Cat Power @ Hammerstein Ballroom - 10/23/2012 (pic via supergalaxy)

Less than a week after Primus made things 3-D, Cat Power brought laser lights and her tour with Willis Earl Beal and X-Ray Eyeballs to Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC last night (10/23). How was the show? Hopefully nobody fell out of the balcony. The setlist is below...

Continue reading "Cat Power headlined Hammerstein Ballroom (setlist)"

photos by Greg Cristman

Les Claypool and gang are currently in the midst of a "3-D tour" which came through NYC on Friday night (10/19)...

"There was also a big screen behind the instruments, on which strange film clips were shown that were meant to sync up with the music. They did, but none of them made any sense at all. At one point there was footage of people arriving at Ellis Island and taking the oath of citizenship; all of them looked terrified. At another part there was kind of a Western motif going, and the face of the actor Lee Marvin appeared, sneering and snarling. At other points geometric shapes shot through space and vortexes of lights and colors danced and gyrated. We had been given 3D glasses, so all of this appeared to be coming out of the screen and down from the stage, during which time Claypool spanked the bass and never really sang so much as muttered in a guttural voice. Seldom could you actually understand what he was saying. It was kind of like the train announcements that they make when you're on the subway. But the lyrics aren't exactly the point here; the atmosphere is, and this was simply a spectacle in every sense of the word." [Steven M. Finklenstein]

Continue reading "Primus went 3D @ Hammerstein Ballroom (pics, setlist)"

"Witnessed dude fall from 3 stories into crowd @ #justice show. Anybody on the ground hurt? #hammerstein #NYC" - Mark Bellncula

Justice @ Hammerstein Ballroom - 10/21/12 (via Nick Wenck)

Justice brought their tour to NYC for a show at Hammerstein Ballroom last night (10/21) with Chromeo (DJ), one of several big shows happening in NYC the night after CMJ's conclusion. An anonymous source tells us that right before the encore, the members of Justice pointed towards the upper left balcony and a young fan, who "looked like he was tweaking out on something and seemed to think they were pointing directly," thrusted himself towards the stage so hard that he fell over the balcony, and after holding on for a few seconds he fell to the ground. Says the source, "The crazy thing is he immediately jumped up, threw his hat on and bolted from the venue. According to the venue staff and EMTs no one was severely hurt, but one person of the three who he landed on went to the hospital complaining of back pain."

Whoa. The show went on after that and video from it (balcony fall not included) is below.

Continue reading "fan falls from balcony at Justice's Hammerstein show"

PiL @ MHOW (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Public Image Ltd, who just played Music Hall of Williamsburg and play a show in Clifton Park tonight, will hit Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on Saturday (10/13). But first you can catch Sex Pistol John Lydon himself close up and in person at J&R Music World in Manhattan at 12:30pm.

Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees appears at the same store on Wednesday, October 17. PiL play Boston on Monday after taking Sunday off. All dates HERE.

In related news, former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock just announced a tour too.

DOWNLOAD: Sun Airway - I Need You Close mixtape (WAV)

Sun Airway

M83's sold-out Central Park Summerstage show is tonight (8/8) and sure to be quite the A/V spectacle under the stars. If you didn't get tickets, the band have a number of shows this fall, including the just-announced October 4 show at Wellmont Theatre, and two at Hammerstein (10/2-3) before that.

Opener for tonight's show is Big Black Delta who is Los Angeles resident Jonathan Bates, formerly of Mellowdrone if you remember them from the mid-'00s. You can stream a track below plus his remix of M83's "Midnight City." BBD (not to be confused with BV's own BBG) will play two additional NYC shows at Pianos this month on August 9 and August 17 and tickets are still available to both. They also play Brooklyn Bowl on August 11 with St. Lucia and Capital Cities (tickets). All Big Black Delta tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

While on the subject of M83 openers, Sun Airway will be touring with the band this fall, and will be at all three NYC shows in October. All Sun Airway tour dates are listed at the bottom of this post. The band's new album, Soft Fall, is out October 2 (the same date as the first Hammerstein show) via Dead Oceans. You can stream the album's first single, "Close," below. The band just released a new mixtape featuring Boards of Canada, Bowie, Dirty Projectors, The Chemical Brothers and more. You can check out the track list below and stream it, or download it above (warning: it's a half-gig wav file).

