Playlist

Hoodie-wearers of all ages gathered at the Dallas House of Blues Tuesday night to hear alternative rock group Switchfoot.

Although the group is best known for singles from their 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown, Switchfoot opened the show by playing every song from their most recent album, Hello Hurricane, which was released last week. (Of these songs, "Hello Hurricane" was undoubtedly the most fun to hear.)

Frontman Jon Foreman noted the unusual nature of using their most recent album as an opening act of sorts and thanked the audience for putting up with it. He observed that it must not have been terrible for everyone, because many fans towards the front already knew the words to each song, despite the album's recent release.

Performing under plastic seagulls hanging from the ceiling, the group hit their stride when they began to play their hits such as "Meant to Live." The high point came when Switchfoot performed "Only Hope" (which Foreman said hadn't been played in Dallas before) followed by "Dare You to Move." (Fans of A Walk to Remember: Rejoice!)

The audience was made up of a small group of casual fans hoping to hear radio hits, but mostly die-hard fans who sang along, waved their hands and took pictures with their phones during each number. But by the time Switchfoot came out for an encore, everyone in the venue had been charmed by the band's unassuming charm and passion for their tunes.

When I go see a group called Celtic Thunder, I can't help expecting something ... well, a little more Celtic. Alas, the Celtic Thunder show at Nokia on Monday night was a mismatched, disconcerting musical hodgepodge of everything from the Police ("Every Breath You Take") to 1960s pop ("Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen") to Don McLean ("Castles in the Air") to opera-esqe balladry ("Remember Me") ... and oh, yes, a little bit of Celtic rhythm thrown in for good measure. All told, perhaps a third of the two-hour show brought the pipes and drums and Irish-Scottish heat: "Ireland," "Caledonia," "Raggle Taggle Gypsy," "The Homes of Donegal" and "Yesterday's Men" were all splendid.

If only the quintet and their fabulous backup band had stuck to those types of songs and steered away from all the covers, which were mostly carbon copies of the originals with nothing inventive in the arrangements. The all-over-the-place musical variety was a little too Lawrence Welk Show for me (including the hilariously bad choreography -- seems like each singer was given his very own, trademark dramatic gesture, to be used at least 10 times in every song) -- all it needed was some bubbles and a few polka chords, and we'd have been good to go. Still, these boys have their ardent fans; the atmosphere at Nokia evoked a Jonas Brothers concert attended mostly by middle-aged women and their moms. And to paraphrase Fried Green Tomatoes, we have more money and we can buy better tickets and concert tchochkes.

For our full review, visit here on Tuesday afternoon.

PHOTO: Decca Records

By MANUEL MENDOZA
Special Contributor

It may sound counterintuitive, but have you noticed how the mellowest music can be made when there are a whole bunch of musicians onstage, and the most intense when it's just one or two?

That's what the Swell Season was like Saturday night at the Palladium. The show really took off during Glen Hansard's hard-rocking solo performance in the middle of the set - one passionate guy, one beat-up acoustic guitar.

After 17 years with the Frames, who remain his backing band, the Irish troubadour became an overnight sensation when he and his songs starred in the hit indie film Once. Hansard and co-star Marketa Irglova won the Oscar for "Falling Slowly" and have continued to work together as the Swell Season ever since.

(Photo of the Swell Season by Conor Masterson)

Regina Spektor has some loyal fans in Dallas and they were out in force tonight at Nokia Grand Prairie. Gaggles of young girls in skinny jeans, patterned leggings, tiny dresses, and printed scarves loitered at the merch table before the show started while misfit theater kids in vintage blue suede blazers and a plethora of black hung out just outside the auditorium doors. Hip, young couples and pretty coeds rounded out the scene.

Jupiter One opened for Spektor and seemed to have many fans of their own in the crowd. Not surprising considering their edgy sound and modern lyrics that partnered nicely with Spektor's own off the beaten path style.

Dressed in a knee length black and white tuxedo style dress, Spektor finally took the stage just after 9:00pm sitting at her grand piano with a drummer, violinist, and cellist behind her and opening with Calculation. The crowd filling the auditorium recognized the tune from the very first note as they seemed to do with every piece Spektor sang during the show. The songs Eet, Folding Chair, Ode to Divorce, and Machine followed and fans sang every word, every note, much to Spektor's delight.

And when the crowd cheers in the middle of a song and she smiles shyly and bows her head, you can imagine a young Spektor at the piano as a child imagining this very day.

She's one of those singer songwriter musicians who considers her voice an instrument to be used not just in the most obvious of ways but in a multitude of inventive ways, injecting a sense of surprise in all of the songs she sang tonight.

In fact, it can be hard to differentiate her voice from the string instruments behind her. It was so nice to be at a show where the performer sounds like she does on the CD for one simple reason - there's nothing manufactured about Spektor and it's a pleasure to listen to.

Spektor gets tongue tied on some of her own lyrics and giggles when she does, her trademark red lipstick framing her smile as she goes on to play Blue Lips, Anthem to the 80's (at the synthesizer), Bobbing for Apples (with her aqua guitar), and That Time. She also sang a really interesting piece acapella about, who would have guessed, eye color.

Between the layered, flouncy skirt of her dress, the black cardigan, cropped leggings, and simple flats, you can also imagine Spektor not in a huge theater, but instead in her living room, sharing her music with friends, especially when she sings, Apres Moi alone on stage seated on the padded bench at the grand piano.

The clarity, strength, and richness of her voice is truly impressive and downright refreshing really in this time of bubble gum pop, label created stars, and engineered voices.

At one point in the show, a stagehand brings out a single wooden chair and a drumstick. Spektor "plays" the chair like she was seated at the drums, though she continues to play the piano, tap her foot, and sing as well. Suddenly she is the strangest sort of one man band. Spektor goes on to sing Human of the Year, bathed in the glow of a single spotlight and Man of a Thousand Faces.

When Spektor then bows and leaves the stage, thanking the fans again and again, the entire audience is instantly on their feet awaiting her surely inevitable return. And just when you think the crowd can't get any louder, she sits back at the piano and they go even crazier. She plays Sampson and light emanates from Spekter literally and figuratively. "I loved you first," she sings and the violinist and cellist return to the stage. She hardly has a chance to play a note before the crowd is screaming.

She then plays Us (blue light flooding the stage), as well as Fidelity, and Hotel Song before she closed with what she calls her "country song." "I am in the middle of the country," she says. "I'll give it a try." Tonight at Nokia, she did more then give it a try, she gave one heck of a show.

Going to Son Volt tonight at the Granada? Here's a little something to get you in the mood: a video clip of the band performing Afterglow 61 on the Letterman show. Enjoy.

I'll be Tweeting tonight from the show so be sure to follow me at:

twitter.com/guidelive_goes

And, after the show, check back here for my blog review!

Taylor Swift undoubtedly had the most hype going into this year's CMA awards after Kanye-gate and her turn hosting Saturday Night Live over the weekend. She was the first female act nominated for the top prize, Entertainer of the Year, since Faith Hill in 2000.

Well if Swift's weekend was great, her CMA night was unforgettable. We live blogged the red carpet and award show. Relive it and or skim for the highlights so you'll know what to talk about at the watercooler.

You know it's going to be a party when the D-O-double G comes to town, especially if he has Method Man and Redman in tow (how high, indeed). Evidence of that was plenty at House of Blues on Sunday night.

1. Almost a dozen dancers from XTC Cabaret ("What people don't understand is it's just a party.") helped to get the party started on the boardwalk of the Music Hall.
2. The bartenders were hopping even more than usual.
3. I saw more than one drink thrown at the crowd (and spilled) and no one seemed to mind.
4. That couple -- yeah, you know who you are -- would rock out, then kiss, then rock out, then, well, you get the picture.
5. Girls wore T-shirts, ironically of course, proclaiming "I'm in Love with a Gangsta" and "Thugs Need Love, Too."

I rest my case.

Snoop didn't hit the stage until 11:39 p.m., but the crowd was ready and had even grown, jumping to their feet as soon as they saw him. And that was just on a video screen with Snoop put in various movies, from The Godfather to The Blues Brothers in what turned out to be an add for yoostar.com and Snoop's soon-to-be-released album, Malice in Wonderland.

(Photo of Snoop Dogg in July 2008 at Superpages.com Center taken by Vernon Bryant)

Those who worried that David Cook's status as an American Idol winner might soften his rock edge needn't have fretted. At Sunday's show at the Palladium Ballroom, Cook played and sang pounding, feel-it-in-every-cell-in-your-body rock that had the audience -- which, no doubt due to Idol, included a boomer contingent much larger than you'd normally see at that venue -- frenetically grooving for more than an hour. One song, the psychedelically addictive "Bar-ba-sol," gave me the pleasantly loopy feeling that I had somehow ingested large amounts of mind-altering drugs, even though I was stone-cold sober.

