The National at Beacon Theatre in 2011 (more by David Andrako)

As mentioned, The National are releasing a new album, Trouble Will Find Me, and going on an extensive tour in support of it this year which includes their big hometown show on June 5 at the Barclays Center with Youth Lagoon. Tickets for that show are still available and we're also giving away a pair. Details on how to enter to win are below.

Before that tour begins, The National will do some other hometown events, including performing their song "Sorrow" repeatedly for six hours straight at MoMA PS1 on Sunday (5/5), and a live from the Artists Den taping on Tuesday (5/7). That same day, National member Bryce Dessner will have works he commissioned performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus at Roulette in Brooklyn. Members of the National will also be performing at Ecstatic Summer 2013 which takes place at Brookfield Place Plaza on June 29-30.

Meanwhile, Youth Lagoon will also be on his own tour with Majical Cloudz which hits the NYC-area for sold out shows on Monday (5/6) at Maxwell's and Thursday (5/9) at The Bell House (BV presents). After those shows, Majical Cloudz play their own show at Glasslands (5/21) with Gobby (tickets).

Updated National dates are listed, along with contest details and streams of two songs from their new LP, below...

Continue reading "win tix to The National's Barclays Center show w/ Youth Lagoon +++ updated dates"

A$AP Rocky at FFF Fest 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

As mentioned, Rihanna is on a tour with A$AP Rocky which was set to hit NYC this weekend on May 4 and 5 at Barclays Center. The May 5 show is still on, but the May 4 show has been rescheduled to May 7 due to Game 7 of the Brooklyn Nets-Chicago Bulls NBA Playoffs series. Barclays center CEO Brett Yormark stated, "We are looking forward to a special concert and I hope Rihanna will be our guest at Game 7."

Tickets for the May 4 show will be honored on May 7, and refunds will be available at the original point of purchase. Both shows are currently sold out.

As just mentioned, A$AP Rocky has been announced (along with Kendrick Lamar, Miguel, Wu-Tang, and others) for this year's Hot 97 Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium on June 2 (tickets). He also plays more NYC-area dates in August on his tour with Wiz Khalifa, Joey Bada$$, Rockie Fresh, Smoke DZA and others.

Updated dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Nets playoff forces Rihanna to postpone Barclays Center show"

photos by Robert Altman

Vampire Weekend @ Roseland Ballroom - 4/28/2013

Vampire Weekend played their very sold out and small (for them) show at Roseland Ballroom last night (4/28) in support of their upcoming album, Modern Vampires of the City (due out 5/14 via XL). If you couldn't get in, did you watch the Steve Buscemi-directed live webcast? Did you maybe watch it at Brooklyn Bowl? Like they said they would, Vampire Weekend previewed material from the new album at the show, and videos of them playing two new songs -- "Obvious Bicycle" and "Everlasting Arms" -- can be watched below (via Consequence of Sound). Comedian/musician Fred Armisen, as Thatcher-loving punk Ian Rubbish, opened the show and Steve Buscemi came out of the control booth for an appearance as well. Pictures and VW's setlist from the show are in this post and you can stream the entire concert below.

Not very surprisingly, like Phoenix did, Vampire Weekend have given fans who missed their small album-preview show a chance to see them in a much larger space this fall, Barclays Center on September 20. Tickets for that huge show go on sale Saturday (5/4) at 10 AM. Also as mentioned, the band will make their return to Saturday Night Live on May 11 when Kristen Wiig hosts.

Updated dates are listed, along with more pictures, the setlist, and videos from Roseland, below...

Continue reading "Vampire Weekend played Roseland Ballroom (pics, videos, setlist), announce Barclays Center show (updated dates)"

Cee Lo at Lollapalooza 2011 (more by David Andrako)

Cee Lo Green will be heading to Brooklyn this spring to headline the "Electric Soul Circus," which goes down on May 31 at Barclays Center. In addition to headlining, he'll also be performing with his rap group, Goodie Mob, and Busta Rhymes is on the bill too. Other acts performing include Sklyar Grey, Wordspit & the Illest, Lauriana Mae & the Pains, and Alexandra & the Starlight Band. Tickets for the show go on sale today (4/19) at noon.

