Every now and then, a song comes along that sticks with you, no matter how hard you try to get it out of your hear. I can remember when California rock outfit Train released their single “Drops of Jupiter.” That song stuck with me for a looooong time, probably because you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing it. And it is the song they have become most well-known for, even years after its initial release.



The Grammy-award winning band is headed out on the road this fall, touring in support of its new album, Save Me. One of things that have always worked in the favor of this group is the fact that, while they may aspire to be a rock band, they actually fit quite nicely in the adult contemporary niche. This fact might serve them well when they go out on tour as this is the audience with the disposable income to buy tickets for the concerts.

This tour promises to be a successful one that will likely bring the band new fans as Save Me is a throwback to the early days of the group. In fact, the original line-up is present for this one, including lead singer Pat Monahan, drummer Scott Underwood and guitarist Jimmy Stafford.

The 25-city Train tour runs until December, with special guest Uncle Cracker (also a rocker who found fame in the adult contemporary industry with his hit “Follow Me”). Stops include a Train Orlando concert, a Train Portland tour stop, and a jaunt down to Texas for a Train Houston show. Fans in Georgia can get Train Atlanta tickets and the group will also make a stop in the Windy City for a Chicago Train show.  

If a reliable, fun-loving concert is what you are looking for this fall, then the Save Me tour might be your best bet. Train is known for putting on a simple, yet entertaining, show and the music is always catchy enough to compensate for whatever lack of bells and whistles are missing during the actual show.

The interesting thing about watching hockey is that the fans are every bit as rabid, devoted and loud as those found at NFL and NBA games. If you are an outsider to this sport, you might not understand the passion hockey fans have for their particular team; however, for those that watch the sport with regularity (include those fans that never miss a game), there is precious little as exciting as the start of the season. And the season has certainly started with a bang! Here are the three teams I am watching so far:

Buffalo Sabres
The big story for the Buffalo Sabres has a name: Ryan Miller. The organization is boasting one of the best goalies in the league this season in Miller. With 0.98 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and a 2-0-1 records following three starts, USA Today lists Miller as the top goalie in their biweekly power rankings.

The Sabres’ general manager, Darcy Regier, has said that it is the combination of Miller’s staunch stance on perfecting his craft in the sport, with an intense focus on goaltending, and his willingness to work hard, propels him forward as one of the sport’s top players.

The Sabres team is looking good and will have to fight tooth-and-nail for a playoff spot; however, with the team currently have in place, the chances are good. It should be noted that they won a spot in the playoffs last season, only to have Miller injure his ankle, causing the team to miss the postseason.

However, if the team does well this season and Miller continues to shine, he will also have a shot of making Team USA at the Vancouver Olympic Games.

Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes fans and sports analysts alike had high hopes for this team, heading into the 2009-10 season. However, the team has shown a great deal of inconsistency that might prove to be its downfall as the season progresses. While team is 2-3, which isn’t a horrible place to be, there have been more downs than ups and combined with a tough schedule, this doesn’t bode well for die-hard fans or the Hurricanes organization.

The team lost its first two games, with the first being a shut-out, thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers. It came back (though barely) for its third game against Tampa Bay and fourth game against the Florida Panthers. Then, Tampa Bay came knocking for revenge and the Hurricanes one again gave in to mediocrity in their third loss of the season.

It is worth noting that only four power play goals have been scored in the face of many, many chances, which is almost an exact repeat of last year. This team is going to have to tighten up and regain some focus if there is to be any improvement this season.

Calgary Flames
When the Calgary Flames played the Chicago Blackhawks, I am sure many Chicago fans thought the game to be almost poetic. After all, the Flames had scored five goals scored IN A ROW. The Chicago fans were rooted to their seats, unable to believe the Flames were dominating so boldly.

And then, out of nowhere, there Blackhawks took back the crowd – and the game, coming back to overpower the Flames with a victory in overtime. This really was one for the record books (Chicago set the record for the biggest comeback in franchise history), but in a not-so-favorable way for Calgary.

The team is feeling a tad disheartened and rightfully so. They fell again, this time to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the next night. Flames head coach Brent Sutter went on the record to say: “It's unacceptable the way we're playing.”

