Fresh off a big, symphonic Christmas Celebration performance slate, Celtic Woman has announced plans for a 2012 tour in support of their January 24 BELIEVE release. The run starts with Celtic Woman in Nashville on February 3 and spans almost 60 cities. Las Vegas hosts the singers on April 29 for the final show of the tour.

A performance of the show this past September in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre was filmed and recorded to comprise the BELIEVE CD/DVD package, as well as the PBS special, BELIEVE: LIVE. The program began airing on public television channels around the U.S. on December 3. Celtic Woman returns to Atlanta on February 9.

The taped show was the first time Celtic Woman was filmed in front of an American audience. Here's a promo video of the special:

Celtic Woman is composed of vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lisa Kelly, and Lisa Lambe, along with Celtic violinist Máiréad Nesbitt. On the upcoming tour, they will be supported by a six-member band, the Aontas Choir, and championship Irish dancers.

The set list includes Irish standards like “The Water Is Wide,” “Green Grow the Rushes,” and “A Woman’s Heart,” “The Parting Glass”; pop classics like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Tears in Heaven”; and inspirational songs including “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Smile,” and “Ave Maria” all done up Celtic Woman-style under the watchful eye of Emmy-nominated producer David Downes.

Among the stops on the upcoming tour, Florida boasts five performances. There, Celtic Woman plays Tampa, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Orlando, and Melbourne on consecutive nights beginning February 14.
As far as cities with multi-night stands, Nashville opens the trek with double duty. Then, Celtic Woman hits Boston for two concerts on March 9 and 10. Other than that, Rosemont hosts Celtic Woman for two shows on March 30 and 31 while Memphis enjoys Celtic Woman in back-to-back performances on April 6 and 7.

February 2012
3 - Nashville, TN - Tennessee Performing Arts Center
4 - Nashville, TN - Tennessee Performing Arts Center
7 - Knoxville, TN - Civic Auditorium
8 - Greenville, SC - Bi-Lo Center
9 - Atlanta, GA - Fox
11 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC
12 - Huntsville, AL - Von Braun
14 - Tampa, FL - David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
15 - Jacksonville, FL - Times Union Center for Performing Arts
16 - Gainesville, FL - Stephen C. O'Connell Center
17 - Orlando, FL - UCF Arena
18 - Melbourne, FL - King Center
21 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
22 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
24 - N. Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center
25 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Center
26 - Columbia, SC - Koger Center
28 - Roanoke, VA - Civic Center
29 - Norfolk, VA - Chrysler Hall

March 2012
2 - Raleigh, NC - Progress Energy Center
3 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
4 - Baltimore, MD - Hippodrome
6 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
9 - Boston, MA - Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theater
10 - Boston, MA - Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theater
11 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
13 - Syracuse, NY - Landmark Theatre
14 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre Albany
16 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
17 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Presents The Oakdale Theatre
18 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
20 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theater
21 - Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center
23 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
24 - Cincinnati, OH - Procter & Gamble Hall (Aronoff Center)
25 - West Lafayette, IN - Elliott Hall Of Music
27 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theatre
28 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre Columbus
30 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre
31 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre

April 2012
1 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
3 - Champaign, IL - Assembly Hall
4 - Kansas City, MO - Music Hall Kansas City
5 - Little Rock, AR - Robinson Center Music Hall
6 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
7 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
10 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
11 - St. Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theatre
12 - Wichita, KS - Century II Convention Center
14 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
15 - Baton Rouge, LA - Baton Rouge River Center Arena
16 - Houston, TX - Baton Rouge River Center Arena
18 - Denver, CO - Wells Fargo Theatre
19 - Salt Lake City, UT - EnergySolutions Arena
21 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
22 - Spokane, WA - INB Performing Arts Center
23 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
25 - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
27 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
28 - Los Angeles, CA - Nokia Theatre Live
29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Smith Center

Tool Plots Concerts In North America For February, March

Lately, the internet has been brimming with information and misinformation about the rock band Tool.

Let’s start with the misinformation, which for Tool fans is a bad news.

Tool is NOT in the studio recording material for a new album (their last release was 10,000 Days in 2006).  The rumor that they were firmly ensconced in laying down fresh tracks for a pending opus was started by their webmaster (typical webmaster prank).  The band was recording together but not as Tool.  They were in the studio working on a project belonging to drummer Danny Carey.

