This 2010 concert season, Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl is going to see some fantastic concerts. There is something special about experiencing a live concert at this most venerated of outdoor venues. Some of the seating can be a little uncomfortable, but this outdoor amphitheatre makes the live music sound even more powerful and amazing. The following is a list of the top concerts planned for 2010:

Top Hollywood Bowl Shows:

• The Eagles Hollywood Bowl - 4/16 - 420/2010
• Peter Gabriel Hollywood Bowl Tickets - 5/7/2010
• James Taylor & Carole King Hollywood Bowl - 5/13/ - 5/15/2010
• Tom Petty Hollywood Bowl - 5/22/2010
• Sting Hollywood Bowl - 6/15/2010
• Dave Matthews Band Hollywood Bowl - 8/23/2010

Top 2010 Concert Tours

Depeche Mode—Tour of the Universe—For electronica music fans, Depeche Mode will continue their tour supporting their twelfth studio album Sounds of the Universe, released in April 2009.

Creed—They've been on tour in '09 and they are going to be on tour again in  2010.

Dave Matthews Band—DMB, as usual, will be on tour again 2010.

Alicia Keys—R&B singer Alicia Keys is now dominating the charts with her collaboration with Jay-Z on "Empire State of Mind." Alicia Keys starts to put together a tour for the 2010 late winter and early spring.

Bon Jovi—Jon Bon Jovi and the boys are touring again this year.

U2—The Irish super rock group will continue their extremely popular 360 Degrees tour in 2010 and will be back in the U.S in the summer.

Black Eyed Peas—See BEP live in concert. Fergie and the Will.I.am are gonna get the feelin' going.

Jimmy Buffett—Buffett is planning a full-scale "Buffet Hotel" tour for 2010 and intends to start the year in Australia and the Pacific Rim.

Carrie Underwood—American Idol winner and country music singing sensation plans to tour in 2010.

Peter Gabriel—See Peter Gabriel live in concert in select European and U.S. cities and catch his new orchestral-only covers album, "Scratch My Back."

The Who—Roger Daltry and Pete Townshend tour again!

Paul McCartney—It's a rumor that sir Paul McCartney will be going on one last big tour.

Mariah Carey Announces 'Angels Advocate' 2010 Tour Dates

 
from http://www.americansuperstarmag.com
 
 
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Mariah Carey has announced plans for her first major concert tour in three years.
 
The pop diva will embark on a national "Angels Advocate" trek beginning Dec. 31 at New York's Madison Square Garden. Along the way, the two-month long concert run will stop in 19 cities, ending Feb. 27
at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas.
 
The tour's opening act will be RydazNrtist, a new R&B group signed to Credible Entertainment, the label of Carey's husband, Nick Cannon.
 
Presale tickets will be available for members of Honey B. Fly, the official Carey fan club, for all show dates. Mariah Carey tickets for most of the tour will go on sale Dec. 19.
 
The "Angels Advocate" run is the first major tour by Carey since 2006's "Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour." It is in support of Carey's latest album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
 
Earlier this week, Carey debuted the music video for her new single, "H.A.T.E.U."

Among the large cities Mariah will be visiting on this tour include Chicago, Boston, and Toronto.

ClickitTicket's Top Twenty Best Music Review Blogs

You probably don't listen to the radio much anymore. With your portable MP3 player and your satellite radio you never get a chance to hear the local deejay spin the latest and greatest record. So how do you find out about new music? Well, you can always check out the blogosphere. To help you sift through the multitudes of music-related websites we have made a list of the top 20 music review blogs. After visiting these sites you'll want to buy so much new music that you might need to get a MP3 player with more memory. 

We used a number of important criteria to rank the blogs including Technorati ratings, website age, Alexa rankings (measures the site's traffic), unique information offered, how frequently updated and a number of other factors as well including our own personal opinions. We spent extensive time and effort researching sites and believe this list will guide many people to the music information they're looking for. Definitely take your time to go through all these, it will be worth your time. Bookmark this page as well.

And the winners are . . .

