The Avett Brothers
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
3.07.2010

“In terms of the actual show it will still be a raucous high energy show. Everyone’s ready to give it their all.” – Joe Kwan, in my recent interview with The Avett Brothers.

Bursting onto the scene, The Avett Brothers did not disappoint their friends, family and fans that packed the three levels of the House of Blues. The show was sold out, but people were still asking for tickets in the line that spanned a full block just before the doors opened. The high energy show pumped-up the House of Blues crowd so much, the band could barely start their next song. Fans shouting out what song they hope will be played next, anxious and knowing their next song will be just as great as the next.
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Gomez
Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 4, 2010

Having never seen or heard Gomez before last Thursday night, I had no idea what was in store for me. With no expectations and an open mind, I attended the opening night of Gomez’s current tour in the States. Quite honestly, it felt pretty cool to be seeing Gomez live in concert for the first time while they were kicking off their tour in my hometown of Chicago. The fivesome hailing from Southport, England are promoting their latest album A New Tide, which was released almost a year ago on March 31, 2009. Three lead singers told me that Gomez is not your typical English indie rock band. There is nothing ordinary about a band whose members play multiple instruments in addition to having three out of five of the guys sharing lead vocal duties. Gomez earned my respect the second they walked out on stage and picked up their respective instruments. My admiration for Gomez and the group’s songs only grew as each song finished and a new one began. I am now a fan for life and will be at every Gomez show in Chicago from here on out.

More photos of Gomez after the jump…

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JAY FARRAR AND BENJAMIN GIBBARD JOIN FORCES FOR NEW ALBUM INSPIRED BY JACK KEROUAC’S “BIG SUR” & SET SIX SPECIAL KEROUAC CONCERTS

COLLABORATIVE ALBUM ONE FAST MOVE OR I’M GONE: KEROUAC’S BIG SUR OUT OCTOBER 20 ON F-STOP/ATLANTIC

One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur, a new album featuring 12 original songs composed and performed by Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie–with lyrics based on the prose of Jack Kerouac’s landmark 1962 novel Big Sur–is set for an October 20 release on F-Stop/Atlantic Records along with a feature-length documentary of the same title in which both Gibbard and Farrar appear.

Gibbard and Farrar, having never previously met, discovered a mutual kinship in their passion for Kerouac’s work while recording several songs for the documentary, produced by Kerouac Films.

After the initial San Francisco recording session in July 2007, they decided to develop the project further to create an album using Kerouac’s own words from the book as the lyrics. Big Sur is an evocative account of a time in Jack’s life when he’d “come undone,” both emotionally and spiritually. He escapes to a cabin in Big Sur to confront his inner demons and find a modicum of peace by the sea.

Trailer after the jump…..

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Coldplay
Alpine Valley Music Theatre
East Troy, WI
July 25, 2009

Chris Martin (lead vocals, piano, rhythm guitar)

Words cannot explain the feeling of complete and utter happiness that I feel when I’m at a Coldplay concert. If you ever attend a Coldplay show with me, you will not be able to wipe the smile off of my face no matter how hard you try. A sense of euphoria rushes through me, almost as if the sensation I’m experiencing is a drug being pumped through my veins and spreading all throughout my body giving me a high like no other. Basically, I was feeling ecstatic without actually using the drug Ecstasy. Simply put, I LOVE Coldplay and their songs! After Green Day, Chris Martin and Co. are my favorite band without a doubt. Each member can play each other’s instruments and as a bonus, each member can sing! I love that during the band’s live shows, all four guys harmonize with lead singer and frontman Chris Martin. Singing backing vocals is just another part of playing in Coldplay for guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion. For the song “Death Will Never Conquer,” Champion takes over lead vocal duties, giving Martin a brief break, and proves that some drummers really can carry a tune.

Jonny Buckland (lead guitar, vocals)

Opening with “Life In Technicolor,” fans couldn’t quite glimpse the band as the lights were still off, leaving the stage dark and the audience’s anticipation growing. “Life In Technicolor” is the instrumental track off of Coldplay’s latest studio album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, which was released in June of 2008. It is the first song on the record and also happens to be the first song that kicks off Coldplay’s live set on their Viva La Vida Tour. During the band’s performance of their hit single “Yellow,” which brought the English foursome mainstream success, gigantic yellow balloons were dispersed from each side of the stage by tour crew members who chucked them out into the crowd to be thrown about like beach balls, much to every fan’s delight. Coldplay performed a medley of songs from a B stage positioned halfway between the lawn and the stage on the far right edge of the pavilion seats. Those four songs can be found below in the set list with (B) following their titles. Coldplay then returned to the main stage to perform their massive hit “Viva La Vida” and past single “Lost.” Once more, the guys were seen running up the far left side of pavilion seats to a C stage positioned in the center of the lawn directly behind the mix. The three songs performed in the lawn can be found below with a (C) following their names. The C stage set concluded with what was probably the best cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” that I have ever heard.

