Nick Cave @ SXSW 2013 (more by Tim Griffin)

One of the Grand Dammes of the music festival world Glastonbury 2013 will happen June 28 - 30 in the UK town of the same name. (They skipped last year.) Announced acts include The Rolling Stones, Phoenix, Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Elvis Costello, Kenny Rogers (!), Portishead, Foals, Tame Impala, Alt-J, Billy Bragg, PiL, Smashing Pumpkins, Chic, Cat Power, The Horrors, Rodriguez, Palma Violets, Savages, Crystal Castles and a whole lot more.

No word on tickets yet. You can check out the full line-up on the flyer below.

Continue reading "Rolling Stones, Phoenix, Nick Cave, The xx, Primal Scream, Chic, Alt-J, Foals and many more playing Glastonbury 2013"

by Fred Pessaro // BBG

D'Angelo / Elvis Costello + Princess / Chris Rock & more @ Carnegie Hall

Amidst a snowy midtown backdrop, Carnegie Hall generated a little heat when the Michael Dorf-produced Prince Tribute opened last night (3/7). Stacked with performers giving props to the man in purple and paisley, the lineup featured some of the same names from the previous evening's "rehearsal" at City Winery, as well as surprise appearances from names like Chris Rock and more. Backed by The Roots with guitarist Wendy Melvion (of Prince's backing band The Revolution), D'Angelo show-closing numbers "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" / "1999" were the clear highlights of the evening, with performances from Bilal (doing "Sister" and channeling Keith Sweat circa 1990s), Bettye LaVette ("Kiss"), Sandra Bernhard ('Little Red Corvette") and Fdeluxe ("High Fashion/Mutiny") also causing impromptu aisle dances. Fun night, and it was great to see people up and out of their seats, wilding out in a buttoned-up place like Carnegie Hall.

More pics from last night including the setlist, The Waterboys, The Roots, Eric Leeds, Diane Birch, the Cardigans' Nina Perrson, DeVotchka, Bhi Bhiman, Kat Edmonson, Blind Boys of Alabama, Citizen Cope & Alice Smith, Talib Kweli, Princess (Gretchen Lieberum & Maya Rudolph) and all iterations there within, are below.

Continue reading "D'Angelo, The Roots, Elvis Costello, Bilal, Chris Rock, Bettye LaVette & more played the Prince tribute @ Carnegie Hall (pics) "

photos by Robert Altman

Elvis Costello / Nina Persson & Maya Rudolph @ City Winery

Elvis Costello, The Roots, Devotchka, The Waterboys, Nina Persson, Maya Rudolph (performing as "Princess" with Gretchen Lieberum), Fred Armisen, Bilal and more all blessed the stage at the "rehearsal" for the Prince Tribute scheduled for Carnegie Hall tonight (3/7). The show, which went down at City Winery last night (3/6), was sold-out and featured a night of all covers of songs by the purple one, including classics like "When Doves Cry," "Nothing Compares 2 U," "Purple Rain" and many many other  staples.

D'Angelo, who played Brooklyn Bowl on Sunday night and will hits Carnegie Hall tonight, did not appear. Neither did Prince Rogers Nelson (the honoree of the evening), but that might have been for the best considering his recent penchant for destruction....

#rockgodstatus or #dickmove? You be the judge.

Of course Black Thought is of The Roots, Jimmy Fallon's house band. If you missed it, Prince appeared on Fallon late last week.

More pictures from City Winery last night are below.

Continue reading "The Roots covered Prince w/ Elvis Costello, Devotchka, Maya Rudolph & more @ City Winery (pics); Carnegie Hall is tonight"

Prince on 'Jimmy Fallon'

The Purple One (aka Prince) blessed NYC and the world at large with a performance on Friday (3/1) on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performing the previously discussed new track "Screwdriver" as well as his 1979 track "Bambi". Check out video of both below. Both songs are available for purchase via Prince directly.

