Source: morecowbell.net

Fri, 09/14/07
Rilo Kiley
on sale: Fri, 07/13/07 11:00 AM

Wed, 09/26/07
Metric
on sale: Fri, 07/13/07 11:00 AM

Mon, 10/15/07
Henry Rollins Provoked (Spoken Word)
on sale: Fri, 07/13/07 11:00 AM

Source: stagefronttickets.com

Morrissey at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel,NJ has been canceled. If you are holding tickets for this show, they will be good for the rescheduled date which is TBA.

Source: morecowbell.net

Sunday night I was anything but looking forward to going out on the town. I was warm, tired, and just felt gross after my whole adventurous “Day of Waiting for Prince.” I’d made a commitment, however, to shoot a show for a band in the finals of “Whiskey Wars” at Whiskey Junction here in Minneapolis. I ended up being very glad I went.

Bookreader is a band formed by five college boys from the University of St. Mary’s, Winona - Bryan Atchison, Peter Snell, Rob Brewer, Neil Olstad, and Rick McCoy.  They just released a new album, titled “Four Forty-Three” in May and have been playing various gigs around the city to promote it. The band features Bryan Atchison on lead vocals, and he might as well be listed as “cheerleader” too. His energy and enthusiasm for the crowd and his bandmates is probably what pushed Bookreader over the top gave them the win at the finals on Sunday night.

Every time I’ve seen Bookreader live, I feel like I’m supposed to be in some dark speakeasy. It’s the trumpet that does it. Peter Snell is a rocket scientist on that thing and wails on every song he’s featured on. Snell’s stage presence has improved dramatically as he’s performed more, and I find him pretty entertaining to watch. The interaction between all the members of the band is actually pretty great and regardless of whether you like this kind of pop/rock, you’ll enjoy watching them perform. Atchison’s dancing alone is enough to make you fall apart with laughter at times.

Overall the crowd was definitely a college-friend crowd, with family and friends there to support the boys and throw a vote in the hat to bring a win home. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and I saw quite a few mouths singing along during the set. That alone is a victory for any band, and Bookreader seems to continue gaining fans each time they perform.

Bookreader’s next show is July 24th at the Loring Pasta Bar’s Red room. They play at 9pm.

For more information on Bookreader, check out their MySpace.

www.myspace.com/bookreadermusic

Source: morecowbell.net

I wish I could put the date at 7/7/07 to make the great Purple One happy, but unfortunately the venue didn’t even open until after midnight. Prince’s sold out show at First Avenue was his first show at the venue in about 20 years and there was no way in hell I was going to miss it. If you’ve been reading this blog you’ve already read about the trials and tribulations Solace, Dave and I went through to get our tickets to this event. Now here’s the rest of the story.

My Timeline:
8:30am - 4:30pm: Wait in the heat for tickets outside First Ave.
4:30pm - 9:00pm: Go home, shower, eat, veg
9:00pm - 1:00am: Wait in line at Coldstone Creamery for ice cream for 40 minutes, go wait in line at First Ave for the rest
1:00am - 2:35am: Wait inside First Ave for Prince. Eat nachos, entertain myself by crowd watching and cursing line cutters. Especially that insanely irritating couple from Jersey. Oh MY god.
2:35am - 3:45am: Get face rocked off by Prince
3:45am - 4:45am: Deal with crowds, cranky drivers, stupid people who park in a ramp and have no money and argue with the booth guy for over 5 minutes when there’s a line behind him of cars, etc
5:00am: crash into bed and sleep until noon.

So how was Prince? Two words, utterly fabulous.

Regardless of whether you liked his song choices, regardless of the fact that the crowd was tired and somewhat listless, it was Prince. At First Avenue. First-fucking-Avenue! He swiveled his hips, he shimmied his chest, he took off his glasses to see his home crowd, he wailed, he screamed, he schooled his guitar, he danced better than Elvis. It was everything you want Prince to be. No, he didn’t play the Purple Rain soundtrack front to back like many people would’ve liked. He mixed it up, allowing a talented woman named Shelby to kick some tail on a few numbers. He sang Chaka Khan. He had Shelia E on stage! He had a ridiculous brass section that played an awesome New Orleans-y “Down By the Riverside,” and he played some Sly and the Family Stone with none other than Larry Graham on bass.

Prince seemed relaxed and happy to be playing. He mentioned Minneapolis, home, and how happy he was to be there more than once. “Is this my hometown?! Is THIS my hometown!?” he asked the screaming crowd. “YES!” we all replied. After waiting in ridiculous heat, after some were on round three of their Day of Prince, there was some lackluster responses from the crowd, but whenever Minneapolis, First Avenue, or home were mentioned, the crowd perked up their ears.

