Backstage Pass

The Boss' Wrecking Ball

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:40:00 +0000

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band begins the “Wrecking Ball” tour in March with stops including a gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

There is still no word as to who, if anyone will replace saxman Clarence Clemons who passed away in June.

Of course, there is an album to promote. Wrecking Ball drops in stores on March 6.

Here’s the plan:

March 18, Atlanta, Philips Arena
March 19 Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum
March 23 Tampa, Tampa Bay Times Forum
March 26 Boston, TD Garden
March 28 Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center
March 29 Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center
April 1, Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
April 3, E. Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
April 4, E. Rutherford, N.J., Izod Center
April 6, New York City, Madison Square Garden
April 9, New York City, Madison Square Garden
April 12, Auburn Hills (Detroit), Palace Of Auburn Hills
April 13, Buffalo, N.Y., First Niagara Center
April 16, Albany, N.Y., Times Union Center
April 17, Cleveland, Quicken Loans Center
April 24, San Jose, HP Pavilion
April 26, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
April 29, New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 2, Newark, N.J., Prudential Center

Do we have to remind you that pass requests will come fast and furious? Don't wait; make yours now?

Mayhem Fest 2012

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:08:00 +0000

Mayhem Fest 2012 will kick off its 26 date trek across the U.S. beginning on June 30th at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, California.

The main stage for this summer's Festival will feature Slipknot, Slayer and a major special guest which will be announced on March 5th. The fourth slot on the main stage will feature a rotation of The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying and Asking Alexandria

In 2012 the tour has upgraded the production on the festival stage and this year the Jagermeister Stage will feature a special headline set by Anthrax.

Here are all the dates:

Sat Jun 30 San Manuel Amphitheater CA
Sun Jul 01 Shoreline Amphitheatre CA
Tue Jul 03 White River Amphitheatre WA
Wed Jul 04 Idaho Center Amphitheatre ID
Fri Jul 06 Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion AZ
Sat Jul 07 Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion NM
Sun Jul 08 Comfort Dental Amphitheatre CO
Tue Jul 10 Gexa Energy Pavilion TX
Wed Jul 11 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion TX
Fri Jul 13 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre FL
Sat Jul 14 Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood GA
Sun Jul 15 Klipsch Music Center IN
Wed Jul 18 Zoo Amphitheatre OK
Fri Jul 20 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater MO
Sat Jul 21 First Midwest Bank Ampitheatre IL
Sun Jul 22 DTE Energy Music Theatre MI
Tue Jul 24 Riverbend Music Center OH
Wed Jul 25 Blossom Music Center OH
Fri Jul 27 Susquehanna Bank Center NJ
Sat Jul 28 First Niagara Pavilion PA
Sun Jul 29 Jiffy Lube Live VA
Tue Jul 31 Saratoga Performing Arts Center NY
Wed Aug 01 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center NY
Fri Aug 03 Comcast Center MA
Sat Aug 04 Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain PA
Sun Aug 05 Comcast Theatre CT

Eddie Vedder Mini-Tour

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:36:00 +0000

Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam's frontman, will announce tomorrow a new mini-tour in support of his second solo album, Ukulele Songs.

Here are all the dates and venues:

April 11 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
April 13 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theater
April 16 Albuquerque, NM Kiva Auditorium
April 19 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater
April 22 Houston, TX Jones Hall For The Performing Arts
April 25 San Antonio, TX Lila Cockrell Theatre
April 27 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
April 30 Dallas, TX Music Hall At Fair Park
May 3 New Orleans Jazz Fest, LA New Orleans Jazz Festival
May 8 Jacksonville, FL Moran Theater
May 10 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
May 13 Ft Lauderdale, FL Broward Center For The Performing Arts
May 16 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Performing Arts Center

Small tour usually means small number of passes made available. Request yours now!

Korn Adds to Tour

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:40:00 +0000

Korn's Path Of Totality tour has expanded and will continue through early March.

Here are the added dates:

Feb. 23 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore

Feb. 24 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater

Feb. 25 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom

Feb. 27 - Denver, CO - Fillmore

Feb. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex

March 1 - Phoenix, AZ- Comerica Theatre

March 2 - Las Vegas, NV- Pearl Concert Theatre @ Palms Casino

March 4 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater

First Fest of 2012 Announced

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:57:00 +0000

The Suwannee Music Festival, the annual Florida event hosted by The Allman Brothers Band, has announced its 2012 lineup.