As mentioned, Prince will be paid tribute by names like The Roots, Elvis Costello and more over two sold-out nights in NYC, one officially at Carnegie Hall on March 7 and one "rehearsal" at City Winery on March 6th.

D'Angelo, who will perform the Carnegie Hall tribute, also plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight with Questlove (3/4, sold out).

Will Prince make an appearance at any of these shows? Prince.org at least confirms Prince will be in attendance at Carnegie.

Head below for video of Prince Rogers Nelson ripping through two tracks.

Continue reading "Prince played 'Fallon' (video); NYC tribute shows this week"

As mentioned, City Winery founder Michael Dorf is presenting a tribute to Prince at Carnegie Hall on March 7, his next in a long line of tribute shows he's done at the historic Manhattan venue. Since we last spoke, the lineup of great musicians that will be performing at the show has been expanded. It features Elvis Costello, The Waterboys, Talib Kweli, Booker T, DeVotchka, Bettye Lavette, Sandra Bernhard, Bilal, Blind Boys of Alabama, Bhi Bhiman, Amos Lee, Citizen Cope & Alice Smith, Maya Rudolph's Prince tribute group with Gretchen Lieberum, Princess, house band The Roots, and perhaps most excitingly, R&B singer D'Angelo (who we're still waiting on that new album from). Tickets are still available and proceeds will benefit underprivileged youth.

Meanwhile, Prince recently posted a lyric video for a new song, "Screwdriver," to his website and revealed another new track, "Chapter & Verse," which you can stream below. You can buy "Screwdriver" and a remix of that song, AND another new song that came out today called "Breakfast Can Wait" at a mysterious website called 3rd Eye Girl. According to Questlove, "#BreakfastCanWait is WOW." Check it out.

In other related news, Elvis Costello and The Roots, who are both on the lineup for the Prince tribute, are releasing a collaborative album this year according to an interview that Questlove did with Billboard. Questlove says of the album, "We had 13 or 14 songs, but then we said, 'Ooh! Wait a minute! Let's replace four of these songs with four better songs! And now we have the tightest 12-14 song collection out of about 20 songs that we made." No release date, title, or any other info has been revealed yet, but Questlove assures us, "I can just say that it is brilliant."

Elvis Costello also plays a cancer benefit with The Who at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on February 28.

Stream the new Prince songs below...

Continue reading "Roots & Elvis Costello collaborating, added to Carnegie Hall Tribute to Prince (who released new songs)"

The Who @ Barclays Center, 11/14/2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

The Who and Elvis Costello & The Imposters have been tapped to play a benefit concert happening at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on February 28. Tickets ($125 - $1000) go on presale Friday morning (2/1) at 10 AM (presale code: "THEWHO") with the regular on-sale happening Saturday (2/2) at 10 AM.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Teen Cancer America & Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center this February.

The Who have been through NYC a few times in the last year, most recently at the 12/12/12 Hurricane Sandy Relief Benefit at MSG in December.

In addition to everything else we posted, today, here's some more, and some reminders too...

Hope to see you at Pianos tonight, unless of course you're celebrating Yom Kippur which started at sundown (or under 21).

It's also National Voter Registration Day, as miss Annie Clark has so kindly reminded us above. Did you register to vote yet? We also would like to know, however, what's the deal with the Tiny Tim photo in the background?

That photo is actually part of a series orchestrated by HeadCount where over 200 celebrities, including Jeff Tweedy, were photographed with "Register to Vote" clipboards. You can see them all here.

Speaking of St. Vincent, it's David Byrne / St. Vincent Week here in NYC. Their first of three area shows together happens tonight at the Beacon Theater, as Kelly Pratt pointed out in the latest edition of his tour diary.

Neil Young has started a Twitter account and will be taking your questions via it in October. Right now, though, @NeilYoung seems to handled by a marketing intern.

Prince took a 40 minute encore break last night in Chicago.

Paper Bag Records just released the free David Bowie tribute album, Paper Bag Records vs. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, with covers by Austra & CFCF, PS I Love You, The Luyas, Yamantaka/Sonic Titan and more. Download it for free HERE.