Not only is this unacceptable, but it is also a somewhat surprising, given the strong start of the team as the opened the season winning four games straight. It also doesn’t help that team captain Jarome Iginla has had a less-than-stellar start to the season, as well, racking up one assist on an empty-net goal, and four minutes in penalties. Like many, I had high hopes for this team this season, but I am not quite as convinced; they seem as though they might be coming apart at the seams, a bit.

When it comes to different styles of music, there are certain genres that probably have appeal to just about everybody and others that require a more diverse and sophisticated musical palate. Classic rock falls into the first for me, probably because the music is so raw. I can still remember the first time I heard Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” when I was 14 and I have loved it ever since.

The song was so upbeat, melodious and I just loved the grit of Morrison’s voice. Van Morrison has been around for quite some time and still continues to tour even today. In fact, from Van Morrison Las Vegas gigs to other shows around the country, he is still courting new fans and delighting old ones with songs that many of us grew up on. Moreover, Morrison has worked with some of the best musicians in the entire industry, with my personal favorite being his collabos with blues legend John Lee Hooker.

In fact, the inclusion of blues, jazz, classical and hard rock is why classic rock tends to have such a strong presence, which often comes together to create a real, raw, deep sound --- the kind that makes you feel as though every song is reflecting the complete range of emotions in your life.

I think more than anything this is the appeal of classic rock. Similar to old school R&B, whatever the band in question was singing about, you could really feel it through their voice. Other bands that are consider pioneers of the classic rock genre include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Doobie Brothers, Jethro Tull, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steve Miller Band and many, many others. This list of amazing classic rock artists is far from comprehensive and simply reflects my favorites and a few of the ones I think had the most profound effect on the industry. It should also be noted that The Allman Brothers Band is another group that is the embodiment of classic rock.

Whenever you see a live Allman Brothers show, it’s as if you are in the midst of a regular old jam session and you are going to get to witness something really amazing come out of it. This kind of kinship with fans is just the kind of vibe that most classic rock groups and artists court.

The Allman Brothers Band has had some of the craziest trials and tribulations throughout their storied career, but even with band members coming and going, switching out here and there and being substituted on top of substituted, the band never seems to lose its cohesiveness and ability to bring that great classic rock sound to everything they do.

In fact, the group is on tour yet again. The group continues to draw on the talent, experience and passion for music that has kept a group like the Allman Brothers on tour all these years later and fans continuing to fill venues to see them. Some might say that it is this determination and love for the music that keeps true classic rock alive, even after all of these years.

More Allman Bros. Shows:

• Allman Brothers Band Hartford Tickets
• Allman Brothers Band Hollywood Tickets
• Allman Brothers Red Rocks concert
• Allman Brothers Band Knoxville Tickets
• Allman Brothers Band Mansfield Tickets
• Allman Brothers Band Nashville Tickets
• Allman Brothers Band Raleigh Tickets

More Van Morrison Shows:

• Van Morrison Chicago Tickets
• Van Morrison Las Vegas Tickets
• Van Morrison Mashantucket Tickets
• Van Morrison Montreal Tickets
• Van Morrison New York Tickets
• Van Morrison Toronto Tickets
• Van Morrison Waterbury Tickets

 

I admit that while I am a fan of just about any type of music, I have never been really into the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I mean, I get the concept: a rock orchestra that makes classical music sound “cool.”

I guess I have just always thought it was a little “too” much when it comes to the mixing of the genres. It’s almost like an abstract painting and I don’t know where to look first because there are so many colors and shapes on the canvas. The only difference is that it’s my ears, the colors are sounds and it just comes off as kind of draining to hear this group, particularly live.

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (or TSO) was founded in 1996. The group incorporates progressive rock, heavy metal and symphonic metal and intersperses all three genres with classical music, mostly holiday stuff. The end result sounds a bit like Beethoven on speed, if you ask me. They usually do Christmas music, with three of the group’s four albums being holiday-themed, which happens to be their best-selling and most popular body of work.

The name of the group comes from the Trans-Siberian Railway, located in Russia, which according to the one of the founding members, connects many isolated cultures that would remain that way without the Railway. He likens to this the group’s music and it’s blending of such vastly different genres.

Again, I get the concept; I am just not sure how well it works for actual listening purposes.

When the TSO does a studio album, they do it big with a 60-piece orchestra and full choir. In fact, in the last few years, when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra goes on tour, they bring along 14 vocalists, 14 musicians and at least two narrators; all of which makes for quite a show. Their set actually takes about 15 hours just to set up, if that gives you any idea of how elaborate their stage really is.

