PHILADELPHIA CONCERTS (CONT'D)
Bruce Cockburn &
Band with Jenny Scheinman
May 6,
2011 | 8:00 PM |
$20.00 - $45.00 | Keswick Theater |
215.572.7650
The
Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist whose rich, varied body of
ultra-literate work has featured everything from world beat rhythms to
humanitarian political subject matter and environmental concerns,
earning him a devoted fan base & considerable critical nods over
the years.With a brand new album on the horizon, he returns to Philadelphia for the first time in nearly five years for a very special show featuring a full band.
Lucy Kaplansky
May 6, 2011 | 7:30 PM | $22.00 | Tin Angel | 215.928.0770
When
Lucy Kaplansky was 18 years old, she shocked her neighbors in the Hyde
Park area near the University of Chicago when, instead of going to
college, she went to New York City with her boyfriend to become a
folksinger. Fifteen years later, having become a clinical psychologist
as well as a sought-after duet and harmony singer, she made another
surprising decision: she gave up her private practice and her position
at a New York hospital to pursue a full-time singing career.Drawn to Greenwich Village in the late '70s by the resurgence of the folk scene, she became a regular at Gerde's Folk City. By 1982, she was a member of the CooP (later Fast Folk) and was featured on nine of the group's "musical magazines," along with Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, John Gorka, Richard Shindell, and others. By 1983, however, Kaplansky had enrolled in New York University with the aim of becoming a psychologist. Well known on the folk scene for her crystalline harmonies, Kaplansky sang harmony vocals on Nanci Griffith's Lone Star State of Mind and Little Love Affairs albums and performed in New York clubs as a duo with Colvin while earning her Ph.D. from Yeshiva University. But when she and Colvin attracted attention from record companies, Kaplansky declined, becoming a staff psychologist at a New York hospital and establishing a private practice while Colvin recorded her first three albums for Columbia Records.
As a record of what Lucy had accomplished on the folk scene, and to give Colvin a chance to try her hand at production, the two collaborated on Kaplansky's first album, The Tide, comprising three of Kaplansky's own compositions and a collection of well-worn covers, including songs by Richard Thompson, Sting, and Robin Batteau. By 1994, when The Tide was released by Red House Records, Kaplansky decided to shift gears again and become a full-time touring folksinger. She spent much of the next few years playing the folk circuit of coffeehouses, church halls, and festivals, accompanying herself on guitar and performing in concert with Shindell and Gorka. In 1996, Red House Records released her second album, Flesh and Bone, produced by Anton Sanko (Vega's Solitude Standing and Days of Open Hand). It includes eight original songs (co-written with Kaplansky's husband, filmmaker Richard Litvin), as well as duets with Shindell and Gorka. Ten Year Night followed in 1999. Every Single Day appeared in 2001 on Red House Records, with Red Thread in 2004 and Over the Hills in 2007, both also on Red House. Claire Keaveney, Rovi
My Chemical
Romance
May 6,
2011 | 8:00 PM
| $40.00 | Tower Theatre
| 610.352.2887
IMy
Chemical Romance is an American rock band from New Jersey, formed in
2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray
Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. Shortly after forming, the
band signed to Eyeball Records and released their debut album I Brought
You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002. They signed with
Reprise Records the next year and released their major label debut
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004; the album was a commercial
success, and was awarded platinum status a little over a year later.
The band eclipsed their previous success with their 2006 concept album,
The Black Parade, which gained generally favorable reviews among music
critics. Their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of
the Fabulous Killjoys, was released on November 22, 2010, to
favorable reviews.(Wikipedia.com)Bruno Mars &
Janelle Monae: Hooligans in
Wondaland Tour
May 8,
2011 | 7:00 PM
| $45.00 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
It’s better if you don’t understand; just
listen and have a good time. That’s the response Bruno Mars will give
you with a smile when asked to describe his sound and music. He would
much rather sing, perform, and write his songs than talk about them,
but that is becoming more and more unavoidable these days. It might
seem that Mars appeared out of nowhere, co-writing, producing and
performing on B.o.B’s #1 “Nothin’ On You” followed by Travie McCoy’s
chart-climbing “Billionaire”, but he makes one thing clear: “It’s not
an overnight success”.Mars is a multitalented singer, songwriter, producer and musician who feels most at home when he’s performing. Born to a musical family in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was practically raised on the stage. His father, a Latin percussionist from Brooklyn, organized a Vegas-style revue that featured the entire family, including his mother, a talented vocalist. When a four-year-old Mars observed his family performing Motown hits, doo-wop medleys and impersonations for enthusiastic crowds all over his native Waikiki Beach, “I was jealous!” says Mars with a laugh. “My dad put me on stage and I remember singing an Elvis song and that was it. Ever since that moment, I’ve been addicted.”
Rich in diverse music from all over the globe, Honolulu was an exciting hometown for the budding singer/songwriter. On one end of the spectrum, his home was filled with the 1950s classics that were his father’s passion. Meanwhile, the city is rich in traditional sounds, including reggae, rock and folk music, as well as the latest pop hits. “Hawaii is basically in the middle of the world, so you’re exposed to every type of music over there,” explains Mars.
