(photo via Peter Santana)

As mentioned, The Rolling Stones are going on a North American tour this year (Mick Taylor included). The tour was set to kick off in LA on May 2 but was pushed back a day due to NBA playoffs, and will now begin at LA's Staples Center on May 3. However, they did a surprise show at a much smaller LA venue last night (4/27): the 320-cap Echoplex club, as Reuters reports. A picture of the setlist and a video from last night's show are below.

Still no NYC dates announced for this run, but they'll make their way over to the Northeast for shows in Boston on June 12 and 14 at TD Garden and in Philly on June 18 and 21 at Wells Fargo Center. Tickets for those shows and other North American dates are still available.

Updated dates, including three shows in Chicago, are listed, along with the setlist and video from Echoplex, below...

Continue reading "Rolling Stones played a surprise LA gig before tour (setlist, video, updated dates)"

Screaming Females at 92YTribeca in 2012 (more by Chris La Putt)

Ladyfest, which has taken place in various cities over the past few years, is returning to Philly for the first time since 2003 from June 7 - 9 at the Rotunda and other locations in West Philadelphia. The festival's mission statement reads:

Ladyfest Philadelphia is a grassroots event dedicated to the artistic, organizational, and political work of women, trans, genderqueer, intersex, and queer people, and their allies. Ladyfest combats substantive, cultural, and structural inequalities by building upon the existing Philadelphia community of artists, musicians, and activists. It aims to foster a more inclusive and safe environment through performances, workshops, panels, opportunities for collaboration, and more.

Full lineup and list of workshops below...

Continue reading "Ladyfest Philly 2013 lineup & workshops (Screaming Females, US Girls, Potty Mouth, Aye Nako, Priests, Black Wine & more)"

Phoenix at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 4/5/2013 (more by PSquared Photography)

Two days after announcing the existence of the second edition of Jay-Z's of Made in America festival, here comes the initial line-up. Set to go down August 31 - September 1 at Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, look for appearances from Beyonce, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails, Kendrick Lamar, Miguel (who is collaborating with Kendrick), Solange, The Gaslight Anthem (who just announced two huge NYC shows), Phoenix (who just played MHoW and SNL), Drake, 2Chainz and more.

So far no details on ticketing. Full line-up is below...

Continue reading "Made in America fest initial 2013 line-up: Beyonce, Nine Inch Nails, Phoenix, Kendrick Lamar, Gaslight Anthem + more "

photos by Kevin Figueroa

Autre Ne Veut @ BrooklynVegan SXSW 2013

"It was 85 degrees [Saturday] afternoon with the sun beating down hard on the pavement at Old Emo's. So the crowd at the Brooklyn Vegan day party instinctively packed into the shady spots by the stage for Autre Ne Veut's set. Arthur Ashin laid out a series of songs from Anxiety and, despite the punishing weather, put on a solid show." [Pitchfork]

More tour dates and pictures from BV-SXSW, below...

Continue reading "Delorean, Autre Ne Veut & Doldrums played SXSW (pics), sharing a bill in Philly, but not in NY (dates)"

The Roots are putting on their 6th Annual Roots Picnic in Philly on June 1 at Penns Landing with a pretty great lineup of Grimes, Solange, Joey Bada$$, How to Dress Well, Hit-Boy, Araabmuzik, DJ Premier, Naughty By Nature (backed by The Roots), Robert Glasper, Gary Clark Jr., Lushlife, and more. Tickets for the festival are on sale now.

Full lineup below...

Continue reading "The Roots Picnic tickets & 2013 lineup (Grimes, Solange, Joey Bada$$, How to Dress Well, Hit-Boy and more)"

The stolen guitar...

Hi -- Thurston Moore had his 1966 (circa) Fender Jazzmaster stolen from the Best Western in Philadelphia (501 N 22nd St) last night 12-12-12 around 12 midnight. It's Thurston's iconic Sonic Youth black Jazzmaster with all the stickers on its body. Here's a couple of photos. A police report has been filed. Please email us if anyone tries to sell this relic to yur store, it would be appreciated. Please forward to other guitar stores you may know in the area.

