z’s departure from longtime label Def Jam arrived last week, and according to Billboard.com the rapper is on the brink of signing a record deal with Sony’s Epic Records. According to sources close to the rapper, the deal “is 95% complete” and will link Jay-Z’s Roc Nation released with Epic Records for distribution, although a formal announcement is expected to follow in a few weeks. Jay-Z’s split with the Universal Music-owned Def Jam reportedly came with a $5 million price tag but now the rapper and label exec has full control over his future master recordings. According the Nielsen SoundScan, Jay-Z’s eleven solo albums and collaborations with R. Kelly and Linkin Park have sold over 29 million units.

Last year Jay-Z and Live Nation inked a wide-ranging deal reportedly worth around $150 million that included touring, publishing and albums; the pact includes a partnership in Roc Nation in addition to Jay-Z’s own recordings and tours for the next decade. A UMG source told Billboard.com, “He definitely didn’t want to release his album via Def Jam. And given his close relationship with [Columbia Records Co-Chairman] Rick Rubin, it comes as no surprise he’s make the switch.” Adding fuel to the rumor mill, Sony CEO Howard Stringer and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation partner Jay Brown have meet seen meeting in both Los Angeles and New York; Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce is a Sony Artist on the Columbia Records label; Epic Records president Amanda Ghost is managed by Roc Nation and Brown. If all goes as planned, the rapper’s eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3, will likely be the first release on Rock Nation distributed by Epic.

Get all your Jay-Z tickets at StubHub.

Rent Party ‘09 Tour

Steely Dan is hitting the road this summer for the Rent Party ‘09 Tour.  Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (the duo behind Steely Dan’s wacko lyrics and intricate musical magic) are set to embark on a tour journey along with a group of other musicians for a 17 city, 28 date U.S. tour starting in June.  They will kick of the Rent Party Tour on June 9 at the Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina and will continue traversing the countryside through September 5 at the Sound Board Theatre at Motor City Casino in Detroit, Michigan.  They are also planning to play entire albums at some of the selected dates, including: Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and they can actually vote online on which tracks they would like to hear at the show.

Don’t miss the Steely Dan romp through the U.S., the hardest part will be deciding which songs you want to hear at the concert!  Check out Stubhub for all of the latest tour information and also to get your very own pair of Steely Dan tickets, which are on sale now!

Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan collaborating

Some big breaking news from GigWise today, which is reporting that ex-Beatle and all-time great songwriter Paul McCartney will be teaming up with folk and rock legend Bob Dylan to record together. Needless to say, anyone who listened to either of these two men’s music when they were young will be bowled over by the news. These are two of the biggest figures to emerge from the ‘60s, and both are still supreme songwriters. What sorts of gems will they come up with together? Well…we’re not going to know about it until they’re ready. They’re taking all precautions to work privately, according to the Daily Express (via GigWise):
“A source tells the paper, ‘Paul has a home in California not too far from Bob’s so the idea is for the two to meet when Paul is in California over the summer. They’ll obviously want to work in privacy and it’s felt one of their homes will be the best bet. Getting these two together for any length of time is difficult schedule-wise but they both want this to work out. The music that comes out of this will be fascinating to hear.’
Awesome stuff. If you’re looking for concert tickets for either artist, get them while they’re still available.

Tool’s Maynard is releasing his own wine

Make a list of the things you associate with brooding alternative metal band Tool, and “a nice table wine” is unlikely to appear. But that might have to change. It looks like the band’s frontman, Maynard James Keenan, has started his own wine label, and will be keeping busy this next year by appearing on the road with the band as well as at Whole Foods stores across the country, which will be carrying the singer’s wine. The brand name? Caduceus. The label’s site is up, and after some loading time, you can flip through a rather poetic introduction to Maynard’s inspirations in pursuing the perfect grapes.
Brooklyn Vegan has a post about the label, featuring an excerpt from an interview with Maynard. When asked when he got into wine, he talks about coming in contact with various industry people, all of whom had glasses of “red juice” that looked more appealing than Coca-Cola. Maynard was intrigued, and then rapt.
The post has dates for some of his wine signings. Definitely go if you have the chance. But if you’re looking for Maynard’s music, check out concert tickets at StubHub.

Snuggie fans and Weezer fans finally meet

So there you are, surfing the Internet at home while wrapped up in your nice, warm Snuggie (because you never take the thing off anymore), and you come across this exciting post on Pitchfork. Yes, folks, it’s true. Weezer is getting in on that late night infomercial action by teaming up with Snuggie. The company is actually going to be marketing a Snuggie branded with the Weezer name on it. The new product’s name? Why, the Wuggie, of course.
Will this attract legions of new fans to Weezer’s recent output, turning them into the kind of rock listeners that sighed over Rivers Cuomo’s lyrics back in the early ‘90s? Nah. Probably not. But it will certainly appeal to the band’s current fans, who seem to generally share their sense of whimsy, from shooting videos that compile all of YouTube’s greatest memes to trying to break as many world records as possible.
If you’re a Weezer fan, make sure you get your Wuggie while you still can. Or, save your money and just get concert tickets to see the band live.

Meg White gets hitched (again)

The love lives of the The White Stripes have always earned the band a few stories. When they first got big, there was much talk of Meg and Jack White being siblings—and getting married. The truth was that both are rather pasty looking, but are most assuredly not siblings.
Then they divorced—but stayed together as a band. Considering how ugly celebrity divorces can be, particularly with rock stars, this was unprecedented. But they apparently found a way to remain friends and not allow their feelings to intrude on their work. And now we hear the latest news: Meg White has gotten herself re-hitched, this time to Jackson Smith.
Never heard of Jackson Smith? Neither have we. That’s probably why Spinner refers to him as “Patti Smith’s son” in their headline rather than by his name. Apparently his father was MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, so he’s quite the musical progeny. But as always, some gossip will be following the Stripes as news of this spreads. As it happened, Meg had her marriage held in Jack White’s backyard. Once again, pretty awesome that they can stay so friendly to one another after marriage.
When the band is on tour, you can see them live by getting concert tickets.