As soon as he graduated high school, Mars left Hawaii for Los Angeles with dreams of launching his career as a performer. Those dreams got put on hold, however, when The Smeezingtons, the songwriting/production team he founded with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, suddenly took off. The pair has crafted major hits for a diverse roster of talent, including Flo Rida’s “Right Round”, Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire”, Brandy’s “Long Distance” and K’Naan’s “Waving Flags”, which is the theme song for the upcoming World Cup.
Mars describes his time behind the scenes as important to his development as an artist. “I realized that you have to go into this industry as an artist with a clear vision and understanding of who you are. Being so young when I was first signed, I never really had a sense of who I wanted to be. Now things are really working out because everything that I’m singing, writing and composing is really me.”
Although he’s incredibly proud of the recordings, Mars feels the best way to experience the sound is to see him perform live with his band. “That is what I’m most excited for – taking these songs and traveling them around the world.” The only place he would rather be than in the recording studio, is with his band on stage – where he grew up. “I think people are really going to gravitate towards the live show. We turn it into a party.”
Mint Condition
May 8,
2011 | 7:30 PM |
$46.00 - $56.00 | Keswick Theater |
215.572.7650
The
Platinum-selling sextet that shaped its own unique style and earned
huge respect for their ability to play anything - from traditional jazz
stylings to mainstream R&B and rock-based music to funk grooves and
even Latin and Jamaican-based rhythms. Combine this massive musical
talent with their dazzling high-energy show (& the sax stylings of
opening act ERIC DARIUS) for a truly memorable Mother's Day celebration!Rescheduled from December! Previously purchased tickets will be honored.
Kinky Friedman
May 8, 2011 | 7:30 PM | $29.00 - $35.00 | World Cafe Live | 215.222.1400
Former
(and likely future) Texas gubernatorial Kinky Friedman is returning to
the east coast, this time bearing his guitar, for a series of
exceedingly rare full public performances, with Little Jewford and
Washington Ratso along for the ride.Making all the events even more exciting, Kinky's latest book, “Heroes of a Texas Childhood”, will be available for purchase and signing. This is his most personal book yet, highlighting individuals who inspired and influenced his childhood. The Kinkster, who was the first author/artist anywhere to bring his book signings into the clubs and theaters in which he performs, has promised he "will sign anything, anywhere" for his fans.
Deftones
With Dillinger Escape Plan
May 10,
2011 | 8:00 PM
| $39.70 | Electric Factory | 215.627.1332
“Pretty,”
affirms Deftones singer and guitarist Chino Moreno when discussing
their new full-length studio album, Diamond Eyes. “We’re not afraid to
be pretty.” It’s an adjective most riff-heavy groups might avoid, but
then, Deftones have never been your average hard rock band.As kids, the Sacramento fivesome cut its teeth on Anthrax and The Smiths, Pantera and The Cure, skateboarding and “The Smurfs.” As a band out of high school, Deftones mixed trip hop with thrash, melodic vocals with crushing reverb, and yes, pretty with ugly. As chart-toppers and headliners, they’ve crossed over genres, defied categorization and confused the hell out of your iPod (“Heavy Metal?” “Hard Rock?” “Alternative?”) Above all, Deftones have stuck together throughout their often-turbulent tenure, and now, deliver one of the most compelling records of their career.
The 11-track album is just that—an album from start to finish. Diamond Eyes works the way good records used to; each song carries you a little further away from your shitty day until finally, you’ve been transported to a place that feels a whole lot better than where you started. “There are so many emotions that music can give you, and if you explore all sides of those, it can be really amazing,” says Moreno. “Like sadness -- it can be really lovely, or beautiful, or wide open, or coarse. We connect with different emotions because we listen to everything out there—that could mean dumb music or something by Brian Eno. Then when we play, it’s not a real conscious thing, but the emotion builds and it takes us in a lot of different ways. I think that’s what music’s supposed to do.”
The tangle of Stephen Carpenter’s woozy, undulating guitar work and Moreno’s soaring then secretive vocal style is the bittersweet dynamic behind each of Deftones' records, including Diamond Eyes. The friction drives the music as much as it does the players, though it doesn’t always make life easy for childhood friends Carpenter and Moreno. “What makes us work?” asks Carpenter. “Chino will give you the exact opposite answer that I do. That’s the way it is with us—we contradict each other constantly but it’s also what makes our music what it is—intense and different.”
There’s also a newfound sense of purpose that makes Deftones' sixth album stand out. The band recorded the album after their best friend and bassist Chi Cheng sustained a debilitating brain injury from a car accident in November of 2008. “After Chi’s accident, it would have been easy for us to make a sad record,” says Moreno. “It felt like there was a cloud around us, so we aimed to make something uplifting. I think that’s why there’s a lot of fantasy stuff on the record. I tried to take it away from day to day life, and make it more about the abstract, about art. It sounds odd, but really, this is an optimistic record.” And a spontaneous one.
