NYC Concerts on Sale Friday: Lana Del Rey, Jack White & Alabama Shakes, Go-Go's, & More

Lana Del Rey will get another chance to NYC audiences over when she takes the stage for three shows at Irving Plaza in June, which go on sale Friday morning. These dates, on June 7th, 8th, and 10th, come a few months after the polarizing singer's widely panned performance on "Saturday Night Live."


Lana Del Rey's video for "Blue Jeans." [Update: See her performance from last night's "American Idol" below.]

There are other concerts of note going on sale Friday morning, including two of the most talked-about performers at this year's South by Southwest, Jack White and the Alabama Shakes, on the same bill. The shows below are listed by date.

• Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes at Roseland Ballroom, May 8th & 9th; on sale March 23rd, 10 a.m.
• The Go-Go's at the Paramount, Huntington, Long Island,  May 10th; on sale March 23rd, 10 a.m.
• Jack White and Alabama Shakes at Roseland Ballroom, May 21st and 22nd; on sale March 23rd, 1 p.m.
• Gogol Bordello at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ), June 2nd; on sale March 23rd, 12 p.m.
• Lana Del Rey at Irving Plaza, June 7th, 8th, and 10th; on sale March 23rd, 10 a.m.
• Crosby, Stills, & Nash at the Wellmont Theatre, June 26th & 27th; on sale March 23rd, 12 p.m.

The summer concerts at Jones Beach, PNC Arts Center in NJ, and other outdoor venues are starting to go on sale; more news on those in a later post.

Lana Del Rey Sings "Video Games" Better on Letterman (VIDEO)

On the week that her album "Born To Die"dropped, Lana Del Rey returned to singing for late-night TV, performing "Video Games" on last night's Letterman. And she certainly learned a few things from her universally panned performance on SNL a few weeks back.

Backed by a pianist and string section, Del Rey seemed more confident and less awkward than on SNL, and no doubt worked on trying to be less stiff and more animated on stage. Letterman was impressed (or pretended to be, in any case), asking if she was able to come back Friday, and Monday.

Letterman did muff the "Born To Die"release date when talking to Del Rey after the performance, saying that it was coming out next week when it had actually be released Jan. 31st. (See links to some "Born to Die" reviews here.)

Music Notes: Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" Hits the Stores & the Critics Weigh In

Lana Del Rey's full-length is out; see below for links to reviews.

Lana Del Rey's debut album "Born To Die"was released today, and finally everyone has more than just a few songs and her painful SNL performances by which to judge her. The album will have attracted plenty of detractors no matter what it sounded like, but there are some critics and journalists that are giving "Born to Die" a fair hearing.

Among those giving "Born to Die" reviews that focus on the music rather than the hysteria surrounding LDR: The New Yorker (by Sasha Frere-Jones), Spin, Pitchfork, and the L.A. Times. Many of the reviews I've seen mention how the lyrics seem to portray a woman who's submissive and/or eager to please, and preoccupied with fame and material pleasures, which is all part of the reason for the controversy surrounding Del Rey.



Another common theme is that the Del Rey persona can vary widely from song to song and seem inconsistent, as well as devoid of real emotion. "There is little wisdom in 'Born to Die,' but more than enough pleasure," Frere-Jones writes, ultimately concluding that "the character of Del Rey, authentic or not, is so inconsistent that she fades from view, into her own photo spread."And Lindsay Zoladz writes in Pitchfork, "The ultimate disappointment of "Born To Die"... is how out of touch it feels not just with the world around it, but with the simple business of human emotion."

All of the reviews I've seen mention the lyrics, but Rob Harvilla's Spin review singles out of number of them as "Objectively Ridiculous Lyrics on this Album," including "Everything I want I have / Money, notoriety, and rivieras," which Del Rey uses in the bio section of her Twitter profile.

In a blog post entitled "The Last Thing I've Ever Write About Lana Del Rey," ex-Titus Andronicus member and feminist Amy Klein examines the former Lizzy Grant's music and persona in terms of the vision of women that society wants. "The problem is that when it comes to women, we seem to want a character and not the truth, " Klein writes. "We want Lana Del Rey, not Lizzy Grant."

Like most people in the world, I haven't yet heard "Born to Die," although retailers are making it a low-risk proposition. In the U.S., iTunes is selling the album download for $7.99, and Amazon.com is selling the "Born To Die" download for $5.99and the CD for $7.99(for today only, it seems). [NOTE: Prices are still in effect as of the night of Feb. 2nd]. "Born To Die" is on Spotify, if you have an account there.

Now that the full-length album is out, Lana Del Rey will no doubt continue to stir controversy. It will be interesting to see if she can now develop a confident stage performance that will captivate concertgoers more than "Born To Die"has the critics.

Lana Del Rey Played SNL (VIDEO); Controversy Rages On

The meteoric rise of Lana Del Rey continued when she performed as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" last night, and like everything else involving this young singer, there was much controversy before and after the fact. (See her SNL performances below.)

I like Lana Del Rey's voice and songs (all three or four that I've heard), but found her performance on SNL tough to watch (especially "Video Games"). She has limited touring experience, and clearly didn't seem ready for such a big stage. She did seem more relaxed and expressive on her second number, "Blue Jeans." Watch the videos and see what you think.



For those not familiar with Del Rey (real name: Elizabeth Grant), she came out of nowhere last year to become a sensation (and a lightning rod for criticism) upon the release of her song "Video Games." The 25 year old has a voice that is sometimes sultry and sometimes vulnerable, and the tune itself is catchy.

Del Rey's good looks (and willingness to show them off in sexy clothes and poses) no doubt contributed to her rising popularity... and to the inevitable critical backlash. According to Wikipedia, Del Rey/Grant's father is a millionaire investor who has used his money and marketing skills to promote his daughter's career.

The fact that a performer with such limited experience got the plum SNL gig just stirs the controversy even more. (Her first full-length album as Lana Del Rey doesn't even come out until the end of this month; she apparently had an album under the name Lizzy Grant a couple of years back.) (You can pre-order the forthcoming album, "Born to Die,"here.)



Some music critics see her as an intriguing new voice (such as the hosts of NPR's All Songs Considered, where I first heard the song). Others are not impressed with her voice or style, and see her as a manufactured pop princess. As often happens, there are plenty of new Lana Del Rey fans, and haters, who are just jumping on the bandwagon.