Thanks,

Thurston

Thurston played SPACE in Philly last night as part of a short string of dates that included Union Pool the other night and includes an upcoming show at Bowery Electric. Another shot of the guitar is below...

Continue reading "Thurston Moore's Jazzmaster guitar stolen on 12/12/12 @ 12"

Instrumental hip hop producer RJD2, who has a handful of solo material along with a number of collaborations with rappers in the Def Jux/Rhymesayers realm (among other things), will be celebrating New Year's Eve in NYC with a show at Gramercy Theater (12/31) with Com Truise and Chrome Sparks (DJ). Tickets for that show are still available and we also have two pairs to giveaway. Details on how to win are below.

In more year-end celebrations for RJD2, we spoke to him about his top ten things of 2012. Only four of them are albums and only three of those albums came out this year, but it's a pretty awesome list and you can check out the entire thing below.

Continue reading "RJD2's top 10 things of 2012 & a chance to win tix to his New Year's Eve show in NYC"

"Watching Neil young in Phili. He's telling us all we are fuck ups. This is interesting. He isn't just banging out hits." - Beach House

Neil Young & Crazy Horse at MSG on Tuesday (more by Gretchen Robinette)

After playing MSG on Tuesday (11/27), Neil Young & Crazy Horse continued their tour with Patti Smith at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly last night (11/29). The setlist was the same as MSG (and basically the rest of the tour), except for the encore which Neil sometimes changes up, treating Philly to the massive "Like A Hurricane." The full setlist is below.

As mentioned, Neil Young & Crazy Horse will play a Hurricane Sandy benefit in Atlantic City at the Borgata on December 6. Tickets for that show go on sale today at 10 AM.

Patti Smith isn't on that one but you can still catch her with NY&CH in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on Monday (12/3) (tickets).

Philly setlist below.

Continue reading "Neil Young played Wells Fargo Center in Philly (setlist); Atlantic City show tix on sale"

Chan Marshall aka Cat Power instagrammed the above picture tonight, with this message:

I MAY HAVE TO CANCEL MY EUROPEAN TOUR DUE TO BANKRUPTCY & MY HEALTH STRUGGLE WITH ANGIOEDEMA. I HAVE NOT THROWN IN ANY TOWEL, I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT BEST I CAN DO. HEART BROKEN. WORKED SO HARD. GOT SICK DAY AFTER "SUN" CAME OUT & BEEN STRUGGLING TO KEEP ALL POINTS OF ME IN EQUILIBRIUM : MIND, SPIRIT, BODY HEALTHY CENTERED & GROUNDED. I AM DOING THE BEST I CAN. I FUCKING LOVE THIS PLANET. I REFUSE TO GIVE UP. THOUGH I MAY NEED TO RESTRATAGIZE FOR MY SECURITY & HEALTH.

UPDATE: Cat Power announced on Thursday (11/1) that the European tour will go on, but without all the "stage presentation" (aka no lasers, no gorilla).

Cat Power headlined Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC one week ago, and since had to postpone a Philly show due to the hurricane (new date = 1/30). She is scheduled to play in Minneapolis tonight (10/30). Her full list of currently scheduled dates is below..

Continue reading "Cat Power may need to cancel tour due to "bankruptcy" and her "health struggle""

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Run DMC / Pearl Jam / Drake at Made in America Fest 9/3/2012

A Run DMC reunion was one of the many highlights of the second day of the Jay-Z presented Made in America Festival which happened in Philadelphia over Labor Day Weekend. Monday's show also featured Pearl Jam, Drake, X, The Hives and others. Jay-Z joined Pearl Jam during their set for a performance of "99 Problems".

Pictures from day 1 are HERE and more pics from day 2 are below (along with Run DMC's setlist).

Continue reading "Made in America Fest: day 2 in pics (Run DMC, Pearl Jam, X, Santigold, Drake, The Hives, Jill Scott and more)"

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Many Madonna fans are wondering if the "Material Girl" owns a watch after she took the stage late in Philadelphia Tuesday evening.

Some concert-goers were so frustrated that they left the Wells Fargo Center before the show even began.

