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Stanley Clarke will be coming to Blues Alley. Even if they do spell his name "Stanley Clark".
In what should only be a good thing, Anthony will be opening for Victor at the 9:30 club on April 15
Yep, they've got a small tour heading out on the road even now. I like Coolfer's take:
Backstreet Boys are back, doing a tour of clubs too small to embarass the band with empty seats. I'd almost -- I said almost! -- pay money to see hordes of screaming twenty-something women reliving their teen years.
DC Dates (if you care):
March 30: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
DMB is hitting the sheds (yet again) this summer.
DC Dates include:
June 23: Virginia Beach, VA (Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre)
June 25: Hershey, PA (Hershey Park Stadium)
June 26: Bristow, VA (Nissan Pavilion)
July 5: Camden, NJ (Tweeter Center)
June 6: Camden, NJ (Tweeter Center)
Show cancelled when venue realizes the name of the band. Strangely enough, the Faithful Central Bible Church decided to cancel the show of metal band "Lamb Of God" after discovering that the former name of the band was "Burn The Priest".
Victor Wooten has announced a number of new dates for 2005. DC area shows:
March 22: Baltimore, MD (Funk Box)
March 23: Baltimore, MD (Funk Box)
April 15: Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
It's a good show. In fact, here's my review of the Funk Box show and the 9:30 show from last year. That, and you'll find most of the bass players in the nearest four states there for all three shows.
Some of the bands, at least. Among those who will be there are
More announcements as they come.
The Flecktones are going to be playing the Birchmere on December 6th.
The guys in the band are planning on taking a year off, but I didn't think they were going to be playing the DC area again. So this is a happy accident.
DC dates will be on the 28th and 29th of March, 2005 at Lisner Auditorium
I've seen Metheny play a few times. The last time around, he had Bona on random aside instruments and one hell of a latin drummer. This time around could be interesting as well.
Sadly, no DC dates, though (the closest is Philly).
Bona will be playing as a solo act in NYC the third week of January.
Tears for Fears, one of the better 80's bands, is back with a new album and tour. DC dates are October 26 at the Lisner Auditorium.
The world is safe for yet another year.
De La Soul (you remember them, right?) are hitting the road this fall. The nearest they get to DC is Philly on the 26th of October.
So, if the Bass Extremes show at the Birchmere on September 13th is Mecca for bassists, the Bass Extreme show in NYC on Friday the 17th has to be Medina. Check out this line up --
On bass, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Oteil Burbridge and Anthony Jackson. On drums, Derrico Watson.
Rob, thanks for this tip.
Poogie Bell, the drummer for Marcus Miller, will be playing at Blues Alley on the 19th of this month. He's a phenomenal drummer -- if you like drums and/or groove, make some time for him.
George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars will be at the 9:30 club on September 21.
Two shows in October (the 16th and the 17th) feature Tower of Power at the Birchmere.
Looks like good things can happen when we all get together. Richard Bona will be coming back to Blues Alley on October 8th and 9th. Mark it on your calendar; it's well worth the trip.
I'm sure you've heard about this before, but there's a big concert coming through the US to support defeating President Bush this year.
In an unprecedented series of concerts in nine swing states, more than 20 musical acts - including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks - will perform fund-raising concerts one month before the Nov. 2 election in an effort to unseat President Bush.
I went back and forth on whether or not to post this tid-bit. I really do try to stay away from politics on this blog. I have my opinions (don't we all?), and both my opinions and that of others can tend to run hot. I also know that I can enjoy music no matter who writes it or who performs it -- it's the quality of the product, not some detail of the performer (communist / anarchist / libertarian / follower of the moonbeams / whatever). If it's got a good groove, a smokin' musician (or two), then (for the most part) I can appreciate what's there without accepting all of it.
Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will) and Birth Of A Nation (just for two quick examples) are two movies about very bad people and very bad subjects. I can watch either flick and appreciate the craftsmanship of the film without approving of the content of the movie itself. Much the same with my forays into music.
DC street festival Live On Penn has been cancelled. The organizers cite "sluggish sales," and reference the failure of Lollapalooza as precedence.
The original line up that was going to be playing can be found here.
Both Lynard Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band will be touring together this fall. Dates and cities to avoid can be found here. Surprisingly enough, all of the dates listed (at this time) are entirely within the sourthern US.
Two great bass players at a great venue! Kai Eckhardt (with Garaj Mahal) and O'teil Burbridge (with the Peacemakers) will be playing at The Funk Box in Baltimore on August 3rd. I've seen both of them before (Kai here and O'teil here), and the chance to catch them both in the same night is really too good to pass up.
Anthony Wellington's back out on tour again with Victor Wooten. Here's the tour diary for this time around.
These may have been announced somewhere/time before, but I didn't catch them if they were. I've seen her play quite a few times. She's a ball of energy and effort, and there's something very raw about seeing her perform.
Local dates:
Sept. 11: Baltimore (Lyric Opera)
Sept. 12: Richmond, Va. (Carpenter Center)
Bob Dylan will be taking to the road this summer. No word on if it's electric or acoustic.