Last summer, we mentioned that Goodie Mob are planning a new album called Age Against the Machine, and it's recently been announced that that album will be released on June 18. You can stream Goodie Mob's reunion single, "FIght to Win," along with a video of Cee Lo's performance on Ellen from Wednesday night (4/17), below.

Continue reading "Cee Lo, Goodie Mob, Busta Rhymes & more playing 'Electric Soul Circus' at Barclays Center"

Paul McCartney at Yankee Stadium in 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Paul McCartney has been slowly revealing dates for his 2013 "Out There" tour, including Fenway Park, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, and two Austin shows. And after dropping a hint that he'd be announcing a Brooklyn show, we now know for sure that he's playing Barclays Center on June 8 and 10. Tickets to both nights go on sale Monday (4/22) at 10 AM.

Updated North American dates (including his also just-announced Milwaukee show) are listed below...

Continue reading "Paul McCartney announces 2 nights at Barclays Center (and other tour dates)"

The Postal Service @ Mondavi Center, Davis, CA last night (via @naseemk)

It's a big week for The Postal Service, whose 10th anniversary edition of their sole album, Give Up, was released on Tuesday (4/9). On that same day, the band played their first show of their reunion tour in Reno Nevada. You can watch a few videos from that show, as well as last night's performance (4/10) in Davis, CA, below. You can also watch Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello talking about how the Postal Service came to be in a short documentary and stream the reissue via Spotify below.

After their performances at Coachella 2013's two weekends, The Postal Service's tour will eventually hit NYC at Barclays Center on June 14 (sold out) and June 15 (still tickets). It has since been announced that Mates of State will open night 1 and Ra Ra Riot will open night 2. Both bands open other dates on that tour as well. This comes after Ra Ra Riot's run with The Shins.

Updated Ra Ra Riot tour schedule, streams and videos below...

Continue reading "Postal Service now on tour -- watch live video; Mates of State & Ra Ra Riot added as openers (updated dates)"

"After Jay-Z announced the launch of Roc Nation Sports, a new arm of his Roc Nation entertainment company, last week, Yahoo! reports that he's has begun the process of selling his minuscule stake in the Brooklyn Nets. Per NBA rules, no one representing an NBA player can have an ownership share in an NBA team. It's expected, but not certain, that Jay will cut ties with the Nets before June's NBA draft. "This isn't about one draft, but taking the long view of the business," an unnamed source told Yahoo!. [FADER]

In related news, Phoenix recently announced a show at Barclays Center where MTV is hosting this year's VMAs and where Green Day and Best Coast just played.

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

"Dudeeee, Barclays Center is the coolest place ever-
so stoked to play here tonight." @Best_Coast

Green Day / Best Coast @ Barclays Center 4/7/2013

Now that Billie Joe is out of rehab, Green Day are on the road again and played their rescheduled Barclays Center show on Sunday (4/7) that was originally supposed to have happened back in January. Also on board from the original dates were openers Best Coast who seemed to be enjoying the amenities of the Brooklyn arena. Here are some pictures.

Green Day and Best Coast play the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI on Tuesday (4/9) and their tour continues throughout the summer. Remaining dates, more pictures from Barclays and Green Day's setlist are below....

Continue reading "Green Day & Best Coast played Barclays Center (pics, setlist)"

photos by Autumn Andel

Phoenix @ Crystal Ballroom -- March 30, 2013

As mentioned, Phoenix, who are currently touring the west side of the United States, ard bringing their tour to NYC for a show at The Apollo on May 13. Tickets for that intimate show, which were sold through a lottery system, are now sold out, but the band whose last NYC show was at Madison Square Garden will return for a show closer to that size on October 2 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Support at that show comes from The Vaccines and tickets for that show go on sale Friday (4/5) at 10 AM.

