Related posts:
Conan O’Brien announced a huge tour yesterday that will bring his lineup from The Tonight Show on the road to just about every major metro in the U.S., including a “headlining” MC slot at Bonnaroo 2010. The tour itself is aptly titled The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour. Check out the info over at teamcoco.com.
This is exactly what I like to see from Conan. Not only did he close out his show with a raucous musical tribute, but now he’s closing out his entire TV history with a trek across the states. I’m pretty sure that he’s laughing internally with the approach. This is clearly his way of throwing up a middle finger to the corporate bureaucracy by perfectly fulfilling on his contract while finding another fruitful avenue for his entertainment. Team Coco FTW.
4/12/10 Eugene, OR Hult Center for the Performing Arts
4/13/10 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre
4/14/10 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre
4/16/10 Spokane, WA INB Performing Arts Center
4/17/10 Enoch, AB, Canada River Cree Resort & Casino
4/18/10 Seattle, WA Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
4/19/10 Seattle, WA Marion Oliver McCaw Hall
4/22/10 San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center
4/23/10 San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center
4/24/10 Universal City, CA Gibson Amphitheater
04/25/10 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Ampitheater
4/29/10 San Diego, CA San Diego Civic Theatre
4/30/10 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
5/1/10 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl Concert Theatre @ The Palms
5/4/10 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
5/5/10 San Jose, Ca San Jose State University Events Center
5/6/10 Sacramento, CA Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
5/9/10 Boulder, CO Mackey Auditorium
5/10/10 Denver, CO Ellie Caulkins Opera House
5/13/10 Dallas, TX McFarlin Memorial Auditorium- SMU Campus
5/14/10 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
5/15/10 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
5/16/10 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
5/18/10 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
5/19/10 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
5/20/10 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
5/22/10 Toronto, ON, Massey Hall
5/30/10 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Spa & Resort – Event Center
6/1/10 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
6/2/10 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
6/4/10 Boston, MA Wang Theater
6/5/10 Boston, MA Wang Theater
6/6/10 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
6/7/10 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
6/8/10 Washington, DC Constitution Hall
6/11/10 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival
6/14/10 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
Related posts:
Yesterday was a big news in the comedy world with Conan O’Brien announcing that he’s taking his former lineup at The Tonight Show — namely himself, Andy Richter, and The Tonight Band with Max Weinberg — all on the road for a huge cross-country tour. Right around the same time I got this news and snagged myself a ticket for one of his dates in San Francisco, the promoters over at Bonnaroo had announced their Comedy Tent headliners for the 2010 festival. Guess who’s at the top of the bill?
The festival will welcome some of the most hilarious personalities working today, including Conan O’Brien, who not only will be performing in the Comedy Theatre, but will also be MCing the What Stage on Friday and Saturday.
Read on for the comedy lineup, which joins an already stellar music lineup announced last month.
Conan O’Brien
Margaret Cho
Aziz Ansari
Jeffrey Ross Roasts Bonnaroo
Greg Giraldo
Bo Burnham
Doug Benson
Nick Kroll
Paul Scheer
Rob Huebel
John Roberts
Baron Vaughn
Chelsea Peretti
Related posts:
Photo © Pearl Jam Official
Pearl Jam today announced a late Spring tour with dates in U.S. cities throughout the East and Midwest. The tour kicks off on May 3rd in Kansas City — after the band’s previously-announced slot at the New Orleans Jazz Festival on May 1st — and ends with two shows at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on May 20-21.
Band of Horses nabbed the opening slot for all of the May shows with the exception of May 20th, when The Black Keys will open.
As we reported previously, Pearl Jam will tour throughout Europe in June and July. The band will also perform on Saturday Night Live this Saturday.
Pearl Jam 2010 Spring Tour Dates:
5.03 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
5.04 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
5.06 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
5.07 – Noblesville, IN – Verizon Wireless Music Center
5.09 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
5.10 – Buffalo, NY – HSBC Arena
5.13 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
5.15 – Hartford, CT – XL Center
5.17 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
5.18 – TBD – TBD
5.20 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden w/ The Black Keys
5.21 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Pearl Jam’s “Ten Club” ticket pre-sales start Mon. March 15 at 9AM PT, and public on sales will begin Fri. March 19 at Ticketmaster.com.
Related posts:
The all-new Nateva Festival has announced a number of additions to its 2010 lineup, including: STS9, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Umphrey’s McGee, Max Creek, John Brown’s Body, The Felice Brothers, Ryan Montbleau Band, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, and Greensky Bluegrass.
Now it’s looking a lot more like a solid substitute for Rothbury.
Related posts:
Last night, I was able to finally check out one of Soulive’s “Bowlive” shows, as a part of the band’s 10-night residency at Brooklyn Bowl. My tickets came courtesy of the fine folks at Relix who drew my name for a free pair (thanks dudes!).
Overall, the show was loose and intimate, featuring a rotating cast of characters for a variety of interesting sit-ins and lineups. The band welcomed Charlie Hunter as their main guest to show off his skills with his signature 8-string guitar as well as a standard six-string electric. But, of course, Mr. Hunter wasn’t the only guest appearance, with Nigel Hall and Kofi Burbridge also making appearances throughout the night. The opening sets included a mellow, soul set featuring Nigel Hall on vocals and Charlie Hunter laying down the instrumentals, followed by a standard funk-laden set by Soulive. But the main feature of the night was all about honoring the Beatles and celebrating the band’s latest official release, Rubber Soulive, which is an album of all-instrumental Beatles covers.