You could tell the other musicians were frustrated with the crowd and maybe expected more from us. Shelia E tried to get the crowd to clap and bounce and one point while making some noise for the man, but waved us off after a somewhat poor response. She had to realize it was Minneapolis’s hottest day of the year so far, and after sitting outside a venue for over 15 hours, we were a bit drained. Prince tried his damndest though to make us right. He strutted around the stage like he owned it, singing to the crowd, always looking around, sometimes even removing his glasses to get a better look. The house lights were brought up numerous times and you could see people bounding around, or just standing there, mouthing lyrics, or just staring with awe. It was a varied crowd, with businessy people in their late 40s directly in front of me, a younger, early 20s crowd just to my right, and rabid all-ages Prince fans with tambourines and sequins to my left.

Overall it was a blur, but all I kept thinking about was that Prince (PRINCE!) was about 30 feet in front of me, on stage, at First Avenue. He could’ve played all Dolly Parton songs or Metallica and I’d have been happy. To see the man, the legend, on the stage where he made a name for himself was enough. Prince has withstood the test of time. He’s been a man of conviction (although sometimes just his own), a man of musical ability like no other, and a man we are proud to say is part of Minneapolis’s history.

Set List stolen from the Star Trib:
1. 3121
2. Girls & Boys
3. Feel 4 U
4. Controversy
5. Three-Handed Woman
6. Satisfied
7. Down by the Riverside (instrumental featuring horn section)
8. Broken Heart Again
9. Love Is a Losing Game (Amy Winehouse tune sung by Shelby J)
10. Love Changes (Mother’s Finest tune, by Shelby again)
11. Thank You (the Sly Stone classic w/ Larry Graham on bass)
12. Hair (a Chaka Khan/Larry Graham oldie)
13. Sing a Simple Song (more Sly)
14. Everyday People (you know it’s Sly)
15. Alphabet Street

Source: morecowbell.net

So Solace, myself and Mr. Loomer will be in attendance tonight at Minneapolis’s very own First Avenue mainroom to watch Prince. PRINCE in the MAINROOM. Don’t make me say it again.

On our lunch jaunt, Dave Loomer and I decided to check out Macys. Apparently they just gave out wristbands to people with numbers on them. Those numbers determined where in line they would be for the concert at the show there, so there was no real “line” to see - that was around 12:15pm. Macy’s is Prince-crazy. Check out some pics after the jump:

A few things about today.
1. It was HOOOTTTT. So very, very hot. I’m a sweaty mess and it would take an awful lot for me to go through that process again.

2. About 2pm a lovely employee from First Ave came through the line with a bullhorn, announcing that there would be enough tickets for everyone in line. This was great news!

3. Regardless of the attempts by First Ave to keep the ticket process smooth, I still would really like to know how the HELL after waiting in line for 8 hours, I was number 646 to go through and buy a ticket. It surprises me considering only about 250 - 300 people were actually in line ahead of me. Let me tell you why this is so. Because there was not enough crowd control. At least 250 people were able to come in from the opposite side of First Ave (near the name doors on First Avenue as opposed to the 7th Street Entry side) and budge their way in front of all those who’d be waiting for hours. First Ave is honestly very, very lucky that there were enough tickets for the rest of us. That was completely ridiculous and should not have happened.

4. People were also very sweet. The guy next to me picked up and moved my stuff for me when the line began to move. I left at 1:45ish to go back to my office and grab my laptop. I ran back, but all my things were gone, packed up, and moved with my line-mates. Amazing! Thanks guys!! I totally owe you.

5. You must have BOTH a wristband AND a ticket to get into tonight’s show. If someone tries to sell you just a ticket, they’re full of crap and you have every right to punch them in the gut.

6. We’re going to Prince, baby!

Also check out Solace & I with our tickets… yay!

Source: morecowbell.net

While there are definitely no shortage of live music opportunities tomorrow (7/7/07), one of the most interesting and groundbreaking shows will be the Zibra Zibra “CD” Release Party at First Ave.

ROYALTY, ETC. RECORDS PRESENTS HAR MAR SUPERSTAR
(feat members of the Strokes) and ZibraZibra, (777 Digital Release) with Seymore Saves The World
First Avenue
Doors: 6pm
18+ / $10.00 advance / $12.00 door

The release will be digital, so audience members will be able to upload the entire album onto portable digital media storage devices for free at show via digi-merch ports at the tables and wirelessly using a high-speed wi-fi router from anywhere in the room. Also, audience members will be able to text message their email addresses to a secret email address, which will automatically respond with a private link that will allow people to download the record for free to their computers sometime within the following 48 hours.

