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Posts Tagged ‘Ruth Eckerd Hall’

Ray LaMontagne & Levon Helm: Co-Headlining Tour

TOUR STARTS NOVEMBER 2 IN JACKSONVILLE, FL AND WRAPS UP NOVEMBER 12 IN AUSTIN ,
TX

Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs
join forces with the Levon
Helm Band
to co-headline eight select cities beginning on November 2 in Jacksonville, FL and wrapping
on November 12 in Austin, TX. Check out the videos below to whet your appetite.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the public on September 18 at ticketmaster.com and will be available for pre-
sale on September 14 at 10:00 AM EST. Please visit www.raylamontagne.com or www.levonhelm.com for more information on the tour.

11/2/10 Times Union Center of Performing Arts Jacksonville, FL

11/4/10 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL

11/5/10 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

11/7/10 Saenger Theatre Mobile, AL

11/7/10 BJCC Concert Hall Birmingham, AL

11/10/10 Orpheum Theatre Memphis, TN

11/11/10 Verizon Theatre @ Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX

11/12/10 Bass Concert Hall Austin, TX


Steel Train Joins “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!” Tour

BAND ALSO CONFIRMS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR WITH FUN.


Steel Train

New Jersey rock band Steel
Train
is excited to announce that they will share the stage with the cast of beloved kid’s show Yo
Gabba Gabba!
on the “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!” tour. Among the other “Super Music Friends” guests on the tour
are Mates of State, Amanda Palmer, Kid Koala, OK Go and many others.

The band has a busy autumn of touring ahead of them. After the Yo Gabba Gabba Live! dates and a handful of one-
offs, Steel Train will bring their celebrated live show to audiences across the country when hit the road with fun. for an ambitious North American
tour kicking off September 29. Full tour dates below.

Listeners in the New York area can tune in to WRXP on Thursday, August 26 to hear Steel Train perform live on air on
Matt Pinfield’s morning rock show. The band will perform an intimate set at the Bowery Electric that night, as special
guests at WRXP’s Anything Anything showcase. In addition, fans can pick up a copy of Steel Train for only $3.99 at
Amazon.com all day Thursday, when it is featured as the website’s Daily Deal.

Check out the band’s triumphant performance of “Bullet” on The Late Show with David Letterman: http://www.vimeo.com/13304398.


August 26 Bowery Electric New York, NY
August 27 Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Bethel, NY^
August 28 Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, VA^
August 29 Mann Center Philadlephia, PA^

August 31 Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion Gilford, NH^
September 2 Times Union Center Albany, NY^
September 3 Artpark Lewiston, NY^
September 15 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

September 16 House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
September 17 Park Ave CD Orlando, FL (in-store)

September 18 St. Augustine Ampitheatre St. Augustine, FL
September 20 House of Blues New Orleans, LA
September 29 Higher Ground Burlington, VT*
September 30 The Bell House Brooklyn, NY* (free show)

October 1 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, PA*
October 2 Mr. Small’s Theatre Pittsburgh, PA*
October 3 Grog Shop Cleveland, OH*
October 5 The Basement Columbus, OH*
October 6 Brick Street Oxford, OH*

October 7 The Intersection Grand Rapids, MI*
October 8 The Firebird St. Louis, MO*
October 9 House of Blues Chicago, IL*

October 10 Varsity Theatre Minneapolis, MN*
October 12 People’s Court Des Moines, IA*
October 13 Blue Moose Iowa City, IA*
October 14 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS*
October 15 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO*

October 16 Club Sound Salt Lake City, UT*
October 21 Media Club Vancouver, BC*
October 22 El Corazon Seattle, WA*
October 23 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR*
October 26 Starline Fresno, CA*

October 27 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA*
October 28 Music Box @ Henry Fonda Los Angeles, CA*
October 30 The Nile Mesa, AZ*