The singer-guitarist performed a hefty chunk from his platinum 2008 album David Cook: "Declaration," "Light On," "I Did It For You," the current single "Come Back to Me," and an especially blistering "Lie to Me."

Note to Palladium Ballroom: It'd be nice, since no one ever actually answers your box-office phone, if you'd post the start times of the opening acts on your Web site, along with the time the star performer is going on. The posted time for Sunday's concert was 6:30 p.m. Cook didn't go on till nearly 9:30, after opening acts the Script and Green River Ordinance. No one should have to stand for three or four hours (Palladium is SRO) before the act they came to see, just so the opening acts will have an audience. If you want to see them, fine; if not, you should have the option to show up just for the headliner. And the Palladium should have the courtesy to at least answer its box-office phones an hour or so before the stated start time of any concert.

For a full review of the concert, check here on Monday afternoon.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping

Sadly, Bobby Womack's fans perhaps had too much fun Saturday night at Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie.

The boisterous crowd -- so generous to earlier performers Bobby "Blue" Bland, The Manhattans and Millie Jackson (I love you, Millie!) -- started filing out slowly (walking carefully so as not to spill their drinks or just carefully because of the drinks) two songs into Womack's set.

Womack, resplendent in white from head to toe, started things off right with "Across 110th Street," perhaps as an early reminder to the crowd of why he headlined the night of "Legends." But he seemed out of sorts and a bit winded until he sang a duet later in the night with backup singer Mary Hilton. Hilton's voice filled the venue, but there was no clarity. There was no telling if it was an indication of the sound men or her overly powerful vocals.

Converge isn't for the faint of ears. The Salem, Mass.-formed band now based in both Salem and Brooklyn, N.Y., mixes punk aesthetics with a heart-pounding, rapid-fire syle of heavy metal. The four members -- Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton and Ben Koller -- give new meaning to the words frenetic power on the new Axe to Fall, Converge's seventh studio album.

After a career that began in 1990, the Converge members have just recently started seeing the gradual rise of their mainstream appeal. Only the group's last three studio discs, 2004's You Fail Me, 2006's No Heroes and Axe to Fall, which was released Oct. 20, have charted on Billboard's pop albums list.

Axe to Fall has already garnered Converge critical comparisons to seminal hard-core punk band Black Flag. Surely the band's current shows on the Metalocalypse tour with Dethklok, Mastadon and High on Fire couldn't hurt its standing.

(Photo of Converge by Matt Miller)

Editor's note: We've been choosing Hot Tickets and spotlights in our print Guide section, and now we want to bring those same picks to the Playlist music blog on dallasnews.com. Basically, we go through the concert schedule so you don't have to.

Jay Farrar remains the creative center of seminal alt-country band Son Volt. He wrote all 12 songs on American Central Dust, the band's melodic, slow burn of a new CD. With tracks as potent as "Cocaine and Ashes," "Dust of Daylight," "Sultana" and "When the Wheels Don't Move," to name a few, Dust may be the five-man group's strongest effort since the sought-after debut disc, 1995's Trace. Farrar and company -- drummer Dave Bryson, bassist Andrew Duplantis, electric guitarist Chris Masterson and keyboardist Mark Spencer -- sound artistically rejuvenated. American Central Dust is proof of that. English alternative rocker Peter Bruntnell is the opening act for the band's concert at the Granada Theater.

(Photo of Son Volt by J.Wagner & S.Waugh)

Country superstar Reba McEntire inaugurated the fab new 8,600-seat Allen Event Center on Friday night in grand style. The new venue is a treat -- OK, it doesn't have that "wow" factor that Cowboys Stadium had when it opened, but it's a gorgeous facility, with nicely downplayed decor in golden tan and blue tones. No pretense here, but you will find reasonably priced concessions (my friend and I scored two soft drinks, chicken nuggets and fries, and a gigantic chili dog for a total of $21.50), free parking and -- get this -- excellent acoustics. My only complaint is the parking garage -- we were trapped on the top level and it took us a good 40 minutes to wait out the other three floors emptying out. So you have to either get there WAY early to snag a first-floor spot, or wait forever after the concert. Either way, it's going to add nearly an hour to your overall time outlay.

The sound, at least from our perch almost at the top of the first balcony, about halfway back in the oval-shaped mini-arena, was terrific. I could make out all the lyrics, even on the songs I didn't already know, and the sound is surprisingly warm, given the concrete and exposed-steel-beams ambience of the space. The seats are comfy, and even though I was far up, I didn't feel like I was going to sky-dive onto the floor every time I stood up (are you listening, Winspear architects? Just a hint for your next big job).

And Reba? Fabulous, glowing, perfection. Is she never not? She's a performer who always brings it, whether she's selling out a stadium, playing to a smaller house such as this, or opening for George Strait. For our full review, and more on the venue, check back here on Saturday afternoon.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping: Reba McEntire lights up the big screen while singing "Fancy" at Allen Event Center on Friday night.

Jay-Z has announced his full itinerary for his North American tour, and it includes a stop at our very own American Airlines Center.

Jay is going all out in support of The Blueprint 3; right now, he's on his first college tour. Now, we're getting the list of big cities he'll hit for some added hip-hop clout. His last tour stop here was at Superpages.com Center, with Mary J. Blige, which was -- really -- the best of both worlds for a raucous crowd that's probably still standing to applaud.

Young Jeezy will open for the "business, man; not a businessman." More tour dates will be announced later.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 13 via Live Nation.

(File photo of Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z at Superpages.com Center on April 12, 2008)

Oh, Dallas, for shame. Fewer than 100 people turned out Wednesday night to hear Mindy Smith in the Cambridge Room at House of Blues. I love Taylor Swift, but it's a musical travesty when she can sell out American Airlines Center (twice in one year, if her March concert does as well as the one in September), but someone as talented and endearing as Mindy Smith can't sell out the itty-bitty Cambridge Room. C'mon, Big D, we keep bitterly muttering about how we've got the chops to be as musically hip as Austin, but we get no respect. Turnouts like this sure won't change that. Assignment: Expand. Musical. Horizons.

Those of us who did show up Wednesday were gifted with an extremely intimate 14-song set, with Smith pouring her soul into her voice and guitar. She didn't seem to mind the sparse crowd, and indeed joked with and answered questions from the audience. It was just her and her guitar, accompanied for about half the set by Lex Price on tenor guitar. And that was plenty.

Oh, and about halfway through the set, Smith made a joke on herself. "She's SO profound," she said, in perfect Valley Girl voice. "Oh, really, I never get [called] profound," she followed up with a laugh. "Patty Griffin gets profound." OK, Mindy, let me be the first to say it. With lyrics as heart-rending, sweet and thought-provoking as yours, you're definitely in "profound" territory. I laughed, sang along and teared up a couple of times during your stripped-down, no-special-effects-necessary set. In today's fireworks-and-lip-gloss driven musical environment, if that doesn't qualify as profound, I don't know what does.

For a full review of the show, check back here on Thursday afternoon.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping; Mindy Smith shows big heart despite a small crowd Wednesday night at House of Blues.

This just in from AEG Live:

Jet at the Palladium Ballroom has been postponed. We'll have more information for you as we get it.

Friday night marked yet another terrific concert at Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse. The inimitable David Wilcox made his debut at Uncle Calvin's, where, incredibly, he had never played. Wilcox has a loyal cult following, and the place was packed. His adoring troupe of fans included a delightful couple, Mike and Mer Dunbar, who attended a Wilcox concert at McDavid Studio in Fort Worth on their first date in 2006. They were married last May and now share the distinction of having attended additional Wilcox shows during 2007, 2008 and Friday night. Mike is 27, Mer is 22, so they're a bit younger than the regulars who return like homing pigeons each Friday night to Fellowship Hall at Northpark Presbyterian Church, where Uncle Calvin's is based. I, like most of the Ballad Tree types who go there, vastly prefer seeing shows at Uncle Calvin's than having to endure the crazy din of American Airlines Center. Those days are gone, and you can have them. There's nothing better than a quiet corner at Uncle Calvin's, a slice of hot apple pie and several cups of hot, black, steaming, flavorful, delicious coffee. Uncle Calvin's offered the chance to fully appreciate Wilcox's rare blend of pristine vocals, dynamic guitar play and songwriting that merges the best of music and storytelling. At times, you feel like you're hearing Jackson Browne, at others F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Photo: David Wilcox, who has just released his 16th album, Open Hand

You know the drill. R. Kelly, the king of salaciousness, was all about his libido Thursday night before a packed house at Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie. His "Ladies Make Some Noise" tour stop was exactly what you would expect -- 70 percent sex romp filled with tunes such as "Your Body's Callin'," "Strip For You," "Bump N' Grind" and a few others that would make some blush. He's so one-note. But the women in the audience loved it. And the men in the crowd loved the women. Musically, however, Kelly needs less repetitive beats and interchangeable lyrics, and more of the material during the final 30 percent of the show. "Step In the Name of Love" and "Happy People" were actually musical, with old-school grooves and feel-good vibes. Do more of that, R!

Did you go to the concert? What did you think?

Photo: Kelly sexed it up Thursday night (Kye R. Lee/DMN).

For about 15 minutes Friday night, I was 16 again, transported back to 1977 and experiencing the thrill of seeing Star Wars for the first time. At Cowboys Stadium, a full symphony took up those opening notes, and BAM, it was all fresh again via the wonderful Star Wars in Concert.

The concert was splendid, with a symphony sounding WAY better than it has any right to in Jerry Jones' Death Star of a football stadium/palace. The film clips were themed, showing scenes from all six Star Wars movies not in sequence, but according to various topics such as battles, droids or romance. Anthony Daniels, remembered fondly as C-3PO from the films, provided live narration that put everything in chronological context. As he noted in an interview we did with him, if you've somehow escaped the films by having been on Tatooine for the last 35 years, this gave you plenty of ammo to bluff your way through a cocktail conversation.

PHOTO by JOY TIPPING: Lasers were a big part of the Star Wars in Concert experience.

This just in: Bon Jovi announced its world tour, starting in Seattle on Feb. 19 with a stop at Dallas' American Airlines Center on April 10. "The Circle World Tour" was announced today as Bon Jovi played at the new Meadowlands Stadium in N.J.

The band will be the first to play at New Meadowlands Stadium on May 26-27, 2010.

"The New Meadowlands concerts go on sale beginning at 10 a.m. on Oct. 31. Additional tour dates go on sale Nov. 9 and Nov. 16. "

Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres performed for a group of 5,000 contest winners, fan-club members and construction workers building the new stadium.

The band also plans a run of shows at London's O2 Arena in June 2010 before they return to the states for the second leg of a nationwide tour.

(Photo by Mel Evans/The Associated Press)

One thing I didn't have room to mention in today's story about Anthony Daniels was how fascinating it was to interview him. He's so veddy, veddy British, all soft cultured tones and perfect manners. And even though he vehemently insists that he and 3PO are not, in fact, the same person (well, sort-of person in 3PO's case), he does bear a striking resemblance to his golden alter ego.

PHOTO by DAVID WOO/Staff Photographer: Anthony Daniels visits with a reporter in a Dallas Morning News conference room.

Miley Cyrus brought out brother Trace Cyrus to the stage Sunday night during her sold-out concert performance at American Airlines Center. The siblings sang a tune titled "Hovering." It gave more platform time to Trace, who had already been under the spotlight for 40 minutes as lead singer of his band Metro Station, which opened the show. Trace told us earlier that Miley had fought for he and his group to be part of her tour. Hey, little sis pulls for big bro.

Anyway, Miley's gig left her Hannah Montana TV character in the dust. Her 80-minute stint focused on tracks from 2007's Meet Miley Cyrus, 2008's Breakout and the new EP, The Time of Our Lives. She also whipped out a cover of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'N Roll." She sang it while atop a motorcycle hooked up to cables that slowly soared above the audience.

Coincidentally, Miranda Lambert also covered "I Love Rock 'N Roll" Saturday night during her State Fair of Texas show in Fair Park. Joan Jett must be flattered. Or not.

Were you at the show? What did you think?

For a full review of Miley Cyrus' concert, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Monday or pick up GuideDaily Tuesday.

Photo: Miley Cyrus works the stage Sunday night (John F. Rhodes/DMN).

In between songs from three CDs -- 2005's Kerosene, 2007's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the new Revolution -- Lindale's Miranda Lambert pulled out a few choice covers during her concert Saturday night on the Chevrolet Main Stage of the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park.

She did Gillian Welch's "Dry Town" and Fred Eaglesmith's "Time to Get a Gun." But those are tracks on two of her discs. She scored rock chick points for tackling Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'N Roll," then got all R&B on Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour."

Her remake props came during an unplanned encore. She did an acoustic rendition of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" (written by one of her musical heroes, Willie Nelson). Then slid into Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," and ended with a blistering take on Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll."

Were you at the show? What did you think?

For a full review of Miranda's show, see www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Sunday or pick up GuideDaily Monday.

Photo: Miranda's got it covered (Jason Janik/Special to DMN).

So now that I'm free from the heat of deadline -- not to mention the space constraints inherent with writing an overnight concert review -- I want to talk about three more moments during Monday night's U2 concert at Cowboys Stadium.

"Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" -- It was just Bono on vocals and The Edge on acoustic guitar. Quite intimate. Well, as intimate as you can get in a huge venue packed with more than 70,000 fans.

"The Unforgettable Fire" -- A rare concert song, one that U2 hasn't performed during their treks in nearly two decades. It's still engulfing and passionate, as is just about every track from the CD of the same name. (My favorite U2 tune of all time is "Pride (In the Name of Love)," which is also from The Unforgettable Fire disc.)

"City of Blinding Lights" -- During this track from How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, Bono plucked a 13-year-old kid from the crowd and walked with him through the stage's outer ring. A cool gesture. Bono probably made that kid's year...or lifetime.

Photo: Bono and The Edge (Louis DeLuca/DMN).

This show was not about Maxwell's voice, which was a bit compromised Monday night. Not in the least. This show was about Maxwell coming back to the place he owned for several years: the top. I kept thinking how much I would have enjoyed the band in a more intimate setting -- the Music Hall at House of Blues, Bass Hall, Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie. Heck, I would have driven to Frisco and back for Maxwell. But then I realized that I was being selfish.

Maxwell's fans (including me) wanted, needed to see him in an arena, because it meant that their faith in his return was justified. The crowd was mostly women, natch, and most of the men that were there were tethered to their dates, dancing front to back in front of their seats. When BLACKsummer'snight was released in July, they eagerly snapped up the CD and eagerly learned the words to "Pretty Wings."

Here are the facts: More than 70,000 people attended U2's concert Monday night at Cowboys Stadium. That stage for the 360 Degrees Tour was mammoth, a spaceship-meets-spider contraption with four claw-like structures, two movable bridges, a circular stage that led to an outer ring and a stunning rotating video screen that stretched into a funnel-cloud shape and was always glittering with lights.

Amazing show, folks. U2 defines stadium rock. I'm going to focus here on one song they sang, "Sunday Bloody Sunday." It was that song, as well as "New Year's Day," that introduced me to U2 in 1983. "Sunday," with it marching beat and anthem-like chorus, mesmerized me from the get-go. So did "New Year's Day," which was so haunting with that signature keyboard intro. Loved them both. Still love them both.

Onstage, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was passionate, penetrating. Bono, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton and The Edge haven't forgotten how powerful that song is.

Were you there? What did you think?

For a full review of U2, see www.dallasnews.com/entertainment or pick up GuideDaily.

Photo: U2 in 360 Degrees! (Louis DeLuca/DMN)

I continue to be mystified as to why Little Big Town hasn't hit it ... well, bigger. They've had a couple of strong hits (singles "Boondocks" and "Bring It on Home," both from 2005's The Road to Here, cracked the country Top 10, and that album went platinum) and they've opened for major acts such as Sugarland and Carrie Underwood. They've been nominated for vocal group of the year at the Country Music Awards for four years running. The critics adore them, and their pristine harmonies earn regular comparisons to Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles (don't even get me started on wannabes Lady Antebellum and Gloriana -- they're good, but they're not anywhere close to the same league as LBT).

With all that going for them, though, there was still plenty of empty room Saturday night at the LBT concert at the State Fair. The Chevy Main Stage area comfortably holds about 4,000 people, and it was about two-thirds full. This for a band that's good enough to be selling out stadiums. So I hereby challenge LBT fans: Make this your cause. Make them superstars. Make their next album (rumors are starting for something next year) go to No. 1 on the country charts.

Highlights from Saturday's show included a gorgeous version of the spooky, October-appropriate "Bones" (which was the closing-credit music for the very first episode of True Blood), with a seamless segue into Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain." The band -- Phillip Sweet, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook -- stuck mostly to songs from its last album, 2007's A Place to Land, mixing up lead vocals and giving lots of spotlight time to their three-man backup team. The crowd loved the feisty "Novocaine" and "Firebird Fly," reflective "Time Is a Vapor" and singalong-in-the-making "I'm With the Band." The show ended with encores of two covers that LBT did better than the originals: "Life In a Northern Town" (quick, who did the original? yeah, I couldn't remember either -- it was Dream Academy) and "Heartache Tonight." Yeah, yeah, Eagles fans, I know. Start your hate-mail engines. I can take it. I'm with this band: There's nobody better in country music today than Little Big Town, and they're among the best ever.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping: Karen Fairchild (left) and Kimberly Schlapman at Fair Park on Saturday night

Roving significant other Big Honey Bunny (aka Big Play Ray) just called with this report from the 'burbs. There are already hundreds of people sitting, standing, waiting in the area around Cowboys Stadium, some even sitting in chairs in the rain, waiting for their big night with the band. (I'm going to American Airlines Center to review Maxwell, but I live over that way so I'm especially concerned.)

