AC/DC @ The Izod Center (more by Ryan Muir)

If anyone had any doubt that touring is where the money is in the music business, a quick look at the top Moneymakers for 2008 should hammer the point home.

Regardless of genre, retail sales or radio play, each of the 20 acts on Billboard's Moneymakers list toured in 2008. (Taylor Swift mostly opened for Brad Paisley but doesn't get credit for that revenue). For almost all of them, touring generated the most revenue. And in a year when recorded-music sales declined yet again, many earned more at the box office than ever before. [Billboard]

Continue reading "the list of musicians who made the most money in 2008"

words by Nick Masi

photo from the Jones Beach show (more by Eric Townsend)

The Police played what was being billed as their final concert ever last night at Madison Square Garden (August 7, 2008). The 150th show of their reunion tour, which started in 2007, wrapped up at New York City's famed arena.

They opened with a cover of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love," and then went into their own catalog...with a bang! The group brought out the NYPD marching band and had them line the front of the stage. Banging their drums in unison with Stewart Copeland, they all went into a raucous version of "Message In A Bottle." From that point on the show never slowed down. All the hits were played, except for "Spirits In The Material World"(my favorite Police song) and "Man In A Suitcase." They also covered Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy," which led into their own, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da." Sting took time out to thank his band mates for their companionship and support, even added some comic relief by saying, "The real triumph of this tour is that we haven't strangled each other."

During the encore, the video screens showed Sting backstage, shirtless, getting his full beard shaved by two women while crew members shined his shoes and Stewart kissed him! The crowd ate it up, laughing and screaming until they came back onstage. After playing "So Lonely" and a few others, The Police let the crowd know that they were officially done. They brought out a "Fat Lady" (actually not a lady) to sing (lip sync) opera on stage, which then turned into the Looney Toons theme and Porky Pig saying, "That's All Folks!" If the "Fat Lady" did indeed sing and this really was the final performance by The Police, they did it not only with energy, class and flair, but with humor.

Lots of videos and the setlist below...

Continue reading "The Police (last show ever) @ MSG - videos, setlist, NYPD"

photos by Eric M. Townsend

"I remember the first time we played Long Island," a firm and fit Sting told Jones Beach about seven songs into The Police's Monday night show. "We played My Father's Place. Well, not my father's place, but your Father's Place. And then we came back and played the Nassau Coliseum."

Nostalgia is good . . . in small doses. And last night's historic Police concert at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach hit the spot. For more than an hour and a half, the Anglo-American trio -- calling it quits (again) after Thursday's show at Madison Square Garden -- played with the exuberance of a band half its age. Say what you will about Sting, the man looks and sounds good. Still. Drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers, though not as physically well-preserved as their bass-playing boss, have more chops than a kung-fu flick. Still.

Throw in opening act Elvis Costello and the Imposters (whose keyboardist, Steve Nieve, and drummer, Pete Thomas, are from the Attractions), and, well, you have the makings of a WLIR concert that could have taken place in the early '80s at the Malibu... [Newsday]

Continue reading "The Police & Elvis Costello @ Jones Beach - pics, setlist"

The ever-mutating Elvis Costello shifts gears once again by hosting a new talk show for Sundance Channel.

Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..., unveiled Thursday, will combine live performances with musician shop talk as Lou Reed, Elton John, Tony Bennett and other guests go deep on the subject of influences and inspirations.

"I'm not trying to dig up dark secrets," Costello told journalists gathered for the Television Critics Association summer press tour. Instead, he said he hopes to "ask questions that these people haven't been asked a million times before." [Wired]

They are selling tickets at Ticketmaster for the Police's final show at MSG.

Tickets Only Available Through New York Public Television Stations

Continue reading "The Police's final concert will be @ Madison Square Garden"

"We kicked off our very first American tour at CBGB's in 1978 and this summer, thirty years later, our journey will come full circle as we play our final show here in New York City," said The Police. "We are honored to partner with public television and have a deep respect for their commitment to arts and culture."

Continue reading "The Police will play their last-ever show in NYC to raise money for planting trees "

I know that headline doesn't sound music related, but these are the police led by Sting we're talking about.....

Attention Police Fans!
Tomorrow at 1pm EST, The Police will join Mayor Bloomberg to make a very special announcement in New York City's Times Square (44th Street & Broadway/7th Avenue). Space is limited for this special event and fans will be accomodated as best as possible. Fans should arrive no later than 12.30pm.