Diamond Eyes was made in a mere six months with the help of former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega and producer Nick Raskulinecz of Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, and Rush fame. Oddly enough, Deftones had just come off recording another full album, Eros, which they ultimately shelved. Moreno says, “Honestly, I knew there was something better to come.” Starting over was a bold move considering Deftones traditionally take their time writing and recording each album. Drummer Abe Cunningham was concerned about the decision, especially since it had been so difficult making records in the past. “Each one was getting to be like pulling teeth, and beyond—maybe like surgery without anesthesia,” he adds. “But this time, we just said fuck it, we’re still best friends, all of us -- and we’re still able to do this. So we just lightened up and got creative, and we’re firing on all cylinders.”
These days, Deftones are far more unified than ever before, but that hasn’t always been the case. Tensions began to mount following their breakthrough record “White Pony” in 2000. It was their first to top the Billboard charts, win a Grammy and earn Platinum certification. In the wake of their success, the band toured nonstop; a grueling schedule that gave way to 24/7 road-life, in-fighting, and eventually, burnout. Carpenter and Moreno’s disputation over the direction of music escalated to the point where the pair stopped speaking all together. By the time their 2003 self-titled album was release, Cunningham says they all had their nicknames for the difficult period in which it was recorded. “Steph calls it the Downward Spiral. I refer to it as Dark Days.” The conflict made the band’s life hell, but it gave the music press something to write about in the stretch between albums. “A lot of that was trumped up, but we’ve definitely had some heavy times,” says keyboardist Frank Delgado, who joined the band originally as a turntableist in the mid 90s. “Still one of the best things about this band is that we just don’t give up. As dysfunctional as it can be, we still make it work. And I really don’t know what the press thinks of us now, but I like that. There should be some mysticism there. Maybe they should think we’re off our rocker.” And deconstructing the band’s mental state is an easy task compared to categorizing the music they make.
Critics, marketers and radio alike have struggled with just where to place or how to define Deftones. They band has, after all, played with punk rockers L7, toured with Metallica and appealed to some of the same fan base as Morrissey and generally defied simple, and ultimately pointless genre classification. “We’re not a party band, but we’re not a dark rock band,” says Moreno. “We’re not the most wildly artistic band, but we’re not light and fluffy. It’s hard to put us in one place. I don’t blame people when they try to do it, because I can’t even pin it myself. But really, does it matter?” Not when you’re as compelling, diverse, powerful and pretty as Deftones.
Echo
& The Bunnymen
May 12,
2011 | 8:00 PM
| $28.00 - $30.00 | Trocadero Theatre
| 215.922.6888
Liverpool indie-rock band Echo & The
Bunnymen were formed in 1978 by singer Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will
Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson. Joined by drummer Pete de
Freitas, they released their debut album Crocodiles in 1980 and Heaven
Up Here in 1981. Both albums were critically acclaimed and saw the band
slowly build a reputation towards mainstream popularity. In 1983 they
achieved a Top Ten hit in the UK, with "The Cutter", taken from third
album Porcupine. Porcupine hit No.2 in the album charts, and was
followed by one-off single "Never Stop", and "The Killing Moon",
another Top Ten hit. That song has become their signature tune,
featuring in films such as Donnie Darko and Grosse Point Blank, and
standing out on Echo & The Bunnymen's greatest album, 1984's Ocean
Rain.It took three years for the band to follow-up Ocean Rain, but their eponymous fifth album was not a success. The band split in 1988, only to reform in 1997 without de Freitas, who had died in a motorbike crash in 1989. They have since released five more albums, each to modest critical and commercial success. Echo & The Bunnymen say they are currently working on another new album. (SoundUnwound)
Sugarland
May 14,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $20.05 - $71.40 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
Sugarland, an American country music duo, Was
composed of singer–songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and
Kristian Bush (background vocals, lead vocals, mandolin, acoustic
guitar, and harmonica). Sugarland was founded in 2002 by Kristen Hall
with Bush and ultimately became a trio after hiring Jennifer Nettles as
lead singer. After three years, Hall left the group.Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2004, Sugarland broke through that year with the release of their debut single "Baby Girl", the first single from their multi-platinum debut album Twice the Speed of Life. The trio became a duo in 2006, when they also released their second album, Enjoy the Ride. This album produced their first two #1 singles (in the U.S.), "Want To" and "Settlin'", and won the duo a Grammy for "Stay". In 2008 they released their third album, titled Love on the Inside. This album produced three more #1 singles with "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone"and "It Happens". Their fourth album, The Incredible Machine was released on October 19, 2010 in both a standard and deluxe edition. Upon "The Incredible Machine" being certified platinum, Sugarland's physical album sales exceed 9 million copies, with an additional 5 million digital tracks sold. (Wikipedia.com)
Lykke Li
May 16,
2011 | 8:00 PM
| $35.25 | Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA)
| 215.922.1011
Lykke
Li is a Swedish indie singer. Her music often blends elements of pop,
electronic, and alternative rock; various instruments can also be found
in her songs, including violins, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones, and
cellos.[1] She released her debut album, Youth Novels, in 2008.MMR*B*Q 2011: 3 Doors Down
May 22,
2011 | 1:00 PM
| $62.50 - $89.90 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from
Escatawpa, Mississippi, formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad
Arnold (vocals), Matt Roberts (guitar/vocals), Todd Harrell (bass),
Chris Henderson (guitar), and Greg Upchurch (drums/percussion).The band rose to national fame with their first single, "Kryptonite", which charted in the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band then signed onto Republic Records and released their debut album, The Better Life, in 1999. The album was the 11th-best-selling album of the year and was certified 6x platinum in the United States. Their second album, Away from the Sun, (2002) continued the band's success; it debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and went multi-platinum in the United States like its predecessor. The band followed it up by extensive touring for two years before releasing their third album, Seventeen Days, in 2005. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum within its first month of release. Their fourth, self-titled album, 3 Doors Down, also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band's fifth studio album, Time of My Life, is due for release on April 12, 2011.
The band often performs more than 300 concerts a year and has performed with other artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Megadeth, Staind, Nickelback, Alter Bridge, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Shinedown and Daughtry. Since the start of their career, 3 Doors Down has sold over 16 million albums worldwide. (Wikipedia.com)
Willie Nelson's
Country Throwdown Tour with
Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice & More!
May 27,
2011 | All Day
| Call for Ticket Prices | The Mann Center for the
Performing Arts |
215.893.1999
With a six-decade career and 200 plus albums,
headliner Willie Nelson is the creative genius behind the historic
recordings of Crazy, Red Headed Stranger and Stardust. He has earned
every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials
as an author, actor and activist. In 2009, his new album releases
include Naked Willie, Willie and the Wheel and the critically acclaimed
American Classic. This past April, Willie Nelson's Country Music,
produced by Grammy and Oscar winning T Bone Burnett, was released on
Rounder Records and recently received a GRAMMY Nomination for Best
Americana Album.Recording artists Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell & Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real are among the initial acts confirmed to join Nelson for this nationwide country music tour kicking off at the Mann Center on May 27.
The only tour of its kind in the world of country, Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Tour mixes top country music artists with emerging singer-songwriters in a festival environment at an affordable ticket price. Country Throwdown offers a relaxing atmosphere where fans enjoy a constant stream of music on multiple stages all day long.
In addition to the seven main artists performing on two stages (a main stage and one side stage), the Bluebird Café Stage will feature six extraordinary singer-songwriters. Fans will get to see these artists perform intimate “in the round” sets on the Bluebird Café stage throughout the day, as well as nightly performances on a specially designed stage during the main stage set changes. Artists for the Bluebird Café Stage will be announced soon.
The Script
June 3,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $28.50 - $33.50 | The Mann Center for the
Performing Arts |
215.893.1999
It’s
been a rags to riches glory ride, an emotional rollercoaster, an all
action, all-star blockbuster. Three young Dubliners took on the world,
with music fashioned from the emotional detritus of their own hard
lives raised up by a love of pop, rock, hip hop and soul. In two years
they’ve notched up a handful of hit singles around the world, including
“We Cry”, “Breakeven” and “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved”. Their 2008
self-titled debut album, The Script, went to number one in the UK and
Ireland, and is now approaching 2 million sales worldwide. They’ve
played stadium shows with music heroes U2, Take That and Sir Paul
McCartney, and to cap it all, “Breakeven” – which has already sold over
1.7 million downloads in the U.S. alone – rewrote history here in
America on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs radio airplay chart to take the
# 1 spot where the song completed a record-setting 36-week rise to the
summit.But that was just the first draft. It’s now time to write a whole new Script.
New Kids on the Block
with Back Street Boys
June 5,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $32.50 - $92.50 | Wells Fargo Center |
215.336.3600
The
New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) and the Backstreet Boys (BSB) will
perform together in one very special night at the Wells Fargo Center on
Sunday, June 5. NKOTB and BSB confirmed the rumors when they officially announced the NKOTBSB tour to the delight of their many fans. NKOTBSB first shocked and delighted fans when they took the stage together for a medley at the sold out NKOTB Radio City Music Hall show. The two groups wowed audiences again in their first joint televised performance at this year’s American Music Awards this past weekend. The performers had the audience on their feet when they unleashed hit after hit including Backstreet’s “I Want It That Way” and NKOTB’s “Hangin’ Tough,” sending the crowd into rip-roaring applause.
“We can’t thank our fans enough for their continued support. The love that everyone has shown to us and to this project is incredible. We can feel the excitement and we won’t let the fans down. And with our new and elaborate stage design there won’t be one bad seat in the house,” said NKOTBSB in a joint statement. “We are truly blessed and are so appreciative to have you all along with us for the ride.”
With over 200 million albums sold between both bands, and smash hit after smash hit, these two pop sensations have dominated the music scene for over three decades. Aiming to please, these guys are giving concert goers and diehard fans everywhere the ultimate “night out” experience.