The concert was scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but Madonna did not take the stage until about 10:30 p.m. Making matters worse for fans was the fact that the opening act was simply a DJ spinning some tunes.

Madonna fan Jen Gililand told Eyewitness News she paid good money to bring her 10-year-old to the show, but she had to leave before it started because of Madonna's tardiness.

"It's 10:15 ... it's time to go," Gililand said...

...When Madonna finally did take the stage, she apparently apologized to the crowd. However, in typical Philadelphia fashion, Madonna was booed, not once, but twice. - [CBS Local]

Gary Clark Jr. at Coachella 2012 (more by David Andrako)

As mentioned, Philly's Made In America Festival goes down this weekend (9/1 - 9/2) on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Since we last spoke, the lineup was expanded and now includes Drake (who was rumored but not on the initial lineup announcement), Jill Scott, Chris Cornell, The Hives, and Run DMC, who are all playing the second day (9/2), in addition to blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., who will be on the only performer on the bill playing both days, and others. Day 1 (9/1) will be headlined by festival head Jay-Z, and also includes Skrillex, Passion Pit, D'Angelo, Dirty Projectors, Janelle Monae, and others, and day 2 (9/2) will be headlined by Pearl Jam and also includes Odd Future, X, Santigold, and others. Tickets for the festival are still available.

If you're going to the fest, Philly is only about a two hour drive from NYC and this FAQ should help you find your way over (for directions use the address of Ben Franklin Parkway at Eakins Oval in Philadelphia or the Philadelphia Museum of Art). Once you're there, that FAQ will also help you find your way around, parking tips, and more. There will be a free filtered water service at the festival site, but you can't bring glowsticks (sorry Skrillex fans).

A #MadeInAmerica video for Gary Clark Jr. and the lineup for the festival are below.

Continue reading "Jay-Z's Made In America Festival is this weekend; Gary Clark Jr. playing both nights (full lineup, directions & more)"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Sigur Ros at Skyline Stage 7/29/2012

Sigur Ros's played the Skyline Stage in Philadelphia last night (7/29). The show marked the Sigur Ros's return to the US as part of a tour that hits a sold-out Prospect Park tomorrow (7/31), the US indoctrination of their new LP Valtari, as well as the inaugural show at the new Skyline Stage at The Mann Center (they also bless that stage tonight). Perfume Genius, who is on tour with the Icelandic crew, supported last night and will again tonight. In celebration of the event, the venue gave away collectible cards featuring Sigur Ros. Check out one of those cards below alongside more pictures from the show and the setlist.

In interesting Sigur Ros related news, the band's producer, Birgir Jón Birgisson, will produce the new Alcest LP:

"Hello there! Some days ago Winterhalter and I recorded demos for the next Alcest album, for which I have almost finished the songwriting. Only a few arrangements are missing, and the lyrics as well... In our case they always come late in the process... I feel very excited about these songs and this new approach feels very refreshing to me. I also can tell that the album will be recorded next March in Iceland at Sundlaugin, Sigur Rós' studios, with producer Birgir Jón Birgisson. There will also be guests appearances - more infos about this will come later. I will keep you posted!" -[Neige of Alcest]

That trading card, pictures and the setlist are below.

Continue reading "Sigur Ros played their first US show in four years at Skyline Stage in Philly (pics, setlist)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Roger Waters brought his The Wall tour to Philly's Citizens Bank Park on Saturday (7/14), after hitting NYC twice earlier this month. Like the other shows, the band played in front of the giant titualar wall, and the show was broken up into two sets, each being a different platter of the double album. The setlist of course, was The Wall in its entirety. The Philly Inquirer write:

Given that The Wall eventually draws a pointed analogy between rock excess and Fascist spectacle, the sprawling, thoroughly immodest production was awash in unintended irony. "In the Flesh" staged a rock concert as Nazi rally, climaxing with Waters machine-gunning the crowd, who heartily cheered their own mock execution. During "Bring the Boys Back Home," the stage behind Waters flooded with images of poverty and famine, climaxing with a photo of what looked like a starving African child; the image was disturbing but also deracinated, torn from its specific time and place to make a statement so broad it verged on generic. Onscreen quotes referenced Kafka and George Orwell, but there was something disconcerting, even grotesque, about the obeisance Waters' own spectacle demanded. With its enveloping surround sound, The Wall made surrender seductive, not the natural endpoint for an evening that began with a speech from Spartacus.