Like the new album, the “Rubber Soulive” set featured the band’s funky re-workings of classic Beatles tunes. Highlights included an uber-funky “Come Together,” a bouncin’ “Day Tripper” featuring Charlie Hunter on six-string, some soulful takes on “In My Life” and “Something,” and a nearly unrecognizable version of “Get Back” that had the crowd dancing hard. At times, the crowd sang along with the well-known melodies, and it was clear that both the band and crowd were totally into it and having a blast. After a quick break, they returned to the stage for a one-song encore capping off a stellar show with a rockin’ version of the Abbey Road classic “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” I was able to grab most of the tune on video:
Soulive @ Brooklyn Bowl, 3.9.10 – “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” [YouTube]
It was a perfect way to end a super fun show. it was so fun in fact, I might just have to return for another round of “Bowlive” later this week. Check out the full photo gallery of the night’s festivities below:
If you’re interested in a recap of the band’s first week at Brooklyn Bowl, head on over to Royal Family Records site.
Related posts:
It looks like it’s game on for Telluride Phish this summer. The City Council of Telluride has given the thumbs up for those August 9 & 10 Phish shows we mentioned recently. But the approval came with an interesting twist: a sweetheart deal for 1,500 tickets to be set aside for local residents. That ought to get a few phans riled up. Let’s just hope none of those tickets pop up on Stubhub.
Related posts:
Sunday night, I hit up the Mercury Lounge for an intimate show featuring Washed Out, Small Black, and Pictureplane opening.
Although I was definitely curious about the openers, my main reason for going was Washed Out, whose Life of Leisure EP I’ve been thoroughly enjoying ever since I checked out a few tracks on The Hype Machine this past fall and decided to make the purchase. If you’re unfamiliar with Washed Out, it’s basically one young dude (Ernest Greene) from a random town in Georgia who has caught the attention of the Hype Machine crowd with a unique blend of dreamy synth-pop that some are giving the unfortunate label “chill wave.”
Washed Out has managed to cull some of the most perfect synth tones from the 80s and update them with a more contemporary rhythmic and atmospheric framework. That’s all topped off with heavily-processed and “hazy” vocals that makes for a mesmerizing sound that’s familiar and nostalgic but totally fresh. I’d definitely recommend checking out his EP or getting a taste from the blogs or his MySpace page.
But before Washed Out came on, I also got to check out sets by Small Black and Pictureplane.
Pictureplane
Like Washed Out, Pictureplane was a one-man show, complete with a bunch of beat sequencers, samplers and effects pedals (i.e. toys). He got the party moving with an interesting mashup of house-oriented dance tracks overlaid with high-pitched, moody vocals. What the guy lacked in technical agility with his various contraptions, he definitely made up for with lots of energy and a silly, fun vibe. He could use a little work on delivery, especially in the transitions and endings (more on that later), but it was a fun way to kick off the night.
Small Black
Next up was Small Black, the only real “band” of the evening. Although much of the night’s music was characterized by synths mixed with dreary/moody vocals — and these guys played into that trend — Small Black provided much more of a rock-oriented groove that really made them stand out from the rest of the lineup. The presence of a full drum kit, bass, keys, and multiple singers made all the difference and created a key distinction from the other acts performing that night.
It took Small Black a few tunes to get things rolling, but towards the end of their set, they tore into some truly memorable melodies and tight grooves. Their standout track “Despicable Dogs” is totally hypnotic and has basically been stuck in my head since I left the venue. I’m not yet all that familiar with their other tunes, but I thoroughly enjoyed their blend of melodic, moody synth-based rock, and I definitely think that they’re set was the most cohesive of the night. I’ll be looking out for more music from these guys in the near future.
After a short break and a quick sound check, Washed Out started into his set, playing to a thoroughly enthusiastic crowd that clearly was familiar with his material. Now, one of the things I wondered about Washed Out was whether or not he could truly translate the perfection of his studio tracks to the live stage. On the one hand, I really admire a guy who rolls completely solo with just a mic and his contraptions. But, given how much I love his EP, I just felt like the sound didn’t work all that well in the live setting. The vocals were a little too distorted and, dare I say, “washed out” to really catch your ear. More importantly, I’d say the set suffered a similar lack of cohesion and flow like the opener Pictureplane, especially in the song transitions and endings. They were a bit abrupt and unnatural as compared to the gradual studio fades that characterize the tracks on his EP. Now it’s important to note that this guy has barely played more than a few live shows since breaking out last year, so I’m sure his live set will continue to improve. Besides, the crowd basically seemed to eat up every single track he played, so perhaps I’m being too critical.
I think what struck me was really the distinction between watching a full band locking into a groove versus watching one guy singing while tapping some buttons and twisting a few knobs. Without a few instruments or even all that much movement, the one-man band approach sort of felt flat to me. And, as if to emphasize this perception even further, about halfway through his set, Washed Out was joined by the guys from Small Black for a full-band take on some of his signature tunes. The change provided a vibe and energy that that instantly kicked things up a notch and finished out the show with a bang.
Washed Out – Get Up (3.7.10) [YouTube]
Unfortunately, this show was a pain in the ass to shoot because of the lighting. But unlike a bunch of other douchebag photogs who were flashing away throughout the entire show, I wasn’t willing go against the standard common courtesy of not using a flash for shooting concerts. Despite the lighting challenges, I think I still nabbed a few decent a shots; my full photo set is available on Flickr.
One a brief side note, I mentioned Small Black’s signature tune “Despicable Dogs” above. As it turns out, Washed Out recently did a remix of that tune, and it has subsequently been playing in my head non-stop since I discovered it. Naturally, you can check it out on the Hype Machine, but beware of its infectiousness.
Related posts:
Remember that White Stripes live album we mentioned a while back? NPR Music is streaming the album, Under Great White Northern Lights, in its entirety.
Related posts:
High Sierra just announced a slew of new acts for their 2010 festival, including Widespread Panic, The Black Crowes, Lotus, The Mother Hips, and more.
Related posts:
