Category: Concert Reviews

Harper Saves Some Soul For Florida
Jeff Vrabel, Jacksonville, Fla.
Billboard.com
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals shaped their new record, “Lifeline,” during several months’ worth of soundchecks and knocked it out during one busy week in a Paris studio. So it couldn’t be less surprising to see that it migrates back to the stage with an assured, groovy ease.

Billboard has a great review of the November 1st show… Here is a small excerpt:

On stage, Harper always keeps one foot in the new record, which was played nearly in its entirety — this isn’t a show for “Steal My Kisses” or “Burn One Down” or the ambitious sprawl of “Both Sides of the Gun” or “Diamonds on the Inside.” But the name’s also a bit of a head-fake. Though the show is heavy on the warm, Stax-y tracks that make up the bulk of the record, there are moments when the notorious genre-jumper lets his crack band bring the funk, as they say.

A sprawling cover of “Use Me” turned into an extended funk-soul vamp that found Harper howling at the moon while guitarist Michael Ward went nuts all around him. A Florida-ready cover of Tom Petty’s “Breakdown” was more straightforward but just as welcome.

At any given time in the United States, there are over 2000+ different concert acts currently on tour. With so many musical acts to choose from, how does the average concert goer narrow down the list to those acts that are really worth seeing live and up close?

Using the current total gross ticket sales numbers from the most recent issue of BillBoard Magazine, the following article takes a look at the Top 5 most popular (currently touring as of November, 2007) concert acts of 2007 in terms of overall concert ticket sales.

If your looking to attend a concert in the near future, take some of the guesswork out of the decision by choosing from one of the below currently touring acts. Millions of satisfied concert-goers can’t be wrong.

1. Hannah Montana: Hannah Montana is currently touring with the Jonas Brothers as well as her own Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Tour. The shows non-stop choreography, lighting, and costume changes only add to the exceptional lyrics and singing. The high-tech presentation gives you multiple big screens for additional views and fireworks add to the excitement. The crowd pleasing Hannah even struts her stuff on a crowd splitting ramp that puts her as close to her fans as possible. The Jonas Brothers are a treat themselves, but when combined with Hannah, it truly becomes a show to remember.

2. Billy Joel: Along with a list of Rock and Roll stars coming back to tour this year is the Piano Man, Billy Joel. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the small piano bar sets he started in, Billy Joel still has the same sharp piano fingers that he had in his younger days. Pulling out some old, rarely heard songs, and new songs alike, the performer shows that he is still at it, and so is his band; with Carl Fischer on trumpet/flugelhorn and Mark Rivera on Sax there is little missing from the original sound. With a rotating piano and a piano cam at his fingers, there is nothing you will miss in this tribute to many years of rock and roll.

3. The Police: An oldie, but a goodie, the Police are back at it again with their new tour Fiction Plane. Their Paris, France, twin concert shows sold-out with gross sales of over $15,000,000 (Reuters) showing that they are still as popular as ever. After all these years Sting’s voice is still holding strong and the Police have added some new twists to your old favorites. Andy’s guitar riffs are brilliant and Stewart is all over the stage with drums and crowd interaction. This is a great show for music fans of all ages.

4. Fall Out Boy: Moving into the spotlight and out of their post-hardcore scene Fall Out Boy has expanded their sound to include pop, r&b, and an occasional ballad. This band puts on an immersive show of pyrotechnics and projected content to enliven all your senses. The band’s suburban Chicago-style sound, contrasts nicely with each member’s disparate personality and their easy to sing-a-long choruses only add to the audience experience common at their concerts.

5. Bruce Springsteen: With two sold out shows at Madison Square Garden last month grossing over $2 Million (billboard.com), at 58, Springsteen shows that “The Boss still has it. With age and experience he brings a soulful abandonment to his new album “Magic” that attests to the vitality of rock and roll. Searching for all that we have lost or missed through our years, Springsteen touches the hearts and minds of concert goers moving through the compromises and disillusionment of life. The rambling keyboards, the electric guitar high-lights, and the raging piano solos give way to a slow melancholy Irish folk song that leaves you gliding across the moors on your journey home.

A concert, any concert, should be an experience to be felt. The ticket holder should not only be a spectator, but an active participant riding on the tails of the musical notes. With any good concert there is the emotional high, the physical exhaustion, and the mental stimulation to relive the concert through every repeat chorus you hear on the radio thereafter.

