Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

Animal Collective take a stand against seal clubbing

PETA has always been able to turn to the entertainment industry for outspoken supporters, ranging from film stars to music personalities. Apparently, indie-rock band Animal Collective is joining the cause, with three of its members appearing in a new ad supporting PETA in its campaign to end the annual Canadian tradition of seal clubbing. Stereogum has a photo of the band wearing some nifty blue shirts, each emblazoned with a fuzzy seal on it. It’s hard to argue with a T-shirt that adorable.

The guys also starred in a little spot for the cause, with Brian (Geologist) talking about his experience studying environmental policy, which had an emphasis on marine life and fish. He had this to say: “I’ve learned ... about the seal hunt through PETA’s advertising campaigns ... it’s cruelty ... that’s the bottom line, and there’s plenty of other things you can wear and there’s synthetic furs.”

It’s a pretty valid point for those that are fashion-conscious. It’s cool to see the band getting involved in a good cause like this, but a lot of fans are just hoping to see them go back out on tour. Get concert tickets at StubHub.com when they do.

Looks like an Arcade Fire album is forthcoming

Since Arcade Fire became an indie-rock “it” band in 2004, their movements have been pretty carefully followed. The release of their follow-up, Neon Bible, was a big deal; their next record will prove to be just as significant to music fans. Stereogum has been keeping their ear to the ground, and seem to have picked up a few trembles: It looks like the band, which was also commissioned to work on the soundtrack of the new Richard Kelly horror film The Box, have put the movie’s soundtrack off while they’re in the studio recording a new album.

When Kelly was asked about the soundtrack release, he responded on Twitter: “The band is hard at work recording the new Arcade Fire album. They will release the score at some point, when it does not conflict with their album release schedule for their record label.” That seems pretty definitive right there. Stereogum also recently received an anonymous tip that the band is recording at the Magic Shop studio, so it sounds like this is definitely happening. Still, you never know what to expect when it comes to release schedules, but hopefully we’ll see some concert tickets for the band in the near future.

Beck Steps in For Clapton

Eric Clapton had to back out of an upcoming concert engagement honoring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because he apparently booked another engagement…at the hospital.  The singer is going in for the removal of gallstones.  In Clapton’s absence, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has recruited Jeff Beck, who will take the stage on Friday Oct. 30 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.  Other bands and artists that are also scheduled to appear include U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Keep current with Eric Clapton as he undergoes this minor medical procedure and get your Eric Clapton tickets as well as your Jeff Beck tickets today from Stubhub.

AV Club slams the Michael Jackson remixes

There are going to be far, far too many “Thriller” Michael Jackson’s on the streets Halloween night who haven’t listened to the recently deceased pop legend’s back catalogue. Jackson had plenty of R&B hits before the ‘80s, but that was largely when he was a young kid. A new compilation takes many of those early hits and hands them over to various recording artists—largely DJs and club hit makers—for a steady string of remixes.

The result, according to Nathan Rabin of The AV Club, is a record that is wildly uneven and largely unoriginal. There’s a very legitimate question about the need for this record, to begin with, and even the songs on there that do work just don’t push things in a new direction. If a remix doesn’t lend something new to a song, it might not be necessary in the first place.

Rabin claims “too many of the remakes are overly faithful or generic exercises in getting asses on the floor…Great remixes forever change the way we perceive familiar songs, or put classic songs in radical yet strangely perfect new contexts. This forgettable footnote of a posthumous cash-in does neither.”

Too bad. It could have been a welcome parting gift to serious Jackson fans who had bought concert tickets to see the King of Pop before he passed.

What metalheads and academics can bond over

In preparation for Halloween, the AV Club spoke to their favorite pop-cultural critic, Chuck Klosterman about his greatest fears. Klosterman is known first and foremost as a music critic who writes clever, insightful essays about music and nerdy trivia. No conversation with him ever manages to completely avoid these things, and neither did this one. When asked about scary movies, Klosterman talks about one of the granddaddies of slasher flicks, Halloween, and how much it scared him as a kid. But more importantly, he points out that even though he was really into metal, he never had an abiding love for scary movies. Usually, these two things go together.

“When you’re young, the kind of person who’s into slasher films are like metalhead kids and kids who are into Dungeons & Dragons and stuff,” Klosterman says. “But as an adult, the only people who care about horror movies are academics. No one loves to talk about horror films more than somebody with a Ph.D. in cultural studies at a university. Every horror movie seems to be about penalizing people for values. There’s a certain iconography of the vampire, a certain iconography of the werewolf, the zombie. That seems to be the core audience for slasher films—metalheads and collegiate professors.”

That’s actually—and weirdly—accurate. Maybe more professors should spend time at GWAR shows, and more GWAR fans should take film studies classes. Well, in any case, you can count on both buying concert tickets to see the band live.