The Radiators
The Farewell Tour
June 5,
2011 | 8:00 PM
| $24.00 - $26.00 | Trocadero Theatre
| 215.922.6888
The
Radiators, also known as The New Orleans Radiators, are a rock band
from New Orleans, Louisiana, who have combined the traditional musical
styles of their native city with more mainstream rock and R&B
influences to form a bouncy, funky variety of swamp-rock they call
fish-head music. Described by OffBeat magazine as "New Orleans'
longest-running and most successful rock band",[1] The Radiators' have
had limited commercial success, with only a handful of chart
appearances, but, as a party band from a party town, their enthusiastic
live performances, danceable beats and relentless touring have earned
the band a dedicated following and the admiration of many of their
peers. In a feat of continuity rarely seen in the rock music world, the
current (2010) five-man lineup is the same as when the band was formed
in 1978.The Radiators have a repertoire which includes over three hundred original songs—many never released on album—and over one thousand covers (or partial covers used as part of a medley). With the band's approval, over 500 concert recordings have been made available for free (for non-commercial use). (Wikipedia.com)
Phish
June 10,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $57.85 - $74.40 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
Phish is an American rock band noted for its
musical improvisation, extended jams, exploration of music across
genres and devoted fan base. Formed at the University of Vermont in
1983 (with the current line up solidifying in 1985), the band's four
members - Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Page McConnell
-- performed together for over 20 years before breaking up in August
2004. They reunited March 2009 at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton,
Virginia, and have since resumed performing regularly.Phish's music blends elements of a wide variety of genres, including rock, jazz, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, hard rock, funk, folk, bluegrass, reggae, country, blues, avant garde, barbershop quartet and classical. Each of their concerts is original in terms of the songs performed, the order they appear in, and in the way they are performed.
Although the band has received little radio play or mainstream exposure, Phish—much like the band it is most often compared to, the Grateful Dead -- has developed a large and dedicated following by word of mouth, the exchange of live recordings by trading tapes with other fans and selling over 8 million albums and DVDs in the United States. Rolling Stone stated that the band helped to "...spawn a new wave of bands oriented around group improvisation and superextended grooves." (Wikipedia.com)
Indigo Girls
June 14,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $29.00 - $59.00 | Longwood Gardens
| 610.388.1000
While they came into prominence as part of
the late-'80s folky singer/songwriter revival, the Indigo Girls had
staying power where other artists from the same era quickly faded.
Today, the Grammy-award winning duo—Amy Ray and Emily Saliers—perform a
set of classic songs from throughout their career.This event is part of the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.
R5 Productions
presents The Feelies
June 17, 2011 | 8:00 PM | $24.00 | World Cafe Live | 215.222.1400
After a 19 year break, the Feelies are back
with Here Before an album of all new original material on Bar/None
Records. The new album touches on different styles from the Feelies’
long history while adding new grooves and musical ideas to the mix.
Electric and acoustic guitars melt together in archetypal Feelies
fashion on songs like “Nobody Knows” and “Should be Gone. “ Elsewhere
there are slabs of driving garage rock like "When You Know" and "Time
Is Right" and the down-tempo ”Bluer Skies,” and harmonically rich
“Later On."Here Before was recorded at Water Music in Hoboken, New Jersey produced by Feelies founders Glenn Mercer and Bill Million. Besides Glenn on rhythm/lead guitar and lead vocals, and Bill on guitar and vocals, the album features Feelies mainstays Brenda Sauter (bass, vocals), Stanley Demeski (drums), and Dave Weckerman (percussion).
Many of their fans probably didn’t think they would ever get a chance to see the Feelies perform again let alone have a new album in their hands. Here Before adds a solid fifth album to the Feelies discography.
Sade Soldier of Love
Tour with special guest John
Legend
June 19,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $52.50 - $152.50 | Wells Fargo Center |
215.336.3600
Sade
will end a 10-year touring hiatus and perform live at the Wells Fargo
Center on Sunday, June 19, 2011. Tickets will go on sale exclusively
through ComcastTIX on Monday, October 18 at 10 a.m.Sade is expected to perform songs from her collection of timeless hits, including songs from their critically acclaimed album, SOLDIER OF LOVE which secured the Number 1 album spot upon its release in February. Selling over a million copies to-date, SOLDIER OF LOVE spent three weeks in the Number 1 spot taking its rightful place among the collection of iconic Sade albums.
In an effort to reach her vast and loyal fan base, Sade will perform over 50 concerts in top arenas across North America, including the Wells Fargo Center on June 19. She performed for more than 1,000,000 fans during her last tour in 2001.
Philadelphia’s own R&B Superstar John Legend, who is nominated for five Grammy Awards and two NAACP Awards, will appear with Sade when she performs at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday, June 19. Legend is being recognized with these potential awards for his collaboration with the Roots, also from Philadelphia, on the extraordinary new album "Wake Up!".
Katy Perry California Dreams World Tour
June 24,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| Call for Ticket Prices | Wells Fargo Center
|
215.336.3600
Katy
Perry erases any barrier between pop star and audience by writing all
her own material. “You’re getting a pure connection to the artist,”
Katy says. “You’re not getting some idea of what that artist should be,
you’re getting a direct voice.” Nowhere is Katy’s voice and vision
clearer than in concert. She is a relentless road warrior, albeit one
who comes complete with gigantic, blow up plastic strawberries to toss
into the audience. As a newcomer, she stormed the Warped Tour stage for
47 dates in 2008, immediately winning over hardened rock fans with her
ceaselessly energetic live show. Since then, she has steadily built
audiences across the planet by touching down in more than two dozen
countries and filling increasingly larger venues each time she returned
to a city. 2009’s headlining “One of the Boys” tour was a phenomenal
success, selling out around the world.She’s also a popular television draw, appearing on countless talk shows, presenting and performing on the Grammys living out her lifelong dream of being lowered from the ceiling in a 600 lb. banana, serving as a guest judge on “American Idol,” a celebrity contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and hosting MTV’s Europe Music Awards twice. More often than not she’s adding to her trophy case at each stop, winning Best New Act at the Europe Music Awards, Best Pop Video at the MTV Japan Awards and International Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards.