Streams and lists of tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Big Black Delta open for M83, playing Pianos; Sun Airway ready new LP, opening for M83 in Oct (dates & streams)"

Cat Power's new album, Sun, is out in about a month (September 4 to be specific) and Chan has just revealed a second track off the album, "Cherokee," which you can stream below in its original form and remixed by Nicolas Jaar. You can download them as well via the same streaming widget.

New album means touring and while she hasn't announced a full tour yet, Cat Power will play Hammerstein Ballroom on October 23. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 10 at noon with a presale starting Wednesday (8/8) at noon. The only other U.S date as of now is Boston the following night (10/24).

UPDATE: The full tour has been announced. The list of all dates and the "Cherokee" streams are below.

Continue reading "Cat Power touring this fall (dates); stream a new track off 'Sun'"

by Bill Pearis

Public Image LTD have just announced a fall tour, with two stops in NYC: October 9 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and October 13 at Hammerstein Ballroom. Tickets to both shows go on sale Friday, August 3 at noon. All PiL North American tour dates are at the bottom of this post.

As you may remember, PiL played MHOW and T5 two years ago after the appearance at 2010 Coachella. Since then, that line-up of the band (including '80s-era members Lu Edmunds [who also played in the Damned] and Bruce Smith) went into the studio and made This is PiL, the band's first new album in 20 years which was released in May. With a dub-oriented post-punk sound, the album is pretty good -- certainly better than 1989's 9 or 1992's That What is Not. Lydon sounds as angry and sarcastic as ever and, more importantly, engaged. And this is a crackerjack line-up of the band, giving him a good musical stage for his ranting. You can stream it via Spotify and watch live footage of album standout "Deeper Water" below.

Also below are a three installments of Lydon's "Lollypop Blog" videos.

Continue reading "Public Image LTD released 'This is PiL,' announce North American tour (dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt

Tenacious D at Hammerstein Ballroom - 6/28/12

Tenacious D (aka Jack Black & Kyle Gass) brought their comedic hard rock to NYC for a show at Hammerstein Ballroom last night (6/28) as part of their a tour with The Sights. Taking the stage in front of the especially phallic "Fenix" which graces their new album cover, they split the set pretty evenly between their three full lengths, including the recently released Rize of the Fenix, which hit shelves last month, and did a medley of The Who covers. Tenacious D and The Sights will do it again at Hammerstein tonight (6/29). Tickets for tonight's show are still available.

Unfortunately we don't have the full setlist from last night's show, but the whole tour has been pretty consistent, so you can check out some setlists of previous dates along with more pics and a video of Tenacious D from last night's show (and two videos from last night's Daily Show appearance) below...

Continue reading "Tenacious D played the Daily Show & Hammerstein Ballroom (pics/video/setlist), play NYC again tonight"

Justice at Coachella (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Justice released their New Lands EP today via iTunes, featuring five different versions of the track including the original, a live version and remixes from Falcon, A-Trak and Sebastian. More Justice news: the French duo will hit NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 21st. Tickets go on AMEX presale on Wednesday (6/27) at noon and regular sale on Friday (6/29).

So far Justice, who played two shows at Terminal 5 back in March, only have a handful of North American dates announced including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Osheaga, and Holy Ship. A listing of all known tour dates and a stream of some of the New Lands tracks are below.