Local dates:
Aug. 12: Aberdeen, MD (Ripken Stadium)
Aug. 14: Salisbury, MD (Arthur W. Perdue Stadium)
Aug. 15: Richmond, VA (The Diamond)
As a results of her knee injury, Britney Spears will be canceling the American leg of the Onyx Hotel tour.
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to make these, as much as I might like to.
July 8-10, Spain and the Canary Islands.
They Might Be Giants, one of my favorite bands from when I was in college, is heading out on tour. No DC dates as of yet, though.
Youssou D'Nour (probably best known to most of the American audience as the guy who sang In Your Eyes with Peter Gabriel) will be touring the US this June and Jult. He's sure to bring a number of amazing Sengalese musicians with him.
DC Dates:
June 30: Glenside, Pa. (Keswick Theater)
July 1: Washington, D.C. (Lisner Auditorium)
Not too long ago, I was wondering if the Bela Fleck dates that I noticed with the "Acoustic Planet" were going to be the full Flecktones or just Bela Fleck on his own. It would seem that the whole band is going out on the road.
You have to sort of picture me doing the happy dance here.
Ziggy, Stephen, Julian and Damien Marley will be out on tour in the month of August.
DC Dates:
Aug. 7: Portsmouth, Va. (nTelos Pavilion Harbor Center)
Aug. 8: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
Some good friends of mine will be playing at Staccato's in Adam's Morgan on Friday night. If you got some free time and are looking for some good acoustic style rock, check 'em out.
If she ever gets around to actually having a tour, this is what people can expect.
Could you imagine having James Brown as your opening act? Well, that's what the Red Hot Chili Peppers will have for some dates in the UK. I can't quite decide if this is great news for the Chili's or not so good news for James.
Take 6 may be scheduling another date in DC. However, I can't verify it on either their site or on the Kenndy Center's site.
More dates have been announced. DC area shows now include
July 4: Acme, PA (Love and Music)
Aug 29: Columbia, MD (Merriweather Post Pavillion)
Aug 31: Norfolk, VA (Harbor Center)
Sep 1: Richmond, VA (Brown's Island)
Oct 2: Easton, PA (State Theater)
A word about the middle three dates; the Flecktones site calls this "Acoustic Planet" tour. Acoustic Planet just happens to be the name a solo CD from Bela. So I'm not sure as to what these dates are or are not going to be.
Ms. Estefan will be touring the country for the latter part of the year, hitting major venues.
DC area shows:
Sept. 8: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
Sept. 10: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Sept. 18: Atlantic City, N.J. (Taj Mahal)
In a fairly daunting schedule, the good fellas of LBM are going to be on tour for a while. I caught these guys out at Wolf Trap a few years ago, and it was a really inspiring performance. I would highly recommend the show.
Some DC dates:
10/21/04: Norfolk, VA (Attucks Theatre)
10/22/04: Richmond, VA (Carpenter Center)
04/07/05: College Park, MD (Clarice Smith P.A.C.)
Boston (you remember them, right?) will be touring this summer. Wow, I can remember these guys from when I was a kid; my friends and I used to play baseball and try to sing along with Brad Delp. Even in those pre-testosterone days, we couldn't hit those high notes.
DC Area shows:
Sat 07/17/04 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Concert Pavilion
Sun 07/18/04 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel / Casino
The Cirque du Soleil show Varekai will be in DC from Sept 16 through Oct 10. Tickets are available for special people now, and I'm not sure when they will be available for everyone else.
As much as I would love to see this show, I can't make the time in my schedule. However, for my readers in the NYC area, I would strongly suggest you find the time to check this cat out. He's amazing to see live. "An African Jaco," as one writer puts it.
May 11-13 Zinc Bar in NYC
According to PollStar, Bona's also playing at some festival in Jersey at the end of August, but I can't find any more information about it, nor is there any reference on Bona's website.
August 28 Stanhope, NJ Riverfest
In other music cancellation news, Chrisitina is abandoning her North American tour due to strained vocal chords.
Take 6 will be playing in DC on May 8. If you haven't seen these guys, you might want to check it out. Six part harmonies, heavy jazz feel -- it's a good show.
Cirque du Soleil will be coming to the DC area this year in late summer, early fall.
I've caught several of their shows (Dralion, Quidam, Allegria) and I can heartily say that whatever they want to charge you, it's worth paying. Just go and see it. You will not be disappointed.
I had said wouldn't do the "would you believe that ____'s on tour..." updates anymore, but this one is special to me. I actually saw these guys play at a private party last year, so I can tell you that they sound pretty much the same as they ever did, and their show is about the same as it ever was (make what you want out of that). Anyway, if you want to see them, here are the details.
Dave Matthews Band had planned to play a show in NYC on the 4th of July. It doesn't seem like that will be happening now.
Marcus Miller will be doing some US shows this summer. Including one in Richmond VA on the 18th of June. Hmmm... a road trip might just be in order...