As much as her life seems to play itself out in the press—she’s appeared on the cover of more than 15 magazines--she reminds us the real Katy is in every note and every word of her music. “If you ever want an answer about how I felt about something or what I was going through or what I believe or my convictions or my love,” she says, “You just have to listen to the lyrics.” We can’t wait to hear every word she has to say.
Owl City with
Mat Kearney & Unwed Sailor
June 25,
2011 | Time TBA
| $28.00 | The Mann Center for the
Performing Arts |
215.893.1999
Owl City is back after a long cold winter with a new
full-length studio album – All Things Bright And Beautiful – due out
May 17th Worldwide on Universal Republic. Produced by Owl City’s
Adam Young and recorded at Sky Harbor Studios in Owatonna, MN, All
Things Bright And Beautiful features twelve new songs and was mixed by
Young along with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Jack Joseph
Puig whose credits include Beck, Mary J. Blige, Green Day and John
Mayer to name a few.One has to ask: how did this Owl City phenomenon begin? How does a young artist writing songs underneath his garage, acoustic foam and books everywhere, reach an audience of millions? “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Adam Young laughs. “Back in June of 2007 it kind of started on a whim. My parents were away for the weekend, and wanting to be loud and make some noise and whatever, I began writing versions of what became my first, self released cd - Of June. I put it up on MySpace the following month and didn’t tell anyone.”
Word of mouth began to spread for Adam’s music, with demands coming from various parts of the country for an album. Maybe I’m Dreaming, released in March of 2008, was Owl City’s full length debut. The album has garnered great critical praise and is a clear representation of Owl City’s progression as an artist. Adam has become a phenomenon on MySpace with over 6 million profile views and over 25 million plays, which is outstanding in such a short span of time. It’s clear that, from his basement, Owl City is making a colossal impact on the music scene.
What might be swirling through his head after such a quick and sudden start at stardom? “The biggest thing I was concerned-slash-worried about was the live performance – never having played a show as ‘Owl City.’ There was a lot of apprehension.” Adam’s concern, about being a one-man wizard on the keyboard, “hunched over a computer,” was put to the test recently with his first gig. Most, if not all, of his fears were quickly put to rest as Adam played to a sold out show in Minneapolis. “It was surreal,” Adam says, “to have people buying your t-shirts, singing the words – louder than I was; it felt so good.”
Def Leppard with very special guest Heart
June 26,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $18.75 - $125.00 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
Def Leppard is a British hard rock band
formed in 1977. The success of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria,
promoted by the singles “Photograph” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, made
the band one of rock's best-sellers in the 80s.Def Leppard rose to success soon after the release of their three-song debut self-titled EP (1978), when renowned British DJ John Peel championed the track "Rocks Off". Before long, the band had established a steady following among British hard rock fans, and a record deal with Phonogram soon followed.
Ann Wilson and her younger sister, Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rock when their band Heart stormed the charts in the '70s with hits like "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," ‘Straight On,” “Even It Up,” “Kick It Out” and so many more. They continued topping the charts through the ‘80s and into the ‘90s with huge hits like “These Dreams,” “Alone,” “What About Love,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Never,” and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters’ enormous talents as both musicians and singers. Along the way, Heart sold more than 30 million records, had 21 top 40 hits, sold out arenas worldwide, and had a profound influence on rock music.
Rascal Flatts
July 9,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $29.50 - $88.15 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
If
any act embodies the place to which country music has evolved in the
new century, it is Rascal Flatts. Since their inception a decade ago in
1999, the trio has helped change the face of popular music. Their
trademark sound--Gary LeVox's powerfully emotive lead vocals coupled
with the soaring harmonies of Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney, set amid
world-class arrangements and production, have made the band the
standard bearers for cutting-edge country. Drawing on Nashville's best
tunesmiths and their own enviable songwriting skills, they have
released, in songs like "These Days," "Bless The Broken Road," "What
Hurts The Most" and "Take Me There," some of the most important and
successful music to come out of Nashville in recent years. Along the
way, they have placed 10 #1 singles and 20 Top Tens, seen every one of
their studio albums go multi-platinum, with total sales approaching 19
million, been the ACM and CMA top vocal group every year since 2003,
and won multiple American Music Awards and People's Choice Awards.They continue to carry the country banner into arenas and stadiums, humbled by how far their star has risen with a profound impact on the concert stage. In good economic times and bad, their tours have been marked by sellouts and venue attendance records, as their state-of-the-art production, high energy approach and hit-filled set list thrill audiences year in and year out.
The three are committed family men who take seriously their role in the community. They are known for their charitable efforts, which have included raising millions of dollars for charities including the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and for their work on the celebrity cabinet board of the American Red Cross.
At the core, though, is the three-way friendship and musical partnership dedicated to making records they would want to listen to and putting on shows they would want to attend. It is that approach that has brought so much pleasure to so many fans and given them such an enviable position in the musical world.