I have a feeling that this sort of thing will be looked back as a pretty revolutionary “CD” Release show  in a few years.

Source: stagefronttickets.com

Morrissey’s concert at Rams Head Live scheduled for tonight, the 3rd of July, has been postponed due to illness.

On June 26, Morrissey was forced to leave the stage in Boston after only seven songs. A viral infection had taken its toll on the singer’s voice, ultimately causing the postponement of that date, as well as dates in Northampton, Philadelphia and New York at Madison Square Garden. With hopes of resuming the tour as scheduled, Morrissey performed last night – July 2 – at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Following that performance, it became clear that Morrissey is still suffering from the viral infection that caused the postponement of last week’s dates. Despite the show’s resounding success, the performance took its toll on the singer’s voice, and unfortunately, Morrissey is too ill to sing again tonight.

Rams Head Live and Morrissey’s representatives are currently in the process of working on securing a rescheduled date for this performance. We hope to make an announcement soon. Any tickets held for tonight’s show – July 3 – will be honored for the rescheduled date. If a ticket holder is unable to attend the rescheduled appearance, refunds will be available at the point of purchase.

Thank you for your understanding and patience as we deal with these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances. More information will be made available as it is obtained.

Source: theregoesthefear.com

Shed Seven are reforming this winter, for what is sure to be a tour to catch if the Spice Girls don’t do it for you. Referred by some as a “sober Oasis”, they’re wheeling out their greatest hits out one more time.

Catch them at:

NOVEMBER 2007
27th Aberdeen Music Hall
28th Inverness Ironworks
29th Glasgow Barrowland

DECEMBER 2007
1st Newcastle Academy
2nd Liverpool Academy
3rd Nottingham Rock City
4th Sheffield Leadmill
6th Birmingham Academy
7th Manchester Academy
8th Leeds Met Uni
10th Norwich UEA
11th Oxford Academy
12th Portsmouth Pyramid
14th London Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Tickets go on sale on Monday 9th July (yup, next Monday) at 9am. Expect them to go quickly, though not quite as quick as Spice Girls tickets will when they go on sale in a few weeks….

Photo taken from Sarah Photo Girl’s flickr stream.

Source: morecowbell.net

Tickets are $31.21 a piece and go on-sale Saturday at 3pm at First Avenue. One Ticket Per Person Limit.

Source: vipticketblog.com

The legendary band Smashing Pumpkins are ready to hit the roat later this month as they start their first tour in the last seven years!  If you have been waiting to catch them in person, don’t wait any long, you need to buy your Smashing Pumpkins Tickets NOW!

The resurrected band is in the midst of a sold-out residency in Asheville, NC, and will begin an 11-show run of sold-out gigs at San Francisco’s Fillmore July 15. Between residencies, the Pumpkins will jet to East Rutherford, NJ, for the massive Live Earth concert on July 7. They’ll head to Europe in August and will be back in North America for the Sept. 8 launch of their fall trek at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival.

Dates include two-nighters in Boston and Upper Darby, PA, and more are expected to be added to the itinerary. Confirmed shows are listed below. Tickets go on sale July 14.

On the road, original Pumpkins singer/guitarist Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin will be joined by guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist Ginger Reyes and keyboardist Lisa Harriton.

July 2007
3 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
5 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
7 - East Rutherford, NJ - Live Earth
15 -16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
18 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
20 - Santa Cruz, CA - Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
22 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
24-25 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
27-28 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
30-31 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

August 2007
1 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
4-5 - Baltimore, MD - V Festival at Pimlico Race Course

September 2007
8 - Montreal, Quebec - Osheaga Festival
9 - Toronto, Ontario - Toronto Island Park/Virgin Festival
13 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl
18 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theater
19 - San Diego, CA - Bayside Amphitheatre
21 - Ridgefield, WA - Amphitheater at Clark County
24 - Vancouver, British Columbia - PNE Forum
28 - Orem, UT - McKay Center
30 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

October 2007
2 - St. Paul, MN - Wilkins Auditorium
4 - Normal, IL - Braden Auditorium
7 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theater
9 - Pittsburgh, PA - Palumbo Center
11 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
15-16 - Boston, MA - Orpheum
21-22 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater
25 - Memphis, TN - Mud Island Amphitheatre
30 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater

November 2007
3 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theater
5 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Theater

Don’t miss out on the hottest tickets for Smashing Pumpkins! Click here now!!