This year’s Wanee has booked (aside from the Allmans), Bruce Hornsby, Furthur, Gov’t Mule, Mickey Hart Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, Buddy Guy, Electric Hot Tuna, Ray Manzarek and Roy Rogers Band, Leftover Salmon, North Mississippi Allstars, Trigger Hippy (feat. Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene, Steve Gorman, Audley Freed and Nick Govrik); Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio, SOJA, Conspirator, Eota, Particle, Zach Deputy, Matt Schofield, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Charles Bradley, Bonerama, The Yeti Trio, Jacob Jeffries Band and Bonnie Blue.

Looks like this will be a whole lotta dancin'. Request your passes early.

Big Nickelback Tour

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:01:00 +0000

Later this week, Nickelback will announce its return to the US arena circuit in support of its seventh studio album – Here And Now. The band hasn't toured in 2 years.

Bush, Seether and My Darkest Days appear on all dates.

Here are all the dates and venues:

Tue 04/10/12 Moline, IL I Wireless Center
Thu 04/12/12 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Sat 04/14/12 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
Sun 04/15/12 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
Thu 04/19/12 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena
Tue 04/24/12 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Wed 04/25/12 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center
Fri 04/27/12 Hartford, CT XL Center
Sat 04/28/12 Worcester, MA DCU Center
Mon 04/30/12 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Wed 05/02/12 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Fri 05/04/12 Orlando, FL Amway Center
Sat 05/05/12 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center
Sun 05/20/12 Fargo, ND Fargodome
Tue 05/22/12 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center Omaha
Wed 05/23/12 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Fri 05/25/12 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
Sat 05/26/12 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Tue 05/29/12 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Wed 05/30/12 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
Fri 06/01/12 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Sat 06/02/12 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Tue 06/05/12 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Thu 06/07/12 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Fri 06/08/12 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena
Sun 06/10/12 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Tue 06/12/12 Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions Arena
Fri 06/15/12 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
Mon 06/18/12 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion At San Jose
Wed 06/20/12 Nampa, ID Idaho Center
Thu 06/21/12 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
Sat 06/23/12 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Sun 06/24/12 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena

Setlist:: Snow Patrol

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:32:00 +0000

This very recent setlist just in from member Tuzon:

Berlin
Chocolate
Called Out in the Dark
Run
Set the Fire to the Third Bar
New York
Shut Your Eyes
Chasing Cars
Fallen Empires

Thanks, bud!

Huge Van Halen 2012 Tour

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Van Halen - Long Version Trailer from Van Halen on Vimeo.

Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex plus Eddie’s son Wolfgang on bass and David Lee Roth – will launch their 2012 tour in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center Feb. 18.

The band’s first new album with Diamond Dave since 1984 – A Different Kind Of Truth – will be released Feb. 7.

Kool & The Gang will appear on select dates.

Here's the full schedule:

Sat 02/18/12         Louisville, KY     KFC Yum! Center

Mon 02/20/12         Auburn Hills, MI     The Palace Of Auburn Hills

Wed 02/22/12         Indianapolis, IN     Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Fri 02/24/12         Chicago, IL     United Center

Tue 02/28/12         New York, NY     Madison Square Garden Arena

Thu 03/01/12         New York, NY     Madison Square Garden Arena

Sat 03/03/12         Uncasville, CT     Mohegan Sun Arena

Mon 03/05/12         Philadelphia, PA     Wells Fargo Center

Fri 03/09/12         Buffalo, NY     First Niagara Center

Sun 03/11/12         Boston, MA     TD Garden

Sat 03/24/12         Atlantic City, NJ     Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall

Wed 03/28/12         Washington, DC     Verizon Center

Fri 03/30/12         Pittsburgh, PA     Consol Energy Center

Sun 04/01/12         Rosemont, IL     Allstate Arena

Tue 04/10/12         Sunrise, FL     BankAtlantic Center

Thu 04/12/12         Tampa, FL     Tampa Bay Times Forum

Sat 04/14/12         Orlando, FL     Amway Center

Mon 04/16/12         Jacksonville, FL     Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena

Thu 04/19/12         Atlanta, GA     Philips Arena

Sat 04/21/12         Greensboro, NC     Greensboro Coliseum Complex

Wed 04/25/12         Charlotte, NC     Time Warner Cable Arena

Fri 04/27/12         Nashville, TN     Bridgestone Arena

Tue 05/01/12         Tulsa, OK     BOK Center

Sat 05/05/12         Tacoma, WA     Tacoma Dome

Sat 05/19/12         Saint Paul, MN     Xcel Energy Center

Tue 05/22/12         Kansas City, MO     Sprint Center

Thu 05/24/12         Denver, CO     Pepsi Center

Sun 05/27/12         Las Vegas, NV     MGM Grand Garden Arena

Fri 06/01/12         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center

Sun 06/03/12         Oakland, CA     Oracle Arena

Tue 06/05/12         San Jose, CA     HP Pavilion At San Jose

Tue 06/12/12         Anaheim, CA     Honda Center

Thu 06/14/12         San Diego, CA     Viejas Arena

Sat 06/16/12         Phoenix, AZ     US Airways Center

Wed 06/20/12         Dallas, TX     American Airlines Center

Fri 06/22/12         San Antonio, TX     AT&T Center

Sun 06/24/12         Houston, TX     Toyota Center

Tue 06/26/12         New Orleans, LA     New Orleans Arena

These major tour announcements will begin to come in hot and heavy now that 2012 has begun. Don't miss out on your chance to get backstage and hang with your faves. Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Big News to Kick Off 2012

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:23:00 +0000

Happy 2012! Hope you've all returned from those loftier New Year's states because we've got some HUGE news for ya.

By far, the biggest news to come out over the holidays was that the founding members of The Beach Boys, will reunite for a global 50th Anniversary (!!!!!!!!!!) celebration in 2012. Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks will come together for a new studio album and a 50-date international tour to begin in April with a headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") as well as other exciting events to be announced.

Brian Wilson says, "This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again."

Mike Love says, "We got together at Capitol Records and re-recorded 'Do It Again.' Brian and I wrote that song which went to number 1 in Great Britain, Australia and elsewhere some 44 years ago. Brian paid me a compliment saying, 'How can a guy sound that great so many years later?' Later on, while working out some harmonies on a new song Brian had written, I got a chance to return the compliment. It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements. I am very much looking forward to David Marks joining us and thrilling with his surf guitar licks. Music has been the unifying and harmonizing fact of life in our family since childhood. It has been a huge blessing that we have been able to share with the world. Wouldn't It Be Nice to Do It Again? Absolutely!"

Al Jardine says, "The Beach Boys were recently inducted into the California Hall of Fame. From our humble beginnings as brothers, cousins and friends, we have been honored to sing the praises of California, and I'm really excited for our fans to be able to see us again in concert on the world stage, and to celebrate our 50th anniversary together with a new studio album."

Bruce Johnston says, "I will be looking forward to singing Brian Wilson's melodies and Mike Love's lyrics once again in concert with many of the original band members, but imagine what we all could come up with vocally in a recording studio atmosphere under Brian's musical direction."

David Marks says, "I'm really looking forward to celebrating this important milestone in The Beach Boys' history with the other guys, and with Capitol Records - where it all began 50 years ago. It means a lot to me that we can all reunite and pay tribute to the fans who have kept the music alive."

It's no exaggeration to say that The Beach Boys are one of the greatest and most loved bands that the world has ever produced, and true American icons. This tour will be something very, very special.

Season's Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:11:00 +0000

From all of us at BackstagePassDirect, we would like to extend the warmest holiday wishes to our over 8000 members who have made 2011 such a great year.

2012 is just around the corner and whether you want to rub elbows with Bono, Taylor Swift, Death Cab for Cutie or Toby Keith, BPD are the folks who can make it happen.

We'll be back blogging after New Years; check in with us then.

Member Review: Feist

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:54:00 +0000

Member NYCECIL writes:

Feist's exquisite, hypnotic voice, aided by three-woman Vermont vocal group, Mountain Man, along with her engaging, effortless charm, playfulness and quick wit, brought all of the new songs alive and improved the older ones to the show I saw last night.
At 35, she is not nothing if inclusive as she continually encouraged the audience to sing along, and dance too, all night long.
“We’re going to bust shit up now okay?,” she said after opening the two-hour, two-encore show on the quiet side with Metals songs, Undiscovered First and How Come You Never Go There.
The song was another Metals tune, A Commotion, and it kicked the show into another gear.
By the next song, I Feel It All, it got pretty crowded up there with another 50 people joining Feist, Mountain Man - often dressed in suede ponchos with bells attached - and pianist-synth player, Brian Lebarton, multi-instrumentalist Charles Spearin and drummer Lucky Paul.
“Grab some wood,” instructed Feist to the now large crowd on stage and they dutifully sat down where they remained for the rest of the show (until they started dancing again.)
“It’s like a kindergarten class up here.”
There was also interesting visual accompaniment, beginning with black and white photos/paintings (not sure which) on the backdrop behind her, but quickly switching over to closeups of Feist and her band members gathered from closeups from cameras placed all around the stage.
Song highlights were plentiful, beginning with the vocally stunning Mushaboom, So Sorry - with Feist playing with the song’s tempo - Honey, Honey, Let It Die (during which she encouraged slow-dancing in the aisles and two of the women from Mountain Man also complied) and Intuition; the stirring new songs Anti-Pioneer, The Bad In Each Other, Caught a Light Wind, Get It Wrong, Get It Right; and the-dance happy My Moon, My Man, I Feel It All, When I Was A Young Girl, and Sea Lion Woman.
When Feist, who alternated between acoustic and electric guitars, dipped into her back catalogue, she made a point about saying she was going back in a time capsule.
I really enjoyed the time I spent with her backstage although she was a bit low key for me. Seeing the show from the back, on the other hand, was F'ing awesome!

Glad you enjoyed yourself, NYCECIL. Our members usually do.

If you're not one of us, why not join right now?

El Camino Support Tour for The Black Keys

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:16:00 +0000

The Black Keys will hit the road for their first leg of 2012 North American tour dates in March in support of their just released album El Camino, the first to be recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville.

With sepcial guests Artic Monkeys, here are the dates and venues:

3/2/12 - Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena
3/3/12 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
3/4/12 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
3/6/12 - Portland, ME - Cumberland County Civic Center
3/7/12 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
3/9/12 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
3/10/12 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
3/12/12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
3/16/12 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
3/18/12 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
3/19/12 - Chicago, IL - United Center
3/20/12 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
3/23/12 - Norfolk, VA - Constant Convocation Center
3/24/12 - Charlotte, NC - Bojangles Arena

More dates to follow; request your backstage passes today.

Setlist: The Cure

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:04:00 +0000

BPD member Norence Flightinggale writes to say how she was toasted by this 45 song set from The Cure:

10:15 Saturday Night
Accuracy
Grinding Halt
Another Day
Object
Subway Song
Foxy Lady
(The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
Meathook
So What
Fire In Cairo
It's Not You
Three Imaginary Boys
The Weedy Burton
A Reflection
Play For Today
Secrets
In Your House
Three
The Final Sound
A Forest
M
At Night
Seventeen Seconds
The Holy Hour
Primary
Other Voices
All Cats Are Grey
The Funeral Party
Doubt
The Drowning Man
Faith

Encore 1:

World War
I'm Cold
Plastic Passion
Boys Don't Cry
Killing An Arab
Jumping Someone Else's Train
Another Journey By Train

Encore 2:

Descent
Splintered In Her Head
Charlotte Sometimes
The Hanging Garden

Encore 3:

Let's Go To Bed
The Walk
The Lovecats

Member Review: Kanye West/Jay-Z

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:09:00 +0000

BPD member Devil's Itch took time out from T'Day to send this in:

I found it to be impossible to keep my eyes off the two of them as they first appeared on opposing satellite stages on the floor while their small band - one guy on turntables, and a guitarist and pianist as far as I could tell - remained in the dark on the main stage.

Kanye West was the flashier dresser in a black leather skirt with black leather leggings, while Jay-Z appeared in a baseball hat (his beloved Yankees), t-shirt and pants. (His pregnant wife Beyonce was supposed to be in the crowd.)

However, the real wow factor came when their satellite stages rose up by the second new song, Who Gon Stop Me, and visuals of snarling rottweilers and sharks on the prowl in the deep, blue sea, were projected onto the four sides of each cube while laser lights appeared overhead.

It was scary cool.

By the third song, Otis, another Watch The Throne cut featuring Otis Redding vocals, an enormous American flag had unfurled on stage giving the two rappers time to join each other on the main stage for the first time amid fire while their larger-than-life images appeared on two huge side-by-side video screens.

For the rest of the night it was either them performing alone or together, either their collaborations or solo hits, in an action-packed, marathon show that stretched over some 40 songs and two hours and 20 minutes.

It never really let up in pace or energy.