Continue reading "Roger Waters brought 'The Wall' to Philly's Citizens Bank Park (pics, video, setlist)"

The Promise Ring at Irving Plaza in May (more by Joe McCabe)

As mentioned, Riot Fest East (aka the one that happens in Philly) was just postponed to a TBA date. The reunited Promise Ring who played Bamboozle and a NYC show at Irving Plaza back in May, were scheduled to play day one of Riot Fest East. Instead they'll play their own Philly show at First Unitarian Church on July 19, the same day they would've played the fest. Tickets for that show go on sale today (7/13) at noon.

The Promise Ring are also part of the recently announced Fun Fun Fun Fest lineup.

Updated dates are listed below...

Continue reading "The Promise Ring playing Unitarian Church in place of cancelled Philly Riot Fest, and other dates"

Uh Oh:

Riot Fest East 2012, scheduled for Thursday, July 19 at Festival Pier in Philadelphia, PA has been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Refunds will be available at point of purchase. We are truly sorry for those of you who were planning on coming out. This one hurts, but, a rescheduled show is in the works. More information about the new date will be made available soon.

Speaking of Refused, they were also just announced on the lineup of Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012.

The following items are NOT ALLOWED
• Weapons of any kind
• Fireworks or explosives
• Illegal or Illicit substances of any kind
• Outside food & drink (except your factory sealed water)
• Pets (except service animals)
• Flyers, handbills, posters, stickers (no solicitation allowed)
• Chairs
• Glass containers
• Skateboards, motorized vehicles or Scooters
• Coolers
• Professional recording devices or cameras (no-detachable lenses or tripods or other commercial uses)
• Glowsticks
• Laser Pointers
• Items to obstruct other fan's views (kites, flag poles, large signs, etc)

PREVIOUSLY: Pearl Jam, Passion Pit & Dirty Projectors & others playing Jay-Z's Made in America Fest

Pearl Jam says:

We are pleased to announce that Pearl Jam is headlining Made in America Music Festival curated by Jay-Z. Made in America takes place Labor Day Weekend (Saturday, September 1st - Sunday, September 2nd) at Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.

PLEASE NOTE: Made In America Festival will announce Pearl Jam's exact performance date and time in the coming weeks.

In addition to Pearl Jam, this 2-day music festival will include performances from fellow artists like Jay-Z, Passion Pit, Dirty Projectors and much more.

Jay-Z has a busy September. In addition to christening his Barclays Center with its inaugural show on September 28, he's curating the Budweiser Made in America Festival which will happen Labor Day Weekend (September 1 and 2) at Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. No performers have been announced yet, but it's 28 performers on three stages, and ""will offer music fans from across the U.S. and beyond the biggest names in hip-hop, rock, dance and other popular genres". Tickets will go on sale May 23. (Part of the proceeds go to charity.) There will be a presale for $99 2-day passes on May 22 but you have to friend Budweiser on Facebook to get it.

Watch a teaser video for the Made in America Festival below.

Continue reading "Jay-Z curating Labor Day weekend music fest in Philadelphia"

by BBG

Negative Approach at Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by BBG)

This is Hardcore returns to Philadelphia, PA for four days in August at Union Transfer (on 8/9) and Electric Factory (8/10 - 8/12). Both shows will have no barricades for you headwalkers/divers and in the case of Electric Factory, the venue will actually construct a stage in front of their usual stage (!) to get around the existing barricade. Now thats dedication/brutality.

As for the lineup, as usual the cast of hooligans gracing the stages of TIHC are a cast of notables, including Cro-Mags, Negative Approach, Gorilla Biscuits, Breakdown, Blacklisted, Killing Time, Nails, Ringworm, Gehenna and many many more. Full lineup is below and tickets go on sale on May 17th at noon.

Power Trip is part of said lineup, and reminder, the band will hit Acheron on May 15th as part of a string of East Coast dates. All tour dates are below.