The TSO is also known for a very elaborate stage show, with lots of lights and pyro (hey, everyone loves fire, right?), all in perfect coordination with the actual music.

The group is preparing to hit the road again to the delight of their many fans. Some of the notable cities they'll be performing in include a Las Vegas stop, a TSO San Diego concert and a Pittsburg Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour stop as well. And the tour will end in Nashville, TN on January 3, 2010 and Columbus, OH on January 3, 2010! How can they be at two places simultaneously?

It’s a little known fact that there are usually two different TSO groups touring around the holidays, which is the Orchestra’s biggest time of year since so much of their repertoire is holiday-oriented. TSO East and TSO West tour simultaneously, to ensure that enough different U.S. cities get an opportunity to see the group in action.

I have always been a huge fan of hip-hop artist and actor Mos Def. His brand of rap is the type I prefer and I could always tell that he appreciated music in its entirety and not just the money, cash and you-know-what that comes with being a superstar.

Since the inception of his career, Mos Def has made music to reflect the times in which we live. In fact, Mos Def is not at all different from the likes of Marvin Gaye or other musicians that understood fully the true purpose of music: to reflect the society --- and all of its components --- in which we live.

So, I was definitely psyched to see him going on the road this year because he always puts on an awesome show. He’s not at all like other hip-hop artists, who think that a great concert means putting 50 people on stage, all of which are spouting out gibberish and bouncing around the stage like hyenas, thinking they are giving fans their money’s worth.

His shows are like his albums: a mix of live music (like, with a band type of live music), poetry, deep thought and of course, spectacular vocal stylings. Mos can put words together and mix metaphors like no one else in the game.

Mos Def’s Ecstatic Tour is different and amazing. In fact, one needs only to look at his opening acts to see this: Jay Electronica, Medina Green and Erykah Badu are all slipping in and out of various dates. This is what I mean: no typical rap line-up and no typical R&B openers; Mos has always liked to mix it up and it’s that willingness to take risks that makes him so appealing to fans like me.

Mos is touring in support of his latest album, The Ecstatic, which is a mix of jazz, blues, Eastern rhythm, poetry, Spanish-language quasi pop and psychedelia, according to the Washington Post.  It has gotten positive reviews from critics and fans alike, which is why turn out to his shows has been phenomenal thus far. There will be a Mos Def Philadelphia tour stop as well as jaunts in Hollywood, Oakland, Atlanta, Boston and more.

One of the dates fans are most excited for actually happens post-tour. A Mos Def Austin City Limits Music Festival appearance is slated for October and will be nothing short of incredible. This festival features some of the most progressive, talented minds in the industry, so an Austin City Limits Music Festival Mos Def concert makes sense and will be awesome.

It must feel pretty cool to be able to tell someone that you are playing a concert to bring peace to the Middle East. I mean, really, how often can a musician, or anybody, say that? Apparently, now Leonard Cohen can. He can now add to his vast repertoire that he is playing a concert in September to help advance the cause for peace in this war-torn region. After all, this is a feat that it doesn’t seem as though God himself could perform; but Leonard Cohen is gonna give it a shot.  As if the guy hasn’t got enough on his extensive resume.

Cohen will perform a benefit show for Palestinian and Israeli peace groups at a stadium close to Tel Aviv. Tickets to Leonard Cohen are a hot commodity, selling out in less than 24 hours. Even with ticket prices reaching into the low hundreds, fans turned out in droves not only to be a part of this piece of musical activism, but also to hear one of the greatest musicians in modern history perform after an absence from the stage that spanned more than a decade.

Cohen is a Canadian legend, mastering more than one entertainment genre, with accolades in singing, songwriting, poetry, fiction and more. His fans have remained loyal throughout the years, a credit to his ability to reach a wide audience of music-lovers of all genres.  Cohen’s last performance in Israel was in 1975; he was also there in 1973 to entertain Israeli troops during the Mideast war.

Some of Cohen’s Palestinian fans asked the musician to cancel his Israeli gig, citing the presence of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip late last year. This is where the idea was generated to donate proceeds from the concert to both Palestinian and Israeli peace groups.

This is even more impressive given the turmoil that Cohen has experienced, after his manager of many years was essentially accused of milking him dry and leaving him nothing for his twilight years, even after such a long time in the music industry. In fact, Cohen is doing a fair amount of touring this year to try to recoup some of his losses, since he reportedly won’t be able to get much of it back from his ongoing dispute with his former manager.