You can also catch Phoenix much sooner in New Jersey the day before the Apollo show for WRFF Radio 104.5's 6th Birthday Show at Susquehanna Bank Center (5/12) with Passion Pit, Silversun PIckups, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Airborne Toxic Event, Paramore, and twenty one pilots. Tickets for that show are still on sale.

And though we have to wait until May to see them live in NYC, they'll be here much sooner as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this Saturday (4/6). That happens on their way over to Indio, CA for Coachella, which is less than two weeks away.

Updated dates are listed along with more pictures from Phoenix's Saturday night show in Portland, below...

Continue reading "Phoenix played Portland (pics), add Barclays Center show ++ SNL Saturday, a NJ show w/ Passion Pit before sold out Apollo & more (updated dates)"

The Press Release reads:

MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is set to make history by bringing the 2013 "Video Music Awards" to Brooklyn, New York for the first time ever. Airing LIVE from Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25, this year's "Video Music Awards" will mark the 30th anniversary of the show and become the first major annual award show to take place in the borough of Brooklyn.

"From a vibrant musical scene for up and coming artists to epic concerts by today's biggest stars and the triumphant return of pro sports to the borough after nearly 60 years, Brooklyn has re-emerged as a cultural capitol where music, sports and entertainment history is made every day," said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV. "We can't wait to help write the next chapter on August 25th, when one of the biggest nights in music happens in Brooklyn... for the very first time."

"Brooklyn is home to icons like the Cyclone in Coney Island and the Brooklyn Bridge, and now it can lay claim to the MTV 'Video Music Awards,'" said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "Bringing the VMAs to Brooklyn will mean hundreds of jobs as crews work on the production and provide a boost to our local economy as attendees stay in hotels, visit local eateries and experience all Brooklyn and our City have to offer."

"MTV's 'Video Music Awards' are the perfect culmination to an incredible inaugural year for Barclays Center," said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center. "The VMAs are a symbol of pop culture and have created iconic moments worldwide in music and entertainment. Brooklyn has become an international brand and is the perfect setting for these moments. We can't wait to share our stage with the world."

"From hip-hop to hipsters, JAY Z to MGMT, Brooklyn musicians have a long history of dominating the 'spotlight' on MTV. Brooklyn is a cultural Mecca--the hippest, coolest place for young people across the country, and has played a crucial role in the careers of some of 2013's biggest bands, like Fun and the Lumineers," stated Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "Now, it is only fitting that the first time Brooklyn will ever host a major awards show, we are welcoming the most exciting and talked about spectacle in the music industry: the 'MTV Video Music Awards.' What better venue than the newest, most beautiful, most state-of-the-art arena in the country, Barclays Center. Bravo to MTV on a decision that hits all the right notes and strikes all the right chords. I'm so thrilled that I'll probably get 'no sleep till Brooklyn' hosts the VMAs!"

by Bill Pearis

The second act of Detroit musician Rodriguez is one of the biggest success stories of the last 12 months and, whether you thought Searching for Sugar Man deserved the Oscar or not, you can't begrudge the guy finally finding an audience for his great '70s albums Cold Fact and Coming from Reality.

Still, it's a little nuts. Just a few years ago, he was playing Bowery Ballroom and using The Fresh & Onlys as his backup band for West Coast gigs. Now he's sold out upcoming shows at Beacon Theater and Town Hall in April, and Radio City Music Hall in October. And he's just added another big NYC show, this time at Barclays Center on October 9 (one day before Radio City). Tickets for that show go on presale Thursday (3/21) at 10 AM (code: "METRO") with the regular on-sale happening Friday (3/22) at 10 AM.

Updated dates below.