November 2 The Cambridge Room @ HOB Dallas, TX*
November 4 Stubb’s Austin, TX*
November 5 Bronze Peacock @ HOB Houston, TX*
November 27 Webster Hall New York, NY*
November 29 La Sala Rosa Montreal QC*
November 30 The Mod Club Toronto, ON*
December 2 9:30 Club Washington, DC*
December 3 Royale Night Club Boston, MA*
December 4 Water Street Music Hall Rochester, NY*

December 7 The Orpheum Tampa, FL*
December 8 Culture Club Ft. Lauderdale, FL*

December 9 The Social Orlando, FL*
December 11 The Loft Atlanta, GA*
December 13 Paramount Arts Center Ashland, KY*


^ with Yo Gabba Gabba Live!
* with fun.

Steel Train
Tour Dates

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Steel Train News
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Steel Train
Concert
Reviews


Neil Young: Gulf Coast Dates

TOUR STARTS SEPTEMBER 20 IN PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA; CONCERT-GOERS ASKED TO BRING NON-
PERISHABLE FOOD FOR FOOD BANK


Neil Young

Neil Young will
perform several shows in the Gulf Coast in September to aid residents affected by the oil spill. Young has teamed
up with his friend John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods, Inc., which will donate 100,000 pounds of
chicken products
to be distributed to the Bay Area Food Bank. Tyson will deliver four truckloads of chicken, the equivalent of almost
400,000 meals, to the Bay Area Food Bank, which serves Central Gulf Coast communities in Alabama, Florida, and
Mississippi.

Young is also asking concert-goers to bring non-perishable food items, which will be given to the food bank. All
proceeds from the sale of unique, limited-edition Neil Young t-shirts, available only at the concerts, will also be
donated to the food bank.

The hunger relief effort is the result of the long-standing friendship between Young and Tyson. “Millions of people
who live along the Gulf Coast struggle with hunger and the economic impact of the oil spill has only made matters
worse,” Young says. “I appreciate the willingness of John Tyson and his company to get involved by helping the
regional food bank help feed those in need. We both encourage concert-goers to spend money locally and support
local business.”

Tour Dates:

Sep 20 Marina Civic Center Panama City, FL On-sale 8/13 10 a.m. EDT

Sep 25 IP Showroom Biloxi, MS On-sale 8/11 @ 10 a.m. CDT
Sep 26 Saenger Theatre Mobile, AL, On-sale 8/14 @ 10 a.m. CDT
Sep 28 Saenger Theatre Pensacola, FL On-sale 8/14 @ 10 a.m. CDT

Additional dates not part of the “Gulf Coast Tour”:

Sep 22 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL On-sale Now
Sep 23 Seminole Hard Rock Casino Hollywood, FL On-sale Now

Check out Kayceman’s 2008 interview with Neil Young!

Neil Young
Tour Dates

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Neil Young News
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Neil Young
Concert
Reviews


Styx: Regeneration, Volume I Grand Illusion/Pieces of 8 Shows

BAND WILL PERFORM THE GRAND ILLUSION AND PIECES OF EIGHT IN THEIR
ENTIRETY


Styx

It’s the tour Styx fans have
been waiting for. Styx–Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan
(vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums)
and Ricky Phillips (bass), along with the occasional
surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo—are getting ready to head out on the U.S. concert
trail again this year. However, for this round of dates, the band has an extra-special treat planned – it won’t be a
typical Styx show. Along with the classic hits, the band will be performing 1977′s The Grand Illusion and
1978′s Pieces of Eight in their entirety. Both albums spawned such hit singles and Classic Rock radio
standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).”

And as icing on the cake, a seven-song EP, entitled Regeneration, Volume 1, containing six newly
re-recorded classics–”Come Sail Away,” “Crystal Ball,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Lorelei,” “The
Grand Illusion” and “Sing For The Day”—and a brand new track, “Difference In The World,” will be available for sale
at every stop along “The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight” October/November tour route.