Fans couldn’t be more thrilled to see this legend on stage, however, and in addition to his popularity overseas, his American fans are showing up in to get the much-sought after tickets to his concert dates.

Tickets are going just as fast for Cohen’s stateside shows, with Leonard Cohen Atlanta tour tickets selling out as well as Leonard Cohen Nashville tickets, which are also going fast. Fans in North Carolina will delight in a Durham Leonard Cohen concert as will Cohen fans at the Philadelphia Cohen show.

Bruce Springsteen is one of those artists that appear to always be on tour. This could because he has such a phenomenal fan following or it could just be because he truly loves what he does. Either way, I always love older artists that can still put on a great show and The Boss definitely can.

One of his fall shows is going to be the final show at Giants Stadium. This is so fitting since Springsteen is the stuff of legend in New Jersey. He came from small potatoes to make it to the top of the heap in the music industry and he has a firm grip on his place in musical history. There aren’t many artists that can boast this kind of industry longevity, particularly those that can’t be pigeonholed into one musical category or another.

This is, in fact, what is so appealing about Bruce Springsteen and his music. It’s all over the place and fans love it. One minute he’s blues; the next, he’s rock; the next, he’s folk; you never know which side of Springsteen you are going to get and fans like me love that. It keeps us interested and always coming back for more to see what The Boss is going to do next, musically speaking.  He even gets me involved with that whole “Hip Hip Hooray for America” vibe that serves the undercurrent in much of his music.

He is going to play a whole slew of shows around the country this fall from Bruce Springsteen New York concert stops to a Springsteen Seattle show.  In fact, he is even going international with a Springsteen Philadelphia tour stop and a Springsteen show in Cleveland, OH as well.

His musical talent, good looks and awesome show is the reason that these fall shows will likely sell out quickly. The Boss is called just that for a reason and he is known for putting on such an amazing live performance. Okay, and the fact that he is still physically attractive (for a 60-year-old guy) doesn’t hurt, either. As long as The Boss continues to perform, fans can be assured there is still a place in today’s musical climate for some feel-good, finger-poppin’ music with a message.

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When it comes to reality television shows, rarely do I have any real expectations for anything with substance on any of them. After all, we know by now that no matter what the theme of the show from challenges of physical endurance to showing off dancing chops to rearing children, the undercurrent of the show is always about the drama.

So, you can imagine how unexpectedly surprised and touched I was by a recent episode of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). In case you have been living under a rock lately, this show pairs together contestants to learn various routines each week and perform them in front of a group of judges. They are all vying for the $250,000 prize and bragging rights as “America’s Favorite Dancer.” Moreover, this show gives the top 10 (in American Idol fashion) a chance to embark on a national tour. There are several major city stops, including SYTYCD Los Angeles, SYTYCD Detroit and a So You Think You Can Dance Boston stop. It even crosses into Canada with So You Think You Can Dance Toronto shows. The entire tour is put together to highlight their talent to scouts around the country, from SYTYCD Charlotte to SYTYCD Minneapolis to a So You Think You Can Dance Miami stop.

In a recent episode of SYTYCD, Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi did a dance that served as showcased a woman’s journey through the gut-wrenching torment of breast cancer. The dance was choreographed by Tyce Diorio and was carried out with so much depth and emotion that it made this staunch reality-show junkie choke up with emotion.

Even the judges, including the seemingly-emotionless, ever British Nigel Lythgoe, were overcome with the emotion of the moment.

The message behind the dance had everything to do with overcoming and hanging on to your hope and spirit to deliver you through such a devastating and frightening situation. The moving part was that this message was never conveyed through spoken word; it was the power of the danced that expressed all of this and more. And what a poignant subject to portray as breast cancer is such a significant cause for people around the world.

Sandvig and Obayomi brought so much life to Diorio’s choreography; in fact, anyone watching that might have been on the fence about this show was probably easily won over as a permanent fan.

I know, for me, it reminded me of why I watch some of these shows. It gave us one glimpse, beyond the drama (that I admit I love), of realness; just people trying to do something better for themselves or for someone else; trying to reach some seemingly unattainable goal or portray a passion of some sort, be it their own or someone else’s. They just happen t have the vehicle (TV) to do it in front of the rest of us. But the quest is what resonates with all of us because we are all on it, it just isn’t televised.