You can see people waiting from Randol Mill to Division. The stadium lot isn't open yet, so I'm wondering where they're all parked. I wrote all of that to write this: If you were planning to leisurely get to the venue after work, I'd suggest you figure out a way to take a half-day right now to avoid the rush.

Stay tuned for pictures.

If you were anywhere but House of Blues on Thursday night, you weren't having as much fun as we were. New Orleans-based Southern rockers Cowboy Mouth whipped a modestly sized but raucously enthusiastic crowd into a ball of pogoing ecstacy. Two hours really wasn't enough.

Lead singer/drummer/acoustic guitarist Fred LeBlanc (who bears a striking resemblance to Meat Loaf, both physically and vocally, and I mean that in a really good way), showed that he knows what "October in Texas" means by showing up barefoot and in shorts. Bass guitarist Regina Zernay rocked out in a miniskirt and white go-go boots so cute they probably made every woman in the audience want a pair (I just did a search on E-bay).

We knew it was gonna be a crowd-participation-required event when LeBlanc started the show with a rousing singalong of "Amen" and "This Little Light of Mine" -- it felt like an encore, five minutes into the show.

I've never understood why Cowboy Mouth isn't a superstar act -- it's got energy to burn, tunes that both make you want to rock till you drop and sing along (yes, you can understand the lyrics), and New Orleans humor and feist. The downstairs area of HOB's Music Hall was full, but that nearly empty balcony broke my heart. Next time this foursome is in town, don't let the fact that it's a weeknight or that torrential thunderstorms have been forecast keep you away -- after all, these guys KNOW how to handle a hurricane.

For a full review of Thursday's show, check back here Friday afternoon.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping: Drummer Fred LeBlanc and bass guitarist Regina Zernay get down.

Country star Martina McBride will perform during Oprah Winfrey's 10 a.m. appearance on Monday at the State Fair of Texas, according to the WFAA-TV (Channel 8) Web site.

The Dallas Morning News' Eric Aasen has more on the appearance here.

All you have to do to try to see the Oprah-Martina action is pay State Fair admission (and, if you want to be able to see anything, I'd imagine you'd have to get there extremely early and brave a humongous crowd). Do you think you'll go? Let us know why or why not by commenting.

Photo: Martina McBride during a local performance in 2008, by Jason Janik, special contributor to the DMN.

Those Kings of Leon guys do have a few rock anthems in their repertoire, as they proved Wednesday night before a large, adoring crowd at American Airlines Center. And I'm not just talking about "Use Somebody," the group's breakthrough US radio hit that arrived during the more than 90 minute concert's encore.

"Sex On Fire," one of those soaring rockers that throbs at every note, had the audience singing loudly, fist-pumping and jumping. Ditto for "Manhattan," with its irresistible chorus that explodes effortlessly.

But hey, my fave remains "Closer," the first tune they played. I love that moody mix of synthesizer pulses and drum beats. The band was bathed in blue hues, which added to the song's mystique.

Now it's your turn. Were you at the show? If yes, what did you think?

For a full review of Kings of Leon, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Thursday or pick up GuideDaily Friday.

Photo: The Kings on their AAC throne Wednesday night (Jeffrey Porter/DMN).

Live Nation announced today that the Kanye West and Lady Gaga "Fame Kills" tour has been canceled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase. Tickets purchased online and via phone will be refunded automatically.

Maybe he really is taking some time off. Anyone bummed out about this?

Concert promoter Live Nation is offering Party Pass tickets at only $30 for U2's tour stop at Cowboys Stadium. You won't have a seat, but you'll be able to bask in the presence of one of the world's most popular bands.

The press release says the general admission tickets come with "an excellent view."

Tickets are available at the usual suspects: Ticketmaster and Live Nation.

(Photo by Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Is it really already October? It was a great summer, wasn't it? I mean, Dallasites had a pretty killer couple months with all sorts of big names coming to town. We had Beyonce, Coldplay, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Jonas Brothers, New Kids on the Block and so many more.

So with a new season ready to go, GuideLiveMusic asked our Twitter followers, Which DFW concert was the best this summer?

We didn't get too many responses (Maybe everyone's off at a show?), but continue reading to see who they voted for. Then share your picks in the comments below.

House of Blues announced several concerts today and earlier, with Queen Latifah's Persona tour on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the biggest surprise on the list. And I'm loving the tour stop of They Might Be Giants. It's billed as "an afternoon with," and they're encouraging kids and costumes Saturday, Oct. 31, at noon.

Other shows announced:

Pete Yorn, Thursday, Nov. 19
Little Dragon, Sunday, Nov. 29

And today, North Texas' own Selena Gomez and the Scene will play House of Blues for an all-ages show on Saturday, Nov. 28. Those tickets go on sale Saturday at 10.

No, you're not seeing double. That's not Taylor Swift in the lower right corner of the photo; it's 16-year-old Haley Githens of Dallas, who attended the Swift concert Friday night at American Airlines Center (that's Taylor on the video screen behind Haley and her friends). The packed-to-the-rafters arena was full of little girls, preteens and teens adopting the "Taylor look" -- spiral curls, relatively demure minidresses, glitter and tutus were all the rage -- but Haley pretty much won hands down, at least in the section I was sitting in.

Swift proved once again that's she's no flash in the bubbly-blonde-singer pan, putting on a two-hour show rich with emotion, cleverness, wit and energy. For someone who's a mere 19 years old, she showed an amazing range of maturity and depth in her songwriting, and even had a little fun with her reputation for "revenge songs." "I try really hard to be a nice person," she said late in the concert. "But if you break my heart, or hurt my feelings ... I'm gonna have to write a song about you." Let's see -- what rhymes with Kanye?

Her adoring fans, which in addition to the preteen- and teenage-girl set also included a good number of middle-age and grandparent types, both with and without children in tow, showed Swift plenty of love. After the sweet "Tim McGraw," which launched her career, she received one of the longest ovations I've ever witnessed at American Airlines Center, or any concert venue for that matter.

Opening acts Gloriana and Kellie Pickler also rocked, although I'd rather have heard more of the gorgeous harmonies of Gloriana and less of Pickler, who more and more seems like "Taylor light."

For a full review of Friday's show, check back here on Saturday evening.

Photo by Joy Tipping

Music City Texas Theater in the Piney Woods of deep East Texas is the Little Theater That Could -- and can. For the second time in its brief history, Music City Texas has gotten Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne to agree to play a concert in a town whose population is barely more than 2,000. Linden does have quite a pedigree, though. It's the hometown of Browne's friend and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Don Henley of Eagles fame and Richard Bowden, a Music City executive who played lead guitar for Linda Ronstadt for years and who belonged to the same band as Henley (The Four Speeds, Felicity, Shiloh) all through high school and college (the University of North Texas) and, well, up until the Eagles were formed. Browne last played Linden in 2004 and will appear there again, in another solo-acoustic concert, on Thursday night, Dec. 3. It's a remarkable setting in which to hear such an esteemed artist as Browne. It's a 420-seat venue that offers you the illusion of hearing musical greats in your own living room. And along with Crossroads Coffeehouse & Music Co. in Winnsboro, Music City Texas has helped bring big-name talent to the Piney Woods hinterlands. Tickets go on sale to Music City Patrons on Oct. 5 and to the public on Nov. 2. Prices range from $100 to $195. Info: Call 903-756-9934 or visit www.musiccitytexas.org.

Photo: Jackson Browne, at his last appearance in Linden in 2004

Since I got a chance to see both Britney Spears (on the 18th) and Pink (Wednesday night), thought I'd do a quick comparison of Pink's Funhouse and Britney Spears' Circus tours:

Most literal interpretation of the theme: Britney's tour had a lot of circus to it, including a long stretch that was just performers from the Big Apple Circus jumping on trampolines, hula hooping, clowning, etc. And she danced in a cage, gyrated on a pole attached to the back of a bike and bonked her backup dancers on their heads with a giant, pink-headed mallet. Pink's Funhouse was more of a backdrop for her performance, though there were plenty of related elements -- aerial acrobatics (which the super-tough performer took part in during the final song, in spite of recently having separated her shoulder), giant inflatable clowns, slides and mirrors. Britney wins this round, but whether that's a good thing or not is open for interpretation.

Best cover: Britney just did one, but she made it count. Her version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" was the least slick, most emotionally true moment of the show. You could tell Pink loved all the songs she covered -- Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" (more on that one later), Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy." But "Bohemian Rhapsody" topped the rest as a showcase for that powerhouse of a voice. You really have to be able to sing to pull that one off. Pink wins here.