"It's just beyond measure," says Levox. "We get to touch people's lives through music. There's no greater gift in the world and we love it today more than when we got the record deal in '99. We're planning to be around for a long time."
Pink Martini
July 13,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $39.00 - $75.00 | Longwood Gardens
| 610.388.1000
There
is no better setting than Longwood Gardens for the 14-piece band Pink
Martini to play tunes from their fourth studio album and latest release
Splendor In The Grass. Comprised of nine original songs and four covers
(with songs in English, Neapolitan, Italian, French and Spanish),
Splendor In The Grass was recorded in the band’s hometown of Portland,
Oregon and produced by bandleader/pianist Thomas Lauderdale and
longtime collaborator and muse Alex Marashian.This event is part of the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.
Keith Urban
with Jake Owen
July 15,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| Call for Ticket Prices | Wells Fargo Center
|
215.336.3600
Keith
Urban will bring his “Get Closer 2011 World Tour” to Philadelphia for a
performance at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday, July 15 with special
guest Jake Owen.Urban last performed at the Wells Fargo Center on August 1, 2009.
Critics have called Urban’s shows “one of the best reasons in the world to attend a live concert.” They’ve said that fans would be “hard-pressed to find a better country - or rock - show anywhere.” Urban’s catalogue of hits; “Better Life,” “Somebody Like You,” “Days Go By,” “You’ll Think Of Me,” “Sweet Thing” and his latest, “Without You,” combined with an all new production will give his fans a unique concert experience that has earned Urban a reputation as one of music's best live performers.
The tour comes in support of his sixth studio CD Get Closer, which was released in November. Get Closer follows two previous consecutive Billboard country and pop #1 albums, as well as five previous CDs, all of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum. His last effort, 2009’s Defying Gravity, produced five Top 5 hits, including chart-toppers “Sweet Thing” and “Only You Can Love Me This Way,” bringing his total of #1 songs to eleven.
Rihanna
In Concert
July 23,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| Call for Ticket Prices | Wells Fargo Center
|
215.336.3600
Rihanna
will bring her highly anticipated LOUD tour to the Wells Fargo Center
in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 23. Her extraordinary new show
will feature all new production, costumes and stage design creating a
visual and audio event with the once in a lifetime excitement her fans
around the world have come to expect from one of the brightest stars in
music today.“We’re creating an incredible ride with this tour. I’m excited to get out on the road and share my new music from this album,” said Rihanna. “We are going to have an amazing time and I know my fans are ready to get LOUD!”
Rihanna’s 2010 global tour, Last Girl On Earth drew nearly 500,000 fans in 44 markets.
Rihanna’s third single “S&M” follows the #1 hits, “Only Girl” and “What’s My Name” both reaching the top of the singles charts. The new video for “S&M,” directed by Melina Matsoukas, premiered on February 2nd showing fans Rihanna will continue to push the envelope of creativity. LOUD is Rihanna’s fifth album released since 2005. The album has reached #1 in six countries and is currently the #1 UK album. Rihanna has sold a collective 22 million albums and 36 million digital singles since her debut in 2005.
The Beach Boys
August 28,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $49.50 - $79.50 | Longwood Gardens
| 610.388.1000
Spend
a night surfin’ the U.S.A. with the legendary Southern California rock
band, The Beach Boys. The Beach Boys continue to create and perform
with the same bold imagination and style that marked their explosive
debut 40 years ago. Their latest Capitol Records release, Sounds of
Summer (2006, RIAA certified double platinum with over two million in
sales and climbing), marks a resurgence in Beach Boys interest that has
again rocked the world. Rolling Stone magazine awarded The Beach Boys
the #12 spot in their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time rank, and the
group was awarded a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2001.This event is part of the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.
Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo
August 24,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $49.00 - $99.00 | Longwood Gardens
| 610.388.1000
Over
the years the Gipsy Kings—whose members hail from the gypsy settlements
in Arles and Montpelier in the south of France—have included singers
and guitarists from the Reyes (Canut, Nicolas, Pablo and Patchai) and
Baliardo families (Diego, Paco and Tonino). Since the 1987 release of
the international hit single “Bamboleo,” from their platinum-selling
eponymous debut album, the Gipsy Kings have dominated the World Music
charts and sold more than fourteen million albums worldwide, and more
than four million in the United States alone.Limited preferred seating with exclusive passes to meet the artists is available for $139.00 per person.
This event is part of the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.
Keb' Mo'
September 17,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $35.00 - $69.50 | Longwood Gardens
| 610.388.1000
Born
Kevin Moore in South Los Angeles to parents originally from the deep
South, he adopted his better known stage name when he was a young
player who became inspired by the force of this essential
African-American legacy. In the storied tradition of bluesmen before
him, including Muddy Waters—formerly McKinley Morganfield—and Taj
Mahal, who began his days as Henry St. Clair Fredericks, Moore became
known as Keb' Mo'. His acclaimed self-titled 1994 debut album
introduced that now famous appellation to the world, and his latest
album, 2006's Suitcase, brings it to new heights.Mo's music is also a purely post-modern expression of the artistic and cultural journey that has transformed the blues, and his own point of view, over time. In total, it owes as much to contemporary music's singer-songwriter movement, encompassing his longtime friends and collaborators Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, as to the spirit of blues godfather Robert Johnson that dwells in his work. For Keb' Mo', the common bond between these influences is the underlying storytelling ethic, the power of song to convey human experience and emotional weight.
