Concert Hub
Latest Concert Articles
Usher Tickets – New Usher Album to Arrive Dec. 21
Monday, November 23, 2009
Trace Adkins Tickets – Keeping Up with Trace
Monday, November 23, 2009
Star Wars in Concert Tickets – Feel As If You Belong In the Movie!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Phish Tickets – Phish Plans End-of-Year Blowout in Florida
Monday, November 23, 2009
Kenny Rogers Christmas Tickets – The Holiday Season is Here
Monday, November 23, 2009
Concert Articles
Norah Jones Tickets – Norah Jones’ New Album Gets Remixed
Although Norah Jones’ new album, The Fall, arrived as recently as Nov. 17, the chanteuse’s songs are already receiving the remix treatment from artists like Beck, Santigold and the Beastie Boys. Jones told Entertainment Weekly that she initially wanted to work with Beck on The Fall, but eventually enlisted musicians who worked with the Record Club composer instead. Luckily for Jones, Beck joins the ranks of artists remixing songs from her fourth studio album.
Released via Blue Note Records, Norah Jones’ new album features jazzy selections like the haunting track “Light as a Feather,” which she co-wrote with alt-country artist Ryan Adams. The Fall showcases a new backing band comprised of drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), guitarists Marc Ribot (Elvis Costello, Tom Waits) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer) and keyboardist James Poyser (Al Green, Erykah Badu). Will Sheff of Okkervil River and Jesse Harris, Jones’ longtime collaborator (also responsible for her hit song “Don’t Know Why”), also make cameos.
Jones worked with producer Jacquire King, known for his worth with rock bands like Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon, for The Fall. Of her decision to pair with King, Jones said in a statement, “I got in touch with Jacquire initially because he engineered one of my favorite records of all time, Tom Waits’ Mule Variations. He was really eager to do it and we got along really well, which was important.” King definitely added a rock element to The Fall, as the album features more guitar than any of Jones’ previous releases.
The lead single off The Fall is “Chasing Pirates,” and Jones released a video for the track prior to the release of her new album. Directed by Rich Lee, who has worked with artists like Michael Buble and Fergie and helmed the visual effects for all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the video shows Jones on a quest to find the ocean amidst a New York cityscape while dressed as a pirate.
Although Norah Jones is most often described as a jazz artist, the New York native and daughter of musician Ravi Shankar didn’t begin performing jazz until attending high school in Dallas. After dropping out of school, Jones began regularly performing at jazz clubs and coffee shops and recorded a demo for Blue Note Records in 2000. The jazz label signed her early the next year, and she set to work on her debut album.
Norah Jones’ standout album Come Away with Me debuted to critical acclaim in 2002, although the singer did battle apathy from critics who dismissed her as simply another offspring of a famous musician without the talent to survive. Boy, did she prove them wrong, as Come Away With me sold 18 million copies worldwide and went multiplatinum. The standout single from the album, “Don’t Know Why,” also made Jones a household name.
In 2004, Norah Jones released her sophomore album, Feels Like Home, and Not Too Late surfaced in 2007. Between the two releases, Jones showed her versatility by appearing on the Little Willies’ self-titled album in 2006, joining the alt-country act in covering artists like Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and Fred Rose. Check out StubHub.com for Norah Jones tickets to see her perform live.
Pink Tickets – Pink Will Rock Swansea’s Liberty Stadium
Rock star Pink already has plans for next summer and it’s not yet 2010. The singer recently announced that she will be taking the Funhouse Summer Carnival Tour to six different stadiums across the UK next June, and one of those is Liberty City in Wales. Pink’s Funhouse Tour boasts a circus-like atmosphere with a carnival-style spectacular, and fans will be amazed by the stunning theatrical effects. Her upcoming tour is also going to stop in Bolton, Coventry, Glasgow, Alton Towers theme park and Ipswich.
In unrelated Pink news, the singer was also recently held by security before her performance in Birmingham, England. The mix-up was the result of a confused bouncer who failed to recognize her - clearly her hair wasn’t dyed its telltale shade of light rose. Security guards stood their ground outside the door and refused entry for the star until she was finally allowed inside after showing her identification. She made light of the incident on her Twitter page, saying, “The security guy just carded me for my laminate to get into my dressing room.” Of course, most fans would recognize the “So What” superstar, especially if they get Pink tickets from http://www.stubhub.com for her next live show.