Check out the “The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight” at any of the following stops:

Thu 10/14 Evansville, IN The Centre (on-sale 8/13)

Fri 10/15 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theatre (on-sale 8/14)
Sat 10/16 Waukegan, IL Genesee Theatre (on-sale /14)
Sun 10/17 Columbus, OH The Palace Theatre (on-sale 8/13)

Tue 10/19 Chattanooga, TN Tivoli Theatre (on-sale 8/20)
Thu 10/21 Melbourne, FL King Center (on-sale 8/20)

Fri 10/22 Ft. Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Perf Arts Hall (on-sale 8/20)

Sat 10/23 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall (on-sale 8/20)

Mon 10/25 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (on-sale 8/20)

Wed 10/27 Washington, DC Warner Theatre (on-sale 9/10)

Thu 10/28 New York, NY Beacon Theatre (on-sale 8/6)
Fri 10/29 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome Theatre (on-sale 8/20)
Sat 10/30 Albany, NY Palace Theatre Albany (on-sale 8/19)

Tue 11/2 Bangor, ME Bangor Auditorium (on-sale 8/27)

Wed 11/3 Lowell, MA Lowell Memorial Auditorium (on-sale 8/20)
Fri 11/5 Erie, PA Warner Theatre Erie (on-sale 8/27)
Sat 11/6 Toledo, OH Stranahan Theatre (on-sale 8/27)
Sun 11/7 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace (on-sale 8/27)

Tue 11/9 Memphis, TN The Orpheum Theatre (on-sale 8/27)

Thu 11/11 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium (on-sale 8/27)

Fri 11/12 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock Casino & Resort (on-sale TBA)
Sat 11/13 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Center (on-sale 8/27)

Styx
Tour Dates

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Styx News ::
Styx
Concert
Reviews


Robert Plant Album/Tour with Patty Griffin, Darrell Scott & More

ROBERT PLANT AND THE BAND OF JOY TO TOUR U.S.A.

JULY SHOWS TO INCLUDE MATERIAL FROM NEW ROUNDER ALBUM

Robert Plant

Robert Plant has confirmed a 12 city North American tour. Beginning in July, this first leg of shows, which will be followed by further dates in the fall, will preview material from a new album. Featuring a diverse group of musicians – Patty Griffin, vocals; Darrell Scott, multi-instrumentalist/vocals; Byron House, bass/vocals; Marco Giovino, drums and percussion/vocals; including co-producer Buddy Miller, guitar/vocals. The album is set for release on Rounder, late summer/early fall.

Kicking off in Memphis on July 13 (see full tour schedule below) the tour will feature Plant and the ‘Band of Joy’ – the same musicians who also appear and play on the album.

Says Plant: “It’s been a blast working on these new songs… and I’m enjoying such creativity and vitality. It’s been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove.”

In recent weeks Plant has been in the studio working on the planned release, which will be his first since Raising Sand, the multi-platinum, six-time Grammy winning collaboration with fellow Rounder artist Alison Krauss. Krauss has most recently been recording with her longtime band Union Station, and will be touring with them this summer. The pair do not expect to announce a new album or tour in the coming year, though when asked about the collaboration, Plant says: “Oh yes, Alison and I get together quite often… and sometimes we dance.”

Robert Plant and the Band Of Joy Tour Dates:

07.13 Memphis, TN The Orpheum Theater

07.15 Little Rock, AR Robinson Center Music Hall

07.16 Tulsa, OK Brady Theater

07.18 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater

07.20 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater

07.21 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater

07.23 Dallas, TX Meyerson Symphony Hall

07.24 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

07.26 Austin, TX Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater

07.28 Mobile, AL The Saenger Theatre

07.30 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

07.31 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheater

Robert Plant Tour Dates :: Robert Plant News :: Robert Plant Concert Reviews


Phosphorescent: Tour w/ David Gray

PHOSPHORESCENT ON TOUR WITH DAVID GRAY THIS SPRING

Phosphorescent

Last fall, Phosphorescent bassist Jeff Bailey was watching a primetime news show when British songwriter David Gray appeared for an interview. The interviewer inquires as to what Gray is listening to on his iPod and he responds, “Frank Sinatra, and an album called Pride by Phosphorescent.”