Speaking of Yamantaka/Sonic Titan, they performed at the Polaris Prize Gala in Toronto last night, but ended up losing to Feist.

Converge is back with "Shame In the Way" a new song from their forthcoming LP All We Love We Leave Behind. Stream that new track, coupled with an interview with vocalist Jacob Bannon in the latest Show Now Mercy at Pitchfork. Look for the LP on 10/9 via Epitaph.

Sweden's Terrible Feelings have released a new video for "Next Round's On You" from their Shadows LP. Check that out below.

Field Report visited the A.V. Club's HQ in Chicago and took on the Sufjan Stevens mainstay "Chicago" for their Undercover series. Check out the clip below.

You can also check out Thee Oh Sees' side of the new Famous Class' "LAMC" 7" series which they were selling last night at their very sweaty Death by Audio show. It's streaming below.

Main Mountain Goat John Darnielle talks (vegetarian) food - including pizza, popcorn and, yes, hummus over at FoodRepublic. He and the band will be in NYC next month.

More stuff below...

Continue reading "ALSO: Register to Vote Day; Neil Young on Twitter; Free Bowie Tribute LP; new Converge, Cat Power's band & more"

Hubert & Elvis Costello @ Wellmont Theater- 10/6/11 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Hubert Sumlin put the bite behind Howlin' Wolf.

And he then influenced a new pack of electric blues and rock guitarists.

Mr. Sumlin died Sunday in a hospital in Wayne, N.J., reportedly of heart failure. He had turned 80 on Nov. 16. Mr. Sumlin was best known as lead guitarist for Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett) from 1953 until Wolf's death in 1976.

This was no small feat. The combustible guitar parts in Wolf's big-voiced tracks -- "Smokestack Lightning," "Spoonful," "Ain't Superstitious" -- set Wolf on fire at Sun Records in Memphis and later at Chess Records in Chicago. [Sun Times]

Check out a video of Hubert performiung with Elvis Costello in NJ just two month ago ("In recent years Mr. Sumlin relocated from Chicago and then Milwaukee to Totowa, N.J.), and more, below...

Continue reading "Hubert Sumlin, RIP"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

[Elvis Costello & The Imposters] were barely a third of the way through [their set] and had already played "Radio Radio," "No Action," "Miracle Man" and "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," as well as a cover of Nick Lowe's "Heart of the City," before kicking into an amped-up version of the Larry Williams song cut by the Beatles, "Slow Down."

Which they didn't.

Following close behind was "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea," "Shabby Doll," "Town Cryer" and "Little Fool."

So much for anyone trying to handicap a set list - for some of us a welcome change in the Internet age. Allow yourself the opportunity to be surprised, the message goes, and you will be.

Costello and the band sprinted from one marquee tune to the next, barely stopping to catch a breath in the 32-song marathon. Many of the set-ups came courtesy of "The Spectacular Spinning Songbook," a 12-foot-tall wheel that Elvis debuted a quarter-century ago. [Cliffview Pilot]

Much like Wednesday and the United Palace show before it, the Spectacular Spinning Songbook was in full effect and controlled the evening's setlist.

More pictures from last night below...

Continue reading "Elvis Costello played Wellmont Theater again (pics)"

photos by Greg Cristman

Elvis Costello's cancelled and then doubly rescheduled date happened last night (10/6) at Wellmont Theatre in NJ. The show featured the great songwriter's now infamous Spectacular Spinning Songbook. Pictures from the wheel-generated 2 hour and 15 minute show are in this post.

Last week Elvis hit United Palace in NYC where some special guests got to take a spin: a little boy and Mary Louise Parker.

Round and round she goes, where she stops, nobody knows... though sometimes Costello may have influence. After one spin at Wellmont last night, the wheel didn't end on "Time" like the spinner had hoped, so Elvis bumped the wheel back one notch and said, "If I can't cheat in New Jersey where can I cheat?"