West delivered the first highlight of the night with the trio of Jesus Walks - which saw him down on his knees - All Falls Down, and Diamonds From Sierra Leone and pull out all the stops again later in the show with Power, and another threesome - Runaway, Heartless, and Stronger, the latter featuring him back on one of those satellite stages all lit up in red or blue lights.

And when the golden light show failed to kick in twice during All Of The Lights, West stopped the song each time, until it kicked in the third time.

The early kill-or-be-killed theme continued visually with images of leopards projected during Welcome to the Jungle, and lions and tigers and bears - oh shit! - during Monster with both rappers on stage for both tunes.

But it was when someone threw a bra on stage while they performed Monster that both men smiled but said nothing.

The imagery turned to more thoughtful subjects like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X during another new tune, Made In America, and jet fighters and eagles during West’s own Touch The Sky.

“We’re living our dream!” said Jay-Z, who got his own moments in the spotlight with Run This Town, Hard Knock Life, and Empire State Of Mind, which all had the crowd in major sing-along mode.

His solo turns on Onto The Next One and Dirt Off Your Shoulders, with him back on the other satellite stage bathed in green lights and featuring his silhouette, along with I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), were also memorable.

Towards the end of the night, the two rappers shared the stage again for another great trio of tunes - West’s Golddigger, Jay-Z’s 99 Problems and their collaborative Ni**as in Paris.

When they finally exited, Jay-Z proclaimed to the crowd, all Ringo-like but without the Liverpool accent: “Peace and love.”

Before the show, I asked Kanye why he works so hard onstage. His reply was simple and straightforward: “I want people to get what they pay for.”

We sure did.

Thanks Devil's Itch.

Ya know, as we close out 2011, everyone here at BackstagePassDirect would like to extend our sincerest Holiday good wishes and to say "Thanks" for making 2011 sch a killer year.

If you've been sitting on the fence about subscribing, give yourself a present for 2012. A full one year membership is only $49; sign up today.

Setlist: John Fogerty

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:06:00 +0000

BPD member Silver Diver sent this to us from the recent John Fogerty show she attended:

Almost Saturday Night
Green River
Commotion
Tombstone Shadow
Wrote a Song for Everyone
Bad Moon Rising
Lodi
Cross-Tie Walker
Sinister Purpose
The Night Time Is The Right Time
(Nappy Brown cover)
Centerfield
Hey Tonight
Born on the Bayou
I Will Walk With You
Hot Rod Heart
Gunslinger
Keep On Chooglin'
Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Oh, Pretty Woman
(Roy Orbison cover)
Down on the Corner
Suzie Q
(Dale Hawkins cover)
Saxophone Instrumental
(short band jam with John … more)
Bad Case of Loving You
(Robert Palmer cover)
The Old Man Down the Road
Fortunate Son

Encore:

Good Golly Miss Molly
(Little Richard cover)
Proud Mary
Don't You Wish It Was True

Member Review: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:36:00 +0000

Long time BPD stalwart Bandolero graced us with this review:

The general consensus has always been that Noel Gallagher writes the better songs and Liam Gallagher is the better singer. That may be the case, but Noel’s live act had more energy, dynamism and style with a huge LED screen behind him that said Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in huge letters when it wasn’t showing videos, cool strobe and colored lights,

More importantly, he dared to play Oasis songs, right alongside his new solo tunes - with his debut solo disc out Tuesday - during the course of his 90-minute set, while Liam has refused to.

In fact, Noel kicked off the night with two Oasis songs, (It’s Good) To Be Free and Mucky Fingers before delving into High Flying Birds territory with Everybody’s On The Run, Dream On and the popular single, If I Had A Gun, which prompted a big sing-along.

But when he pulled out an acoustic guitar and played stripped down versions of such huge Oasis hits as Wonderwall and Supersonic, the real male bonding amongst audience members - arm-in-arm and singing at the tops of their lungs - began.

Of his four side musicians, I particularly enjoyed keyboardist Mike Rowe, also on piano and organ, and drummer Jeremy Stacey, who looked like he’d walked off the set of A Clockwork Orange with his black bowler hat, as they backed him on Wonderwall and Supersonic, on piano and tambourine, respectively.

And of the newer tunes, it was such super-charged rockers as (I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine, AKA... What a Life!, and Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks that stood out.

Then it was back to a trio of Oasis gems - Little By Little, The Importance of Being Idle and Don’t Look Back In Anger - that made up the spirited encore.