Admittedly skeptical, the band did a quick internet search and found Gray singing the praises of Phosphorescent to Entertainment Weekly and a Spin review of a David Gray performance, which mentions that Gray opened the show by “emerging from the darkness to the narcotic strains of Phosphorescent’s ‘Cocaine Lights’.”

A month or so passes when an email shows up in the inbox of Phosphorescent’s Matthew Houck from Gray himself, with enthusiastic support for the music and an open ended invitation to open any of Gray’s upcoming tour dates. Phosphorescent accepted the invite and will soon be hitting the road with Gray throughout the United States and Europe.

Phosphorescent is also nearly complete with their upcoming album; details will be announced very soon.

Check out a video of the band performing “A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise” at the American Songwriter Magazine offices here.

Phosphorescent/David Gray Tour Dates

02/03/10 Wed Vredenburg Utrecht, NL

02/04/10 Thu Ancienne Belgique Brussels, BEL

02/05/10 Fri Den Atelier Luxembourg, LU

02/07/10 Sun X-tra Limmathaus Zurich, SWI

02/08/10 Mon Theatre am Tanzbrunnen Cologne, GER

02/09/10 Tue Grosse Freiheit 36 Hamburg, GER

02/10/10 Wed Huxley’s Berlin, GER

03/11/10 Thu Verizon Wireless Theater Houston, TX

03/12/10 Fri Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts New Orleans, LA

03/13/10 Sat Hogg Auditorium Austin, TX

03/14/10 Sun Hogg Auditorium Austin, TX

03/16/10 Tue Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie, TX

03/17/10 Wed Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO

03/19/10 Fri Touhill Performing Arts Center St. Louis, MO

03/20/10 Sat Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI

03/21/10 Sun State Theatre – Playhouse Square Center Cleveland, OH

03/23/10 Tue Taft Theatre Cincinnati, OH

03/24/10 Wed The Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN

03/26/10 Fri The Louisville Palace Louisville, KY

03/27/10 Sat Ohio Theatre Columbus, OH

03/29/10 Mon Center for the Arts Buffalo, NY

03/30/10 Tue Benedum Center Pittsburgh, PA

03/31/10 Wed Lyric Opera House Baltimore, MD

04/01/10 Thu The Wellmont Theatre Montclair, NJ

04/03/10 Sat Providence Performing Arts Center Providence, RI

04/05/10 Mon The Egg Albany, NY

04/06/10 Tue Oakdale Theatre (Formerly Chevrolet Theatre) Wallingford, CT

04/07/10 Wed Merrill Auditorium Portland, ME

04/09/10 Fri Durham Performing Arts Center Durham, NC

04/10/10 Sat Atlanta Civic Center Atlanta, GA

04/11/10 Sun Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN

04/13/10 Tue Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

04/14/10 Wed The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater Miami Beach, FL

04/15/10 Thu Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL


Wilco: March/April U.S. Dates

WILCO ADD MARCH/APRIL U.S. DATES

Wilco

Wilco will play a run of 16 concerts in Eastern U.S. cities beginning in Miami, FL on March 22 and culminating in Pittsburgh, PA on April 11. The concerts are presented as
“An Evening with Wilco” and will feature extended, varied sets exploring material from each of the accomplished Chicago sextet’s seven studio albums.

The tour includes concerts in
Clearwater, Savannah, Atlanta, Durham, Richmond, Bethesda, Montclair, Providence, Boston,
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and features Wilco’s first concert appearances in the cities of Scranton, PA, Concord, NH and Hartford, CT.

Ticket presales for these new dates are set for Wednesday, January 6 at 10 a.m. EST via the band’s official website.

All other tickets go on sale Friday, January 8 and Saturday, January 9. Please check Wilcoworld.net or individual venue websites for exact on sale dates and times.