Most surreal moment: Britney makes her male backup dancers do pushups after they do a group pelvic thrust around her (and they're all wearing pink underwear). Pink sings a sloooow version of "I Touch Myself" on a chaise longue as roving hands poke out of the cushions to caress her, much to the delight of a guy sitting near me. Pink gets the, er, climactic victory here.

Opening videos: Pink wakes up from a nap, goes on a rampage through a closet, burns down a house, rides a motorcycle (while her version of "Highway to Hell" plays in the background), and waltzes with a mime. In Britney's video, Perez Hilton plays a demented Queen Elizabeth type, and Brit shoots him in the crotch with an arrow. Britney's the clear leader here, since her motivation is so obvious (who doesn't want to harm Perez Hilton?).

Stage banter: Britney comes up short here, without much more than a "Hey, Dallas." Pink gave a shout-out to the members of the military who were on hand, introduced her bandmates (some of them twice), heaped deserved praise on her guitarist, talked about the first-ever show she played as combat-boot-and-kilt-wearing 13-year-old, and generally endeared herself to the locals.

Opening acts: Jordin Sparks opened for Britney, the Ting Tings opened for Pink. They're very different, but "Battlefield" is just as catchy as "That's Not My Name." Let's call this one a draw.

Kudos to the legendary Poor David's Pub for back-to-back weekends of terrific shows. I had the pleasure of being at the Jimmy LaFave-Zane Williams doubleheader on Sept. 12 and again on Friday night, Sept. 18, to hear folk music giant David Bromberg. (Check out the fascinating feature on Bromberg written by my colleague Mario Tarradell.) Poor David's has been around for years, of course, but its new location on Lamar near downtown Dallas is really cool. As John Inmon, LaFave's ace lead guitarist, told me, it has terrific acoustics. The sound is absolutely perfect. LaFave put on his usual dynamite show, with Inmon laying down his amazing licks on lead guitar and Bryan Peterson playing the lights out of the piano. No one can move from Chuck Berry to Bruce Springsteen to his own heartfelt ballads as well as LaFave. And Zane Williams, LaFave's warm-up that evening, is a real find. The Abilene native moved to Nashville in 1999 after graduating from Abilene Christian University.

Photo: David Bromberg

"I didn't expect quite this much literal circus."

That's what my friend and Guide editor Ann Pinson said at the beginning of Britney Spears' set Friday night at American Airlines Center on her Circus tour. One could only agree. The Big Apple Circus had come to town, with Perez Hilton introducing Britney via video. Dominatrix gear ruled the night and fans could tell that Britney was there to tell her own story -- not the one from any tabloids and not the least bit subtly.

Spears, looking healthy and happy, ruled the night; that wasn't too hard considering the short sets from newcomer Kristinia DeBarge ("Goodbye") and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks ("Battlefield"). The little girls sitting near us certainly thought Britney was in fine form and voice; they knew every word and "Toxic" reduced one of them into the spasms of a frenetic backup dancer.

(Photo from Bossier City, La., performance Saturday night by Val Horvath/The Times)

Concert promoter AEG Live has announced the KISS Alive North American tour to celebrate 35 years of "rocking the world like no other." And lucky Dallasites get KISS (with new costumes) on Dec. 6 at American Airlines Center. Of course, we'll have to hear songs from their soon-to-be-released album, Sonic Boom, along with those hits of old. "Detroit Rock City," anyone?

Buckcherry will open for the rock legends. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Of course, check out Ticketmaster or American Airlines Center box office at that time. To find out more, go to www.KISSonline.com.

Sonic Boom will only be sold at Walmart and Sam's Club locations and at Walmart.com.

(Photo of Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Paul Stanley performing in 2004 by Christopher Barth/The Associated Press

I'm sure tongues will be wagging about this pairing for years to come.

Two of the most outspoken musicians in pop music have announced a combined tour: Kanye West and Lady Gaga will stop at American Airlines Center on Sunday, Jan. 24. And it's such an appropriate name for the tour, too: "Fame Kills: Kanye West and Lady Gaga." Boy, does it ever. (Cut to Debbie Allen saying, "Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying. In sweat.")

Here's hoping that they bring only their groundbreaking music and leave the Hennessy, red paint, some of the outrageous sartorial mistakes and their mouths at home. (I know. I'm dreaming.) Anyway, meet you there. It'll be nice to see how far Kanye's come since he opened for Usher ...

Tickets go on sale next Friday, Sept. 25, at 10 a.m. at livenation.com.

(Photo by Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup via The Associated Press)

In my entry a couple of days ago about the Brad Paisley concert and the meet-and-greet backstage with the local youngsters who appeared in his video for "Welcome to the Future," I accidentally left out one of the little stars. That would be Sawyer Butler of Little Elm, who wants to be a paleontologist.

Our apologies, Sawyer. We'll make it up to you in a few years, when you discover a previously unknown dinosaur that once roamed North Texas. It will be named the Sawyersaur in your honor, and that will no doubt get you a P.1 story in the newspaper!

Brad Paisley put on a wonderful show Saturday night at Superpages.com Center, despite the nonstop rain that left the lawn crowd soaked and the under-the-canopy-crowd feeling like we'd been sucked into a cool sauna. Very rainforest, except without the trees (unless you count the tall man in front of me).

Paisley and opening acts Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley (either of whom would have been worth the admission on his own) played for three-and-a-half hours, with Paisley taking us on an electric, emotional musical trip from his first CD 10 years ago through the recently released American Saturday Night. Like Keith Urban (with whom he recorded "Start a Band"), Paisley is a formidable guitar player who both draws from and transmits energy to the audience.

Some local kids were on hand before the show to meet Paisley backstage -- they'd been selected by KSCS-FM (96.3) as the winners of a video contest, and short clips of the 10 youngsters, each telling his or her dream for the future, appeared in the video playing behind Paisley during the encore number "Welcome to the Future." Members of the extremely happy group were: Madalyn Lewis (she wants to be a songwriter) of Hillsboro , Nina Rodriguez (teacher) and Lily Rodriguez (doctor) of Mansfield, Brooklyn Ryder (veterinarian) of Flower Mound, Hayden Hawkins (bronc rider) of Weatherford, Allison Williams ("fisher person") and Elijah Terrell (cowboy) of Arlington, Saylor Williams ("kid") of Waxahachie and Kimberleigh Lewis (rock star) of Joshua.

Paisley said he loves playing Dallas -- "This is an important town to country music," he said, noting that "at one time all my exes were from here" -- and shared a memory from early in his career. Scheduled for a live early-morning interview with KSCS DJ Hawkeye, he arrived to find that Hawkeye had asked one of those exes to join them in the studio. "And then he spent the whole interview quizzing me about why it didn't work," Paisley said with a sigh. Hawkeye, on hand for the press conference, responded with a wicked cackle.

About the local crop of video kids, Paisley said, "This is the best group we've ever gotten. These kids are hams." He also quipped that "You can tell they were filmed in Dallas because every one of them has construction in the background."

For the full review of the show, check here on Monday.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping: Brad Paisley backstage with local kids before Saturday's show.

Kelly Clarkson, the pride of Burleson -- and still the most talented of the American Idol alumni -- wowed an intimate crowd of about 2,500 Sunday night at WinStar World Casino, just across the Texas-Oklahoma border in Thackerville, Okla. It's an easy hour-and-15-minute drive from downtown Dallas, and the concert venue is a cut above the ballroom-meets-high-school-auditorium vibe of most casino halls. If you factor in the traffic difficulties of, say, Nokia or Cowboys Stadium, it doesn't take any longer to get there -- and hey, the parking's free!

Clarkson did numbers from all four of her albums, but stuck mostly to hits from her second CD, Breakaway, and this year's release, All I Ever Wanted (including the irresistible "I Do Not Hook Up" by Katy Perry). Her swampy, bluesy rendition of "Walkin' After Midnight" had me wishing she'd do an entire CD of Patsy Cline covers.

For a full review, check back here Sunday afternoon.

PHOTO by Joy Tipping: Kelly Clarkson rocks out at WinStar Casino.

Dang. I wish I could take credit for this, but it was, in fact, my husband who perfectly characterized the Elvis Costello concert Wednesday night at Grand Prairie's Nokia Theatre. "It wasn't what he usually does," Jim mused as we left. "But then, it's never what he usually does."

Exactly. He may have made his name as an "angry-quirky young man" New Wave rocker, but Costello, 55, has moved far beyond those boundaries into a place where boundaries are just a fleeting memory. If you had to, under gunpoint, label his new CD, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, you might call it country-Americana. But the album, and Wednesday's concert, also had strong elements of bluegrass, blues, soul and jazz. He may be British, but Costello's got the whole "melting pot" thing goin' on, at least musically.

