Mick Jagger w/ Mary J. Blige in London last month

When The Rolling Stones played their two London shows in November, they were joined by a number of guests including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman, Florence Welch, and Mary J. Blige. And now they've revealed that Blige will also join them at their Brooklyn show at Barclays Center this Saturday (12/8), along with upcoming blues riffer Gary Clark Jr., who takes after a similar lineage (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, etc) as the Stones and probably owes a bit of his sound to them as well. Tickets for that show are still available.

The Stones also play two nights at The Prudential Center (12/13 and 12/15), the latter of which will stream live. Tickets for both of those shows are still available too.

A video of Mary J Blige doing "Gimme Shelter" with the Stones in London is HERE and more videos and the setlists from those shows are below.

Continue reading "Gary Clark Jr & Mary J Blige to join the Rolling Stones in Brooklyn ++ videos & setlists from their London shows"

Eric Clapton at BAM in 2010 (more by Kevin Mazur)

Eric Clapton is kicking off a major US tour in March, 2013 which will culminate in NYC with the two-night Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden from April 12 to 13. In addition to Clapton, the festival will feature a ton of other artists, including Allman Brother Band, Jeff Beck, BB King, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Gary Clark Jr., Blake Mills, Los Lobos, Frank Ocean sideman John Mayer, and many others.

The Terrace level at MSG will also host the "Guitar Center Road to Crossroads Exhibition," which will feature a number of historic guitars on display, memorabilia, archival footage, and interactive exhibits where fans can play products by Fender, Gibson, Ernie Ball, and Martin. The exhibition will open at 6:30 PM on 4/12 and 6 PM on 4/13, and is free to ticket holders.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday, November 30 at noon with a Chase (who is presenting the show) presale beginning Monday, November 26 at noon.

A list of all Clapton dates, the full Crossroads Guitar Festival lineup, and a video, are below.

Continue reading "Eric Clapton announces 2013 US tour, including Crossroads Guitar Festival at MSG w/ many guests (dates)"

Mick Jagger hosts and performs on Saturday Night Live this weekend. The above screen shot is from one of the two promo videos you can watch below...

Continue reading "watch Mick Jagger promo this week's SNL with Arcade Fire & Foo Fighters (that Jeff Beck is also playing)"

Last night's (and tonight's) show at Iridium Jazz Club was billed as "Jeff Beck invites you to a Very Special Evening - A Celebration of Les Paul with the Imelda May Band". The best way to describe it would be "The Imelda May Band played covers with the amazing Jeff Beck as their guitarist, a really awesome saxophone player and a couple of special guests". The show was being filmed by PBS for a special that is set to air around Christmas (and is being released on DVD).

Before the show started, they quickly filmed Jeff handing a plaque to Les Paul's son. The plaque will hang in the venue, which is where Les played every Monday night up until his recent death. Today, June 9th, would have been his 95th birthday.

The Irish Imelda May's band included her husband Darrel Higham who may have sang more songs than anyone all night, a drummer and an upright bassist. And there was a 3-piece horn section that included the crowd-pleasing Leo Green on sax. The setlist covered lots of standards ranging from Moon River to Rock Around the Clock. People clapped every time Jeff did a short solo in one of the songs. People made other weird crowd noises every time he switched guitars. Everyone was itching for him to jam out a little more. The NY Times says...

"Roughly speaking, Mr. Beck's long and passionate set was divided into three parts. The opening section, beginning with Elvis Presley's "Baby, Let's Play House" was pure rockabilly and allowed Mr. Beck to acknowledge some of the influences he absorbed after his initial exposure to Les Paul: Scotty Moore and Cliff Gallup in particular, but also with occasional Link Wray, Duane Eddy and Roy Buchanan flourishes thrown in. That part of the show also included a tune associated with Mr. Beck's own repertory, a reading of Johnny Burnette's "Train Kept A Rollin'" that was truer to the song's origins than the Yardbirds hit versions and other later recordings by Aerosmith and others.

After Imelda May took the stage, the show soon switched over to renditions of Les Paul's greatest hits, with Mr. Beck replicating some of the original solos, notoriously tricky, especially when not overdubbed, and transforming others by adopting a more stinging tone. In addition to "How High the Moon," he tackled "Vaya con Dios," "Mockingbird Hill," "Bye Bye Blues," "Tiger Rag" and, most challenging of all, "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise."" [NY Times]

The first guest of the Gibson-sponsored night was Gary U.S. Bonds (whose credits include touring with the Beatles... as headliner). He sang one song with the band. It was his hit "New Orleans" and it was arguably the biggest highlight of the night. Jeff Beck introduced him by saying something like, "when I found out he was playing around the corner, I had to get him on this show." You can catch Gary TONIGHT (6/9) at BB King's (billed as "GARY U.S. BONDS - BIRTHDAY SHOW with Special Guests"). Happy Birthday Les. Happy Birthday Gary.