1. Pampelmoose Music - Pampelmoose Music is indie at heart and they show it with their expert reviews and thoughtful commentary.
2. The Music Slut - A little brazen and a little risqué (NSFW) but worth it. TMS has a lot of great album reviews and music videos.
3. Just Like Music - A bright and energetic site that's easy to read. Our favorite part is the recommendations at the end of every review.
4. Too Much Happiness - The best aspect of this informative blog is sample mp3s from the albums they review.
5. The Decibel Tolls - The Decibel Tolls features plenty of well written reviews as well as "off center music solutions."
6. A New Band A Day - This site has a great look and feel to it. We really enjoy the menu that utilizes images of old school cassette tapes.
7. Randomville - Randomville is "killing indie creed one reader at a time." Don't know what that means but they do have poignant reviews and a plethora of music samples.
8. Indie Rock Café - A very professional site that's the place to go for everything indie music.
9. Spinning Platters - A bunch of Bay Area nerds have banded together to create a fascinating blog about their local music scene.
10. love shack, baby - Focusing on the Chicago indie music scene, love shack, baby is a well written and informative blog.
11. Slowcoustic - Slowcoustic reviews Americana/alt-country/folk/indie/down-tempo music. It's a nice site with a very relaxing layout.
12. The Music Ninja - A bright blog that reviews independent music from the past and present. The site contains lots of music samples
13. Pot Holes In My Blog - Their name is a take on De La Soul's “Potholes In My Lawn.” This blog expertly reviews a plethora of hip hop music.
14. Everybody Taste - A very unique site that is built on the principle that music is meant to be shared.
15. Hear Ya - A sleek blog that cuts through the clutter of indie music to give you honest and worthwhile reviews.
16. Deckfight - They bill themselves as "indie rock & lit with a southeast bent." Deckfight has a clean, simple layout that's inviting and easy to read.
17. Twang Nation - A well written and sagacious blog about country music, alt-country, roots music and Americana.
18. Atlanta Music Guider - You may not live in Atlanta, but they review the same musical acts that are headed to your town. A great resource for music lovers of all kind.
19. Music Zeitgeist - A serious and hardworking blog dedicated to indie music.
20. Quirky NY Chick - Yes this site is quirky and yes it's written by a chick, but it also has tons of reviews and news. If that wasn't enough, it's a great place to visit for news about the live music scene in NYC.

You've obviously noticed that most of these blogs focus on the independent music scene. The reason for this is simple, and in a way, quite sad. You can post independent music on your website without the fear of a cadre of lawyers knocking at your door. Unlike their mainstream counterparts, indie artists want their music heard and shared. With that being said, make sure to support your local independent music scene whenever you can.



Top concerts: Phish Tickets | Taylor Swift Tickets | Bon Jovi Tickets | Jay-Z Tickets | Lady Gaga Tickets | Star Wars in Concert Tickets | Radio City Christmas Tickets | Springsteen Tickets | Kelly Clarkson Tickets | Jimmy Buffett Tickets | Leonard Cohen Tickets

When the rock group Paramore first hit the scene, I shook my head in dismay about another young band’s sudden role in the limelight, cast as the next greatest thing in music. I mean, I get the appeal. Lead singer Hayley Williams is adorable with her shocking red-pink-orange hair and her angst-ridden voice. The other three guys in the group are nice to look at it, too and have immense talent on their various instruments. However, Hayley is really the star of the show, which means that this group is bound to go through a similar situation as groups like No Doubt.

If you will recall, No Doubt went through various trials and tribulations because lead singer and ultimate hot chick Gwen Stefani got so much attention and the guys kind of got shoved to the background, because well, she is gorgeous and they are just regular dudes that happen to be talented. Paramore has already started to experience similar growing pains and it remains to be seen as to whether or not they can weather it.

They have a lot to fight for. They have already been nominated for a Grammy after only being on the rock scene for four years. Their second album, Riot, went platinum in the U.S. and gold in the UK. They are in the process of promoting their third album, Brand New Eyes, which will be released in September.  They are touring support of the album, with a Paramore San Francisco tour stop and a Toronto Paramore show. They are also taking it down south with an Atlanta Paramore tour stop and a Paramore Orlando show.

However, they have already had some signs that the pressure of having Williams as their lead singer might prove to be too much. A few magazine pieces that focused more on their lead singer with the other members of Paramore in the background caused some tension in the group. Then, upon sitting down together last year to begin to write new music for their upcoming album, they found themselves in the midst of tension and unspoken division. However, they decided to talk about it instead of letting it fester and Brand New Eyes was born. Paramor
While the process was tough, it was necessary to allow the group to get over the hump. For the moment, it appears that they have. The first single “Ignorance” is hard-hitting and the video is devoid of the gimmicky styling, the appearance of Williams before and in lieu of everyone else and the dark, scowling vibes. The group appears to be united; however, it remains to be seen as to whether they can stay that way.