I was already a fan before, but that performance put SYTYCD in different bracket for me; where it was something I would “maybe” watch before, depending on what else was on, it has now become a show I don’t want to miss. I want to see it just in case there is another performance as beautiful as the one Diorio coordinated for Sandvig and Obayomi.

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For the record, I think Kathy Griffin is absolutely fabulous! I loved her back when she first got really famous in Suddenly Susan, the Brooke Shields sitcom.

This has a lot to do with the fact that I love anyone that’s so sarcastic and outspoken and boy, is she ever! I mean really, what’s not to love: she’s pretty, she’s funny and she’s brutal. Her show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List stayed in top position on my TiVo for the longest.

I love honest people and they are such a rare find in La La Land. When she did her stint on The View as a potential replacement for departing member Rosie O’Donnell, I thought she was the perfect fit. Of course, they went on to choose Whoopi and Kathy Griffin was banned from ever appearing on the daytime talk show again after lampooning it mercilessly in her comedy special, Kathy Griffin: Straight to Hell.

Some people look at someone like Kathy and think she is probably as mean as she is because she has so many insecurities of her own and those people are probably right. She’s not traditionally beautiful. Her career never went farther than her stand-up specials and the one successful sitcom run. Many Hollywood heavyweights don’t care for her or her brand of humor.

But I like all of that about Kathy Griffin. I think that everyone does that and she is in a position to remind us all of that. We all judge other people and make fun of them based on our own insecurities. She just does it in her world, which is much more high-profile than most of ours; and she’s funnier and wittier about it. Kathy has managed to carve out a niche for herself in a town that, quite frankly, doesn’t want her there.

So, what’s the harm in calling out these Hollywood fakes who think anyone that isn’t like them doesn’t deserve a shot in hell. And so many of us are floating around in a semi-state of happiness, not sure if what we are doing from day to day is what we really want to – or should be --- doing in life. Kathy Griffin simply brings all of that to the forefront and puts it out there.

It’s as if she knows people think she doesn’t belong in Hollywood and she really is on the D list and not only is she comfortable with it, but she can find humor in such a stupid, shallow social system.

She’s funny, sassy, smart and probably represents more women in this country than someone like Scarlett Johansson ever could. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: Kathy Griffin, D list or not, is absolutely freakin’ fabulous.

Top Cities on Kathy's Summer '09 Tour

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Just when you think alt-rock is dead, bands like Snow Patrol come along and destroy that misconception with a slamming album and a band personality to match. Band members are from Northern Ireland and Scotland and are now based in Glasgow.

As is the case with many alternative bands, Snow Patrol started out on an indie label with albums that were critically-acclaimed but unsuccessful commercially.

Since their 2006 album "Eyes Open," the band has skyrocketed to commercial success, garnering three BRIT awards and winning five Meteor Ireland Music Awards. This band owes much of its success to the fact that its music is eclectic, yet catchy as well as the feisty personalities of the band members themselves.

In fact, Snow Patrol has just launched a photo exhibit at Waterfront Hall in Belfast that showcases pics of the band during some of their more candid moments. The "Crack the Shutters" exhibit is the brainchild of photographer Bradley Quinn, brother of Snow Patrol's Johnny Quinn. The photographer built up a unique collection of close access shots of the band that are both formal and informal, giving fans an inside look at the group during their chill time. This exhibit is unique because most music outfits don't allow this type of intrusion on their down time, detailing life outside of the celebrity aspects.

This is what makes Snow Patrol such a great band with some of the most loyal fans on the planet. They've been around for quite some time now, yet they still act like a group of guys that got together and started jammin' for the love of music and making a few albums along the way. They remind me of the way No Doubt used to be before they got mega-large and became the No Doubt we know and love today.

The group is planning to go out on tour this fall in an attempt to further woo fans across the U.S. Kicking off with a Snow Patrol St. Paul show on Sept. 10, Snow Patrol will make their way around the U.S. with a Snow Patrol concert Atlanta stop along with a Snow Patrol tour stop in NYC and San Diego Snow Patrol show. The tour will conclude with a Los Angeles Snow Patrol concert on Oct. 20.

I will be interested to see what this band continues to do as they keep me --- and many other fans --- entertained after a somewhat boring start to the new millennium in the world of alternative rock.