These tour dates continue what is already promising to be a busy start to the New Year for Wilco. In late January the band heads to Los Angeles to perform as part of the 2010 MusicCares Person of the Year concert honoring Neil Young and they make their debut performance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on January 28. In February they embark on a previously announced tour that includes concerts in the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest and their most extensive Canadian tour in their 15-year history. Previously announced tour dates in Japan, New Zealand and Australia follow in April and May. Complete tour dates below.

Wilco’s latest studio album, the Grammy-nominated Wilco (The Album) has landed on many critic’s year end polls as one of the best albums of 2009, and Rolling Stone magazine recently cited Wilco’s 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as the third best album of the decade.

Wilco Tour Dates

02/07/10 Sun Adams Event Center Missoula, MT

02/09/10 Tue Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Portland, OR

02/10/10 Wed Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA

02/12/10 Fri The Royal Theatre Victoria, BC

02/13/10 Sat David Lam Park Vancouver, BC

02/15/10 Mon Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Edmonton, AB

02/16/10 Tue Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Calgary, AB

02/17/10 Wed TCU Place Saskatoon, SK

02/19/10 Fri DECC Auditorium Duluth, MN

02/20/10 Sat Overture Center for Arts Madison, WI

02/21/10 Sun Wharton Center For The Arts East Lansing, MI

02/23/10 Tue Hamilton Place Theatre Hamilton, ON

02/24/10 Wed Centennial Hall London, ON

02/26/10 Fri Imperial Quebec City, QC

02/27/10 Sat L’ Olympia Theatre Montreal, QC

03/01/10 Mon National Arts Centre Ottawa, ON

03/03/10 Wed Halifax Metro Centre Halifax, NS

03/22/10 Mon The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater Miami Beach, FL

03/23/10 Tue Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

03/25/10 Thu Johnny Mercer Theater Savannah, GA

03/26/10 Fri Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA

03/27/10 Sat Durham Performing Arts Center Durham, NC

03/29/10 Mon The National Richmond, VA

03/30/10 Tue Strathmore North Bethesda, MD

03/31/10 Wed Scranton Cultural Center Scranton, PA

04/02/10 Fri The Wellmont Theatre Montclair, NJ

04/03/10 Sat The Wellmont Theatre Montclair, NJ

04/04/10 Sun Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel Providence, RI

04/06/10 Tue Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA

04/07/10 Wed Capitol Center for the Arts Concord, NH

04/09/10 Fri The Bushnell Center For The Performing Arts Hartford, CT

04/10/10 Sat Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA

04/11/10 Sun Carnegie Music Hall Pittsburgh, PA

04/22/10 Thu Big Cat Osaka, JP

04/23/10 Fri Zepp Tokyo Tokyo, JP

04/27/10 Tue Civic Theatre Auckland, NZ

04/28/10 Wed Town Hall Wellington, NZ

04/30/10 Fri Tivoli Theatre Brisbane, AU

05/01/10 Sat The State Theatre Sydney, AU

05/02/10 Sun Factory Theatre Sydney, AU

05/05/10 Wed The Forum Theatre Melbourne, AU

05/06/10 Thu The Forum Theatre Melbourne, AU

05/28/10 Fri Primavera Barcelona, ES

09/12/10 Sun End of the Road Festival Wiltshire, GB


Pat Metheny: New Album, Tour

PAT METHENY’S ORCHESTRION TO BE RELEASED JANUARY 26, 2010
2010 U.S. TOUR DATES ADDED

Pat Metheny

Seventeen-time Grammy Award-winner Pat Metheny once again explores new territory with his forthcoming project, Orchestrion. Following the album’s January 26, 2010 release on Nonesuch Records (February 9 on vinyl), the genre-shattering guitarist/composer will embark on an extensive solo tour, performing in arts centers and concert halls nationwide.