Continue reading "Rodriguez adds Barclays Center date (!) before sold-out Radio City Music Hall show (updated dates)"

Beyonce now has three sold out NYC area shows on the way, as part of her upcoming world tour, and she's now added her fourth and final one, which happens on August 5 at the Barclays Center, her third show at her hubby's Brooklyn arena that week. Tickets for the newly-added show go on sale Monday (3/4) at 10 AM.

Updated dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Beyonce adds 3rd Barclays Center show (4th total NYC area date) to world tour (updated dates)"

As mentioned, the reunited Postal Service (with Jenny Lewis and Laura Burhenn in tow) sold out their first night at Barclays Center (6/14) and have added a second show happening at the same venue one day later (6/15). Tickets for the newly added show go on sale today at noon.

A list of all tour dates and a stream of the previously unreleased Postal Service track, "A Tattered Line of String," which features Jenny Lewis, below...

Continue reading "tickets on sale for The Postal Service's 2nd Barclays show"

They don't care what Mos Def has to say.... the reunited Postal Service, like Beyonce before them, have added a second Brooklyn show at the Barclays Center! The new date, June 15th, is one day after the previously announced show at the same arena, which is part of a larger reunion tour that includes Sasquatch Fest and Coachella. Tickets to the new date go on sale Saturday at noon, though a pre-sale of some sort will start Friday at 10am (the first date is sold out). Stay tuned for more details.

This news comes just one day after we first heard an unreleased song by the band. Give Up (Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition) will be released via Sub Pop on April 9.

Mos Def w/ Black Star at Rock the Bells 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Like many, Mos Def, I mean Yasiin Bey, is none too happy with all this Barclays Center business taking over his hometown. Last week, he slammed the arena in a poem called "On center.stadium.status," which you can read in full below. Now, in an interview with Vulture, he explains the poem and his stance on the venue:

Where'd you write "On.center.stadium.status."?

Yasiin Bey: I wrote that in New Orleans, on the day they were having the opening for Barclays. People were calling me and asking, "Are you gonna be there, are you gonna be there?" And it just kind of came to me, rather quickly. I have been what some people might call an opponent to the stadium. I think the word opponent has many meanings. I was concerned about what the stadium's presence in the community might do. I was concerned.

About what, exactly?

Yasiin Bey: I saw one thing that was kind of a telling sign. I was on DeKalb Avenue and Flatbush, probably two months ago, and at the intersection I saw these not-quite-so-young men, in standing traffic, trying to sell bootleg Rolling Stones T-shirts. [Laughs] I thought, "This is the trickle-down economic effect of Barclays in the neighborhood?" I didn't think of it as a positive.

In the world of hip-hop and certain parts of the media, you take a statement and you turn it into Wrestlemania, you make the Himalayas out of molehills. I wasn't interested in that. I respect Jay. I have great respect for him. I'm a fan. I'm not a fan of everything [he does] but I don't think you have to be a fan of everything that someone does to have respect for them. And you know, I'm from the town too. I'm from the same neighborhood, the same projects. My grandmothers, my moms, my uncles -- my first five years in life were at Marcy Projects. If I can't have an opinion, who can? So to quote Jay: "I'm bigging up my borough. I'm big enough to do it."

Mos Def will be next door to Barclays Center in June for his show at BAM with Erykah Badu. Read his poem below...

Continue reading "Mos Def voices issues with Barclays Center (no offense Jay-Z)"

She's still not anywhere close to her husband's eight night run, but Beyonce, who won a Grammy last night, has added another show at Barclays Center to her recently-announced tour, as well as more dates all around the country. Scroll through Ticketmaster for your city, but the NYC-area dates are now Mohegan Sun on 8/2 (presale begins Wednesday), Barclays Center on 8/3 (sold out), and Barclays Center on 8/4 (presale begins Wednesday).