In fact, the entire album was written with the group’s struggles in mind, which makes the songs honest, gritty and real. This is the stuff that sells albums because it reflects the emotions that people experience every day. Pain. Emotion. Jealousy. Separateness. Anger. All of that and more.

I, and other fans, will be watching to see if Paramore can in fact navigate through the waters of an industry that is just waiting to see them break up under the pressure. So far, they are hanging in there and Paramore fans everywhere are hoping they will be able to maintain their united front for the foreseeable future.

As summer nears and bands kickstart their warm weather tours, Incubus is no different.  Vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Michael Einziger, drummer Jose Pasillas II, bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore are packing up and heading out on a 31-city tour of the United States.

Their tour, celebrating the release of their two-disc collection “Monuments and Melodies” (scheduled to drop June 16) begins July 9 in San Diego California.  Along the way Incubus will stop in Las Vegas (July 11), Chicago (July 21) and Cleveland (July 29).

“Monuments and Melodies” is more than just a greatest hits compilation.  While the first disc features 13 of Incubus’ hits, including four #1s, the second disc features 3 new tracks and 11 rare recordings—one rumored to be a cover of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”

This is not the first time a band has released a disc of top singles, paired with a disc of rare/unreleased tracks, covers, and perhaps even concert footage. No Doubt, who is currently touring, released a similar fan package in 2003.

Incubus fans get an even bigger treat.  When purchasing “Monuments and Melodies,” fans will also get access to “The Vault,” a new section on the band’s official website.  This will allow fans to view over 500 rare and unreleased videos, mp3s, and photograph.

The East coast leg of the tour starts in August, including shows in Boston (August 1), New York (August 4 and 5), Charlotte (August 12), and Miami (August 16).  The tour ends August 25, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Incubus recently released their album’s first new video single, “Black Heart Inertia.”  While the video itself achieves nothing all that creative or envelope-pushing—the basic premise involves a production assistant (played by Boyd) getting thrust in front of the camera as the leading man after he spills coffee on the intended actor (also played by Boyd).  It’s a music video concept that is tired and a bit boring; the video’s plot almost overshadows the music with its mediocrity.  Luckily, however, the music pulls the band through an otherwise mundane visual experience.  The video is of course at its best when it features Incubus doing what they’re made to do—playing a song, rocking out, and entertaining their audience.  Their sound is still familiar, still inherently Incubus, but evolving enough to attract new listeners while still engaging lifelong fans.

The video for “Black Heart Inertia” reconfirms perhaps the most important thing about Incubus’ upcoming tour—they still rock.  The sounds are fluid and evocative and all indicators are still pointing to Boyd as a great frontman.  Whether you see them jamming in Los Angeles or Toronto, fans will be a part of a musical experience they won’t soon forget.

While there are already millions of reasons to visit Las Vegas—concerts, casinos, a chance for general debauchery—the Wynn Las Vegas has given travelers one more reason to make the journey: Cirque Du Soleil’s show Le Reve.  Exclusively at Wynn Las Vegas, La Reve expands on the aquatic section so popular in their show O. 

This aquatic masterpiece, which also includes Cirque Du Soleil’s trademark aerial acrobatics, is performed in a “theater-in-the-round,” a circular stage surrounded by audience seating.  Le Reve, French for “the dream,” depicts the Lord of Dreams and his Sandman-like interactions with a man.  Easily one of Cirque Du Soleil’s most erotic shows, Le Reve bathes the audience in sensuality and mysticism. While those unfamiliar with Cirque Du Soleil’s performances may be uncomfortable with the provocative nature of the show, Le Reve is neither explicit nor abrasive.  Instead the cast, made up of 85 people, take the audience on a journey of visual wonder.

I have never been a fan of interpretive dance or experimental theater.  While I enjoy more than merely mindless entertainment, I generally enjoy cohesive performances that don’t leave me with the question, “What just happened?”  I do, however, like to be impressed.  First timers will get a kick out of the gravity-defying acts and those familiar with Cirque Du Soleil’s work will be wowed yet again by Le Reve’s fetes of strength, agility, flexibility, and grace. 

Yes, La Reve may not be the most conventional show, but what else would you expect from the combination of Cirque Du Soleil and Las Vegas?  It is a trippy show that suits the Vegas strip perfectly.  You’ll leave feeling a little confused, a little shocked, and wildly entertained.

Here is the thing for me about American Idol: I always kind of think that the judges --- and for the most part, America --- have no clue what they are doing. It seems to me like the best singers on the show --- or at least those that have the best shot at real celebrity-style stardom --- go home in the third, fourth or fifth round.

This is why I was disappointed to see Matt Girbaud get eliminated after the judges instituted the first save in the history of the show. I mean Matt was smoking hot --- just like a jazzy version of Justin Timberlake. And that whole jazz bit was sexy, probably because it wasn’t cheesy and overdone and well…no one else is doing it.

Now, we are left with Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Danny Gokey. They are all good. They can all sing and perform their hips off. But I have to say that there is one remaining Idol competitor that has me still watching and that is the ever faaaaaabulous Adam. Ok, I admit that part of my reasoning for wanting to see Adam walk away a winner is because I think it would be cool to have a gay Idol (assuming he is gay which of course I don't know for sure one way or the other, but I think he is).

And, I think part of his appeal is the fact that he dances to the beat of his own drum and just puts it all out there. I like people who are real enough and unafraid enough to take some chances. He has really shown that he not only has the vocal chops to make it in the industry, but also he has the showmanship needed to put on a pretty darn good show. I enjoy watching him sashay across the stage in a manner that rivals any of the current divas in the industry.

I could so see Adam on the summer tour that inevitably follows after the season, cultivating a huge following for American Idol Boston, American Idol L.A. and American Idol Philadelphia shows, as well the other stops on the American Idol tour. Moreover, I think his presence so high in the top ten will encourage other openly gay performers to pursue this opportunity without the need to conform when American Idol kicks back up next season.

Allison would be the next in line for my vote and I like her punk edge. But it seems contrived to me at times, which is why she’s okay, but she doesn’t excite me. And I definitely just don’t see the superstar power in those other two duds.

What it boils down to is that if Adam gets the boot, I will probably tune in to the Law & Order re-runs, until it’s time to watch the next round of hopefuls next season because the truth is, I won’t be able to stomach Simon’s nails-on-a-chalkboard British accent and musical mediocrity.

Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith recently announced they are going on tour with non other than ZZ Top, the long-bearded rockers of the 80's. The tour is sponsored by Guitar Hero, the video game. (I am not a big fan of Guitar Hero because I think it teaches kids that the easy way out, or faking it, may be a good way to go. Alternately, I think kids who like Guitar Hero should actually pick up a REAL guitar and practice! I did it for years and it is not that hard, and a lot more fullfilling to boot!)

Getting back to the Aerosmith and ZZ Top tour, it begins June 10 in St. Louis and runs through Septempber 16 in Detroit. ZZ Top will not play in the first two shows, in St. Louis and on June 13 in East Troy, Wisconsin, and a third act will be announced for the August 28 Chicago date.

Tyler Perry said they have 40 dates already booked.

The Aerosmith/ZZ Top Tour:

June 10: St. Louis (without ZZ Top)
June 13: East Troy, Wisc. (without ZZ Top)
June 16: Boston
June 21: Washington, D.C.
June 24: Pittsburgh
June 26: Wantagh, N.Y.
June 28: Uncasville, Conn.
July 1: Cincinnati
July 3: Hershey, Pa.
July 5: Virginia Beach, Va.
July 7: Raleigh, N.C.
July 9: Charlotte, N.C.
July 11: Tampa,
July 13: Ft. Lauderdale
July 15: Atlanta
July 17: Houston
July 19: Dallas
July 25: Las Vegas
July 27: Phoenix
July 30: Tulsa
Aug 1: Denver
Aug 17: Seattle
Aug 19: Concord, Calif.
Aug 23: Irvine, Calif.
Aug 28: Chicago
Aug 30: Indianapolis
Sept 1: Kansas City, Mo.
Sept 3: Toronto
Sept 5: Ottawa
Sept 8: St. Paul, Minn.
Sept 10: Cleveland
Sept 12: Holmdel, N.J.
Sept 16: Detroit

View All Aerosmith Tickets

Andrea Bocelli, a Household Name That I've Never Heard of

He's  6'1" tall, blind and was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998. Andrea Bocelli, born in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. it is safe to say Andrea Bocelli is a superstar. But I'll be honest, I've never heard of him until very recently.