Ultimately, of course, the best thing would be if Noel and Liam came back together for an Oasis reunion as it’s their fractious sibling chemistry that truly makes them special.

Until a reunion, then Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is the closest things Oasis fans have to the real thing.

SET LIST

(It’s Good) To Be Free

Mucky Fingers

Everybody’s On The Run

Dream On

If I Had A Gun

The Good Rebel

The Death Of You and Me

Freaky Teeth

Wonderwall

Supersonic

(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine

AKA... What a Life!

Talk Tonight

Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks

AKA... Broken Arrow

Half The World Away

(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach

Encore:

Little By Little

The Importance of Being Idle

Don’t Look Back In Anger

Concert Bombshell: Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw Reunite

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:39:00 +0000

BackstagePassDirect has just learned that it will be announced tomorrow that Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will reunite for the 'Brothers of the Sun' Tour.

'Brothers of the Sun' will be the first time in 10 years that Chesney and McGraw have hit the road together. The reunion will kick off June 2 in Tampa, FL and will also feature special guests Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen.

All this comes on the heels of Chesney's massively successful 'Goin' Coastal' Tour, which blew away more than 1.3 million fans, making it the year's biggest country tour.

Dates and venues:

Sat. June 2 - Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium
Sun. June 3 - Atlanta, GA - Georgia Dome
Sat. June 9 - Dallas, TX - Cowboys Stadium
Sun. June 10 - Kansas City, MO - Arrowhead Stadium
Sat. June 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field
Sat. June 23 - Nashville, TN - LP Field
Sun. June 24 - Charlotte, NC - Bank of America Stadium
Sat. June 30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field
Sun. July 1 - Cincinnati, OH - Paul Brown Stadium
Sat. July 7 - Chicago, IL - Soldier Field
Sun. July 8 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Field
Sat. July 14 - Anaheim, CA - Angels Stadium
Sat. July 21 - Denver, CO - Sports Authority Field at Mile High
TBA - Indianapolis, IN - Lucas Oil Stadium  
TBA - Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Browns Stadium
Sat. August 11 - East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium
Sun. August 12 - Washington, DC - FedExField
Sat. August 18 - Detroit, MI - Ford Field
Sat. August 25 - Foxboro, MA - Gillette Stadium

You gotta know that this will be a "high demand" event so make your requests early.

Member Review: The Script

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:20:00 +0000

BPD member Tupelo Honey writes:

It surprised me just how scary good The Script was in its impressive performance last night.

Playing in front of a crowd that was stuck in a driving storm outside of the venue prior to the show, The Script - and openers Hot Chelle Rae - gave fans an 85-minute reprieve from Mother Nature with a performance that was one part visual and sensory overload and one part incredible restraint.

The Dublin-based indie rock band, led by frontman Danny O'Donoghue and guitarist/vocalist Mark Sheehan, didn't make the show about themselves, but about the screaming room of 30somethings - most of which were women.

O'Donoghue gave those admiring women an immediate gift, hopping into the front row of fans during the set's third song, letting the overjoyed women complete the lyrics of 'We Cry.' While the pit security looked a bit concerned, O'Donoghue was completely in his element, purely enjoying the fact that dozens of hands were reaching out to just touch him and that his fans knew the words to a song that has never hit the radio.

What stood out about the set was how the band mixed its popular songs with ones that were simply built for a live show.

They used their hits like 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' - a sing-a-long hit that left O'Donoghue sitting at the base of the drummer's platform shaking his head in amazement and Sheehan claiming that the crowd's singing left his "hair standing" on his very bald head - and 'Breakeven' - the band's most popular iTunes download - to keep the crowd roaring and engaged. During these songs, you saw a muted light show behind the band, concentrating much more on the lyrics and delivery of the song. This showed a tremendous restraint that most bands cannot, or will not, show during a live gig.

That doesn't mean the band didn't have its sensory-overload moments. At times, the lighting was blinding and slightly distracting, but it fit with songs like 'Science & Faith' and 'Dead Man Walking' - the latter complete with chalk outlines on the huge screen behind the band, with each outline playing an instrument. It was quite amusing.

Two of the most impressive moments occurred without any vocals or pomp and circumstance. Before the first song, Sheehan came on the stage by himself, playing his electric guitar in front of a back-lit, white spotlight. He crawled on his knees at the outset and eventually rose to his feet, staring right into the white light while waiting for his bandmates to join him on stage. It signaled something unusual in that it didn't seem like O'Donoghue or Sheehan ever fought for attention on stage, as they seemed comfortable as a complement to each other.

Sheehan might have been outdone by drummer Glen Power, who took the stage in the first song of the encore, rapping a marching-band-like drum strapped to him on his shoulders. Power had been mostly subdued throughout the night, so seeing him take centerstage during 'This = Love' was surprising and unexpected.

And so was the whole night's performance, as the band proved that there might be a perfect Script for a great live show after all.

BPD, you're the greatest.

Thanks, Hon. We appreciate your report.

The list of 2012 tours keeps growing. If you want to see'em from backstage and meet your faves, you'd better join us today.

Radiohead 2012 Tour First Leg

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Radiohead hasn't toured the US for more than 3 years, but that's about to change.

The band has mapped out the first portion of 2012's tour schedule and we've got it here first.

Here are the dates and venues. We anticipated more dates to be added later.

Feb
Mon 27 American Airlines Arena Miami, FL
Wed 29 St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, FL

Mar
Thu 1 Philips Arena Atlanta, GA
Sat 3 Toyota Center Houston, TX
Mon 5 American Airlines Center Dallas, TX
Wed 7 Frank Irwin Center Austin, TX
Fri 9 Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO
Sun 11 Sprint Center Kansas City, MO
Tue 13 1st Bank Center Broomfield, CO
Thu 15 Jobing.com Arena Glendale, AZ

Setlist: Pearl Jam

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:23:00 +0000

This Pearl Jam setlist comes courtesy of Janeanne21:

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Hail Hail
Save You
Animal
Got Some
Given To Fly
Pilate
Unthought Known
Garden
Even Flow
World Wide Suicide
Setting Forth
(Eddie Vedder song)
Corduroy
Unemployable
Present Tense
Wishlist
Glorified G
Lukin
Porch

Encore:

Bee Girl
Just Breathe
Off He Goes
Mankind
State Of Love And Trust
Olé
Alive

Encore 2

Chloe Dancer
(Mother Love Bone cover)
Crown of Thorns
(Mother Love Bone cover)
Smile
Search and Destroy
(Iggy & The Stooges cover)
Rockin' in the Free World
(Neil Young cover)
Yellow Ledbetter
(with "Little Wing")

Member Review: Mumford and Sons

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:44:00 +0000

BPD member Dragonsbreath checks in:

I couldn't believe how laid back and relaxed these guys were. They (and me) just sat around backstage before the show, had a few brews and talked music. Then about 15 minutes before they were to go ut, they just got up, said "See ya later" and went about doing whatever prep needed doing.

As far as the show was concerned, having wrung every last conceivable drop of touring behind their 2009 debut Sigh No More, M&S sprinkled a few new songs from a planned 2012 studio album into their almost two-hour show that opened with huge cheers before a note of the show-starting Feel The Tide Turning was played before the pleasing Roll Away Your Stone.

The huge sing-along/lovefest continued with a lovely little Celtic lullaby Winter Winds as Ben Lovett and “Country” Winston Marshall played accordion and banjo, respectively. And Mumford soaked up the loud harmonies during the end of White Blank Page, taking out his ear monitors to hear the love.

Given the response to each of the numbers, it might have been difficult for the Mumford and Sons to stay grounded yet they did on the slow-building toe-tapper Below My Feet. Here all four could be seen stomping the stage with lead singer Marcus Mumford (who vocally resembles Dave Matthews) using a kick drum to keep things flowing.

Next, the warm, folksy Nothing Is Written soared with some on the floor arm in arm dancing in circles. And with patio lights dangling from the rafters to illuminate those on the floor for the rousing, uplifting Arcade Fire-ish Little Lion Man, the group was more than capable of pulling off a mammoth kitchen party.

After a short but sweet Dance Dance Dance, the group delved into Awake My Soul as the Canadian maple leaf on Marshall's dobro got much applause and the closing moment stirred the crowd yet again. Even a slight miscue mid-song which had the band chuckling couldn't break the momentum.

Perhaps the only number which didn't quite come off as expected was Broken Crown, a somewhat darker, moodier tune the audience never settled into. What they did cozy up to instantly was a jazz-tinged, swinging Dust Bowl Dance which concluded the 90-minute set.

Thanks BPD, this was a great night.

Glad you enjoyed it. If you've been sitting on the fence about becoming a member, now's a great time with 2012 right around the corner. A one year subscription is only $49. Sign up today.