DOWNLOAD: The Postal Service - Such Great Heights (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (MP3)

The Postal Service finally returned this year, ten years after the release of their only album, Give Up, and began confirming a few festival slots like Coachella and Primavera Sound. Now they've finally revealed headlining dates in the US and Europe, including one in NYC at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on June 14! Tickets for that show are not on sale yet but check ticketmaster for updates.

UPDATE: Presale tickets are available now via The Postal Service's website.

Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis and Mynabirds frontwoman Laura Burhenn will be part of The Postal Service's live band for this tour. All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "The Postal Service announces headlining dates (Barclays Center included!)"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

Beyoncè signaled the illuminati to shut down all lights -Ma-Ty-Is

missed beyonce. on the illuminati symbolism scale (1 being vague pyramid shapes, 10 being flaming eyes and baphomet horns) how'd it rank? -El-P

Beyonce @ Superbowl XLVII (via Kayla)

Beyonce used all manner of explosions, smoke machines, fire, LEDs, back-up dancers, not to mention her old bandmates, Destiny's Child, to add zazz to her bombastic Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show (2/3). You can watch the entire performance below. Look closely for Beyonce's alleged flash of the Illuminati symbol (above) that's causing all the rage on twitter, though those that don't believe in conspiracy theories will probably just tell you that her husband Jay-Z throws that up to symbolize Roc-A-Fella, like on his The Dynasty: Roc La Familia LP art, the cover of his Fade to Black movie, and in countless videos and live shows.

Superfans who missed the show are in luck, though. Beyonce has announced a massive set of dates called the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour that will kick off in Serbia and head back to North America during a second leg this summer. The tour comes to a close in Brooklyn on August 3 at Barclays Center. Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb 11 at 10 AM. Maybe this is a sign that her new album will be announced soon?

A list of all tour dates, the video of the half-time show, and the damning signs of the Illuminati during the Destiny's Child performance are below...

Continue reading "Beyonce & Destiny's Child played the Super Bowl Halftime show (and saluted the Illuminati?); World Tour Announced"

The National @ Austin Music Hall, Dec. 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

The National, who are plotting the follow-up to 2010's High Violet, will play a really big hometown show this summer when they headline Barclays Center on June 5. Youth Lagoon (who definitely have a new album soon) will open and tickets go on sale Friday (1/18) at 11 AM.

As mentioned, Green Day cancelled a bunch of tour dates due to Billie Joe Armstrong going to rehab, including their Brooklyn show which would have happened on January 16 at Barclays Center with Best Coast. The band have now rescheduled those dates to take place later this year, and they're currently set to play Barclays Center on April 7. It's not clear if Best Coast is still on the tour. Tickets for the newly scheduled Barclays Center show are on sale now and all tickets purchased for the 1/16 show will be honored.

Updated dates listed below...

Continue reading "Green Day reschedule dates (Barclays Center included)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Coldplay at Barclays Center - 12/30/12

Coldplay began their three-night New Year's run of the NYC area at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday (12/29), and last night (12/30) they kicked off night 2 of the run, which was also the first of two Barclays Center shows. Their set at Barclays Center focused on mainly on Coldplay's 2011 album, Mylo Xyloto, and also included a good chunk of A Rush of Blood to the Head. The full setlist and pictures from last night are in this post.

Coldplay wrap up their run at Barclays Center tonight (12/31) (New Year's Eve) and tonight's show, unlike the others, is with Jay-Z. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

More pics (including opener Naturally 7) and setlist below...

Continue reading "Coldplay played Barclays Center, do it again tonight w/ Jay-Z (night 1 pics, setlist)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Smashing Pumpkins @ Barclays Center, 12/10/2012

Smashing Pumpkins played their first-ever show in Brooklyn on Monday night (12/10), lighting up the Barclays Center. It was a rescheduled date and was originally supposed to happen on Halloween but Hurricane Sandy had other plans for NYC that week. The band sold special $25 dollar tickets to the show where a portion of the proceeds went to Sandy relief.