Backed by the fabulous six-piece Sugarcanes band, he sang several songs from the new CD, including the swinging but slightly creepy "Sulphur to Sugarcane" (it begs to be an end-title song for True Blood), the beautifully mournful "Down Among the Wine and Spirits" and the ... erm, well .. complicated "Complicated Shadows." There were also nods to rock, with takes on the Rolling Stones' "Happy" and the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil."

For a complete review, visit here Thursday afternoon.

More than two-and-a-half hours of Paul McCartney Wednesday night at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington almost wasn't enough. He performed 36 songs backed by a great four-man band. But think of all the songs he didn't do. That could be another show...or two. Anyway, among the many highlights, here are three of my faves:
"Jet" -- The propulsive rocker with the shout-out chorus was an in-your-face blast from the word go.
"Back In the U.S.S.R." -- How can you not get caught up in the vibe? All together now..."Back in the U.S.S.R."
"Live and Let Die" -- Those pyrotechnic explosions were unexpected and startling. But the sparkly fireworks during the hard rocking part of the song added visual excitement to the sonic thrill.
"Helter Skelter" -- Speaking of hard rocking, this one's a fist-pumper. It was part of his second encore.

OK, now it's your turn. Did you go to the show? What did you think?

For a full review of the Paul McCartney concert, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Thursday or see GuideDaily Friday.

Photo: Paul in action (Tom Fox/DMN).

Mos Def signaled early on that he would march to the beat of his own drummer at House of Blues on Tuesday night. Literally.

He began his almost 3-hour set behind the drum kit, beating the drums while rapping in his unmistakable rasp. He was dressed for game time in a red T-shirt, black pants and a ball cap. And he took no prisoners with the sonic assault, mostly from his newest CD, The Ecstatic.

And, despite entreaties from the crowd, the night mostly belonged to that critically acclaimed gem, as the name of the tour was Mos Def Presents: The Ecstatic Tour Featuring Mos Def and Jay Electronica. But when Mos Def took centerstage and got rid of his cap, he looked as if he was gaining such joy from his performance and most fans couldn't help but smile back. That's except for those fans in the top seats that were yelling for his classic "Miss Fat Booty."

Live Nation dropped prices last week on shows at amphitheaters. And now that sale is back for the second week in a row.

Talk about a deal: Live Nation on Wednesday will charge no service fees on any tickets bought. They're calling it "Live Nation's No Service Fee Wednesday." But look. Over here. You can buy $10 lawn tickets and $15 reserved seats Those won't have any fees either..

Of course, the sale is for only 24 hours, starting at midnight:01: So you can get tickets for concerts at Superpages.com Center, including Creed (Sept. 22); Def Leppard (Friday); Depeche Mode (Aug. 29); and Lil' Wayne (Sunday).

And I read the small type for you: Getting a ticket at that price is subject to availability and includes print-at-home tickets and mail delivery and parking when it's applicable. And no. You cannot combine it with any other discounts.

Photo of Def Leppard by Ash Newell)

If you've heard of only one Deep Ellum club, it's Trees. And it's making a comeback with a grand-opening weekend sure to get some attention. The live-music venue first opened in 1991 but then closed in 2005 after financial issues. The Dallas Observer has a nice 2006 write-up of the events leading up to the closure and an overall history of Deep Ellum.

But Trees is alive again, with the help of Clint Barlow, the touring drummer for Vanilla Ice, and his wife Whitney. Clint told DMN reporter Nancy Visser in this June 8 article that he's focused on catering to both the bands and the audience. "I've been a musician here since '91 and I know what bands want. They want awesome sound and awesome lights, and they should get paid properly."

The catering begins with performances by Slow Roosevelt, Element Eighty, System Overload and Hardway Down tomorrow night (Friday Aug. 14). Then catch Fair to Midland, Moving Atlas, Peacemaker and Black Tie Vendetta on Saturday, and Saliva, Taking Dawn and The Cast on Sunday. Doors open at 7pm and it's 21 and up only.

Sounds like a good time is ready to be had, and is this a sign that Deep Ellum is gearing up to take back the Dallas music scene? I suppose there are concerns out there that that may not happen, or at least not as prominently as in the 1990s. We're now seeing acts that Trees was known for having go to the Granada Theater and House of Blues, which have gotten more notoriety as the big stages for local music since its absence. But it's probably too early to say. Either way it's worth a shot. Anyone plan on checking out Trees' revival this weekend?

Here's info on what the new owners had to go through to get the club up and running along with what the neighbors think.

Bummer: Hip-hoppers Clipse, with opening act the Cool Kids, has canceled its show at the Granada Theater on Wednesday night (Aug. 12). Refunds are available at point of purchase.

Chris Isaak was in true chameleon form Sunday night at the House of Blues -- at various times, he seemed to be channeling Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Hank Williams Jr., yet at the same time stayed completely, utterly Chris. He treated the audience to a big chunk of his latest CD, Mr. Lucky, including the rocking, should-be-a-huge-hit "Big Wide Wonderful World" the bluesy "You Don't Cry Like I Do," and the mournful "Take My Heart." The staples were also there, including a fabulous take on "Wicked Game" with that oh-so-sexy Herb Ritts-directed video playing in the background, and an ultrasultry version of "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" that brought the temperature of the room up quite a few degrees.

Opener Kristina Train is an act to keep an eye on; her blue-infused-folk reminded me of a young Norah Jones, minus the piano and plus a fiddle, a guitar and a tambourine.

For the full review, check back here Monday afternoon.

Photo by Joy Tipping: Chris Isaak gets in the groove Sunday night at House of Blues.

American roots music veterans Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan, along with New York City outfit The Wiyos took the stage Friday at QuikTrip Park. Here's a quick recap of the concert:
The Wiyos - Bob Wills by way of Brooklyn. Swinging Americana with an urbanized, eclectic feel. Loved the trumpet, megaphone and upright bass combo.
Willie Nelson - An hour of Willie is not enough, but he packed 'em in. "Whiskey River," "Me and Paul," "On the Road Again," "Crazy," "Always On My Mind." Classic Nelson.
John Mellencamp - No "Jack & Diane" or "Hurts So Good." Gasp! Still, Mellencamp roots-rocked hard during "Crumblin' Down," "Troubled Land" and "The Authority Song."
Bob Dylan - Great 5-piece band blending folk, blues and rock. But, wow, onstage Dylan's voice is really an acquired taste. He was in intermittent growl mode.

For a full review of the shows, see www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Saturday or GuideDaily Sunday.

Photos: Nelson (left) and Mellencamp at QuikTrip Park (John F. Rhodes/DMN).

The fall tour dates for Maxwell and his BLACKsummers' night tour were announced today, with a stop in Dallas on Oct. 12. The venue has yet to be announced. When he came through here last November, he performed at the Majestic. Since then, with his CD debuting at No. 1 on the charts on July 7 and his subsequent appearances on any video screen near you, I'll bet he goes for a bit of a larger venue.

House of Blues, anyone? Nokia, perhaps? Either way, we got him. And his fabulous openers, Common and Chrisette Michele.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 14 through Live Nation.

(Photo by Seth Wenig/The Associated Press)

If you haven't gotten your tickets to the Aug. 19 concert at Cowboys Stadium yet, a.) Oh my gosh! Don't you know it's less than two weeks away?, and b.) there's still hope for a good seat. Beginning at 10am tomorrow, that's Friday, Aug. 7, additional tickets will be released. Get yours from Ticketmaster for $65, $125, $175 or $250 apiece. And because there is an overwhelming demand for this monumental show -- it is Paul McCartney's only Texas tour stop, after all -- promoters Live Nation, AEG Live and Marshall Arts have made special arrangements with the Dallas Cowboys to sell "Party Pass" tickets for standing-room only on the West Platform at Cowboys Stadium. And they're only $45 each!

At noon yesterday a few more tickets for U2's 360 Tour went on sale. Production for the Dallas/Arlington show Oct. 12 at Cowboys Stadium has been completed and a number of excellent seats at all price levels are up for grabs now. Via Ticketmaster you can get seats for $254, $99, $59 and $34 for reserved seats, or $59 for general admission on the field.

The stage (click the layout pictured above for a bigger image) is what really makes this tour stand out:
"The 360° Tour features a round stage positioned on the stadium floor with the band surrounded by their audience, the natural progression of their previous tours. By elevating the sound and lighting equipment, the walls that traditionally obscure performers from their audience are removed. This has also allowed greater capacity and a lower general ticket price.

The stage is designed by long-time collaborator Willie Williams and architect Mark Fisher who have worked together with U2 since ZooTv. Advances in technology and digital communication have allowed Williams to create an overhead expandable cylindrical screen made up of 500,000 pixels."

If you haven't checked it out already, 360.u2.com has a nice visualization of the stage concept. Click through the different camera orbits to get the full effect.