Continue reading "Justice releases 'New Lands' EP, playing festivals this summer, Hammerstein Ballroom in October"

Tenacious D have added a 2nd NYC show, and other dates, to their upcoming tour in support of "Rize of the Fenix." The old NYC date is June 28 at Hammerstein Ballroom. The new NYC date is June 29 at Hammerstein Ballroom and it goes on sale Friday, May 4, at 10am. We also have another pair of tickets you can win (to the new show). Details and an updated set of tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Tenacious D add 2nd NYC show (updated dates & a contest) "

M83 at Music Hall of Williamsburg (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

M83 recently announced that....

"Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control M83 will now not be able to play the shows that were recently announced in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Las Vegas. We are very sorry about this and hope to be able to visit these cities later in the year."

In other M83 news, the band posted and quickly removed a post on their Facebook wall that was targeted only at French users and stated their outrage at extreme-right political party Le Front National using the band's hit "Midnight City" in a campaign video according to Pitchfork

To my horror, I discovered that the Front National have been using "Midnight City" in one of their campaign videos. They are doing this without my permission, and I am appalled at their lack of artistic respect. At the very least, artists should be asked if they agree, or disagree, with being associated with a certain image or brand. Even the most commerce-minded advertising agencies and brands do so.
In general, the music of M83 is apolitical, and I refuse to be associated with any party, and particularly the Front National...

Continue reading "M83 adds ANOTHER NYC show, plays Coachella this weekend"

photos by Julie Schabel

Odd Future @ Hammerstein Ballroom - 3/20/2012

As you may have noticed when Bowery Presents announced an Odd Future show at Hammerstein Ballroom, the big NYC venue is no longer exclusive to Live Nation. The room also received a technology uprade. Venues today reports...

One of New York's iconic theaters is being retooled into a HD broadcast-capable concert facility, equipped to stream or broadcast any event live in beautiful 1080p.

The iconic Hammerstein Ballroom, built in 1906 and once a popular stop for vaudeville acts, is now home to a new revolution in performing arts -- the complete integration of a state-of-the-art broadcast and recording studio. Since 1997, the Hammerstein has been the anchor of the Manhattan Center, a television and music studio used to record musical performances for television, special concert events and other programming.

In December, the Manhattan Center made two large changes to open the space up to new clients. First, they ended Live Nation's exclusive booking contract for the facility, opening up the 3,500-capacity standing room concert hall to independent promoters and anyone interested in booking the building.

The Manhattan Center management team also completed the installation of TV1, a new fully HD recording studio that allows any content performed at the space to be streamed in HD, or digitally delivered for future distribution. The upgrades come on top of some physical improvements to the building including renovated dressing rooms and a new marquee.

A few more pictures from the Bowery-presented Odd Future show, below...

Continue reading "Hammerstein Ballroom upgraded & can now be booked by anyone (Odd Future played there, Tenacious D on sale)"

Tenacious D @ SXSW 2012 (cicatriz83)

Jack Black & Kyle Gass aka Tenacious D, who just stopped in Austin make their live return at SXSW, will release a new album of (hopefully) funny and rockin' songs called Rize Of The Fenix on May 15. They said:

"We recorded down and dirty in a friend's garage with a shoestring budget of 600 dollars, much like Nirvana's first album "Bleach"-or the Beatles first album "Help". Rough and yet a masterpiece."

It has now been reported that the duo will be heading out on a summer tour that brings them back to NYC to rock our socks off at Hammerstein Ballroom on June 28th! Tickets ($55) for the NYC show go on sale Friday, 3/30, at 10am. We also have a pair you can WIN. Contest details, the new album art, with all currently known tour dates, and some videos from SXSW, below...

Continue reading "Tenacious D new album & tour coming, Hammerstein Ballroom included (WIN TIX!) ---- 2012 dates & SXSW videos"

Odd Future's show tonight at Hammerstein Ballroom is still not sold out. You can also get tickets to the afterparty which is happening at Santos Party House with OF DJ Syd Tha Kid, Zebra Katz & Spoek Mathambo (DJ). Flyer below.

The Sub Pop-signed Spoek was just at SXSW and plays his own show at SOB's on 3/22.