What is true, and great news for fans, is a Tool tour has been plotted for North America in 2012.

Tool’s upcoming concert dates had an inauspicious beginning.  Tickets to a pair of Tool shows were recently listed on Ticketmaster but they disappeared rather quickly.  Fortunately, a few days later the band announced plans for a month-long trek of the North America.

The tour gets underway Jan. 14 in Reno, Nevada at the Reno Events Center.  Their outing ends Feb. 8 in Duluth, Georgia at the Gwinnett Arena. 

Highlights of the band’s excursion are stops in Las Vegas, Toronto, and Boston.  A full itinerary is listed below.

Tool’s lead singer, Maynard James Keenan, won’t have much time to rest because his other band, Puscifer, kicks off a string of dates beginning Feb. 23 in Austin, Texas.  Puscifer’s jaunt concludes March 18 in Escondido, California. 

It’s interesting that Keenan has packed so many concerts into the first quarter of 2012.  After all, the former art student doesn’t like to travel.  That’s strange for a man who fronts three bands—Tool, Puscifer, and A Perfect Circle—but quite reasonable for a guy who, after leaving the army in the mid-1980s, had lived in more than half a dozen states.

If Keenan had his way he would perform just one night and have it simultaneously broadcasted, via holographic technology, to venues all over the country—Sony will have the technology ready in about eight years. 

Keenan explained his desire with tongue firmly planted in cheek but he does bring up a good point.  Musicians like Keenan are on the road for weeks at a time, away from their homes and families.  Yes, the travel is countered by gobs of money and adoring fans, but nothing can replace spending time with love ones and sleeping in your own bed. 

Obviously, the upside of being a rock star negates any sympathy but if you’re considering a career as a lead-singing-heart-throb or a guitar god you should be prepared for the tedium and loneliness that comes with living on the road.

Tool's 2012 Itinerary
>>Jan. 14 - Tool Tickets For Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
>>Jan. 15 - Tool Tickets For Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
>>Jan. 17 - Tool Tickets For Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Arena
>>Jan. 18 - Tool Tickets For Albuquerque, NM @ Tingley Coliseum
>>Jan. 20-21 - Tool Tickets For Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre
>>Jan. 24 - Tool Tickets For Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
>>Jan. 25 - Tool Tickets For Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
>>Jan. 26 - Tool Tickets For London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
>>Jan. 28 - Tool Tickets For Boston, MA @ TD Garden
>>Jan. 29 - Tool Tickets For Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
>>Jan. 31 - Tool Tickets For Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
>>Feb. 01 - Tool Tickets For East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
>>Feb. 06 - Tool Tickets For Sunrise, Florida @ Bank Atlantic Center
>>Feb. 07 - Tool Tickets For Orlando, Florida @ UCF Arena
>>Feb. 08 - Tool Tickets For Duluth, GA @ Gwinnett Arena

Tom Petty may be a classic rocker, but that doesn't mean he can't run in contemporary times. Petty recently participated in a Q&A session with fans on Twitter despite claiming that social media was, pretty much, the "end of the world. everybody has their head up their own ass. thinking their every breath is important."

Still, over the course of 90 minutes, we learned that Tom Petty's Buried Treasure Radio Show on SiriusXM will be back for another season; his side band, Mudcrutch, still has some life left in it; and a new album lies ahead, though it won't be out prior to the upcoming round of tour dates. Oh, and he loves a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The day before the Twitter session, a smattering of 2012 tour dates were announced for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Nine dates are set for North America with the rest going to Europe. The U.S. leg includes an appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 28.

It's Petty's first time at the Jazz Fest. In NOLA, the Heartbreakers will share the bill with the Eagles, Foo Fighters, Jill Scott, Bon Iver, Florence + the Machine, Feist, Iron and Wine, My Morning Jacket, Ne-Yo, and many others.

Before that, though, Tom Petty rocks Broomfield, Colorado, on April 19 to get things started. A hitch in the routing puts Petty in North Little Rock, Arkansas, two days later.

Then, the band doubles back to the Southwest as Tom Petty plays Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 24. After that, it's back across the plains where Petty hits Wichita, Kansas, on April 26 en route to New Orleans.