Costello does it again at Wellmont Theater TONIGHT (10/6) and tickets are still available. More pictures from last night are below...

Continue reading "Elvis Costello played Wellmont (and a NYC show where Mary Louise Parker spun the wheel) - pics (& another show tonight)"

photos by Jim Brueckner

Emmylou Harris

Day two (7/31) of Newport Folk Festival featured performances by The Cave Singers, Wanda Jackson, Justin Townes Earle, Middle Brother, Elvis Costello, M. Ward, Emmylou Harris and others. If you missed the fest, you can listen to archives of the sets at NPR.

Like they've done in the past, Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello performed together on one of Elvis's songs. She performed guest vocals with him and The Imposters on "Scarlet Tide."

Mountain Man also played day two of the fest. Pictures of their set are HERE. Pictures from the first day are HERE. The rest from day two, below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 2011 - belated Day 2 pics & audio (Emmylou Harris, Middle Brother, M Ward, Elvis Costello & more)"

"Elvis Costello sincerely regrets that due to illness he must postpone his July 22nd Elvis Costello and the Imposters concert date at The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa." Check the Borgata's site for info on refunds and rescheduling. Elvis's tour continues this weekend at Gathering of the Vibes in CT followed by a NY show in Westhampton.

Elvis Costello's postponed Wellmont Theatre show originally scheduled for May 18 has been rescheduled for October 5 at the same venue. He also added a second date at the NJ venue which will happen on October 6. The 10/5 show honors all tickets from the original 5/18 date and is sold out. Tickets for the 10/6 show go on sale Friday (6/24) at noon.

The tour also hits NYC at United Palace Theatre on October 1. Tickets for that show go on AmEx presale today (6/22) and general sale Friday (6/24) at noon.

Elvis also has shows coming up in Atlantic City, Bridgeport, Westhampton, and Red Bank. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Elvis Costello adds more tour dates (2 NJ shows, 1 in NYC)"

From Elvis Costello:

I'm very sorry to have to postpone our date at the Wellmont Theatre but I would rather disappoint our friends and tickets-holders than cheat them with an inferior show. Having unfortunately contracted bronchitis, the success of the Chicago Theatre show on the 15th of May was in large part thanks to the wonderful crowd and our many willing and good-humoured participants in the Spectacular Spinning Songbook. They inspired 2 and 1/2 hour performance well beyond its occasionally audible vocal limitations. Against the express advice of a doctor but mindful that people had traveled from as far as Cleveland and Lexington for the show in Cincinnati, our show there went ahead on the 16th of May. We enjoyed an incredible welcome of Taft Theatre crowd, my voice rallied for another show or more than two hours but this was at a cost. To proceed further without adequate recovery would risk cancellation of the remaining dates of "The Revolver Tour." We will make every effort to re-schedule the Wellmont Theatre date when "The Revolver" tour rolls out again in not too distant future. Once again, I send my regrets and apologies for any disappointment and inconvenience.

Yours through music. Elvis Costello a.k.a. Napoleon Dynamate - M.C. of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook.

photos by Bao Nguyen

"Amazing time at the Garden. Still buzzed. Elvis was an officer and a gentleman. Thank you. Thankyouverymuch." - Julian Casablancas

As sort of hinted and then twitter-revealed right before the show, Elvis Costello (after he got done making a surprise appearance with the Secret Sisters at Irving Plaza), played a surprise opening set between opener Devendra Banhart and headliner the Strokes at Madison Square Garden last night (4/1). He only played three songs (starting with "Pump It Up"), but then he returned later to join the Strokes on stage for "Taken For a Fool" (that's Julian and Elvis together on stage in the picture above).

But this wasn't an Elvis show (he played his own show at Gramercy Theatre later in the night), it was about the Strokes. As Ms. Modern Age writes...