Odd Future, Earl Sweatshirt included, dropped a new video today for "Oldie" off The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2, filmed by Lance Bangs (NOT LESTER as I accidentally typed and posted before) during a Terry Richardson photoshoot. The group writes "At A Photoshoot, We Said Our Verses Into A Camera While This Song Was Playing In The Background. Why Not Release it." You can watch all 10+ minutes, and a Hot 97 interview with Earl Sweatshirt (his first interview ever according to FADER), below.

Continue reading "Odd Future in NYC, made a video w/ Lance Bangs/Terry Richardson; afterparty at Santos; Earl Sweatshirt interviewed"

That promised tour is being announced like right now and instantly on sale. NYC show is March 20th @ Hammerstein Ballroom: ON SALE NOW (for what is a BOWERY PRESENTS show at Hammerstein Ballroom?!?). More dates in the poster above. All ticket links HERE Dates listed below are all on Ticketmaster.

Continue reading "Odd Future tour announced & on sale"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

To avoid any more Portishead overload after posting about both ATP shows and the first night at Hammerstein Ballroom (and the Chicago show), we never put up the pictures from Portishead's 2nd NYC show at Hammerstein (the 10/5 one). But in honor of Portishead tour opener returning to NYC to play Death By Audio TONIGHT (11/1), here they finally are. They continue below...

Continue reading "pics from Portishead's 2nd show @ Hammerstein Ballroom w/ Thought Forms (who play DBA TONIGHT)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin, words by BBG

Weeze & Matt & Kim @ Deluna Fest

Do you think Matt & Kim ever get depressed? Like down-in-the-dumps, face-on-the-bathroom-tile, razor-to-the-wrist bummed? And do you think any of that anger is channeled into their music in ways not visibly noticed? Is that perma-simpleton-smile actually a front for an aryan-supremacy agenda spelled out in morse code via the band's shiny light show? Head to a New Year's Eve celebration at Hammerstein Ballroom with Super Mash Brothers to do some investigation and report back if you come across some leads. Tickets are on sale. All of their dates are listed below.

Matt & Kim was one of many artists to perform in Florida at Deluna Fest from 10/14 - 10/16, joining names like Ra Ra Riot, Stars, Ladytron, Girl Talk, Weezer, Cake and others. Belated pictures from the first day of that festival that Jane's Addiction also played, are in this post. Many more below.

Ra Ra Riot has been touring since Deluna. They don't have anything scheduled in NYC, but they will be on the road for a while and all of their dates are also listed below...

Continue reading "Deluna Fest Day 1 pics w/ Weezer, Ladytron & many more, a Matt & Kim New Year's Eve show, Ra Ra Riot tour dates"

photos by Erez Avissar

"Seriously that was one off the bucket list right there." - Ben Ha-Meen

"Portishead killed me. I cried like an idiot. An unforgettable performance..." - Marine

"On our last tour it collapsed because of personal things, not between the band, but relationships, divorces," Geoff Barrow told BBC 6 Music news.

"We hadn't stopped since [debut album] Dummy," he said, "but it's fine now."

However, producer and instrumentalist Barrow admitted the band's complex, claustrophobic sound often proved a headache to recreate live.

"We have to take out lots of old gear and it's like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to get the right sound," he said.

"It's not like we are pushing 'go' on a computer and singing along to it. It's something a bit more interesting than just straight up rock bands or dance acts."

Portishead achieved overnight success with Dummy, which won the Mercury Music Prize in 1995 with its eerie electronic soundscapes, haunted by Beth Gibbons tremulous vocals.

They followed it up with a grainier, self-titled album in 1997, featuring the top 10 hit All Mine - later covered by Tom Jones.

But the band appeared to split up in the wake of their 1998 US tour, releasing several side projects and producing music for other bands.

However, after making a return to the Portishead name in 2008, they recently confirmed they would start work on a fourth album in January 2012.[BBC]

The setlists so far have varied by like one song each night. Their 90-minute, 15-song Hammerstein performance began at 9:30pm after a set by their tour-mate Thought Forms. They do it again tonight which is also when they appear on Fallon. Here are some pictures from the first night.

More pictures and the setlist from last night below...

Continue reading "Portishead @ Hammerstein Ballroom (night 1 pics & setlist)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

"Band of Horses tonight was sick! I just wish Hammerstein had better sound, mics were too low. Songs were beautiful though!!" - Steph P

"Band of Horses killing it at Hammerstein" - Michel

After Kings of Leon cancelled their tour, openers Band of Horses added a few of their own headlining club dates. Those dates included a Hammerstein Ballroom show on August 10 with J Mascis. J played an opening set of stuff off his recently released Several Shades of Why and was joined by Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell for a song. Band of Horses played an even mix of songs off all three of their albums and a new song called apparently called "Bats." They ended their pre-encore set with crowd favorite "The Funeral" and returned for a 5-song encore that included a few more original cuts and two covers: The New Year's "The End's Not Near" and Them Two's "Am I A Good Man."

More pictures, the setlist and a video from the show below...

Continue reading "Band of Horses & J Mascis played Hammerstein Ballroom (pics & setlist)"

Ween at Summerstage in 2010 (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Weirdo alt-rockers Ween have a few upcoming shows including Lollapalooza and Weezer Cruise (Gene Ween w/ Dave Dreiwitz). They just announced that they'll play Halloween (10/31) at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC and it'll be an "evening with Ween" (no openers). Tickets are on PRESALE NOW. Tickets go on general sale via Ticketmaster on Friday (7/29) at 10 AM.

All dates, December 29-31 at The Fillmore in Denver included, below...

Continue reading "Ween playing Halloween @ Hammerstein Ballroom, New Year's Eve in Colorado & other dates"

Portishead @ Coachella 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

The number of bands playing NYC before or after ATP NJ in Asbury Park is multiplying. We've recently mentioned that Shellac play The Bell House and that Anika, whose album was produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead, plays LPR (it will be her first US live show).

It's now been announced that Portishead, who co-curated and headline the NJ festival, as promised, will follow ATP with a North American tour that kicks off on October 4 and 5 at Hammerstein Ballroom!!! Tickets for all dates are on presale now! Tickets "go on sale to the general public July 15th and 16th, with the exception of Chicago, on sale date July 22nd."

According to Adrian Utley, "We've always thought that we must come back to tour in the states, something we wanted to do with the release of Third, but our schedule just wouldn't allow it. Being that we were asked to curate I'll be your Mirror, this just seemed like a good start to touring the states - it set's it off in absolutely the right way. We are absolutely delighted to come back."

Though it's hard to want a show to be at Roseland or Hammerstein, it's too bad they didn't choose Roseland for old time's sake. All new dates will be opened by Thought Forms (who opened for Portishead in Utrecht on 6/15).

All tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Portishead announce North American tour, two nights at Hammerstein Ballroom included!! (dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt

"New York City was feeling the love! We've earned it and have certainly much to celebrate - but no one could have expected the party that Kylie Minogue was preparing to unleash on the Big Apple when her Aphrodite Live Tour touched down on North America - the show officially arrived in Boston over the weekend, then DC, before 3 unprecedented nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the heart of Manhattan. The Goddess of Love radiates in a two-hour extravaganza unlike anything the pop icon has ever attempted before. Kylie Minogue has out-shined herself...if that's possible! This time the Impossible Princess comes close!

Minogue's shows have always been elaborate dance and fashion spectaculars but she has never attempted something having this dimension before. This show is bigger than her last visit to the States, a much tighter production with amazing aesthetic, and a non-stop dance escapade with death defying aerialists and a winged horse...and this is a scaled down version of the arena show the rest of the world gets to see! Celebrating the success of her latest album, last fall's Aphrodite, the stage venture takes its lead from the overall tone set by that release - co-produced by Stuart Price the album is a wildly futuristic foray into modern, electro rhythms & beats which Kylie has always mastered. Minogue has proven herself again and again a master minstrel of dance music.

