Posts from the Concert Category at Spinner.com

Grateful Dead Launching First Tour in Five Years

The Grateful Dead will embark on their first concert tour in five years when they kicks off an arena tour on April 12. After months of fan speculation prompted by the band's performance last October at the 'Change Rocks' concert/rally for Barack Obama in State College, PA, the group -- consisting of original Dead members members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart -- will start its nineteen date, month-long trek in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We've got some unfinished business," guitarist/singer Weir said in a statement. "Everybody has a whole new bag of tricks; we have the body of material we worked up over the years and we have a mind meld going on here and it would be a sin to let that just wither and die."

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Posted by John D. Luerssen on Jan 2nd 2009 2:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Plant Suggests He's Too Old for Zeppelin Reunion Tour

Robert Plant has completely ruled out getting back together with Led Zeppelin for a concert tour. In a rare live interview, the singer, 60, suggested to BBC Radio Wales this weekend that he has gotten too old for lengthy hard rock shows and has moved on to other things.

"I'm doing very well with Alison [Krauss], and I'm enjoying that," Plant said, while confessing that he still kept in touch regularly with Jimmy Page.

"I still see Jimmy quite a lot and he's very complimentary and supportive of what I'm doing," Page said about the Zeppelin guitarist. "But we are in different places now, and you have to go on to do different things."

When asked directly about the likelihood of a Led Zep reunion, Plant joked of being too old. "Do you know how long it took me to climb up onto the stage here? And it's only four steps!"

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Posted by John D. Luerssen on Dec 22nd 2008 3:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

The Answer Get 'Priceless Education' Supporting AC/DC

In early October, the Answer had no plans of touring North America for the first time. The lads from Northern Ireland were recording in London when their A&R man took them to a pub to break the bad news that a planned tour opening for Black Stone Cherry was off. "He told us we got the AC/DC American tour instead," singer Cormac Neeson tells Spinner. "We were jumping about, throwing beer on each other. It was a memorable moment."

The Answer ended up besting more than 150 other bands for the opportunity to support the Aussie rockers on the anticipated Black Ice tour with their straightaway ballsy, classic rock sound. "They've really made us feel like part of the family," Neeson says. "Angus and Malcolm seem to see us as kindred spirits, and Brian Johnson's been a real gentleman. He and our bass player, Mickey, smoke the same tobacco, and he's constantly making sure Mickey's OK and we have enough alcohol."

In addition to the care and having their first tour bus, Neeson says watching AC/DC perform every night has been a blessing. "It's inspiring to see a band that's been around that long still filled with so much passion," he says. "It's a priceless education we're getting."

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Posted by Dan Reilly on Dec 19th 2008 12:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Exclusive

Akron/Family Plans a New Year's Party

Brooklyn psych-rockers Akron/Family are throwing a New Year's Eve bash at the Knitting Factory in New York. The event will mark the final show at the Tribeca venue and enlists a stellar lineup to help ring in 2009.

"We're really excited to have Deerhoof and Dirty Projectors there, as well as our friends Megafaun," lead singer Miles Seaton tells Spinner. "Hopefully we'll get all the bands together to have a big freak-out sometime during our set." Around midnight, perhaps?

The band recently trimmed their line-up down the a three-man group, but that doesn't apply to the Knitting Factory gig. "Hopefully it will go from 3 to 30," Seaton says.

The New Year's party, which includes an electro-acoustic "drone-lounge" in the basement, will showcase songs from Akron/Family's new album due out this spring. "It's my favorite music that I've ever made," Seaton says. "There's all these different elements that we're really excited about. It's a very wild and psychedelic thing."

Posted by Joe Tacopino on Dec 17th 2008 12:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Kanye Surprises Almost Acoustic Christmas Crowd

Kanye West has proved repeatedly he knows no fear when it comes to playing live in front of unusual audiences, taking an afternoon slot at Coachella and delivering his notorious Bonnaroo performance in the past.

Well, the night after appearing on 'Saturday Night Live,' West lived up to his daring rep by surprising the very alternative Almost Acoustic Christmas crowd, which included Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love and Jenny Lewis, among others. Sandwiched between Franz Ferdinand and Paramore on a bill that also included the Cure, the Killers, Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend and Scott Weiland, West did an unannounced 20-minute set.

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Posted by Steve Baltin on Dec 15th 2008 2:59AM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Ryan Adams Demands Apology From L.A. Times

Ryan Adams has vehemently responded to an L.A. Times concert review, which suggested the singer-songwriter -- who's been sober for two years after more than 10 years of subtance abuse -- was under the influence during his opening slot for Oasis' Thursday night show at the Staples Center.

In the write up, journalist Mikael Wood said of Adams' set, "Apparently irritated by the audience's reluctance to receive his music with the hushed reverence it deserves, Adams retreated to sarcasm (not to mention bizarre, possibly booze-fueled ruminations on Jethro Tull and 'the tyranny and horrors of math')."

Adams reacted on his own blog Saturday, demanding an apology for the reference to being "possibly booze-fueled."

"If you have any decency for those of us who have overcome addictions and wake to a daily struggle -- knowing to walk a line, a line which I fiercely walk daily, proudly in fact, proud to have over come substance abuse, you will kindly apologize," he wrote.

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Posted by Steve Baltin on Dec 8th 2008 3:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

No Doubt to Tour in 2009

Break out the platinum dye, bikini tops and knee-high boots, y'all. No Doubt are hitting the road in 2009, which is good news for fans who've waited nearly five years for their return. (And also good news for those with a belly button fetish, but that's neither here nor there.)

"I have cabin fever," guitarist Tom Dumont wrote in an instant message transcript posted on the band's official website. In response, frontwoman Gwen Stefani added, "I think we should go out now. I don't think we should wait. Pack up the babies and get a bunch of nannies. So fun! Would be so inspiring to get out there and play all those songs again."

Although no dates have been announced, the band, who are recording the follow-up to 2001's 'Rock Steady,' are in rehearsals for the shows and vowed to contact management. "I think that if we go on tour it will inspire us to write. I need to see the fans out there," Stefani continued.

"I think playing some shows will make the studio time even better," bassist Tony Kanal wrote. " Playing shows, writing songs, kicking a--."

Posted by John D. Luerssen on Nov 24th 2008 3:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Rock Pix: Hot Chip, Santogold + More

Hot Chip looked positively regal in London, Kings of Leon rocked out in Detroit, Santogold dueted with Spank Rock at the mtvU Woodie Awards and much more.

Posted by Kim Davis on Nov 17th 2008 7:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, Rock Pix

Van Morrison Performs 'Astral Weeks' in Full

Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, Van Morrison took to the stage for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend to celebrate the he 40th anniversary of his Warner Bros. debut, which Morrison performed for the first time in its entirety.

The songs and Morrison have aged four decades, and the singer wisely treated the album as such. Morrison and his band, including original 'Astral Weeks' musicians Jay Berliner and Richard Davis, changed much of the material for the live setting, extending 'Sweet Thing' into a jam at the end, adding a Flamenco flair to 'Beside You' and a bluesy choo-choo riff for the finale of 'Cyprus Avenue.'

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Posted by Steve Baltin on Nov 10th 2008 5:00PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

Rock Pix: The Ting Tings, Mogwai + More

This Week: The Ting Tings rocked Perez Hilton's One Night Stand party, the Killers marched on London, Mogwai glowed onstage in Berlin and much more.