Orchestrion brings a musical idea from the late 19th and early 20th centuries — a large mechanical multi-instrument device that utilizes actual orchestral instruments of various types, called an “orchestrion” — to the technologies of today. Metheny’s concept includes a large ensemble of acoustic instruments — including several pianos, drum kit, marimbas, “guitar-bots,” dozens of percussion instruments, and even cabinets of carefully tuned bottles. Through Metheny’s guitar and compositional mind, five new original pieces showcase the instruments as they are struck, plucked, and otherwise played via the technology of solenoid switches and pneumatics. Metheny worked for months with a brilliant team of scientists and engineers to develop and assemble the New Orchestrion for this project.

“As the instruments started to trickle in from the various inventors,” Metheny says, “the experience of writing for them and figuring out what might be possible with them provided a self-imposed challenge that proved to be difficult and time-consuming, but absolutely exhilarating. I am excited to share this project. If nothing else, this has turned out to be something unique. And in the process of developing all this music and these instruments and discovering what they can do and what they are good at, I learned so much. It feels like progress and has gotten some notes out of me that I didn’t know were there. But the surprise was just how far I was able to go with it all. Within this new environment, I found something in there that took me to some new places.”

A limited-edition poster signed by Metheny is available now with Orchestrion CD or LP pre-orders, exclusively at the Nonesuch site to the first 500 customers. As always, CDs and LPs ordered from the Nonesuch Store include audiophile-quality (320 kbps) MP3s at no additional cost, available for download on release day.

Over the course of more than three decades Metheny has set himself apart from the jazz mainstream, expanding and blurring boundaries and musical styles. His record-setting body of work includes seventeen Grammy Awards in twelve separate categories; a series of influential trio recordings; award winning solo albums; scores for hit Hollywood motion pictures; and collaborations and duets with major artists such as Ornette Coleman, Steve Reich, Charlie Haden, Brad Mehldau, and many others. His band, the Pat Metheny Group, founded in 1977, is the only ensemble in history to win Grammys for seven consecutive releases.

Pat Metheny North American Tour Dates

04/06/10 Tue Lyell B Clay Concert Theatre Morgantown, WV

04/07/10 Wed UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC

04/08/10 Thu Robert Ferst Center for the Arts Atlanta, GA

04/09/10 Fri Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

04/10/10 Sat The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater Miami Beach, FL

04/11/10 Sun Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Gainesville, FL

04/13/10 Tue Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie, TX

04/14/10 Wed Paramount Theatre Austin, TX

04/16/10 Fri Lensic Performing Arts Center Santa Fe, NM

04/17/10 Sat Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theater Mesa, AZ

04/18/10 Sun Rialto Theatre Tucson, AZ

04/19/10 Mon Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, CA

04/20/10 Tue Campbell Hall Santa Barbara, CA

04/21/10 Wed Spreckels Theater San Diego, CA

04/23/10 Fri Grand Sierra Theatre (Reno Hilton) Reno, NV

04/24/10 Sat Zellerbach Auditorium Berkeley, CA

04/25/10 Sun Napa Valley Opera House Napa, CA

04/26/10 Mon Civic Auditorium Santa Cruz, CA

04/28/10 Wed Aladdin Theater Portland, OR

04/29/10 Thu Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia, WA

04/30/10 Fri Meany Hall Seattle, WA

05/01/10 Sat The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts Vancouver, BC

05/02/10 Sun Hult Center Eugene, OR

05/04/10 Tue Kingsbury Hall Salt Lake City, UT

05/05/10 Wed Paramount Theatre Denver, CO

05/07/10 Fri Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO

05/08/10 Sat Touhill Performing Arts Center St. Louis, MO

05/09/10 Sun Fitzgerald Theater Saint Paul, MN

05/10/10 Mon Symphony Center Chicago, IL

05/12/10 Wed Taft Theatre Cincinnati, OH

05/13/10 Thu Massey Hall Toronto, ON

05/14/10 Fri Music Hall Center for the Arts Detroit, MI

05/15/10 Sat Lorain Palace Civic Center Lorain, OH

05/16/10 Sun Bardavon 1869 Opera House Poughkeepsie, NY
05/18/10 Tue Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA
05/19/10 Wed Strathmore North Bethesda, MD

05/20/10 Thu Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA

05/21/10 Fri Town Hall New York, NY

05/22/10 Sat Town Hall New York, NY

Complete Pat Metheny tour dates available here.