Have you gotten your tickets yet?

For the first half of Saturday's concert at Superpages.com Center, Toby Keith seemed a little bit off his game -- little energy, no sparkle in his eyes, a beat or two off the music in singing some of the lyrics. I got the feeling he might not feel well. He seemed almost subdued, which is oh-so-not-Toby.

But whatever it was, he finally shook it off about two-thirds of the way through his 22-song set, and the last part of the concert was pure energetic, bad-boy Toby, that naughty Oklahoman that Texans can't seem to get enough of.

And, even a not-quite-perfect Toby Keith show is still a Toby Keith show, and he makes sure the audience has a great time. The show started with a hilarious video depicting Keith up against faux bands for bragging rights as "toughest." (I especially loved the "Jehovah Brothers," a teen trio that couldn't stop breaking into "spontaneous choregraphy.") Keith, of course, abetted by a gleaming Ford truck and a very cute bulldog, took the prize.

Taking the stage to fireworks and confetti, he launched right into his fast-moving current hit "American Ride." Given the audience reaction, he's probably got another No. 1 song on his hands.

For a full review, check here tomorrow afternoon.

Among the thrills of going to a concert is leaving with one song whose words and melody won't get out of your head. It's usually a new song, and being among the first to hear it is one of the thrills of live performance. I got to hear two on Friday night, July 17, and can't stop thinking about either. The incomparable Gretchen Peters, who headlined that night at Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse, played a new song titled "Mother," which she wrote for a CD tribute to the activist, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones. Despite enormous personal tragedy (she lost her husband and their four children in a yellow fever epidemic and later lost her shop, her home and all her possessions in the Great Chicago Fire), Mother Jones rallied American miners and championed workers' rights like no one ever had. "You were the Madonna of the mines/our Lady of the Picket Lines," Peters sang, to terrific accompaniment by Barry Walsh, her keyboardist, accordion player and fiancé. I'm often skeptical of warm-up acts, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear John Fullbright, whose hometown is Okemah, Okla., the same as Woody Guthrie. The parallels don't stop there. Fullbright looks a lot like Woody, sounds a lot like Woody, and from early indications, writes a lot like Woody. His song "The High Road" is a tale of an extraordinary love. Jack and Suzy are young lovers but share a bond so strong and enduring that it underscores the power of Fullbright's lyrics, which state, "Living comes natural to many/love comes naturally to few ... you take the high road to freedom/And I'll take the low road to you." It was a gift getting to hear such a magical young talent perform. I hope we have many more such chances in the future. Woody would be proud: He could not have a better clone.

Photo: Gretchen Peters

Rod Stewart played it smart Sunday night before a nearly sold-out crowd at Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie. He surrounded himself with a strong band, including a female violinist and saxophonist plus three background vocalists, and had the good sense to keep his 90 minute set to recognizable tunes that showcased his talents, not his weaknesses. That means he didn't do a single pop standard from his awfully misguided Great American Songbook CDs of late. Instead the 64-year-old London native quickly settled into a nice groove that found him exploring hits from the '70s, '80s and '90s. He was in decent voice, able to dance and move about the stage and eagerly played into the hands of the enthusiastic crowd, particularly the women. Highlights included the classics "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)," "Maggie May," "Hot Legs" and "The First Cut Is the Deepest." It was totally cool to hear him do "Young Turks" and "Forever Young," two of his better '80s staples, and pay homage to soulsters Sam Cooke ("Having a Party," "Twistin' the Night Away") and the O'Jays ("Love Train"). Sure, he went overboard with the soccer fan thing, throwing soccer balls into the audience when he should have been concentrating on his singing and using too much video footage of soccer games. But that's part of Rod, love it or leave it.

For a full review of the Rod Stewart concert, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Monday or see GuideDaily Tuesday.

Photo: Stewart performing in Germany in 2007 (Volker Hartmann).

Sound and vision make an intensely powerful pair, especially when talking about progressive metal band Tool. Maynard James Keenan, Danny Carey, Adam Jones and Justin Chancellor take that artistic merger to arguably the loftiest level of any current hard rocking group. There's a deep, metaphorical reason for every beat, riff and chord progression and its accompanying video image. Nowhere was that more pronounced than in concert Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie. For nearly two hours, Tool used screen pictures, strobe and laser lights to not merely augment, but interpret its brand of metal. That's no small accomplishment. Tool is all about precision. Nothing is sloppy; it's all methodically well-executed. Drummer Carey, dressed in his signature basketball shorts and tank top, pounded with perfection, all the while making sure that the rhythm section was tight, piercing and profound. Tool's songs rattle your core, for sure, but they aren't noise. They represent the intricate, ambitious talents of four men who are as enigmatic as they are professional. During "Lateralus," one of two encore tunes, we got dual drumming from Carey and Ashton Bird (of opening outfit Tweak Bird) that was both tribal and rock-fortified. For "Vicarious," Keenan, the "anti-frontman" who never had a spotlight on him, stripped down to just boxer briefs. It's as if he was trying to give the audience a, well, vicarious thrill.

For a complete review of the Tool concert, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Sunday or see GuideDaily Monday.

Photo: Keenan in pouncing mode (G.J. McCarthey/DMN).

Going to see Paul McCartney or U2 at Cowboys Stadium? Considering how new the stadium is, I'm betting you've got close to no clue about how it looks inside. Well, DMN writer Jeff Moiser reports that Arlington residents will get a chance to look at parts of Cowboys Stadium next month when the city holds an open house there Aug. 9.

"Participants must show proof of residency, such as a driver's license or utility bill. Fans will have access to the main concourse and seating areas and will also be allowed to shoot video and still photos. Parking is free.

The Cowboys offer a more extensive paid tour, which includes visits to the scoreboard control room, a suite, player interviews and sometimes the field and Cowboys locker room. Those tours cost between $9 and $15. Cameras are not permitted on those tours. "

I learned two things at Superpages.com Center in Fair Park on Tuesday night. Don't believe anything you read about Chris Martin. And two, butterflies are free.

Confetti in the shape of butterflies was in abundance as Coldplay finished a performance that trumped anything I had read about the band. They were energetic, in fine musicianship and seemed to be having as much fun as the crowd they were delighting. And about lead singer Chris Martin? He revealed himself to be self-effacing and crowd-pleasing before an almost packed house in direct contrast to how he's been portrayed as an egomaniac with ambitions of world domination. And that piano that certain music mags go on and on about? Well, he was in fine form.

There wasn't a speck of grass to be seen on the lawn, with so many people there. But the row behind me was strangely empty. But the crowd, which stayed on its feet for the entire concert, was behind Coldplay. All the way. When bright yellow balloons bounced among the crowd during "Yellow," the crowd sang along when prompted and playfully kept the balloons bouncing from fan to fan. When the group went into a playful version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," the crowd provided the background vocals. When Martin asked everyone to join "a sort-of-cellphone wave," everyone obliged.

Coldplay may have its detractors, but not Tuesday night.

(Photo of Chris Martin, right, and Jonny Buckland by Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer)

The votes are in! LiveNation.com has let concert fans take their pick on what ticket-buying terms they want for the this week's promotional ticket sales, and the winner is buy one get one free.

At exactly 12:01 a.m Wednesday, July 22, 2009 tickets will go on sale as promised only at LiveNation.com and only for Live Nation amphitheaters including Superpages.com Center. Note that these are for lawn tickets and will be shown discounted 50% off the total and sold in multiples of 2.

Listed below are upcoming concerts at Superpages.com Center:

- The Fray with Jack's Mannequin and Meese - Friday, July 24
- Toby Keith with Trace Adkins - Saturday, August 1
- 97.1 The Eagle's B.F.D. / Crue Fest 2 featuring Motley Crue with Godsmack, Theory of a Deadman, Drowning Pool, and Charm City Devils- Saturday, August 8
- Depeche Mode with Peter Bjorn & John - Saturday, August 29
- Brad Paisley with Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne - Saturday, September 12
- Creed with Staind- Tuesday, September 22

A couple of memorable visuals come to mind when thinking about Aerosmith's headlining performance Sunday night before a massive crowd at Superpages.com Center. First there's Steven Tyler blazing his way through "Dream On" while he stands on the stage's catwalk as a fan blows his hair and a wall of steam rises up from the floor. He looked like some kind of rock 'n' roll aura. Then, during "Love In An Elevator," the lighting rigs and four rectangular video screens hanging over the band went up and down like, well, an elevator. Way cool. Aerosmith, after an hour-long set from that rock 'n' blues Texas trio ZZ Top, proved age is for seasoning, not withering. The group from Boston rocked hard for nearly 90 minutes delivering many career classics, from the signature "Walk This Way" to the brooding "Janie's Got a Gun." What a kicking rhythm section comprised of drummer Joey Kramer, bassist David Hull (subbing for Tom Hamilton who is recovering from surgery) and guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. A major highlight of the evening: A sizzling blues-rock jam that brought ZZ's Billy Gibbons back to the platform.