Continue reading "This is Hardcore announces 2012 lineup and new venue"

OFF! at BV/POTR Deathmatch (more by Tanner Douglass)

Born in Chicago, Riot Fest expanded to Philadelphia last year, and will keep that fire burning in 2012. This time around, Riot Fest East will host The Promise Ring, August Burns Red, Boy Sets Fire, Gameface, Hirs, Refused & OFF!, and more. The festival, which runs from July 19th - July 21st has yet to reveal the full lineup, but three-day passes and tickets for the Thursday show (see flyer above) are on sale.

The Promise Ring's appearance is one of at least four dates for the band, with two going down at or around Bamboozle and another at The Fillmore in San Francisco on September 1st. The band recently did a few dates include one in Chicago (pictures here).

Refused and OFF! will also hit Brooklyn on tour.

Tickets go on sale today.

words & photos by Colin Kerrigan

Rumors that Sean Agnew of R5 Productions was planning to open his own venue had been swirling around for a couple years now but were always denied by Mr. Agnew. However, everyone had a sense that it was bound to happen eventually. Earlier this year it was finally confirmed. Agnew/R5 Productions teamed up with NY promoters Bowery Presents and Avram Hornik and Mark Fichera of Four Corners Management to open a new Philly venue.

Union Transfer, which was most recently a gigantic Spaghetti Warehouse and was apparently at one time a train depot back in the day, had captured the attention of all the music lovers in the city prior to its opening. Everyone wanted to know what it was like and what the sound was like (R5 boasted that it would be the best sounding venue in the city). On Wednesday night they found out.

The space has very tall ceilings with chandeliers hanging down, both standing and seated balconies (with great sightlines), three different bars each with their own unique atmostphere, plenty of floor space and the sound lived up to expectations.

Even though the venue has had only one show so far but it's safe to say that the venue is one of, if not the best, venue in the city.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Polica played that first show at the the venue (one night after they played Bowery Ballroom in NYC). Here are some pictures from the show. They continue below...

Continue reading "CYHSY & Polica played the 1st show @ Philly's new Union Transfer (pics)"

Due to the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms forecasted by the National Weather Service over the next several days for the Philadelphia area, the POPPED! Music Festival, scheduled for Sept 23 & 24 at FDR Park, has been moved to the Liacouras Center at 1776 N. Broad Street on Temple's campus, in Philadelphia. [Popped]

photos by David Andrako

"The National returned for a few encores, and Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo joined in on guitar for an exhilarating version of "Terrible Love." The energy roaring from the stage prompted Berninger to dive into the audience, and make his way through the crowd and head to the back of the room, where he walked along the circumference of the lower level taking a victory lap while still singing with mic in hand. This was followed by a tender a capella reading of "Vanderlyle Cry Baby Geeks." In a word, glorious.

Yo La Tengo, hand-picked by The National, opened the show. Every indie-rocker worth his flannel knows Yo La Tengo formed in 1984 and that their named translates to "I have it." Twenty-seven years on, they should consider changing the name of the band to "Todavía tienen que," or they still have it. They still can seamlessly segue from tortured guitar noise freakouts to breezy folk-rock topped with ethereal vocal harmonies. Hands down, the highlight of their set was "Periodically Double or Triple" which featured Kaplan churning away on the keys in a manner which would have made Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs proud while bassist James McNew and drummer Georgia Hubley nailed down the greatest Stax-Volt groove never heard.

Opening this wonderful bill was Baltimore's Wye Oak, touring in support of their latest release, Civilian. Guitarist Jenn Wasner's vocals were dreamy and her guitar playing was nothing short of towering. And watching Andy Stack playing both drums and keyboard simultaneously was a complete delight." [Phawker]

Since then the National headed to LA for another great triple bill last night (9/11) at Hollywood Bowl. They played that show with Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten. Their next scheduled gig is November 6th in Singapore. Hopefully more NYC shows get announced soon, but for now they have nothing coming up in North America at all.

More pictures and the National's setlist from Philly, below...

Continue reading "The National played Academy of Music in Philly w/ Yo La Tengo & Wye Oak (pics & setlist)"