"I'll start with the end -- The very last song, in typical Strokes fashion, was "Take It Or Leave It" -- but this time singer Julian Casablancas took it upon himself to bring the music to the people - well, specifically to the people in the seated section stage left. Climbing up on the stage left speakers, and then grabbing onto the side railing, Julian positioned himself in the midst of the raised seated floor section, where upon everyone started grabbing on to him from behind.

At one point, Julian jumped down to the floor, and the barricade felt as if it were going to tip over -- terrifying me because that's where the handicapped folks were sitting. Luckily, Julian moved back up and further over into the crowd, bringing the rest of the song to the front section of the room, and a bit to stage right at the end, finally finishing on the stage."

Continue reading "The Strokes played MSG w/ surprise guest Elvis Costello (and opener Devendra Banhart) - pics, videos & setlist"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Ron Sexsmith @ Highline Ballroom

In the documentary film about Ron Sexsmith, "Love Shines," Elvis Costello casts the Canadian musician in the same realm as one of rock 'n' roll's historic performers.

"I think Ron has got one of the purest seams of melody, that he has access to exclusively, since Paul McCartney," Costello says.

There's no higher praise, but some folks are undoubtedly saying "Who's Ron Sexsmith?"

...He's just released a fantastic album, "Long Player Late Bloomer," which features the production of Bob Rock, best known for his work with Metallica, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue. The biopic "Love Shines" premiered recently at South By Southwest, and Sexsmith made a national television appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Sexsmith admits he's excited, a far cry from the melancholy that haunted him after his previous album, "Exit Strategy of the Soul," more or less tanked. When Rock agreed to produce "Long Player" Sexsmith's joy was leavened by a sense of disbelief. -[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Speaking of Elvis Costello, who is playing a solo set at this year's Newport Folk Fest, he's playing a small, late show at Gramercy Theatre tonight (4/1), and probably something before that too. Those staying home can catch him on TV.

Ron Sexsmith played Highline Ballroom on Monday (3/28), part of his US tour with Caitlin Rose in support of the new LP Long Player Late Bloomer which is out now.

More pictures from that show (including one of the setlist), tour dates, videos from Kimmel and SXSW, the documentary trailer & more, below...

Continue reading "Ron Sexsmith played Highline Ballroom w/ Caitlin Rose (pics), subject of a documentary (that premiered @ SXW)"

"An exciting mix of folk music's founding voices and modern favorites highlights the 52nd edition of the Newport Folk Festival® when it returns to Newport's Fort Adams State Park July 30-31, it was announced today by the Newport Festivals Foundation, the recently-formed 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which produces the event.

Tickets go on sale worldwide on Thursday, March 31, at 10:00 am at www.newportfolkfest.net.

Continue reading "Newport Folk Festival 2011 lineup announced, tickets too"

Sotheby's is hosting "An Evening of Spoken Word and Performance by Patti Smith" on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. It's a benefit for the Archives of American Art, and $100 tickets are on sale.

$100 tickets are also still on sale for the benefit at Le Poisson Rouge tonight (3/29) which has expanded its lineup even further. You get: Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band with special guest Antony , Patti Smith with Tony Shanahan, Cibo Matto and (as previously mentioned) Lou Reed.. who also plays a 12 hour Japan benefit with Phillip Glass, and many others (the Lou Reed portion is sold out) on April 9th.

In unrelated news, Elvis Costello is playing a small show at Gramercy Theatre on April 1st which is now sold out, but tickets are on presale (usename Elvis, password Costello) now for newly added shows in MN, ME, MA and Red Bank, NJ.

You can also catch Elvis on TV on April 1st, as a show he taped at the New York Public Library is the first episode of this season's Live From the Artist's Den...

"On the evening of November 2, Elvis Costello gave a private concert for five hundred lucky fans in celebration of his new album's release that day. Within the ornate and awe-inspiring Celeste Bartos Forum in The New York Public Library's world-famous Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Costello - along with The Sugarcanes and Pete Thomas on drums -- performed new songs from National Ransom as well as hits spanning his three-decades-and-counting career."