The second guest, who fit right in with the rockabilly theme Imelda May and band have going on, was Stray Cat Brian Setzer who performed "Twenty Flight Rock" with Jeff and band. He also then returned a couple of songs later to play guitar on "Shake Rattle & Roll".

The biggest guest of the evening, David Bowie, never left his seat in the audience (well, while the show was happening anyway).

They do it again tonight, with even bigger special guests rumored (member of the Rolling Stones among them). A video from last night below...

Continue reading "Jeff Beck, Imelda May & some friends honored Les Paul @ Iridium Jazz Club (Gary U.S. Bonds plays BB Kings tonight) "

"A Celebration Of Les Paul"

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck is playing invite-only shows at Iridium Jazz Club in NYC on June 8th and June 9th. The intimate gigs, where Jeff will be joined by the Imelda May Band, will pay tribute to fellow legendary guitarist Les Paul who performed at the club regularly right up until his death last year.

I have two pairs of tickets to give away to the June 8th show, courtesy of Iridium and Gibson Guitar. Details on winning them, and video of Les and Jeff jamming, below...

Continue reading "Jeff Beck celebrating Les Paul @ Iridium Jazz Club (win tix) "

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "

The lineup to the 2010 Bonnaroo Festival is being announced today, but not all at once. Bands playing the the festival will each be announcing themselves one by one... making it like a big game for people to figure out, and...

For the first time ever, tickets will go back on sale the same day as the announcement. The top two tiers of tickets sold out quickly during our Holiday pre-sale in December, so make sure to act fast. Payment plans will once again be offered for both GA and VIP tickets.

The festival will be held from June 10-13, 2010 on our beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. Get ready for an amazing four-day weekend with more than 150 of your favorite bands, top comedians, art, activities, workshops, vendors and much more.

So far Weezer, Phoenix, Dave Matthews Band, Baroness (who just announced a tour with Mastodon), and OK Go have confirmed themselves on the lineup. Let's keep track of who else in the comments. I'll also keep updating this post...

UPDATES: Jeff Beck, John Fogerty, Medeski Martin & Wood, Punch Brothers, Isis, Chromeo w/ guest Daryl Hall, The Avett Brothers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Carolina Chocolate Drops (video below), Big Sam's Funky Nation, Neon Indian, The Black Keys, Monte Montgomery, Bassnectar, The Constellations, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Ingrid Michaelson, Blues Traveler, 311, The xx, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Regina Spektor, Wale, Norah Jones, Jay-Z, Thievery Corporation, GWAR, She & Him, Jimmy Cliff, Tokyo Police Club, Kid Cudi, Japandroids, Dr. Dog, Baaba Maal, Zac Brown Band, The National, John Prine, Dave Rawlings Machine, Manchester Orchestra, Local Natives, Dropkick Murphys, Jay Electronica, The Postelles, Reblution, Damien Marley & Nas, NeedtoBreathe, Tenacious D, Jamey Johnson, They Might Be Giants, Lotus, The Entrance Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Clutch, Tori Amos, The Melvins, The Dodos, Kings of Leon, The Dead Weather, Deadmau5, Martin Sexton, Blitzen Trapper, The Gaslight Anthem, Mumford & Sons, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave, Tinariwen, Here We Go Magic, Julia Nunes, Disco Biscuits, Rise Against and reportedly the Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs covering Dark Side of the Moon (still not confirmed by the band). Paul Simon is also rumored.

Continue reading "2010 Bonnaroo lineup revealing itself today (keep track of who's playing here) ++ tickets on sale at noon"

'Eric and I played together in Japan earlier this year and had a blast. Since then we have been in regular contact and talked about doing a similar show for our fans. Looking forward to the shows in 2010," said Jeff Beck.

"I've always considered Jeff Beck to be one of the finest guitar players around. He's a friend, a great guy, and a truly gifted musician. We had such a fun time in Japan that it seemed natural to play together again," said Eric Clapton.