This event is part of the Longwood Gardens Summer Concert Series.
Brad Paisley with Blake Shelton and Jerrod Niemann
September 23,
2011 | 7:30 PM
| $24.75 - $59.75 | Susquehanna Bank Center
| 856.365.1300
Brad
Paisley is a walking testament to modern-day country’s possibilities.
His albums are cornucopias of words and music that provide alternately
poignant and hilarious journeys across the human landscape. A triple
threat recognized as one of the finest singers, songwriters, and guitar
slingers of his generation, he brings a wide spectrum of subjects and
styles to records as diverse and accomplished as anything being done
today, and he manages it all with true wit and distinctive style.Brad is a man whose connection with fans and sense of history were both earned in front of the microphone. His teen years on the WWVA Jamboree USA were a veritable master’s degree in country music.
“That sort of on-the-job training when you’re really young is a good thing,” he says. “I mean, I was 13 the first time I played on the Jamboree and I was 20 when I left. I opened for Jimmy Dickens and Steve Wariner and Roy Clark and Charley Pride – they all came through there. I met them and watched them all play and learned as much as I could possibly learn. I’m not the same guy I would have been if I’d started playing at 20, and wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now. That kind of experience entertaining an audience even goes into making an album, because I’m not one of these guys that wants my record to be background music for somebody. I don’t make dinner music.”
His lifelong musical journey began at age 8 in Glen Dale, West Virginia, when his grandfather, a fan of Chet Atkins, Les Paul, and Merle Travis, gave him a guitar and taught him to play. He was accompanying himself at local events at 10, and he was in his first band, the C-Notes (“You could get us for a hundred bucks”), at 12 with his guitar teacher and mentor Hank Goddard. He followed his father’s advice to strive for excellence and began his long apprenticeship at the Jamboree, playing for six years at the annual Jamboree in the Hills in Wheeling, as well. He cites the community’s support for his early career as invaluable in his development.
After two years at West Virginia’s West Liberty State College, he transferred to Nashville’s Belmont University, meeting many of those who would go on to work with him both on the stage and behind the scenes. Hard work and a growing circle of contacts led ultimately to a publishing deal and then a recording contract with Arista Nashville, whose artist roster, which includes Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn, he had always admired.
Brad was quickly acknowledged as one of country music’s most original and multi-talented artists, and his work has attracted collaborators both on record (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Bill Anderson) and in his videos, many graced by an extraordinary cast of characters, including Little Jimmy Dickens, Jason Alexander, William Shatner, Jerry Springer, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift, Jim Belushi, and Andy Griffith, as well as Brad’s wife, Kim.
The awards and accolades naturally followed. Brad has won three GRAMMYs and been named best Male Vocalist for the last two years by the Country Music Association and the last three by the Academy of Country Music. At the 2009 ACM Awards, he also took home Video of the Year for “Waitin’ on a Woman,” which featured special guest Andy Griffith, and Vocal Event of the Year for his duet with Keith Urban on “Start a Band.” Among his many other awards, he has also received Album of the Year honors from both the CMA and the ACM.
His singles have provided a soundtrack to many of life’s big and small, profound and less-than-profound moments. He has made us cry, think, and, perhaps most importantly in a world in dire need of perspective and humor, laugh. He has been topical with songs like “Online” and “Celebrity,” and poignant with “Letter to Me” and “When I Get Where I’m Going.” He has been rowdy with “Mud on the Tires” and “Alcohol,” and tender with “Little Moments” and “We Danced.” He has brought us a host of such songs and moments, resulting in 23 Top 40 records and 14 that have hit the #1 spot, in turn leading to sales of more than 10 million albums and year after year of sold-out arena shows.
As much as Brad is the guy next door, a funny, fishing, easygoing sort, his prodigious talent, likeable personality, and strong work ethic have conspired to make him one of the genre’s brightest lights. He is known for bridging the gap between young audiences and country’s roots, uniting generations with the sheer joyful exuberance of his music, stage presence, and videos. With the release of American Saturday Night, he offers what he says is “a record about our times. This is a record about my life and the times I’m living in and the times that my children are living in, and the love and loss and heartbreak and triumphs and everything in between.”
Chris Smither
November 1, 2011 | 7:30 PM | $30.00 - $42.00 | World Cafe Live | 215.222.1400
With
his long-standing tradition of playing other writer’s works by the
likes of Mississippi John Hurt & Lightnin' Hopkins, along with his
own compositions, Chris Smither engages concert audiences like no other
live performer!“[Smither] taps his foot to keep the rhythm, much like the late blues legend John Lee Hooker. His finger-picked guitar lines are sleek, unhurried and insistent. And then there’s the voice equal parts gravel and molasses, Smither’s singing sounds like a distillation of the folk and blues heroes he grew up listening to in New Orleans.” - NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
“Bathed in the flickering glow of passing headlights and neon bar signs, Smither’s roots are as blue as they come. There is plenty of misty Louisiana and Lightnin’ Hopkins in Smither’s weathered singing and unhurried picking. So fine.” - ROLLING STONE