Elvis Costello & The Imposters will play a special small 11:00pm show at Gramercy Theatre in NYC on April 1st. A presale (Username: elvis, Password: costello) starts at 1pm today (3/25). Public sale begins Saturday, March 26th, at 10:00am via Ticketmaster.

This makes four upcoming NYC shows total for Elvis who plays Beacon Theater three times as part of a May tour.

Seats at the previously announced spinning songbook shows with Elvis Costello & The Imposters at Beacon Theater are almost all filled so Costello has added a third show at the same venue. Tickets for the new date, May 25th at Beacon Theater, just went on AmEx presale. They go on general sale on Saturday, 2/26, at 10am.

The May 18th Elvis Costello NJ show at Wellmont Theater is completely sold out, but tickets go on sale Friday at noon for a March 26th Snoop Dogg show at the same venue (AmEx presale happening now).

Tickets are now on AmEx presale for the two Elvis Costello shows at the Beacon. General sale begins Friday, 2/18, at noon.

Tickets for the Elvis Costello show at Wellmont Theater go on sale at noon.

Tickets are still on sale for the Levon Helm Band and Hayes Carll show happening at the Wellmont tonight (2/11). Tickets are also on sale for the show Hayes Carll is playing with Jason Isbell at Bowery Ballroom, and you can still get tix for the show Hayes is playing at Housing Works on Tuesday too.

Also coming up at the Wellmont: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, The Fab Faux, and violinist David Garrett (who is known to cover "Master of Puppets" - video below).

Tickets to see Adele at Beacon Theater go on sale at 10am. Adele plays the P.C. Richard & Son Theater tonight.

Okkervil River's Terminal 5 show are on AmEx presale and go on general sale today at noon.

Continue reading "Elvis Costello, Adele, Okkervil River & other tickets"

Elvis Costello in front of the Wheel of Elvis in 1986 (via)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters are back, and Costello will head out for two weeks of dates with The Spectacular Spinning Songbook:

For the first time in 25 years, Costello will let his set-list be chosen by "The Spectacular Spinning Songbook", a monumental game-show wheel that features 40 song-titles, including hits, rarities and very unexpected covers.

Audience members will be invited onstage where they may spin "The Wheel" and then be offered a chance to enter the "Hostage to Fortune Go-Go Cage", while their selection is performed.

Alternatively, they may choose to take a seat in the on-stage "Society Lounge", where light refreshments will be served, during what promises to be a splendid and surprising evening.

All dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Elvis Costello & the Imposters announce May tour (presale)"

photos by Chris Gersbeck, words by Rachel Kowal

"Modest Mouse without a cloud in the sky!" -rojacaliente

"If this were Make A Wish and you were going to die in 20 min, just long enough to play Freebird, we wouldnt play it -Modest Mouse" -georgeferris

"Modest Mouse is testing my love for them by keeping the kid awake with their heavy bass and drumming two blocks away. /fistshaking" -woolyknickers

Lightning may have shut down Modest Mouse in July, but for last night's rescheduled show, the weather was nearly perfect (if not a bit chilly).

This time, the opener was the Americana singer/songwriter Marcellus Hall and his backing band. The pairing was a bit odd. Modest Mouse prompted people to shout along to every song and to rush the stage. Marcellus Hall's performance had people turning around to admire the setting sun over the Manhattan skyline and leaving polite pockets of space throughout the crowd.

After Marcellus Hall's relatively short set, the anticipation for the headliners steadily grew, but more than thirty minutes passed before they marched on stage. As if making up for their severely truncated show last July, Modest Mouse then played a lengthy set - nearly 2 hours long when you factor in the encore.

"Welcome back!" Isaac Brock said by way of introduction. They kicked off the show with "Gravity Rides Everything." Taking no time to get into the show, the crowd enthusiastically sang along from the opening verse. (fittingly, the song contains the line, "Everything will fall right into place.") Isaac Brock hardly talked between songs. He didn't need to. The audience was wholly engaged. Each song was met by cheers and triumphantly extended fists. After all, for many of the people present, this was take two.