Guy Berryman (bass, vocals)

While the band ran back to the main stage from the lawn to launch into “Politik,” a remix of “Viva La Vida” kept the crowd singing along and desperately wanting more songs to be played. Confetti in the shape of multi-hued butterflies covered every single fan (me and my friend Vilmarie!) in the GA pit, as well as the majority of fans in the pavilion seats, during the second half of Coldplay’s newest single “Lovers In Japan.” Although “The Escapist” is not listed as an actual track included on Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Coldplay ends their Viva La Vida Tour with this outro. If you have the album, you’ll recognize “The Escapist” from the last 2 minutes and 46 seconds of the closing track “Death And All His Friends.” I have seen Coldplay live in concert five times and this was by far the best show yet. You must make it a point to see the band play a show at least once during your lifetime. You will NOT be disappointed. And make sure to catch Coldplay on tour NOW to pick up your free physical copy of the band’s brand new live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft. I got mine, now go get yours!

Set List / Alpine Valley

Life In Technicolor

Violet Hill

Clocks

In My Place

Yellow

Glass Of Water

Cemeteries Of London

42

Fix You

Strawberry Swing

Talk (Dance Version) / God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (B)

The Hardest Part (B)

Postcards From Far Away (B)

Viva La Vida

Lost

Green Eyes (C)

Death Will Never Conquer (C)

Billie Jean (Michael Jackson cover) (C)

Viva La Vida (Remix)

Politik

Lovers In Japan

Death And All His Friends

————————Encore———————–

The Scientist

Life In Technicolor II

The Escapist (Death And All His Friends)

More photos of Coldplay after the jump…

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WHO:

Team Noise is comprised of: Kevin Baldes from LIT on bass and vocals, Keri Kelli from Alice Cooper and Skid Row on guitar and vocals, Jimmy D’Anda from BulletBoys on drums and Andrew Freeman from The Offspring and Lynch Mob on lead vocals and guitar.

WHAT:

The Orange County based “All-Star” Jam band is comprised of a group of musicians that when not touring or recording with their respective bands, form the ultimate rock experience. From Alice Cooper to Zeppelin, AFI to Weezer their live show covers the spectrum of rock the way it should be… down and dirty!

Guests must be 21 years and older. Tickets are $15 and are available by calling 702.474.4000, online at www.ticketmaster.com or at the door the night of the show. For more information on upcoming shows, please visit www.smashmagazine.com.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 23

Doors open at 10 p.m.

WHERE:

Rock Room inside Penthouse Las Vegas

3525 W. Russell Rd.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Any Avett Brothers fans out there? Did you hear that they are join Dave Matthews on tour this Spring for 8 dates?

Dates with Dave Matthews:

4/22: Raleigh, NC   Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
4/24: Charlotte, NC   Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
4/28: Alpharetta, GA   Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre At Encore Park
4/29: Alpharetta, GA   Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre At Encore Park
5/1: The Woodlands, TX    The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
5/2: Dallas, TX   Superpages.com Center
5/5: Albuquerque, NM   Journal Pavilion
5/6: Phoenix, AZ   Cricket Wireless Pavilion

Need Poster Prints from Scott Avett(as seen above)?

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Dave Matthews Band
Cricket Wireless Amphitheater – Chula Vista, CA
8/22/2008

Dave Matthew Band Members:
Dave Matthews – Guitar, Vocal
Carter Beauford – Drums
Boyd Tinsley – Violin
LeRoi Moore – RIP (8/19/08) Flute, Sax
Tim Reynolds – Guitar
Rashawn Ross – Trumpet
Stefan Lessard – Bass

This is called posting on the run. I thought I would throw some teaser pictures up for all of your Dave Matthews fans. See our Dave Matthews coverage when they hit Chicago earlier this year with LeRoi here.

UPDATE: Posted more photos of the show. I hope this satisfies the minds and eyes of all Dave Matthews fans. Let us know by leaving a comment.

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O.A.R.
House of Blues – San Diego, CA
6/28/08

We walked into a sold-out performance at the House of Blues in San Diego. If you wanted to try and get tickets you were out of luck. The hardcore O.A.R. packed the intimate venue to see O.A.R. in support of their new album All Sides.

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Dave Matthews Band
Toyota Park – Bridgeview, IL
6/6/08

I have loved Dave Matthews Band since the first time I heard that huge hit – Crash Into Me – on the radio when I was in middle school. But believe it or not, I had never seen them in concert before Friday night. I was blown away by their musicianship and laid-back performance. I immediately sensed that this concert was going to be less of a rock concert and more of a jam session. Albeit a jam session with almost 28,000 screaming people watching. Not sure about all of you who have seen DMB in concert before, but I could tell that Dave Matthews and Co. do what they do because they LOVE to play music together and not for any other reason.

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Mark your calendars, Festival season is here! Here is yet another summer festival packed with live music, camping, RV-ing, lodge living, keynote presentations, panel discussions, workshops, film screenings, and audience Q&A sessions.

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