Return To Forever:
Returns

By: Ron Hart

align=right src="http://images.jambase.com/bands/ReturnToForever/ReturnsCD.jpg">

Back when I was the music editor for this wannabe hipster rag out of NYC, I was told by my editor-in-chief, when pitching the idea of reviewing – if my memory serves me well – a Jaco Pastorius reissue, that, “Our magazine is serving a primarily hipster set which is into hip-hop, rock, electronica, some kitschy pop and obscure things that they may not have heard of from time to time. So, we have to bend in that direction more.”

He went on to explain in this email he sent me how fusion jazz is something the magazine’s readers “make a little fun of” and how I should steer away from writing about it. So, in essence, they wanted me to write about unskilled crap like electro-clash and “raw rock” instead and then proceeded to pitch me on covering garbage NYC acts of the time like The Bravery and Larry Tee, thus sealing my decision to step down from my position there out of sheer respect for my music education.

Reminiscing on that e-mail while listening to this phenomenal, complex and otherworldly live album from the recently-reunited “classic lineup” of Return to Forever featuring Chick Corea on keys, Al Di Meola on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass and Lenny White on drums – the utter epitome of fusion jazz if there ever was one – I feel wholly inspired to drive my 1994 Buick LeSabre right down to Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, park right outside of whatever trendy-ass bar has opened up on North 6th St. that week and crank the 27 minute version of “Song to the Pharaoh Kings” at full volume. The results, I’m hoping, would be kind of like when Barbara Streisand blasted White Zombie from a van outside her home during her wedding to James Brolin in order to keep the Paparazzi away. Maybe then, these condo-dwelling, trust-fund-having, Hold Steady-loving cretins will finally get the hint that they are not welcome in Kings County anymore.

But I digress. This epic, two-disc live set, featuring performances recorded at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Florida, the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts and the Montreux Jazz Festival during the quartet’s reunion tour in the summer of 2008, finds Corea, Di Meola, Clarke and White in top form, as if their 1976 studio swan song Romantic Warrior was recorded last month instead of 33 years ago. The indelible interplay between the four musicians remains as fluid as ever in spite of the three-decade time lapse as RTF charges through highlights from all eras of their brief but impactful career. Fans will take great joy in hearing the classic line-up rip through such early material as “500 Miles High” from 1972′s Light As A Feather and the title cut to 1973′s psychedelic Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy, two albums that did not feature either Di Meola nor White, and who both do great justice to the jams here.

Chick, one of the true legends of the post-bop jazz era, is still at the top of his game at 69 years young, proven in the way his piano intertwines with the dizzying acoustic scaling of Di Meola during a particularly impassioned performance of “No Mystery.” And any young bass player who considers Flea or Les Claypool to be the greatest four-stringer they ever heard needs to school themselves with a deep listen to Clarke’s solo around the 9-minute mark of the near 14-minute “Vulcan Worlds” on disc one to find out what’s really up.

Return to Forever Returns is a true comeback for the ages as momentous for fusion fans as the My Bloody Valentine reunion has been for shoegazers or Faith No More for alt-metal heads. For those of you who find this music as something to “make a little fun of,” as my misbegotten former editor seemed to think back in the height of The Strokes-era, you need to go back to your little bankrolled studio apartment on Meserole and stick to that crappy Wavves album you incessantly prattle on about to your friends at the Turkey’s Nest. This is NOT for you.

For more on Return To Forever, check out our review of the band’s 2008 S.F. concert and our interview with Lenny White.

JamBase | Forever Returning
Go See Live Music!