Live Event Blog

Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens will take to the road this fall for a 24-date tour. Although the 35-year-old musician has been apart of the folk-indie scene for over a decade now, it was his 2005 album, Illinois, that really brought Stevens widespread notoriety. Illinois was hailed by numerous music magazines as one of the best albums of the 2000’s on the strength of songs like “Chicago”, “John Wayne Gacy Jr.”, and “KasmirPulaski Day”. Stevens has since put out a Christmas album and a lyric-less, symphonic ode to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway entitled The BQE. The Holland, Michigan raised performer has shows planned for grand venues like the Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL, the Beacone Theater in New York City, NY, and Massey Hall in Toronto, ON. Stevens will play a show near his hometown of Detroit in Royal Oak, MI.    

Willie Nelson announced this week that the 25th Farm Aid will take place in Milwaukee, WI. The concert will be held inside at Miller Park (the home of the Milwaukee Brewers) on October 2nd, 2010. Nelson will be joined by fellow Farm Aid board members John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews for the historic concert event. The rest of the lineup should be announced shortly, but last year’s show included Jason Mraz, Wilco, Jamey Johnson, and Gretchen Wilson. Farm Aid 25 will mark the first time the concert has been held in Wisconsin. The Dairy State is one of the country’s most important agricultural producers. Million of American farmers have received help from Farm Aid through the years, and the annual concert event doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

For the first time since their 2005 Live Aid reunion, former Pink Floyd bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour were on the same stage this past weekend. Waters and Gilmour played “Comfortably Numb” and “Wish You Were Here” to the great delight of the 200 attendees at the Hoping Foundation charity benefit. The event raised 350,000 pounds for charity. Roger Waters kicks off his The Wall Tour this fall in the United States. The tour continues to pick up dates after seats sold out at an astonishing rate. Gilmour is reportedly not interested in joining Waters on tour, but the impromptu performance gives Pink Floyd fans a glimmer of hope of another reunion. The Wall Tour begins on September 15th in Toronto, CA.

At just 24-years-old, Janelle Monáe is breaking free of the typical way female R&B artists are presented in mainstream music. The Kansas City science fiction lover broke into the music world after meeting Outkast’s Big Boi in Atlanta. Monáe signed with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records and released her debut album, Metropolis. The Broadway lover almost considered a career on the stage, but Monáe opted for the music business after being approached by Big Boi at an open mic. Her new concept album, The ArchAndroid, is probably the most ambitious hip hop science fiction album ever made. The album tells the story of Cindi Mayweather and her struggles as the savior of Metropolis. Janelle Monáe will be on tour in Europe until July 23rd when she performs live in Hartford, CT. The young recording artist has a number of other US dates includes slots at the Outside Lands Festival and the Voodoo Music Festival.

One music review has already called The Gaslight Anthem’s third album, American Slang, “a masterpiece” as fans await their turn to purchase the album on June 14th. To give fans a taste of the album, The Gaslight Anthem are even allowing fans to listen to a free stream on NPR First Listen. The album shows the a band’s growth as songwriters with song topics ranging from nostalgia of youth to the reality of mortality. Their second album, The Sound of ‘59, won the band a lot of respect and big gigs across the US and Europe. The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, joined The Gaslight Anthem on stage at the Glastonbury Festival in England. The band crafts heartfelt rock ‘n roll that isn’t afraid to go for the throat. Lead man Brian Fallon displays his intense passion for the music he writes when playing live and is quickly becoming one of the best young songwriters in rock today. Go see The Gaslight Anthem live this summer as they tour the US and Europe. You won’t regret it.

It’s been two hundred years since Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut, but his name is still in lights. In honor of “show business’ first millionaire” the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus is putting on a tour in his honor entitled “Funundrum”. The show which will be touring the East Coast this summer is currently earning great reviews in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The show features homages to classic circus acts like trapeze artists, tiger trainer, and a good ole fashioned freak show. The Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey circus company has divided themselves between three tours, “Funundrum”, “Zing Zang Zoom”, and ”Illuscination”. In addittion to the more traditional aspects of circus, daredevil motorsports and more modern acts have been added to the shows. Look for a show near you on www.ringling.com.

With 50 million records sold on her resume I guess no one should be surprised that Nigerian-English recording artist Sade is # 1 on the Billboard 200. Her new release, Soldier of Love, combines a modern R&B sound with a mystical world music feel. The release is her sixth album and first in ten years since 2000’s Lovers Rock (now triple platinum). Sade, along with her band mates Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, and Paul Spencer Denman, has won fans all over the world for her enchanting sound that continues to push the modern genres of music. The title track from Solider of Love is backed by a Timberland-like hip hop beat with electric guitars, tribal drums, and beautifully arranged backing vocals. Look for a lot more from Sade in 2010.

Simba, Mufasa, Timon, and Pumbaa have been entertaining audiences long after Disney’s 1994 The Lion King became the highest grossing traditionally animated film of all time. In 1997 a musical version of The Lion King hit Broadway and was a instant success. The music of Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, and South African composer Lebo M sounds remarkable in person as elaborate animal puppet costumes garner ooh and aahs from the crowd. The ground-breaking actor-controlled costumes of giraffes, zebras, lions, and long beaked birds whisks audiences away to wilds of Africa with a chorus and beating drums setting the mood from the opening scene. The show is currently running ongoing productions on Broadway, Las Vegas, and London along with a US touring show. In 2010 a production of the musical will open in Madrid and Singapore as The Lion King has been staged in Tokyo, Melbourne, Mexico City, and more cities around the world. I’ve seen the musical twice myself and loved it both times. The story and music of The Lion King will be celebrated for years to come.

All around the theater world, there are problems getting the necessary funding to get the job done. Grant money has dried up for the moment and shows just don’t have much in the way of resources. So many of them are turning creative to get the job done in a way that’s still interesting and respectable. The article I’m looking at has a picture of a show whose set is made out of shredded office paper. It’s a a great time for creativity, but it’s hard for shows that had plans all set to make sets and have casts a certain way. This is especially true in theaters in New Jersey, where there is essentially a spending freeze going on that will prevent much of anything from happening during the next several months at least. Hopefully things will get better again but who knows!

When the musical Show Boat first appeared in 1927, it quickly became a favorite of musical theater fans. In some ways it set the standard for many subsequent Broadway productions, in terms of its style and the kinds of numbers that it puts onstage. In the intervening time, we have seen a sea change on Broadway, in large part starting in the late 50s and early 60s. We found shows like West Side Story that address bigger issues of ethnic conflict and such. Show Boat was never a musical that talked about the big problems of the world. It was a more nostalgic look, even for people at the time it first appeared. This disconnect has made it harder to have this musical touch people. It is a pleasant show with beautiful music. But it’s not hard-hitting the way modern audiences might be looking for. You’ll enjoy it, because they do a good job with the production though, great singers and actors.