Her song list on the tour features tracks from Aphrodite appropriately enough, and opens with the title track, since the mythological theme of the show situates Minogue as the embodiment of muses of myths and legends. Amidst the ruins of a Greek pantheon Kylie opens the show surrounded by her gorgeously assembled court singing "The One" before a rousing battle in the arena set to "Wow". Seamlessly transported by a powerful pegasus, the next act features "Illusion" and "I Believe In You." [edge]

Continue reading "Kylie Minogue returned to Hammerstein Ballroom (pics,setlist)"

"As announced last week pop-superstar Kylie Minogue is hitting the road again with her brand new world tour and due to high demand for tickets she is already adding dates! A third show has just been added in NYC and advance tickets go on sale today. Originally scheduled to play two shows at the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom on May 2nd and 3rd, Kylie's Aphrodite Live 2011 will now play three nights at the famed venue May 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Pre-sale tickets for the new date go on sale today for American Express card holders and Kylie fanclub members with general on sale beginning January 22nd." -PR

Continue reading "Kylie Minogue adds 3rd NYC show -- updated tour dates"

by BBG

Cam, Jimmy, and Julez of Dipset at Hammerstein (via)

[For] ...the Diplomats -- Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey -- ...this was the reunion show [for a crew]... torn asunder a few years ago by petty animus and financial accusations back and forth, survivors of arrests and family struggles, but now brought back together for another chance at harmony, if not quite world domination.

For the last decade, the Diplomats have been synonymous with Harlem -- even if some of its members have moved elsewhere. In an era in which New York is decreasingly central to hip-hop's landscape, as a group and as solo acts they have been regionalist holdouts, sticking close to the stylistically flamboyant street rap pioneered by Cam'ron and tweaked by the rest.

At almost three hours this rapturously received concert, sponsored by the hip-hop radio station Hot 97 (WQHT-FM), was a tribute to the persistent power of geographic mythology. Every summer Hot 97 hosts the giant Summer Jam concert, in which the Diplomats, local heroes infiltrating what is effectively a national stage, tend to get short shrift. This raucous night was the group's own Summer Jam, full of hits and obscurities and split into five parts: first, an opening group set; then three solo sets, by Jim Jones, then Juelz Santana, then Cam'ron; then everyone reunited to close the show. -[New York Times]

If you missed Juelz at Hammerstein on 11/26, maybe you caught him at Hammerstein.... on 11/25. Santana made a surprise appearance at the Fabolous/Nicki Minaj show alongside another not-so-surprise performer, Kanye West who "played" the Thanksgiving Parade earlier that day and a show with the help pf Nicki at Bowery Ballroom a few days earlier. Santana appeared with Fab for "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley" while West again appeared with Minaj for "Monster" from his new album.

Videos from both Hammerstein shows below...

Continue reading "Dipset reunited at Hammerstein Ballroom (one night after Juelz & Kanye played w/ Nicki Minaj at the NYC venue)"

photos by Vincent Cornelli, sarcasm by BBG

Washington Post: You've said that before you made a solo album, you felt as if you'd been in a cocoon. Did making the album give you more confidence?

Jonsi: For me, you mean? No. Maybe, yeah.

Do you think it will affect how you make albums with Sigur Ros?

Maybe. It was a good experience to do this, working with a lot of new artists and musicians and producers. It's healthy to work with different people.

Do you think you'll work with Nico Muhly again? You should say yes.

Yes. He's a fun guy to be around, anyway. So we definitely might do something together.

You've said you grew up listening to Metallica. For real?

Yeah, Metallica and Megadeth and stuff like that. But now I just listen to Billie Holiday and Django Reinhardt and stuff like that....It's nice to have in the background, like a comfy sofa.

Mountain Man opened the show, but we have no pictures of them unfortunatley. More of Jonsi, some video, and that Fallon appearance video are all below...

Continue reading "Jonsi played Hammerstein Ballroom & Fallon (pics & video) "