Concert Notes: Tickets for Leonard Cohen, The National, Bad Religion, & More On Sale Friday

There are lots of good concerts in the weeks and months ahead, and a bunch of them are going on sale this Friday, Jan. 18th. Leonard Cohen, who recently played at Madison Square Garden, plays the more intimate Radio City Music Hall in April. Bad Religion plays a couple of area shows in March, as does Savages.

And The National (below), which has been largely off the road for what seems like months (and hasn't played in NYC for more than a year), takes the stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

Enjoy!

The National playing at BAM in 2010. Photo: Kenny Chung

* Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires at Mercury Lounge, Mon., Feb. 4th. On sale Friday, Jan. 18th at 12 Noon.
* Savages at Bowery Ballroom, Mon., March 8th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Savages at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Tues., March 19th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Bad Religion at the Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ), with Against Me! and Polar Bear Club, Sat., March 23rd. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Bad Religion at Terminal 5, with Against Me! and Polar Bear Club, Tues., March 26th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Alicia Keys and Miguel at the Barclays Center, Fri., April 5th. On sale Friday, at 12 Noon.
* Leonard Cohen at Radio City Music Hall, Sat., April 6th. On sale Friday at 9 a.m.
* Alica Keys and Miguel at Madison Square Garden, Thurs., April 11th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Daughter at Bowery Ballroom, Wed., May 1st. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Terminal 5, Sat., May 4th. On sale Friday at 12 Noon.
* The National and Youth Lagoon at the Barclays Center, Wed., June 5th. On sale Friday at 11 a.m.

NYC Concerts on Sale Fri.: The Black Keys with Arctic Monkeys; Gomez; M83; Neon Indian; More

Tickets for lots of great early-2012 concerts in New York are going on sale this Friday, Sept. 9th at Noon. The biggest of these is the recently announced show featuring The Black Keys with the Arctic Monkeys at Madison Square Garden, which takes place on March 12th.


Video for "Lonely Boy," the first single off the new Black Keys album.

The Garden is not the ideal place to see a concert, but The Black Keys have certainly gotten popular enough to fill arenas, especially with the release (today) of their much-anticipated new album "El Camino."

Here's a look at some of the most popular or interesting shows going on sale this Friday:
Wed., Jan. 4, 2012: Elizabeth & the Catapult with Misty Boyce, Mercury Lounge
Wed. & Thurs., Jan. 11 & 12: The Pierces, Mercury Lounge
Sat., Feb. 11: Don Giovanni Records Show featuring the Screaming Females, Laura Stevenson and the Cans, and others
Sat., Mon., & Thurs., March 3, 5, & 8: Bombay Bicycle Club, Music Hall of Williamsburg (March 3); Bowery Ballroom (March 5); Maxwell's (March 8)
Sun., March 11: Gomez, Bowery Ballroom
Mon., March 12: The Black Keys with Arctic Monkeys, Madison Square Garden
Fri., April 6: The War on Drugs, Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri. & Sat., May 4 & 5: Andrew Bird, Beacon Theatre
Thurs., May 10: M83 with I Break Horses, Terminal 5
Sat., May 12: Neon Indian, Terminal 5

There are of course many big concerts coming up that are already on sale, one of the most popular being the slate of shows The National is doing at the Beacon Theatre starting next week. The shows run every night from Dec. 12th to the 17th, and each features openers who are appealing in their own right, including Sharon Van Etten, The War on Drugs, and Wye Oak.

The National's shows in New York have always sold out quickly, so it seems that the band is trying to address the problem with six consecutive shows. If you've wanted to see The National live in New York, this is your best chance in a few years.

Get your credit card out and get ready to see some great live music to start off the new year.

NYC Concerts On Sale: The National, Rihanna with Ke$ha, Greg Laswell, More

Above: Having sold out a number of shows in the NYC area, The National has added one more at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair. Photo: Flickr user prusakolep.

There aren't as many concerts going on sale lately as in previous weeks, but the good news is that the summer season of free concerts is underway. SummerStage began its schedule on June 1st with two shows, and as I've written before it's offering shows in all five boroughs this year (and maybe in future years).

Here's a selection of a few concerts on sale Friday, June 4th:

* The National - Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ - Fri., Sept. 24 (on sale 12 Noon)
* Greg Laswell/Cary Brothers/ Harper Blynn - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Wed., Jul 7 (on sale 12 Noon)
* Yo Gabba Gabba! Live - Radio City Music Hall - Sat., Oct. 2 (on sale 10 a.m.)
* Rihanna: Last Girl on Earth Tour with special guest Ke$ha - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater - Sun., Aug. 15 (on sale 10 a.m.)

Also, Live Nation is offering no-service-fee tickets during the month of June for shows during the summer at selected locations. In the greater New York area, that includes the PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ and the Nikon Jones Beach Theater on Long Island.

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.)

The National - New Album Streaming Free Online

 

Above: Part of the New York Times Magazine's article on The National, as it appears on the paper's Web site. 

Popular indie rock group The National is streaming its new album "High Violet" for free online (click on link). Free music streaming online is one of the best ways for a band to get its music heard, and it's wildly popular with fans.

What's different about The National album streaming is where it's taking place: The New York Times. We're used to seeing free album streaming on Spinner.com, KCRW.com, and other music sites, but I can't remember the Times ever doing it. (The free album streaming of "High Violet" is in conjunction with an article on The National in this week's New York Times Magazine.)

"High Violet" on the Times sounds just as good as any other album streaming I've found online, and actually doesn't have the stops and starts and buffering I've found on other album preview sites.

Will this free streaming of The National's album bring younger readers to the Times's Web site? Or introduce older listeners to The National? Hard to tell. But it's an interesting experiment for the paper. And as a music fan, I'm glad to see more sites letting listeners sample entire albums.