Pink first emerged in the late 1990s among a crowd of other bubblegum pop acts looking for a day in the sun. What soon became evident, however, was that Pink was not some teeny-bopper one hit wonder. Shortly after the release of her debut album Can’t Take Me Home she appeared in a remake of Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” along with Christina Aguilera, Mya and Lil’ Kim. The track was featured on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack and topped the charts in both the U.S. and the U.K. It also exposed Pink to a much wider audience on a global scale.
What came next for the singer was her sophomore album, M!ssundaztood. The title itself seemed to represent Pink’s own struggle in the industry as she was initially branded a “bubblegum pop star” when she in fact represented a more eclectic and personal sound than your average teen star. The album’s two most popular songs, “Get the Party Started” and “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” became huge hits on the charts and officially laid to rest any “misunderstandings” about her music style.
In November 2003 she let loose Try This, which explored even further the sounds of rock material, mainly because she worked extensively with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong. For musical experimentation on this effort she picked up a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
A follow-up effort a few years later arrived in the form of I’m Not Dead, and its singles “Stupid Girl,” “Who Knew” and “U + Ur Hand” quickly took over the Top 10 on the charts. Her latest album Funhouse arrived in October 2008 and has been a huge hit worldwide thanks in part to the leadoff single “So What.” Make sure to catch Pink on her Funhouse tour by getting tickets today.
Martina McBride Tickets – Top Female Vocalist, No Matter a Nomination
Martina McBride, a four-time Female Vocalist of the Year, was the final act to perform at the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards that happened on Nov. 11 at the Sommet Center in Nashville. The event, hosted by country stars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, was a star-studded spectacle as country stars from all generations performed, presented and celebrated. McBride was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year, and she is currently tied with Reba McEntire for the most number of wins in that particular category (the down-home country girl picked up the award in 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004).
Throughout the year McBride has been promoting her new album, Shine. The first single, “I Just Call you Mine,” features McBride’s signature powerhouse vocals in a sweet ballad with luscious electric guitars and strings. The single is sure to be a staple when she sets out this winter for the Shine All Night Tour with Trace Adkins, so make sure to get those Martina McBride tickets from http://www.stubhub.com to see the song performed live. The tour, presented by SunnyD, is jumping into action just days before Thanksgiving and will continue through 40 U.S. cities as each star performs a full-length show.
Promotionally, McBride had already won the Female Vocalist of the Year award – according to Oprah. The Kansas native that started her career in the late ‘90s appeared on the most influential talk show twice in less than a week, with a performance during Oprah’s State Fair of Texas and a pre-taped visit around her home town. The “first jobs” segment aired McBride at the little Diary Queen in Hutchinson, Kansas where McBride first learned about the working world. Each Oprah show aired within a week of one another, revealing that Oprah Winfrey is noticing the country star’s potential. “Getting the call to be on Oprah’s show twice in such a short time period was exciting,” she says. “I’ve done Texas and Kansas…maybe Oklahoma is next!”
Shine was released in March and has since allowed McBride a series of mainstream successes. The first album since 2007’s Waking up Laughing, McBride recorded the LP with her business and life partner, John McBride. The set topped the Country Albums chart and made the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The album reveals McBride has a bit more rock in her, which seems to make a perfect paring with Adkins during their wintery jaunt through the nation. “We have a lot of fun out on the road. Sometimes it gets a little…competitive,” McBride says on their Shine All Night Tour website. The comedic video the two country superstars put together promotes the new tour as they compete against one another – shooting hoops, eating hot dogs and signing autographs.
McBride found her breakthrough with her sophomore set, 1993’s The Way That I Am. The single “My Baby Loves Me” hit the second spot thanks to the pop-infused sound that made its way to country audiences when she was the opening slot on Garth Brooks tour. She followed up the album with Wild Angels in 1995, the first to see a number one single: “Safe in the Arms of Love.” The 1997 set Evolution pushed her toward crossover success thanks to the Jim Brickman duet “Valentine,” and from there the female country vocalist was at the top of her game. She has remained there, becoming a top female vocalist.
Martina McBride Tickets – One of Oprah’s Favorite Things
Appearing on Oprah is a big accomplishment. Appearing twice on the Queen of Daytime’s show in just over a week is the mark of a superstar. Country crooner Martina McBride is of the latter category, as her Nov. 3 spot on Oprah was in addition to her Oct. 26 cameo on the show.