Release of Alicia Keys’ ‘The Element of Freedom’ Pushed Back

Alicia Keys took to her Twitter page on Sunday (Oct. 25) to announce that her upcoming new album, The Element of Freedom, will not be released until December 15. Originally slated to arrive on December 1 (World AIDS Day), label reps at J Records confirmed the announcement, which Keys made after performing her latest single, “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart,” during a lecture and performance for New York University students. As reported by Billboard.com, Keys tweeted, “Luv having the freedom to create beautiful music, so I’m pushing the album back to DEC 15th. So many more amazing songs!!!”

The first single off The Element of Freedom, Keys’ fourth studio album, “Doesn’t Mean Anything,” is currently holding the No. 15 position on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Keys produced and wrote The Element of Freedom with longtime collaborating partner Kerry “Krucial” Brothers and debuted “Doesn’t Mean Anything” on the Regis and Kelly morning show on Oct. 12. In a statement about the album obtained by Billboard, Keys described the new album saying, “The music is really strong, and the drums are really aggressive, but my voice is vulnerable and delicate,” also adding that she cut out “all of the boundaries and all the limitations, so that you can feel your freedom and express your freedom in every way you possibly can and that’s what I did with this album.”

Get your Alicia Keys tickets at StubHub.

Pitchfork chats with Eno, Lanois, about U2

U2’s The Unforgettable Fire is a classic record from a band at its peak—and changing directions. When it was made, the Irish band had established themselves as purveyors of a big rock sound—loud guitars and playing that blew listeners away. But they wanted to prove they had some range, so they sought out Brian Eno for a much more nuanced sound. Eno at the time had been designing complex ambient soundscapes on his own records with Daniel Lanois, and though the former was a highly sought-after producer, it was Lanois that Eno suggested U2 bring on board.
Both of them produced the album, with Lanois having more experience with traditional production. Pitchfork spoke to both of them as the record is about to be re-released, asking them about how they knew each other and what it was like working with Bono. It’s a pretty short but sweet little Q/A, giving you a sense of both men’s personalities, as well as what both brought to the table.
In any case, concert tickets for U2 can be pretty hard to get, but if they’re going to be playing the songs from The Unforgettable Fire, they are definitely worth seeking out.

Morrissey released from hospital after collapsing on stage

Morrissey gave all his fans an early Halloween scare this past Saturday when the 50-year-old singer collapsed on stage in the middle of his opening song for the night, “This Charming Man.” The Guardian has been all over this story (as have most music blogs), and are now reporting that he’s been released from the hospital he was admitted to. A spokesperson told the paper the following: “Morrissey became unwell, and he was admitted overnight as a precautionary measure. He’s been seen by the medical team, much improved and now discharged home.”
The Guardian has also reported that the Moz apparently opened the concert saying, “Good evening…possibly.” That ominous introduction, combined with the fact that he looked a bit under the weather, suggested things weren’t going well. Fans told the Guardian he seemed reserved or tired when he came out on stage, but no one predicted that he was on the brink of exhaustion. The paper cited a blog as saying that when he was carried off stage, he appearing to be wincing, coughing and clutching at his shoulder.
Hopefully those holding concert tickets will still get a chance to see the Moz in the near future. Let’s all wish this charming man a speedy recovery.

Morrissey Collapses Onstage

The singer Morrissey, 50, formerly of the Smiths, was performing at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon, England when he suddenly collapsed after experiencing difficulties breathing.  Two band members immediately rushed to his side and took him off the stage where he was transported to a nearby hospital.  It was not immediately known what caused the collapse and what the prognosis is for the celebrated singer, but fans are hoping that he will be well enough to return to the stage soon.

Morrissey always puts on a great show for all of his fans, no matter what city he is performing in.  If you are a big fan, consider checking out the many Morrissey concert tickets that are available through Stubhub.  Check the listings in your area and be prepared for a evening devoted entirely to masterful music tunes.

Morrissey Released from Hospital

After collapsing onstage during a concert, former Smiths frontman Morrissey was released from the hospital last night (Oct. 25), reports Billboard.com. A spokeswoman for the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, England spoke about the singer’s condition, exercising the hospital’s policy on anonymity, “Morrissey became unwell, and he was admitted overnight as a precautionary measure. He’s been seen by the medical team, much improved and now discharged home.” The 50-year-old singer was performing at the Oasis Leisure Centre in the English city, which is approximately 100 miles west of London, as part of his Swords Tour on Saturday night (Oct. 24) when he became incapacitated and was subsequently ushered offstage by two band members.

Said Jillian Moody to the BBC, “I didn’t think he looked particularly well but then again, he’s well known as a reclusive character so I sort of thought that was just the way he was when he was onstage. He kept putting his hand up to his mouth as if he felt sick or perhaps he was trying to hide something, but he didn’t look particularly comfortable. He got through the whole song though … to rapturous applause at the end.” Morrissey’s website posted a statement thanking fans for their well wished and he is slated to perform a batch of dates in Europe through the rest of October and into November.

Get all your Morrissey tickets at StubHub.