The day after the festival, Tom Petty heads to Alpharetta, Georgia, before ducking down into Florida for two dates. On May 1, Petty is in Estero followed by a stop in Orlando two days later.

The final play in the U.S. falls on May 5 with Tom Petty in Austin, Texas. Petty confessed on Twitter that the band only works for a couple of months each year, so fans shouldn't expect any more North American dates to be added to the itinerary.

Before it's all over and for the first time in his 35-year career, Petty will also play Halifax, Nova Scotia, (May 31) and St. John's, Newfoundland (June 3). Then, it's off to Europe with performances including the Norwegian Wood Festival in Oslo and the Isle of Wight Festival in the UK. Petty hasn't toured in Europe in 20 years.

At the Isle of Wight Festival, the Heartbreakers will be sharing the stage with Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band and Pearl Jam, among others. During the Twitterings, Petty mused, “I love the UK, very excited to come there in general. Wish we were playing more shows.”

It wasn't all about him, though. Petty was generous with his advice to aspiring musicians. When asked what he recommended for a practice amp, Petty replied, “Fender Princeton.” And, for a newbie songwriter, Petty's advice was simple: “Listen a lot.”

It's not enough that Coldplay’s latest and fifth album, Mylo Xyloto, topped the Billboard album charts and went platinum post-haste. No, the Brit rockers had to go ahead and top the charts in another 33 countries around the planet. That number means they have had the most number one ranks of any album release in 2011.

On the digital front, Coldplay did a wee bit better, claiming the top spot in all of 35 global iTunes stores and breaking their own record for most download sales in one week previously set by their 2008 Viva la Vida set.

Oh, but that was October. Now, in December, they added three Grammy nominations – “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” with two nods for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song, and “Paradise” for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The guys must hope that, on February 12, they'll nab at least one more trophy to add to their seven prior wins.

After that, though, it's all about the road. The North American dates have been split into two separate runs for Spring and Summer with seven UK stadium dates plugged in between. The first leg kicks off on April 17 in Edmonton, Alberta, and runs through May 2 with the second of two shows in Los Angeles, California, at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.

On May 29, Coldplay is in Foleshill, Coventry, at Ricoh Arena. Then, on June 1, 2, and 4, Coldplay fills London's Emirates Stadium with a Sunderland performance on June 7 and Manchester falling on June 9 and 10.

Returning from across the pond, Coldplay picks back up on June 22 in Dallas, Texas, and winds around until August 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It will be the band's first tour of the U.S. in three years.

For fans who can't wait that long to get a glimpse at the Chris Martin-fronted band, a first-ever, 90-minute New Year's Eve edition of Austin City Limits will air on December 31.

Before the year ends, though, the guys have a few more European shows to finish up. Coldplay rocks Berlin on December 21 with Frankfurt the night before.

Coldplay’s 2012 North American Tour Dates:
April 17 - Coldplay in Edmonton, AB at Rexall Place
April 18 - Coldplay in Calgary, AB at Scotiabank Saddledome
April 20 - Coldplay in Vancouver, BC at Rogers Arena
April 24 - Coldplay in Portland, OR at Rose Garden Arena
April 25 - Coldplay in Seattle, WA at KeyArena
April 27 - Coldplay in San Jose, CA at HP Pavilion At San Jose
May 1 - Coldplay in Los Angeles, CA at Hollywood Bowl
May 2 - Coldplay in Los Angeles, CA at Hollywood Bowl
June 22 - Coldplay in Dallas, TX at American Airlines Center
June 25 - Coldplay in Houston, TX at Toyota Center
June 28 - Coldplay in Tampa, FL at St. Pete Times Forum
June 29 - Coldplay in Miami, FL at American Airlines Arena
July 2 - Coldplay in Atlanta, GA at Philips Arena
July 5 - Coldplay in Philadelphia, PA at Wells Fargo Center
July 8 - Coldplay in Washington, DC at Verizon Center
July 23 - Coldplay in Toronto, ON at Air Canada Centre
July 26 - Coldplay in Montreal, QC at Bell Centre
July 29 - Coldplay in Boston, MA at TD Garden
August 3 - Coldplay in East Rutherford, NJ at Izod Center
August 7 - Coldplay in Chicago, IL at United Center
August 11 - Coldplay in St. Paul, MN at Xcel Energy Center