Against projections cast on a giant white orb that would strike fear in Patrick McGoohan, Billy Corgan and crew ripped through the entirety of SP's new Oceania LP before coming back for a set of "classics," though the more casual fans in the audience may have been dismayed to find them not play "Today" or "1979."

More pictures from Barclays Center and the playlist are below.

Continue reading "Smashing Pumpkins played Barclays Center (pics, setlist)"

Rolling Stones at Barclays Center - 12/8/12 (via Marie-Joelle Parent)

The Rolling Stones came to the US/NYC area for their first of four appearances here on Saturday for a Barclays Center show. Gary Clark Jr. and Mary J Blige joined them for that one, and the setlist (which you can see HERE) was pretty similar to their London shows. The Stones next play the huge Sandy benefit at MSG (12/12/12) and then head to Newark, NJ for two Prudential Center shows (12/13 and 12/15). The 12/15 will be streamed live and the Stones just revealed some pretty huge guests for that one: fellow 12/12/12 musician Bruce Springsteen, younger blues rock torchbearers The Black Keys, and megastar Lady Gaga.

In other news, NY Times posted a review of the Barclays Center show and here's an excerpt:

What is a Stones show? Musically, now that they're in their 50th year and a long time before now, it doesn't seem to be so much about the performances you're actually hearing in real time. It's an oldies show that can become a flickering re-enactment ritual: momentarily you hear a sound that's both well-worn and alive, with a huge amount of meaning attached to it -- it's almost always a guitar riff or a drum fill -- and then it's gone, pulled under into a more functional or starchier or sometimes sloppier passage. And visually it's about Mick Jagger's stamina. Saturday's show was the start of the American part of the Stones' "50 and Counting" tour; as long as he was on stage, during the show's two and a quarter hours, he never stopped. In running shoes and stretchy black clothes he bounced on his toes with knees slightly bent and swinging independently of each other, like a woman in high heels trying to walk in more than one direction.

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen, The Black Keys and Lady Gaga to join The Rolling Stones at Prudential Center"

The Rolling Stones, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY - 12/8/2012

Next up: The Stones play MSG as part of the big Hurricane Sandy Benefit, and then two shows at Prudential Center in NJ.

The Stones setup @ Barclays Center (via BrooklynVegan Instagram)

The Rolling Stones are playing Barclays Center in Brooklyn tonight (did you get a ticket?), and as wished/hoped/rumored, they were in fact added to the much-scalped Hurricane Sandy Benefit happening at Madison Square Garden on 12/12, a show that will be very "widely distributed"...

The producers of "12-12-12" announced today that the concert at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2012, at 7:30 PM (ET) to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy, will have unprecedented and historic global distribution, similar to that of the Superbowl, the Academy Awards®, and the Grammys®.

Nearly 2 billion people worldwide will be able to access "12-12-12" on television, radio and the internet. The concert, presented by Chase, will be available to all 114 million television households in the US and to more than 400 million television households outside the country via networks and feeds in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Further elevating this event to its historic levels of distribution is live streaming on the largest online video services in the world, including YouTube, AOL, Yahoo, Hulu, and others. Combined, these video streaming services reach over 1.4 billion monthly unique users worldwide.

In addition, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, with its 239 million monthly listeners and more than 48 million monthly digital uniques, will broadcast the concert live on its radio stations across the country, and will also video stream live on iHeartRadio, Clear Channel's digital radio service, and across the websites and Facebook pages of its 850 stations.

AND: "A new list of celebrity presenters was also released today, including Steve Buscemi, Jessica Chastain, Chelsea Clinton, Sean Combs, Billy Crystal, Leo DiCaprio, Jimmy Fallon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Karlie Kloss, Seth Meyers, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Susan Sarandon, Jon Stewart, Kristen Stewart, Quentin Tarantino, and Brian Williams."

Stay tuned for Check out the Barclays Center setlist, guests Mary J. Blige and Gary Clark Jr. included.

The Rolling Stones' two NJ shows happen right after MSG.