Bocelli's style is hard to pin down. He is classical, pop and opera tenor singer, writing albums and performing in all three genres. And he has become an icon in the classical crossover genre. An icon. Meanwhile, he remained elsuive to me. And I imagine this is the case for a lot of Americans my age. It reminds me of something I call it the soccer phenomenon. When Americans offer up evidence of a lack of knowledge regarding things outisde their borders, I call it the  soccer phenomenon.

Although soccer is the most popular sport in the world by far, it barely registers on the American sports-o-meter. It's so bad that we don't even call it football like the rest of the world. Instead, we call it soccer because the name football was already taken by a uniquely American sport, NFL football. You know, the kind with the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys. This is particularly silly because American NFL has the players touching the ball with their feet about 2% of the time!

It's the same with Andrea Bocelli. Although he's a superstar in many of the countries in the West, I had never heard of him till very recently.

Bocelli studied under two stars in their own right and his association with them is what initially launched him into stardom. The Italian rock singer Zucchero Fornaciari auditioned tenors to record a demo version of "Miserere," which he had co-written with U2's Bono. Successfully passing the audition, Bocelli recorded the tune as a duet with Pavarotti, and subsequently became close friends with Luciano Pavarotti.

And he is slowly but surely getting more popular in the U.S., due in large part to touring. And Andrea is hitting the road in the U.S. this year. The tour kicks off on June 5th with Andrea at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and continues a limited engagement across major venues in the U.S. You'll be able to see Bocelli at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles or experience Bocelli at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bocelli's new tour is in support of his acclaimed Decca/Sugar disc, Incanto. Shop for Andrea Bocelli tickets here.

Besides, L.A. and NYC, you could catch Bocelli at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia or see Bocelli at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX.

The tour will showcase his songs from the new album and older favorites. The Incanto tour is a personal tribute to the great musical traditions of his homeland and an homage to the great tenors he admires. "These songs have been part of my life since I was a child," says Bocelli, "pop singers as well as operatic tenors have measured themselves against this repertoire." Highlights of the tour will include, "Because", "Mamma", "Granada" and "Funiculi Funicula" among many others.

Now that I've done a little research I feel like I am all up to speed with the rest of the world and know all about Andrea Bocelli. Now all I need to do is hear his music.

Spam in a Can, Spam an Email, Spam a Lot

I remember when I was a child and would gather around the big television with my family in the living room and watch a Monty Python movie.  My dad and brothers loved John Cleese, Graham Chapman and the rest of the guys. There were a few movies that were our favorites that we watched over and over again when they came on. One of the classics of course is Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

I'll never forget laughing along with my dad and brothers at the scene where one of the guys gets each appendage cut off one by one in a sword fight all the while saying in his thick British accent, "C'mon, let's keep fighting, it's merely a flesh wound!"

In case you never heard of Monty Python (although I would be surprised if there were more than just a few people left in the Western world who haven't), here's what Wikipedia says about them:

Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is a group of six comedians who created Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on October 5, 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series. The Python phenomenon developed from the television series into something larger in scope and impact, spawning touring stage shows, films, numerous albums, several books and a stage musical, and launching the members to individual stardom. The group's influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles' influence on music. Read full Wikipedia entry

The Holy Grail was adapted for the stage recently. This new musical, called Monty Python's Spamalot was written by Idle directed by Mike Nichols, with music and lyrics by John Du Prez and Idle, and starring Hank Azaria, Tim Curry, and David Hyde Pierce. The Obviously a twist on the name Camelot, but not so obviously including a word that is disgusting in the can as it is in your inbox. I'm not sure which one they're referring to in the name, the food or the unsolicited email, but either works.

It first opened in Chicago and then moved to Broadway on 17 March 2005 after becoming a huge hit in the Windy City. It is still playing on Broadway today at the Shubert Theatre. So far it's won three tonys.

Spamalot is one of the few elite musicals that has been such a success that it now tours across North America. Currently or in the next few months you can see Spamalot in San Francisco, Spamalot in Los Angeles, in Denver and Spamalot in Denver to name a few of the cities. You can actually see Spamalot in Anchorage, Alaska this month!