For the October show, McBride was featured as a performer at the State Fair of Texas, which Oprah visited. A little more than a week later, she was one of many celebrities that Oprah has been spotlighting telling about their first jobs. Martina’s first job was at the local Dairy Queen. She traveled back to the same Dairy Queen for Oprah’s show, which still features the same owners.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to McBride appearing twice on Oprah’s show was her schedule, as she has many different commitments keeping her busy. She has been announced as a performer for the upcoming 43rd Annual CMA Awards on Nov. 11. McBride has won Female Vocalist of the Year four times at the CMAs, and she is again one of the nominees for the award this year. She will be in good company as a performer, as the list of those taking the stage includes George Strait, Taylor Swift, Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dave Matthews and many, many more.
This fall and winter, McBride will be hitting the road with fellow country star Trace Adkins. They will be hitting dates like Oklahoma City, OK; Birmingham, AL; Pensacola, FL; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH and many more. She has also been added to the lineup for the 2010 Craven Country Jamboree in Canada. The Jamboree takes place July 15-18, and fans who want to be there will have to act fast. Because of the star-studded lineup—which includes Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Diamond Rio—the Jamboree is expected to sell out fast. Fans can get all of their Martina McBride tickets from StubHub.com.
Martina Schiff (her birth name) grew up in rural Kansas and discovered a love for singing at a young age, playing with her family’s band. It didn’t take her long to decide to pursue music full time, and in the process of developing her sound she met sound engineer John McBride, who she remains married to today. The young couple soon found themselves working on Garth Brooks’ tour (side note: McBride recently stated she wasn’t surprised that Brooks chose to come out of retirement). Her dream finally became a reality in the early 1990s when she signed a deal with RCA, but her first album, 1992’s The Time Has Come, didn’t make much of a splash.
Her emotive voice found its stride on her sophomore release, 1993’s The Way That I Am. That album resonated with female country fans thanks to singles like “My Baby Loves Me” and “Independence Day.” Her popularity continued to grow throughout the 1990s with singles like “Wild Angels,” “A Broken Wing,” “Wrong Again” and “I Love You.” More top singles followed in the 2000s like “Blessed,” “This One’s for the Girls,” “Anyway” and “How I Feel.” McBride’s latest album, 2009’s Shine, has perpetuated her success with hits like “Ride” and “I Just Call You Mine.”
Monsters of Folk Tickets – Monsters of Folk: Indie Rock’s Finest
Monsters of Folk may already be a supergroup comprised of some of the biggest names in indie rock—Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, M. Ward from She & Him and Jim James from My Morning Jacket—but the group decided to try glam rock on for size on Halloween night. During a gig at Louisville’s Palace Theatre, Monsters of Folk celebrated the spooky holiday by dressing up as the members of KISS, face paint and all, and even performed the KISS anthem “Detroit Rock City.”
After delivering a two-and-a-half-hour set list comprised of their own songs (“Losin Yo Head,” “Say Please”) as well as tracks from My Morning Jacket (“I Will be There When You Die”) and M. Ward’s solo catalog (“We Are Nowhere and It Is Now”), Monsters of Folk appeared on stage in KISS regalia for their encore. It was just as well, as the eight-inch heels braved by Oberst (as Paul Stanley) would have been hard to navigate the stage in for long. My Morning Jacket’s Jim James was Gene Simmons, for those wondering.
A supergroup in the truest sense of the word, Monsters of Folk came together in 2004 after the respective musicians began to collaborate both onstage and behind these scenes while touring with their separate bands. Contrary to the band members’ musical backgrounds and what their group name may suggest, Monster of Folk’s sound is more rooted in rock than folk.“Though there are elements of country, blues, easygoing rock, and, yes, folk to be heard throughout, the overall sound defies instant categorization,” reads a statement on Monsters of Folk’s official website. However indescribable Monsters of Folk’s sound may be, fans are eating it up.
Years in the making, Monsters of Folk released their eponymous debut album on Sept. 22 via Shangri-La Music. Much like the group’s live shows, Monsters of Folk sees the musicians swapping instruments. James previously revealed to Billboard.com, “We wanted to make it so it was only the four of us playing anything you hear on the record. And it was fun for us to play instruments we don’t normally play.” In addition to trying each others’ instruments on for size on tour, the band also switches off lead and backing vocal duties.
Monsters of Folk embarked on a tour in Vancouver on Oct. 13 and will remain in the road through November, playing dates scattered throughout the U.S. and Canada before traveling to Europe for a string of shows. Although Monsters of Folk just released their first album, the supergroup previously toured in 2004, during which the group first became referred to as the “Monsters of Folk” by all involved in the trek.
Monsters of Folk is also teaming up with music-based philanthropic group Air Traffic Control to donate $1 from each ticket sold to local non-profit organizations. Check out StubHub.com for Monsters of Folk tickets to see the band in cities like Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