Thanks to Rob for the tip.
-- Update --
And, as I browse around on the Richmond site, I also see that Me'shell Ndegeocello is playing there about two weeks later. Some of you might recognize the somewhat unpronouceable Swahili name from her duet remake of Wild Nights with John Mellancamp. She's a monster bass player, though, and I'd recommend her show.
The interesting thing here is that her website doesn't have the Richmond date listed. I wonder which one is right...
Aimee Mann will be on the road this summer as well. She'll be rolling through DC on June 19th, playing at the 9:30 club.
Alanis Morissette and Barenaked Ladies are coming down from the Great White North to tour the states.
DC dates will be:
Aug. 8: Philadelphia (Mann Center)
Aug. 10: Columbia, Md. (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
Natalie Merchant (previously of 10,000 Maniacs) will be hitting the road this summer. I caught her opening up for Sting a few years ago. She had a pretty good show, even with the crazed Gypsy dancing she did on throughout her set.
The Cure are heading back out on tour. I actually don't care about this, but I'm including it because of where I found it and the quote that adorned it:
People whose wardrobe consist entirely of black rejoice - The Cure are going on tour this summer with a bunch of their dewy-eyed (or is that mascara-eyed?) followers in tow. Consider it an Ozzfest for the kids that the people who go to Ozzfest beat up at recess.
So, thanks to Frank for the tip.
Eric Clapton has elected to head out on the road for a limited run of dates this summer.
DC area shows:
June 21: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
June 26: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Thanks to Jeff for the tip.
Dave Chappelle is heading out on the road. If you haven't caught his show on Comedy Central, you really should make some time for it.
Phil Collins is promising that his current tour will be his last.
Bela Fleck, the nominal leader of The Flecktones, will be heading out for a few days with Edgar Meyer. They will be playing mostly classical pieces, most likely tunes from Bela's classical CD (and it even won a bunch of Grammies).
DC Dates:
May 20: Washington, D.C. (Lisner Auditorium)
Guns and Roses have decided to not play the Rock in Rio festival (which was being held in Libson, for some reason). Axl blames Buckethead for the cancellation:
"The band has been put in an untenable position by guitarist Buckethead and his untimely departure," Rose says. "During his tenure with the band Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and commitment -- despite being under contract -- creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording, rehearsals and live plans with confidence."
Why on Earth anyone was expecting stability and consistency from a guy who has never been seen in public without a KFC bucket over his head and talks through a hand puppet is beyond me. I've heard Buckethead play a few times; he's got some amazing chops, but I don't know if I'd want to hang out in the same room with him.
Earth, Wind and Fire are heading back out on the road. This could be a good show; EW&F are one of the pillars of R&B. Four of the original members (Maurice White, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson and Philip Bailey) will be out this go 'round.
Chicago will be there with them. I'm not so enthused about this. I caught them playing at Wolf Trap a year ago or so. I think the only original member left in the band was either the trombonist or one of the roadies. In any case, it was basically a tribute band dressed up and pretending to be the real thing.
DC Dates:
07/06/04 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Bch. Amp.
07/08/04 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion
Van Halen has made it offical; they are hitting the road this summer. Sammy Hagar has rejoined the band for this trip (because what else was he doing with his time?).
DC area shows are:
June 16: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
June 28: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
Prince is adding a few new dates to his tour. This time, he's coming to DC on the 12th of August.
It's confirmed; Van Halen will be heading out on the road. No dates announced as of yet. From what I can tell in the listing, the nearest cities to DC will be Hershey PA as well as Philly. Also no info as to who is going to be the singer (although a safe bat is Sammy Hagar).
More from the "Aren't-you-dead-yet" pile of touring acts, Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald are heading out on the road.
-- Update --
I've decided that I'm going to stop reporting any act thought to be deceased heading out on the road, unless it's actually noteworthy. No act that ever had a hit will actually die unless it wants to (sheesh, Molly Hatchet is still touring), so there's no point in continually saying "Can you believe _____ is still on the road?" because the answer is "Yes, I can believe it."
Hoobastank, Sevendust, Staind, N*E*R*D and others will be playing the Rolling Rock music festival in Latrobe PA.
Linda Ronstadt, who hasn't been on tour in quite some time, is heading out on the road.
DC Dates:
6/27/04 Baltimore MD Pier 6 Pavilion
6/29/04 Philadelphia PA Mann Center
6/30/04 Vienna VA Wolf Trap
-- Update --
Apparently, this tour is to support her upcoming album.
Weird Al Yankovic is heading out on the road soon. If you've never seen one of his shows, they are actually pretty good. Lots of slapstick humor, matched with better musicianship that you would expect. No DC shows, though
Lewis Black, commentator on the Daily Show, is heading out on tour. If you like political humor, I'd highly recommend him. He's acerbic, with a razor sharp wit. I caught him a few years ago at the Improv, but it seems he has grown his following in to bigger venues.
Here's a website with a few clips to whet your appetite.