Setlist: Anthrax

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 23:41:00 +0000

Our thanks to BPD member ThrasherTrasher for the following:

Earth on Hell
Fight 'Em Till You Can't
Caught in a Mosh
Madhouse
Antisocial
(Trust cover)
I'm Alive
The Devil You Know
Indians
In the End
Only

Encore:

Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)
Metal Thrashing Mad
Refuse/Resist(Intro)
(Sepultura cover)
I Am The Law

Here Come the 2012 Tours: First Up, Brad Paisley

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:25:00 +0000

After recently wrapping his highly successful 2011 tour Brad Paisley has announced his tour for next year – “The Camobunga! 2012 World Tour”. The tour kicks-off Jan. 12 in Grand Rapids, MI with special guests The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery.

Reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year and Grand Ole Opry member Brad Paisley is a consummate singer, songwriter, guitarist and entertainer, which has earned him three GRAMMYs, 14 Country Music Association Awards and 14 Academy of Country Music Awards. He has placed 20 singles at the top of the charts, the latest a duet with Carrie Underwood, “Remind Me.” Paisley’s current album,This Is Country Music, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and is Paisley’s sixth consecutive studio album to debut as the nation’s country best-seller.

Here are the complete dates and venues:

Thu 01/12/12 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena

Fri 01/13/12 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center

Sat 01/14/12 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Thu 01/19/12 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

Fri 01/20/12 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena

Sat 01/21/12 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

Thu 01/26/12 Nampa, ID Idaho Center

Fri 01/27/12 Salt Lake City, UT Maverik Center

Sat 01/28/12 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

Thu 02/09/12 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena

Fri 02/10/12 Eugene, OR Matthew Knight Arena

Sat 02/11/12 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

Thu 02/16/12 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena

Fri 02/17/12 Las Cruces, NM Pan American Center

Thu 02/23/12 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center Mem. Coliseum

Fri 02/24/12 Moline, IL I Wireless Center

Sat 02/25/12 Springfield, MO JQH Arena

Thu 03/01/12 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena

Fri 03/02/12 Knoxville, TN Thompson-Boling Arena

Passes for Brad's shows are always in high demand, so if you wanna get backstage, make your requests today.

Setlist: Neil Young

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000

BPD member Swampdogg sends in this recent setlist report:

Don't Cry No Tears
I've Been Waiting For You
Love And Only Love
Piece of Crap
Goin' Home
When I Hold You in My Arms
Quit (Don't Say You Love Me)
From Hank To Hendrix
Don't Let It Bring You Down
Pocahontas
After The Gold Rush
Standing In The Light Of Love
Gateway of Love
Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Sedan Delivery
Like a Hurricane

Encore:

Rockin' in the Free World
Powderfinger

Member Review: Kings of Leon

noreply@blogger.com (backstagepassdirect) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:27:00 +0000

BPD subscriber xxxbaker writes:

The big question on everyone’s minds was how would lead singer-guitarist Caleb Followill look and sound?

The answer is that the rest appears to have at least done Caleb’s voice some good even if he looked a little shaggy with facial hair and appeared, along with the rest of the group, pretty tentative for most of the night.

The southern-fried garage rockers kicked off their hour-and-40-minute performance with Radioactive from their 2010 album Come Around Sundown but it was as if a lot of the joy had left the group.

They seemed to keep their energy contained within themselves instead of sharing it with each other or the audience.

The first flub of the night came about six songs in when they started, then stopped, then restarted the normally anthemic Fans for reasons that weren’t clear.

The crowd was forgiving, however, gamely singing along on the next new song, Back Down South, as the two video screens on either side of the stripped down stage showed waving fields of wheat and back roads, before joining in on the old favourite Milk which was followed by another slow-tempoed number Arizona.

Slowly, the band started to find their footing with Slow Night, So Long, Molly’s Chambers and Closer as the large three-paneled video screens behind them finally came to life but they never really set the place on fire until the top of the first hour with On Call and Knocked Up, which both prompted crowd clap and singalongs.

Then it was time for the mother of them all - Sex On Fire - which closed the set before a five minute break leading into the lively encore of The Bucket, the anthemic Use Somebody and Black Thumbnail which ended the evening punctuated by fireworks and firebursts.

I would say that the show was C+. Maybe they need more time off, I don't know. They were cordial backstage to me but it felt that fans were more of a bother than anything else to them right now.