The above top 5 acts are certainly worth seeing this holiday season and are all well worth your time. As many of us remember from our very first concert so many years ago, nothing is more exciting then seeing your favorite artist or band live on stage singing your favorite songs. It truly is an experience of a lifetime.

Van Halen concert tickets are something that all serious music lovers should buy at one time or another. This is because Van Halen is probably one of the most important bands in rock history- not only have they made great music over the years, the have also contributed greatly to the evolution of hard rock as we know it, withstanding the winds of change alongside other great bands like Aerosmith and Metallica.

Twenty Years of Mayhem

Van Halen has been rocking the world for over twenty years- in many ways they exemplify what rock and roll is all about. Not only is it about making unforgettable music, it is also about living hard, having break-ups, make-ups, terrific tours, record breaking records and a whole lot of drama in between. Right when other bands from the seventies showed signs of slowing down, Van Halen is ready to hit the touring circuit once again, this time with David Lee Roth back at the mic and the second generation of Van Halen, Eddie’s son Wolfgang playing bass.

At a Van Halen concert it is not uncommon to see different generations in the audience as well. This is because the sound of Van Halen has endured right across the decades- if the parents were rocking to ‘Runnin’ With The Devil” then the kids were blown away by ‘Poundcake’. No matter which generation you look at, they all have one thing in common. They would all love to get their hands on Van Halen concert tickets.

So Who’s The Singer Of Your Band?

Perhaps another aspect that has always kept Van Halen in the spotlight is the on-again, off-again relationship the band has had with two of their former vocalists, David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. In fact, many music pundits have likened it to a love triangle, a simile that proved more apt than ever when Hagar and Roth decided to do a tour of their own at one time. This was appropriately called by many as the Sans Halen Tour.

While sales of Van Halen concert tickets have always been consistently big sellers, there has been a bit of a rift between loyal fans of the band. Some feel that Van Halen sounded best with Roth at the helm and were additionally aggravated when Sammy Hagar began to systematically weed out any Roth elements of the band when Hagar joined Van Halen. Other fans feel that Sammy Hagar helped Van Halen make some of their best material and helped move the band into a more serious realm while Roth seemed happy to be a clownish front man. When Van Halen was bereft of both Hagar and Roth, they used the talent of Gary Cherone, who was previously the front man for the band Extreme.

Today, Van Halen is ready to be touring once again and in the end, it is Roth who will be taking the mic. No matter who is singing, fans all agree that the music will be monumental- after all, Van Halen has been around for so long, defiantly making music when younger bands have folded up and disappeared. Don’t miss your chance to see them perform- contact an authorized online ticket vendor and order your Van Halen concert tickets.

Getting into a Hannah Montana concert might be tough, but if you can it will be an unforgettable music experience. For those of you with pre-teen children in your life, you know that the time is at hand, where they will be pestering you to go to their first concert. Rather than send them to a concert that you are not very happy about in the first place, it makes much more sense to make their first concert experience a Hannah Montana one.

Wholesome Entertainment

A Hannah Montana concert has the unique quality of being appreciated by both parens and children. Hannah Montana and the actor who portrays her, Miley Cyrus have become pop icons, as more and more kids become enamored with the energy she brings to the show and to the stage. Hannah Montana is a different kind of role model, in that she has a great deal in common with her audience. Apart from that, her message is always a positive one that encourages youngsters to believe in themselves.

This is why parents planning to attend a Hannah Montana concert can do so with a sense of satisfaction and relief. You know that if you accompany your kids to this concert, you won’t come back with damaged eardrums or a bad experience. You can also be assured that your kids will be watching a show that doesn’t have anything suggestive or gratuitous about it. The Hannah Montana show is clean, wholesome entertainment, which is so woefully lacking in our day and age.

What is The Story?

So how exactly did this Hannah Montana concert madness grow? It all started with a television show of the same name. Hannah Montana is a glamorous pop star who is young and seems to have it all. But that’s not the whole story. The pop star is only half of the story- Hannah Montana is really just another ordinary girl named Mylie Stewart and she has a tough time keeping her pop star status a secret. The only people who know about it are her dad, her two best friends and her ex-boyfriend.

What results is a delightful and very musical comedy show that follows our bright young heroine, as she tries her best to balance both worlds. She has the same issues and problems as other girls- not only that, the life of a pop star isn’t always as glamorous as one may think. Still, Hannah a.k.a. Mylie manages to make the best of things, with help from her family and friends of course.

In closing, I have to say GREAT SHOW and I would highly recommend it.