Lollapalooza 2010 Tickets On Sale Now; Who's in the Lineup?

UPDATE 4/6: the Lollapalooza 2010 lineup has been announced here. On the bill: Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Phoenix, Jimmy Cliff, and many more.

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Tickets went on sale today for the Lollapalooza 2010 festival in Chicago, which will be held August 6th to 8th. You can get your Lollapalooza 2010 tickets at the link below. The festival takes place in Grant Park, as it has in recent years after being downsized from a traveling summer festival to a one-site, one-weekend event.

The Lollapalooza 2010 lineup won't be announced until April 6th, but rumors are already spreading about who might be on the bill. Names such as Lady Gaga, Soundgarden, and Green Day are among those being bandied about. The Lollapalooza Web site has a link to a page for the Lollapalooza 2010 lineup, but that page simply says "Stay Tuned!"

You might want to act soon if you want to save some money: tickets for the early bird 3-day pass ($175) are already sold out. Advance passes ($190) are now being sold, and when those sell out, the "regular" 3-day pass ($215) will go on sale. Make sure you read the Lollapalooza ticket FAQ to find out the ticket options, restrictions, etc. so you can choose the best plan for your needs.

So buy your tickets now and make your travel plans, and then you can spend the next few days speculating about who'll be in the Lollapalooza 2010 lineup!

Music News: Lilith Fair Returns, The Runaways Movie, Joan Jett Greatest Hits

Dakota Fanning singing "Cherry Bomb" from the movie, "The Runaways."

This look at music news has a definite female cast. First off, Lilith Fair returns in 2010, after an absence of about a decade. As with the original Lilith Fair, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan will headline every show, with a rotating cast of 11 other performers at each concert.

The lineup includes from veterans of the first Lilith Fair tours (Suzanne Vega) and some newer acts (Sara Bareilles, Zee Avi, and Kelly Clarkson). I'll definitely try to catch Lilith Fair's New York City show, and maybe one or two others, depending on dates and lineups.

The long-awaited movie about The Runaways, the pioneering all-female rock band, has been out for more than a week, and seems to be doing OK at the box office. It's made about $1.5 million - not bad considering it's only playing on about 300 screens - and since it only cost $10 million to make, it's got a better return on its money than a lot of much bigger films.

"The Runaways" has a 64% score on RottenTomatoes.com, with the consensus calling the film "as electric as the band's music, largely thanks to strong performances from Michael Shannon, Dakota Fanning, and Kristen Stewart." You can learn more about the Runaways movie at its Web site, Twitter page, MySpace page, and Web site. I'll have more to say about The Runaways and the movie in a later post.

The movie has as executive producer one Joan Jett, the most successful Runaways alumna. Not coincidentally, there's a new remastered Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits package just out. It's a two-disc set, but only seems to have 21 songs on it.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits includes an unreleased track, and there are a couple of tunes by The Runaways on it (though I'm not sure whether these are by that group or remakes by JJ & the Blackhearts).

From the reviews I've read online, the CD set doesn't include much in the way of liner notes, although a lot of this kind of material can be found online at www.greatesthits.joanjett.com, along with background on each song and videos for many of them.

More New York Concerts On Sale: Eagles/Dixie Chicks/Keith Urban; M.I.A; Diana Ross

A few more big shows on sale:

* M.I.A./Hard NYC - Sat. July 24th, 4 p.m. - Governors Island - went on sale March 26th
* Eagles with Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban - Thurs., June 10th -
Meadowlands Sports Complex - ON SALE: Mon., March 29th, 10 a.m.
* Diana Ross - Wed., May 19th - Radio City Music Hall - ON SALE: Mon., March 29th, 10 a.m.

NYC Concerts On Sale: New Pornographers, Vampire Weekend, Miike Snow, More

Left: Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene plays Central Park on Sept. 18th. 

Some in-demand musicians have added more New York shows to supplement those that are selling well, or in some cases, have already sold out. Here are some shows going on sale Friday, March 26th:

* The New Pornographer, The Dodos - Sat., June 19th, Terminal 5 - ON SALE: Sat., March 26th
* Miike Snow - Wed., October 6th, Terminal 5 - ON SALE: Sat., March 26th
* Vampire Weekend (third show) - Fri., September 17th, Radio City Music Hall - ON SALE: Sat., March 26th (September 15th & 16th shows sold out)

And for the metal fans out there, Iron Maiden tickets for their July 12th show at Madison Square Garden went on sale March 20th to the general public. Dream Theater is also on the bill.

Lady Gaga Tickets On Sale Soon for Summer 2010 Concerts

Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour continues with sold-out concerts all across the U.S., and more dates have been added. Tickets for the shows below go on sale late in March, so mark the dates so you'll be able to get first crack at these in-demand tickets.

To see all Lady Gaga concerts now scheduled, and on-sale dates, visit www.ladygaga.com/events.

On sale Friday March 26:

July 2 - Boston, MA - TD Garden

July 14 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena

August 19 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden

August 21 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

August 24 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place

On sale Saturday March 27:

July 4 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall

July 20 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center

September 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center

On sale Monday March 29:

July 28 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center

August 3 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center

Free Live Concert Podcast Downloads from 2010 SXSW (South by Southwest)

Above: Austin natives Spoon playing in their hometown earlier this year. Their March 17th showcase at SXSW is one of the free concert downloads available. Photo: Zachary Ground.  

Get a taste of some of the great live music taking place in Austin at the South by Southwest music festival with the free live concerts posted online by NPR Music. All are available for online streaming, and most can be downloaded as free podcasts as well. Many of the sets clock in at around 45 minutes, with the Spoon concert being more than an hour and others (sadly, that by one of my favorites, Visqueen) at only around 20 minutes. 

Sadly, SXSW is coming to an end today, but there are plenty of sets you can listen to at home. Here is the selection of free SXSW concerts you can download:

• Broken Bells
  
• Spoon
  
• Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
  
• Visqueen
  
• Quasi
  
• Sleigh Bells
  
• Surfer Blood
  
• Local Natives
  
• G-Side
  
• Brooklyn Rider
  
• Smith Westerns
  
• The Walkmen
  
• Title Tracks
  
• Best Coast (available for online streaming only)

It's a lot of free music, and I've only begun to scratch the surface. But it'll keep me busy with new music until the outdoor music season starts in a few weeks.

Free Song Downloads and Webcasts from the 2010 SXSW Music Fest

If you can't be in Austin, Texas for the 2010 SXSW music fest, you can download or stream plenty of free music to get the feel for the hundreds of bands that will be playing there. The music event runs from March 17th to the 21st.

* SXSW offers 5.43 gigabytes of free music downloads from SXSW showcasing bands. You can download the free songs from the official SXSW Web site, or go to the unofficial SXSW torrents site.

* For music videos, check out the SXSW music Youtube Channel and the SXSW Videos and Podcasts page. 

* NPR Music offers plenty of podcasts, streaming audio, and concert Webcasts from SXSW. Check out their SXSW preview show and their listing of free live streaming SXSW concerts (most of which will be archived for streaming or podcast download).

Enjoy!

Free Irish Music Podcasts for St. Patrick's Day

It's coming up on St. Patrick's Day again, so that means lots of people are looking for some music to get in the mood, or to play at parties, celebrations, etc. Below is an updated version of a post on free Irish music podcasts that I wrote a few years ago. Happily, three of the four podcasts I wrote about are still going strong. If you know of any others, let me know about them in the comments!

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Irish music is a natural part of any St. Patrick's Day party or celebration. And thanks to podcasting, you can get plenty of Irish and Celtic music for free on the Internet, from traditional to contemporary, New Age to Irish rock. Here are a few choice podcasts that play full-length tunes of Irish music. All are available through iTunes and other podcast programs, or at the Web sites linked to below.

Cleveland Celtic Podcast: You wouldn't necessarily associate Cleveland, Ohio with Celtic music, but there's an active music community there, as this podcast attests. The podcast plays Celtic rock and Celtic contemporary music from all over the world, including points far beyond Ohio.

Irish and Celtic Music Podcast: Hosted by a musician who specializes in Irish and Renaissance music, this podcast features interviews and songs covering different types of Irish and Celtic influenced music. There's an emphasis on independent artists, with ballads and uptempo rock-influenced tunes, and Scottish folk songs (and a bit of bagpipes). And you're sure to find some drinking songs in the mix.

Pub Song Podcast: If you want to head straight for the drinking songs, this is the place to go. Brought to you by the host of the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, it features pub songs from Irish, Celtic, and non-Celtic traditions. The songs are lively and fun, and sometimes just reading the titles will give you a chuckle. The podcast may also include some poetry and news on folk songs.

Get Tickets Now for the Conan O'Brien Tour - "Prohibited" at Radio City

We've all been wondering what Conan O'Brien's been up to since leaving The Tonight Show (besides growing a beard and following one person on Twitter). We now have the answer: Coco's been gearing up for a tour of live shows, and it will be coming to New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 1st and 2nd.

The Conan O'Brien tour, which has the catchy title "Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television," will feature Andy Richter and the former Tonight Show Band. It'll be just like the The Tonight Show, only live on stage!

You can get tickets for the Conan O'Brien tour shows at Radio City here, and they are on sale now. Prices range from $44 to $84.

For all of the stops and dates for the 30-town Conan O'Brien tour, go to www.teamcoco.com.

Music News: Smashing Pumpkins Auditions, Allman Bros. Cancel NYC Shows, Joan Jett on the Runaways Movie

Some news briefs this week in the world of rock, from various music news outlets:

Have you ever dreamed of playing in the Smashing Pumpkins? Leader Billy Corgan is looking for band members. (NME)

The Allman Brothers Band has cancelled its second week of shows in New York City (March 22nd - 27th) due to an "unforeseen family matter," according to an e-mail from the band. The first set of shows, March 11th - 20th, will go on as planned.

Joan Jett met Kristen Stewart, the "Twilight" star who will be playing her in the upcoming movie "The Runaways." The former Runaway found Stewart to be "through and through totally professional and just great to be around." (Interview Magazine)

The Go-Go's are performing at least a couple of shows this summer, but Kathy Valentine has been making music with her latest all-girl (and all-Texas) group, the BlueBonnets. You can hear "Don't Pass Me By," a new song from the BlueBonnets, here.

Ian Dury, my favorite wacky singer from the 1970s, is the subject of a "loose biopic" that will be shown at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. The Ian Dury film is, of course, titled after his best-known song, "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll." Andy Serkis plays Dury.

New York Concerts on Sale: Glee, Massive Attack, Public Image Limited, Broken Social Scene, Thom Yorke, and More

I usually don't do two consecutive posts about tickets on sale for New York City concerts, but there are some great ones that will be in high demand and that just went on sale or are about to. The first few listed are already on sale; after that the public on-sale date is listed.

* Massive Attack, Tues. May 11th, Terminal 5
* Atoms for Peace (Thom Yorke's new band), Mon. & Tues. April 5th & 6th, Roseland Ballroom
* Regina Spektor (benefit for Doctors without Borders), Tues. March 23rd, The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
* Public Image Ltd., Tues. May 18th, Terminal 5
* Broken Social Scene, Sat. September 19th, Central Park Summerstage 
* The Thermals, Wed. April 21st, Brooklyn Bowl
* Glee "Live in Concert!," Fri., Sat., Sun. May 28th, 29th, & 30th, Radio City Music Hall (ON SALE: March 23rd)
* Willie Nelson & Family, with special guest the Levon Helm Band, Wed. July 28th, Radio City Music Hall (ON SALE: March 12th)
* Carole King & James Taylor "Troubadour Reunion" (3rd show), Wed., July 30th, Madison Square Garden (ON SALE: March 15th)