From "Cowboy Dan" to "Autumn Beds," the band pulled songs from throughout their career and readily switched between the more raucous and reserved. The pump organ, banjo, glockenspiel, accordion, and trumpet made regular guest appearances that nicely punctuated the set and revealed the surprisingly decent sound quality. The stage lights - which were absent during opening set - certainly helped to set the mood for Modest Mouse.

The band closed their initial set with "The View," leaving the audience with the soothing sound of electronic crickets to underlie their cries for more. After an unusually long wait (10 minutes), they returned for another five(ish) songs before finally concluding just short of 10:00, saying, "Thank you all very much. Have a good night" and delivering a PSA discouraging "driving while drinking and drinking while driving." Luckily, Brock didn't say anything about smoking and riding the subway.

--

Isaac Brock and gang have one set of shows left on their calendar, on October 23rd and 24th at Shoreline Ampitheater in Mountain View, CA as part of the annual Bridge School Benefit. The band will join a reformed Buffalo Springfield. Pearl Jam, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, T-Bone Burnett's Speaking Clock Revue (with Elton John & Leon Russell, Elvis Costello, Ralph Stanley, Neko Case and Jeff Bridges, they play NYC on 10/20), and Grizzly Bear among others.

The Bridge School Benefit lineup by day, more Waterfront pics and the Modest Mouse setlist is below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse played Williamsburg Waterfront again (pics, setlist), playing Bridge School Benefit in CA (lineup)"

T Bone Burnett will premiere The Speaking Clock Revue - a multi-artist concert extravaganza - on October 16 at the Wang Center in Boston and October 20 at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Both evenings of the Revue will feature performances by Elton John & Leon Russell, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Gregg Allman, Ralph Stanley, Jeff Bridges, Punch Brothers, Karen Elson, and newcomers The Secret Sisters. In addition, Neko Case and Jim James from My Morning Jacket will join the lineup in Boston and New York respectively.

The concerts will be presented in a revue format with a house band consisting of the players featured on numerous Burnett-produced recordings. Tickets for The Speaking Clock Revue will go on sale Monday, September 27 at noon, through Ticketmaster.

All net proceeds from these shows will be donated to The Participant Foundation to support music and arts education programming in public schools."

The T Bone benefits were inspired by the new documentary, Waiting for "Superman". More info on that and the shows in general, with the documentary trailer and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "T Bone Burnett hosting multi-artist benefit concerts, Elton John & Leon Russell playing shows (dates)"

Paul McCartney in Mexico City

"Terrified Sir Paul McCartney had to be rescued by cops after a mob attacked his tour bus in a dodgy no-go part of Mexico City.

Youths forced his driver to stop then started jumping up and down on the roof as the Beatles legend, 67, cowered inside.

A source said: "At first his security team thought it was just swarms of fans but when people started scaling the bus, the situation changed in a flash." They called cops who raced to the rescue. "Paul and the team were shaken up," the source added.

It happened after his gig at the Foro Sol stadium on Saturday at 1am. His management team are now reviewing security.

Macca, who was unhurt, was in Washington last night for a White House concert." [mirror.co.uk (via)]

The program, to be taped by WETA Washington, D.C., as part of the "In Performance at the White House" series, will air on PBS stations nationwide on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at 8 p.m. EDT (check local listings) as "Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song In Performance at the White House."

The concert will feature a tribute by major stars, many of whom will perform the songs that propelled McCartney to legendary status in music and humanitarianism around the world. The lineup of performers includes Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Jonas Brothers, Dave Grohl, Jack White, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Herbie Hancock, Corinne Bailey Rae and remarks by Jerry Seinfeld.

The Gershwin Prize for Popular Song was created by the Library of Congress to honor artists whose creative output transcends distinctions between musical styles and idioms, bringing diverse listeners together, and fostering mutual understanding and appreciation.

Continue reading "Paul McCartney's bus was "attacked" in Mexico (setlists), he's playing the White House w/ Jack White ++ other dates "