A press release of the announcement will be posted to http://www.nyc.gov soon after 1pm TOMORROW.

The Police are on tour.

We are delighted to confirm that second concerts have been added at the Hollywood Bowl and at Jones Beach on May 28 and August 5 respectively.

Continue reading "The Police add 2nd shows @ Jones Beach & Hollywood Bowl"

Continue reading "The Police & Elvis Costello - 2008 Tour Dates"

"The global tour few thought would ever happen moved more than 1.8 million tickets, according to Billboard Boxscore, prior to the Boxscore cutoff date of Nov. 13." [Billboard]

The Police @ MSG, NYC (Halloween) - Oct 31, 2007 (CRED)

* Sting
* Sufjan
* Superdrag
* Silent Auction

It's a condensed version today. What else?

I stopped keeping track of the Police reunion tour a while ago, but thought this latest update was worthwhile enough...

The Police will return to North American on October 31st for their 5th sold out New York City appearance (4 MSG, 1 Giants Stadium). A 6th and final 2007 concert in New York has been confirmed November 2nd at Madison Square Garden. Additional cities just announced include performances in Washington, November 5th at Verizon Center; Charlottesville, November 6th at John Paul Jones Center; Charlotte, November 15th at the Charlotte Arena; a second Atlanta appearance, November 18th at Philips Arena and a visit to San Antonio’s AT&T Center on November 20th. Additional dates this fall include return visits to Toronto, Boston, Montreal and Philadelphia and an appearance in Atlantic City.

words & photos by Bao Nguyen

Girl Talk

So this was a very last minute idea, meaning I left New York for Baltimore at 12 PM on Saturday when gates had already opened at 10 AM. Not knowing at the time whether I had a pass waiting for me at the festival, I made the 4 hour drive, hindered by the beach bound crowd on the NJ Turnpike, armed with a Polaroid, 4 hours of sleep, and a sense of regret for missing the previous night's CSS show. I arrived at Pimilico Field at exactly 4 PM and after nearly being run over by Richard Branson on a golf cart, I made it just in time to catch the start of Peter Bjorn and John's set. I think their music plays better in a small club than a large festival type atmosphere especially when the entire crowd seems to be waiting for only one particular song that everyone can whistle to. Following Peter Bjorn and John was an high energy set from LCD Soundsystem that included a very unusual mosh pit where three people were doing their best Thom Yorke seizure dance....

Continue reading "The 2007 Virgin Festival in Baltimore - review & pics"

The Police @ Madison Square Garden, NYC - Aug 1, 2007 (CRED)

* KRS-One & Ladybug Mecca play for free in Prospect Park
* Craig Wedren & Gutbucket perform @ Joe's Pub
* Alejandro Escovedo plays the Mercury Lounge
* The Police do it at MSG again
* Erasure plays McCarren Park Pool
* David Bruno hosts the party downstairs @ Element
* Tim Sweeney & Tim Goldsworthy spin @ The Apple Store
* First Fridays w/ Cosmo Baker @ The Guggenheim
* CSS, Shout Out Out Out Out & DOP for free @ Studio B
* Squeeze & Fountains of Wayne are @ Becaon Theater
* The Foundry Field Recordings bring it to Galapagos
* Billie Holiday remixed @ South Street Seaport
* RJD2 plays it on a boat

What else?

Squeeze is touring, and tickets are now on sale for a 2nd NYC date at Nokia Theatre. (thx Thighs)

The Police kicked off their reunion tour in Canada, and they've added another NYC show.

I know nothing about this band, but file this in the "band that plays MSG may be playing a small venue" category. Somebody told me that "Exposed Youth" at Knitting Factory on June 4th is O.A.R. under a fake name. Google reveals that "Exposed Youth" was O.A.R.'s old name or something.

As you know, Duran Duran is playing a fan club show at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on June 17th. I have two pairs of tickets to give away. Do you want to win them? You don't even need to be in the fan club. E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Duran), and include a link to a YouTube video from the 80's that you think is awesome. Two winners will be picked and notified via e-mail. Contest ends June 7, 2007 @ noon EST.

And since this post started with an old Rolling Stone cover, here's a picture of that new Amy Winehouse one: