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.

Music Notes, Ladies' Edition: Willie Mae Benefit Show & More

Help support girls who rock at the Willie Mae benefit in Brooklyn Saturday.

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I'm a big fan of female artists, but this edition of Music Notes is devotedly solely to women (and girls) who rock.

* 7th Sound Wave: Benefit for Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls: the Brooklyn training ground for female rockers will be the beneficiary of a show this Saturday night at Manifesta Loft in Brooklyn (315 Seigel St., Apt 217). The performers will be female or female-fronted bands, including teen punk-pop trio Care Bears on Fire and Big Nils (featuring Coco Moore, daughter of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon).

Also on the bill: Bad Credit No Credit, Shady Hawkins, and Titus Andronicus member Amy Klein (her feminist group Permanent Wave is organizing the benefit). Klein will also be taking part in a panel discussion on women in music, with participants spanning the generations.

I've missed several Willie Mae benefits in the past, but really want to catch this one—though it overlaps somewhat with a good country/bluegrass show in the Roots of American Music series at Lincoln Center Out of Doors. (The good news is that the 7th Sound Wave show begins with the panel at 8 p.m., and since the LCOOD show is at 6, it's possible to catch part of the first and then see all the music at the second.)

The Willie Mae benefit is only $7, and for that you get to see a number of up-and-coming female rockers (plus the panel, if you get there early). You can't beat that, in my book.

Permanent Wave's 7th SOUND WAVE: Benefit for the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls
Manifesta Loft, 315 Seigel St., Apt 217
Brooklyn, NY
All ages; admission: $7
(link to brief article with map)

Celebrate the release of the Runaways tribute record tonight at the Jersey Shore.

* Speaking of spanning the generations of female rockers (and of Care Bears on Fire), CBOF will be playing tonight, Aug. 12th, at the release party for Take It or Leave it, a tribute album to The Runaways. The show is at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. Also playing will be Richard Barone (formerly of the Bongos), Frankenstein 3000, The Easy Outs, Clinical Trials, and more.

The album, Take It Or Leave It - A Tribute To the Queens of Noise: The Runaways, is a two-disc set that was released on June 28th and features contributions from Shonen Knife, The Donnas, the Dandy Warhols, and David Johansen of The New York Dolls, and many others. (Buy Take It Or Leave It at Amazon.com)

The Runaways Tribute Album Release Party
Brighton Bar, 121 Brighton Ave., Long Branch, NJ
Admission: $10
(directions and info on the venue)

The Go-Go's (seen here playing in NYC) received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

* Coincidentally, these concerts are happening the same week that perhaps the most successful all-female rock band, the Go-Go's, got a big honor. Yesterday the band received its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and as far as I know all of the current band members were on hand. You can see photos from the Go-Go's Walk of Fame festivities here.

Congratulations to the Go-Go's!

Review: Go-Go's Mark 30th Anniversary of First Album with NYC Concert

The Go-Go's at Irving Plaza: Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin. (Not seen: Gina Schock, on drums).

It's been 30 years since the Go-Go's first album, "Beauty and the Beat," and Friday night they returned to New York, the city where it was recorded. Despite all the years that have passed, the Go-Go's still sound great. Belinda Carlisle's voice is still in fine shape, and the playing sounds as good as ever. Friday's show sounded as good as the last Go-Go's show I saw, at the Nokia Theatre Times Square, which was to mark the 25th anniversary of "Beauty and the Beat" (and which featured the band playing the album start to finish).

After an opening set by the Dollyrots (whose song "Because I'm Awesome" I've been a fan of for the last nine months or so), the Go-Go's took the stage and kicked things off with "Vacation." Though it's one of their biggest hits, it was one of only a few songs from that album that the band played. Most of "Beauty and the Beat" found its way into the setlist, and I was glad to hear not just the hits but tunes like "How Much More" and "Skidmarks on My Heart." (I would have been even happier to hear "Can't Stop the World," but I'll live.)

Belinda Carlisle, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlin.

A few songs you won't find on a Go-Go's album: a cover of Carlisle's "Mad About You" ("Go-Go-fied," as the band put it); "Cool Places," which guitarist Jane Wiedlin recorded with Sparks; and the Rolling Stones' "Mother's Little Helper," which they said they played because it was older than their songs. The band also played "Surfing and Spying" (an old B-side) and "Fun with Ropes," which had been previously unreleased until the "Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's" album.

"Talk Show," which I've always felt was a very good and underappreciated album, was represented by just one song, the single "Head Over Heels" (which Wiedlin said was her favorite Go-Go's song).

 The band seemed to be having a ball, and I hope this means that they will keep an open mind to continuing their tour or staging another one. These ladies can still rock.

- - - - - - -
UPDATE: The Go-Go's had to postpone two gigs (official statement) after the NYC show (Atlantic City and Foxwoods Casino) because Belinda Carlisle had vocal problems and was advised by a doctor to rest her voice. You can check the official Go-Go's Twitter account (@officialgogos) for updates. No word yet on when the Go-Go's will reschedule these dates. The tour will resume tomorrow in Westbury, NY.

Go-Go's on "GMA" This Morning; Playing Irving Plaza Tonight (Tix Still Available)

Those icons of 1980s girl-power rock/pop, Go-Go's, are back together and touring this summer, and they appeared on "Good Morning America" this morning. If you couldn't be in Central Park at 7 a.m. to watch (or be awake at that hour to watch on TV), you can see a replay of some of the songs above.

Better yet, you can see them live at Irving Plaza tonight, because Go-Go's tickets are still available as of this writing (maybe because tickets cost $80 with fees, etc. included, which could be steep for this still-sluggish economy).

The Go-Go's are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their "Beauty and the Beat" album, which featured such hits as "We Got the Beat" and "Our Lips are Sealed."

Billed as the "Ladies Gone Wild Tour," this is the rescheduled tour that was supposed to take place last summer but was scratched when Jane Wiedlin injured her knee while hiking and had to undergo surgery and a long recovery. Last year's tour was billed as the group's farewell, but this one isn't—a sign that the group may continue on?

They were asked about that on "Good Morning America" and Wiedlin says that this is the "we don't know what the heck we're doing tour," and Charlotte Caffey said the band was staying together "as far as we know."

You can find all the Go-Go's tour dates here. Other tri-state dates include Atlantic City tomorrow, Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut on Sunday, and Westbury Music Fair on Long Island on June 7th. 

Music Notes: Go-Go's & The Cars Playing NYC, Google's Music Cloud, Prince's 21 Nights in L.A., Bob Mould Memoir

Video for "Blue Tip," a song from "Move Like This," the forthcoming album from The Cars.

There's music news from the cutting edge of technology and the punk and new-wave days of the 1980s this week:

* The Go-Go's have rescheduled their reunion tour, which was cancelled last year when guitarist Jane Wiedlin suffered a knee injury while hiking. The Go-Go's and their "Ladies Gone Wild" tour hits New York's Irving Plaza on June 3rd; tickets are available here. Their planned tour last year was billed as a farewell tour, but this one isn't—I'm hoping that means that the band isn't planning on this run of shows to be its last. The tour coincides with the 30th anniversary of their blockbuster debut album, "Beauty and the Beat."

* The Cars on tour: I mentioned a couple of months ago that The Cars were coming out with a new album, "Move Like This," in May, and now they've got some tour dates planned. They're playing New York's Roseland Ballroom on May 25th, and you can look for tickets here.

* Google's cloud music player being tested: Amazon.com launched its cloud media player last week, and apparently Google's entry into the market is undergoing testing by the company's employees. Although Amazon's service seems to have run afoul of the music companies by not getting licensing rights, CNet wrote a few weeks ago that Google is in negotiations with the companies for rights to stream music from the cloud.

* Prince will play a 21-night residency in Los Angeles, starting this Thursday, April 14th at the Forum in Inglewood (where the Lakers used to play). The next shows will be April 21st and 22nd; the rest have yet to be announced. Tickets for the shows went on sale this morning. It's unclear where the rest of the Prince concerts will be; info on dates and locations are being made public on short notice. But here's a nice, fan-friendly twist to Prince's "21 Nite Stand": supposedly close to 85% of the tickets will go for $25, including fees.

* Bob Mould autobiography coming: I didn't know that the Minneapolis rock icon was working on a memoir, but someone mentioned it on Twitter today and there it was on Amazon.com: "See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody"comes out on June 15th and is available for pre-order. From the description (which I'm guessing comes from the publisher):

For the first time, Mould tells his dramatic story, opening up to describe life inside that furnace and beyond. Revealing the struggles with his own homosexuality, the complexities of his intimate relationships, as well as his own drug and alcohol addiction, Mould takes us on a whirlwind ride through achieving sobriety, his acclaimed solo career, creating the hit band Sugar, a surprising detour into the world of pro wrestling, and most of all, finally finding his place in the world.

That's definitely a book I'll want to read.

"Cherry Bomb" - Performed Live by Cherie Currie, Kathy Valentine, and Others

Here's a great video of female rockers past and present: Cherie Currie, lead singer for The Runaways, singing the band's hit "Cherry Bomb" live in concert with a band including Kathy Valentine and Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's (Valentine to Currie's left; Caffey to Currie's right).

This performance was part of a concert in L.A. last week to benefit MusiCares.

