Live Entertainment Blog

Madonna is on tour, but she’s having some trouble at home.  A couple weeks ago, she and Guy Ritchie announced their divorce after 7.5 years of marriage.  The story got a little bit more complicated in the last few days, when Ritchie announced that he was turning down Madonna’s offer to settle the divorce out-of-court for $31 million.  His spokeman said “$31 million is a lot of money,but not in the entertainment world.  So now they are involved in battling out the details, and seeing whether they will have to take it to court or not.  They are also arguing about custody plans for their three children. Ritchie wants to keep them near him but she wants to move them to live with her.  Since she’s in the process of a tour, things can’t be great for her; the stress must be high.

The Phantom of the Opera US tour, as staged by the Cameron Mackintosh/Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc., has been touring for almost 16 years so far and is still playing to packed houses all over the country.  After celebrating its anniversary last December in Chicago, the producers and actors are still pleased with how well the piece is received in all parts of the country.  Of course, Phantom has been a fan favorite pretty much since the beginning of its production, not only as a touring work, but as a show on Broadway, in London and in Toronto.  The CD has sold many copies over the years as well.  73 cities have shown Phantom on their stages over the years of the US Tour, and everyone involved expects to have a long run ahead of them!  For future show dates and locations, click here.

AC/DC has begun an 18-month tour promoting their new album Black Ice.  The North American tour will begin on October 28th in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and continue until January 31, 2009.  Then the tour will move to other venues in South America, Australia, Europe and Asia.  Only some of the dates for the global shows have been announced so far.  Black Ice is the first album from the group since Stiff Upper Lip in 2000.  The tour is the first of theirs since 2001.  Opening for AC/DC during the North American shows will be the band “The Answer,” a hard rock and blues rock band from Northern Ireland.

AC/DC was formed in 1973 by Malcolm and Angus Young, brothers who brought in Larry Van Kriedt, Dave Evans and Colin Burgess. They became most famous in the late 70’s, thanks to the success of their album High Voltage.  Black Ice, the album, was released in North America on October 20th.

Harry Connick Jr.’s Oh My Nola (released January 2007) received rave reviews from his fanbase and critics alike. Now, he’s out to spread a little bit of holiday cheer with his music. Embarking on some yule tide tour dates, Harry Connick Jr. is bringing his 40s and 50s crooner style to areas near you. But his repertiore is not limited to that style, he’ll also be playing his patented blues and jazz style material as well. Visit Harry’s homepage to learn more about his upcoming tour dates, as well as background information on Connick’s style and biography.

Attention to all the Weeners out there, your favorite tagteam musical duo is releasing “Ween: Live at the Cat’s Cradle 1992″ very shortly, in time for the holiday season. The CD will feature their live act when it was only Gener and Deaner as a duo, and will be accompanied by a bonus DVD that features their first tour of Holland and some footage from Stache’s in Columbus, Ohio. Find out more information on ordering and pre-ordering through the official ween website right here.

In promotion of their new studio album “The Stand Ins,” the increasingly popular and dark-thinking indie band Okkervil River (name taken from a Russian short story) is set tour a large part of the European continent according to the Okkervil River Website. Fans in the USA have only one more chance to see them on American soil before they land in Copenhagen on 10/27. They are scheduled to play one more show tonight at the Metro in Chicago, Illinois before they gear up to take their sound elsewhere. If you’ve never heard their unique juxtaposition of pop music and often downright depressing lyrics, tonight will be your last chance for months to come.

The Dodos are indie-rock America’s new favorite band. Here’s why: they maintain the elements of “indie” (Okkervil River, Wilco, Wolf Parade-esque vocals, neo-folk guitar) while throwing in a bit of tribalism any modern day self-professed hippie attending the Phish reunion would appreciate. This three-man band combines innovative percussion with guitar into a beautiful blend of simple music that rings true of Autumn.  Their songs typically run about five minutes long but switch tempos and genres about four times from start to finish, but your foot or hands or head will be knocking and nodding the whole time.The Dodos will make you want to sit snuggle close by a camp fire on a brisk night and tap your cocoa mugs together as the leaves fall from the trees to crackle in the fire. You will want to run through the forest (donned in flannel), to grab sticks, not for the fire, but to start a gigantic drum circle that will echo into the night as your hair tangles into dreadlocks. Dont believe me? Listen for yourself here.

Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist, and Deakin make up the vanguard of musicians known as Animal Collective. These are not their real names of course- Avey Tare comes from the tearing apart of Davey Portner, Geologist is for the headlight Brian Weitz wears during the shows, Panda Bear comes from the first drawings Noah Lennox created for the first set of songs he wrote, and Deakin is a combination of Conrad Deacon, a pen name Josh Dibb used when writing to other band members. The Animal Collective Sound is difficult to describe. Their genres span from psychedelic folk to electronic to noise rock- and they take those genres far into the realms of the experimental. An Animal Collective show is not to miss. Their lighting alone gives Daft Punk a run for their money and their music is like something you have never heard before. Check them out for yourself.

The Grateful Dead were known for their improvisational shows thus making every one unique in its own right. Fans all over the world still trade bootlegs from these shows that have spanned over thirty years. Although the original Grateful Dead  is no longer around, you can still hear the next best thing. The Dark Star Orchestra chooses one of their performances and caters their style to the vocals, guitar, and setlist of the show on the given day and era of the band’s history. The DSO does cover Grateful Dead songs, however, this is not to say they don’t maintain the improv tradition set in motion by The Grateful Dead- the DSO throws in a little of their own. Check out more information here.