Jeff and Eric will perform "perform together and apart" at the two previously-mentioned Madison Square Garden shows they're playing on on February 18 & 19. Tickets go on AmEx presale at noon.

Muse and Silversun Pickups are playing MSG in March.

Tickets also go on sale @ noon for the special Opeth show coming up at Terminal 5.

Tickets went on sale Saturday for the Drums/Surfer Blood show coming up at Bowery Ballroom.

A whole bunch of other shows recently went on sale too.

Norah Jones is playing the WaMu Theater At Madison Square Garden on March 27th. Tickets are on sale (@ 10am).

Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck are playing two nights at Madison Square Garden in February. Tickets go on pre-sale on Monday.

Crystal Stilts are playing MHOW on February 20th. Tickets are on sale (more about this show later).

Tickets are on sale for the upcoming Mumford & Sons show at Bowery Ballroom.

Omara Portuondo is playing Town Hall on February 27th. Tickets are on sale (@ 10am)

Tickets are on sale for the upcoming Those Darlins show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are now on sale for BOTH All shows happening in Brooklyn (early and late).

Tickets are on sale for the recently added Final Fantasy show at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the two Pat Metheny shows coming up at Town Hall.

Tickets are on sale for the recently added Wild Beasts / Still Life Still show at Music Hall of Williamsburg (and tix are still on sale for their Bowery Ballroom show too).

Saturday (12/5) night shows HERE.

Bruce Springsteen & Tom Morello @ MSG (BMoreSweet)

U2 closed the second night of the MSG Rock & Roll Hall of Fame shows on October 30th. At the first (10/29), it was Bruce Springsteen & Billy Joel (before one big group sing on Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher")...

After "Badlands" much of the drained audience began leaving and then rushed back to their seats when Billy Joel sat down at the piano and launched into "You May Be Right," "Only The Good Die Young" and "New York State Of Mind." (The pair were uniting the kindred spirits of New Jersey and Long Island, Springsteen explained.) "Higher and Higher" wrapped up the night. The official set list had the show ending at 11:36:55 (yes, they thought they had it down to the exact second), but the final notes rang out at 1:31 a.m. Six straight hours of music, and that was just the first of two nights. [Rolling Stone]

Bruce was actually there both nights (one of many possibly "filling in" for Eric Clapton, who canceled last minute on the second). Those in attendence on the 30th got to see U2, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith sing together on "Because the Night." (And U2 + Mick Jagger (another unannounced guest) + Fergie + Will.i.am sing "Gimme Shelter"...). Ray Davies, Lou Reed, and Ozzy Osbourne all performed with Metallica. Many played with Stevie Wonder. Full setlists below.

HBO will be airing four hours of highlights on Thanksgiving weekend.
(November 29th at 8PM ET).

Bruce's current tour wraps up November 22nd in Buffalo. He was at Giants Stadium earlier this fall, playing the last concerts ever there. U2 also played the venue for two nights in September, and will be back in Jersey in 2010 as part of their just-announced tour.

Set lists for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows are below...

Continue reading "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hosted 2 very long shows @ MSG (setlists), will air on HBO Thanksgiving weekend"

January 14, 2009-New York - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced its inductees for 2009. The induction ceremony on April 4, 2009 will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997, and will be broadcast live on Fuse TV in a new three-year broadcast deal between the Foundation and Fuse. The ceremony will be supported by a weeklong series of events. In addition, for the first time in its 24- year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be accessible to the public.

"This year's class of inductees truly represents what the Hall of Fame is all about. From classic artists that began their careers in the 50's and 60's to those that have defined the modern sound of rock and roll," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President & CEO Joel Peresman. "These artists demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself. We are proud to honor these artists and celebrate their contribution to rock and roll's place in our culture."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently opened an annex of the museum in NYC. This year's full inductee list, and Cleveland ticket info, below...

Continue reading "Metallica, Run-D.M.C., others inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"

Iggy Pop & the Stooges @ Virgin Fest (more by Bao Nguyen)

The nominations for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum were announced today. The nine nominees are: Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Metallica, Run-D.M.C., the Stooges, War, and Bobby Womack. Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, who will select artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 24th Annual Induction Ceremony on April 4 at historic Public Hall in Cleveland. For the first time, tickets to the ceremony will be made available to the public.
To be eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. This year's nominees had to release their first single no later than 1983.

an Ahmet Ertegun Tribute....

continued below....

Continue reading "Led Zeppelin reunion concert photos & setlist"