Cherie Currie hasn't been doing much in terms of music these days, as far as I know. She's made appearances to promote "The Runaways" movie and her recently reissued memoir, "Neon Angel," but other than that has been pursuing her current work as a chainsaw wood-carving artist.

Kathy Valentine is now gearing up for what is billed as the Go-Go's farewell tour. She also plays with the all-female Texas band the BlueBonnets, and works as a producer with other female musicians, most notable the trio Adrian and the Sickness.

The Go-Go's Announce Farewell Tour - Dates

Above: Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock (drums), and Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's performing in Antone's in Austin, Texas in 2008. The Go-Go's embark on what they are calling their farewell tour this summer. Photo: Flickr user Ron Baker (Kingsnake).

Legendary all-female rockers the Go-Go's recently announced that this summer they'll be embarking on  "Happily Ever After - The Farewell Tour." Always one of my favorites, the Go-Go's formed in L.A. in the late 1970s, breaking new ground with their 1981 double-platinum album "Beauty and the Beat," which became the first album by an all-female band that wrote and performed its own songs to hit the top of the Billboard charts. (Go-Go's farewell tour press release.)

This isn't the first time the Go-Go's have reunited for a tour; I was lucky to see them in Central Park a number of years ago, when they were promoting their last new studio album, "God Bless the Go-Go's." The band also did a 25th anniversary tour of "Beauty and the Beat" in which they performed the entire album in sequence.

The Go-Go's farewell tour features the classic lineup of Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, and Gina Schock. Go-Go's tickets are on sale now.

The Go-Go's farewell tour dates:
July 7 San Diego, CA - Lilith Fair
July 8 Phoenix, AZ - Lilith Fair
July 10 Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Rays
July 11 Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
July 14 Portsmouth, VA - nTelos Pavilion
July 15 Morristown, NJ - Mayo Center for the Arts
July 16 New York, NY - Good Morning America
July 17 Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
July 19 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
July 20 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
July 22 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
July 24 Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
July 26 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
July 27 Austin, TX - Paramount Theater 

If you want to keep up with the Go-Go's on Twitter, you can follow the band's account (@officialgogos) or members Belinda Carlisle (@belindaofficial), Jane Wiedlin (@janewiedlin), and Kathy Valentine (@kathy_valentine).

New York Concerts on Sale: The National, MGMT, 50 Cent, the Go-Go's, Shakira, Roger Waters, More

Above: The National plays at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on May 15th. Photo: Flickr user realname. 

As if it weren't enough that the schedules for the Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn free concerts were announced this week, there are still more shows going on sale for the summer and beyond. Here's a look at some of the popular or interesting ones that will be on sale this week, listed by date tickets go on sale:

On sale Fri., May 7:
* The National (Red Hot benefit) - Brooklyn Academy of Music, Gilman Opera House - Sat., May 15 (on sale: 10 a.m.) 
* 50 Cent - Hammerstein Ballroom - Tues., June 22 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* Natalie Merchant - Town Hall - Thurs., July 15 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* The Go Go's, The Farewell NYC Concert - Irving Plaza - Tues., July 20 (on sale: 10 a.m.)
* Built To Spill - Irving Plaza - Wed., July 28 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* Primus / Gogol Bordello - Williamsburg Waterfront - Friday, July 30 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* The Death Weather - Prospect Park Bandshell, Celebrate Brooklyn benefit - Tues., Aug. 3 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* Gov't Mule - Central Park Summerstage benefit - Wed., Aug. 11 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* Barenaked Ladies with Ben Kweller and Angel Taylor - Radio City Music Hall - Fri., Aug 13 (on sale: 11 a.m.)
* MGMT, Francis and the Lights - Radio City Music Hall - Tues., Aug. 17 (on sale: 9 a.m.) 
* Counting Crows with Augustana & other special guests - Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ - Tues. & Wed., Aug. 17 & 18 (on sale: 12 Noon)
* Shakira - Madison Square Garden - Tues., Sept. 21 - (on sale: 10 a.m.)
* OK Go - Terminal 5 - Fri., Oct. 29 (on sale: 12 Noon)

On sale Sat., May 8:
* Taking Back Sunday - Irving Plaza - Wed., June 23 (on sale: 10 a.m.)
* Widespread Panic - Radio City Music Hall - Thurs., Jul 22 (on sale: 10 a.m.)
* Paramore - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Fri., Aug. 6 (on sale: 10 a.m.)

On sale Mon., May 10:
* Roger Waters: The Wall Live - Madison Square Garden - Tues., Oct. 5 (on sale: 10 a.m.)
* Roger Waters: The Wall Live - Nassau Coliseum - Tues., Oct. 12 (on sale: 10 a.m.)

* Roger Waters: The Wall Live - IZOD Center - Wed., Nov. 3 (on sale: 10 a.m.)

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.