For a full review of Aerosmith and ZZ Top go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Monday or see GuideDaily Tuesday.

Photo: Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top during his group's opening set Sunday night (Jason Janik/Special to DMN).

Smokey Robinson is one dapper dude. He can wear a slick blue suit, a black and white tuxedo, even a flaming red outfit and always look cool. He's still mighty youthful at 69, able to dance, gyrate and swoon with ease. So naturally he enthralled the crowd of 1,200 Saturday night at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Armed with a nine-member band and two female dancers, the Motown legend performed for two hours. He did everything you'd expect -- the Motown classics when he was part of The Miracles; the hit solo material; and pop standards from his 2006 CD, Timeless Love. Robinson was the quintessential old-school entertainer. He told stories of the Motown glory days, name dropping The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, among others. He worked the audience, particularly the ladies in the house, some of which ended up onstage with him. Three numbers geared toward the women were showstoppers. "Being With You," his 1981 crossover smash, was sultry. He sang a part of it in Spanish while in tight embrace with one of his female background vocalists. "Just to See Her," from 1987, was a melodic delight. And "Cruisin'," which closed the show, was a slow, sexy, rhythmic manifesto.

For the full review of Smokey Robinson, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Sunday or see GuideDaily Monday.

Photo: Robinson smoked! (Brandon Wade/Special to DMN)

Asia and Yes shared a guitarist (Steve Howe) Wednesday night at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth during a nearly sold-out concert by both progressive rock groups. And keyboardist Geoff Downes spent a little time tickling the ivories for Yes before he helped inaugurate Asia. But performing back-to-back on the same night boldly highlighted the stylistic differences between the two bands. Asia, which opened the show, peppers its brand of progressive rock with plenty of pop hooks and soaring choruses. Lead singer John Wetton remains in outstanding voice. With Yes, however, those characteristics are the exception, not the norm. That gave Asia's set more immediacy and instant familiarity, particularly during the radio staples "Heat of the Moment," "Only Time Will Tell" and "Sole Survivor." Yes, on the other hand, is prone to long, winding, heavily instrumental pieces that are great showcases for the musicians but not the singer. Plus, the Yes vocalist is currently Canadian Benoit David since longtime wailer Jon Anderson is ailing at home. David is a decent singer, but he's miles away from Anderson's distinctive pipes.

For a full review of the Asia and Yes concert, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Thursday or see GuideDaily on Friday.

Photo: Howe and Wetton of Asia in action (Khampha Bouaphanh/Special to DMN).

Aerosmith's Guitar Hero tour has had a rough start. Guitarist Brad Whitford sat out the first dates of the tour to recover from a recent surgery. After seven shows, beginning June 10, lead singer Steven Tyler tore a leg muscle, which postponed the tour. His daughter, Mia, posted on her MySpace blog yesterday that he's in a cast and can't wait to get back on the road, though. Seven shows have since been postponed, but Aerosmith's publicist said today's scheduled show in Atlanta would go on, marking Whitford, Tyler, Joe Perry and Joey Kramer's return. But they'll be short bassist Tom Hamilton (who co-wrote "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun") as he recovers from a non-invasive surgery. Filling in for an undetermined number of dates will be David Hull, who's filled in before on the 2006 tour.

If you're going to Sunday's show at Superpages.com Center with openers ZZ Top (Details here!) you might be happy to know that they'll be performing their Toys in the Attic album in its entirety. Anyone going? How excited are you?

Keith Urban is a terrific singer, but after seeing him for the first time in concert, I can tell you that's not the reason to pay whatever it takes to get in the next time he's in town. That would be his pure, blow-you-away musicianship. As good a singer as he is, that talent completely pales in comparison to his virtuosity as a guitarist. At Saturday night's concert at American Airlines Center, one of the standout moments was an extended duet of Urban on electric guitar with Chris McHugh on drums. I closed my eyes for a minute, and I think I know now what it must've felt like to be at a Jimi Hendrix concert.

Another highlight was when Urban sang his hit cover of Del Rio native Radney Foster's "Raining on Sunday" -- and out came Foster to sing it with him.

Urban seems an extraordinarily generous performer, both with his band and the audience. He gave each of his five band members a lengthy solo, and he played every side of the packed house. At one point, he went to the opposite end of the floor area from the stage, where a smaller stage was set up. "Who's got the good seats now?" he asked the ecstatic back-of-the-room crowd.

For a full review of Urban and opening act Jason Aldean, check back here on Sunday evening, and in the print paper on Monday. G'day, as Keith would say. Or, g'night.

Perhaps there will be a monologue, too.

Jamie Foxx, the singer, is bringing his concert tour back to Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie on Friday, Sept. 25. Tickets go on sale next Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

There's no word on any supporting acts. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.

(Photo of Jamie Foxx at the BET Awards by Chris Pizzello/The Associated Press)

UPDATE: At 1:40 pm Ticketmaster said only single seats are available, the cheapest at $175 and the most expensive at $250. Call it a sell-out if you want, but if you're going solo, I recommend ordering your ticket ASAP.

====

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with a Ticketmaster representative. You can still get tickets, but as of 11:15 Monday morning, the cheapest ones are the $175 seats. Ouch. Also, according to Ticketmaster, parking will be $30. Be sure to check out the note about parking information above the map because it recommends which lot to park in depending on where your seats are.

====

Paul McCartney has been confirmed to perform at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington on August 19. This is the legend's first Dallas-area show since 2005 and the only announced Texas stop this year. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, July 20 via Ticketmaster. From the press release:

"The Cowboys Stadium show will feature classics from McCartney's extensive catalog, including Beatles, Wings and solo career hits as well as selections from his most recent album Electric Arguments, released under his alias The Fireman.

On the heels of Paul McCartney's three-date, sold-out run at New York's Citi Field in July, the August 19 North Texas performance will be among McCartney's first U.S. appearances since headlining this year's Coachella festival; as well as the same weekend's record-breaking opening of the Joint in Las Vegas. McCartney's additional upcoming North American concert dates include two shows at Boston's Fenway Park along with performances at Atlanta's Piedmont Park, FedEx Field in Landover, MD and Halifax Commons in Halifax, NS."

Anyone out there excited?

Photo: The Beatles band members Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney at the launch of The Beatles Rockband Xbox game at the Microsoft Xbox 360 E3 Expo on June 1. The Associated Press.

During one between-song moment Monday night at Nokia Theatre, Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts reached for a mug set atop a nearby stool. "Just like an Englishman," he said, "I have my tea handy." Such casual quips, not to mention stories about opera, about growing up listening to classical music and about his beloved wife, filled the time that Potts wasn't exercising his operatic tenor. Those asides made him all the more human, endearing. But every time he opened his mouth to sing, Potts really showcased his talents. His voice has such a pure tonality, almost an earnest innocence to it that makes him sound refreshingly honest. Surely his story is one of unassuming everyman emerges out of nowhere to capture the world with sheer musical power. There's no image steering this gravy train. With 12 local musicians onstage - strings, harp, french horns, timpani drums, clarinet, flute - and pieces from his second CD, the all-Italian Passione, as well as his heralded debut, One Chance, Potts thoughtfully and fervently sang for a small but engaged crowd. Sandwiched into his show were special guests Neal E. Boyd, winner of America's Got Talent, and Diane di Stasio, a soprano from Nashville. Potts was gracious to share the stage with them, but the attention was all for him.

For the full review of Paul Potts, go to www.dallasnews.com/entertainment Tuesday.

Photo: Potts in full vocal power Monday night (Michael Ainsworth/DMN).

Even from the nosebleed perch -- Section 308, Row B, Seat 1, to be exact -- it was easy to grasp the gist of a Beyoncé concert: The woman is 70 percent fashion plate and 30 percent artist. Her show Sunday night at American Airlines Center, part of her current "I Am Tour," was all about windblown hair, leg-baring, bust-hugging costumes, runway dance moves and diva perfection. To be fair, she is gorgeous. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why the Houston native is making millions shilling hair products, lipstick and perfume. She has that striking, supermodel appearance. But artistically she's as empty as they come. Yes, Beyoncé can sing. She can carry a tune and has plenty of lung power. However, there's nothing special or instantly recognizable about her voice. And her music, solo and when she was with Destiny's Child, is utterly disposable. Whether delivering uptempo numbers such as "Crazy In Love" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" or ballads such as "Halo" and "Broken-Hearted Girl," Beyoncé couldn't get passed the prefabricated, perfunctory vibe of the songs. Even with a large band behind her, including a percussionist and horn section, it all sounded soulless. Nothing about her musically sticks, nor does it say anything about her as an artist other than she aims for mass appeal and exposure.

For a full review of the Beyoncé concert, go to dallasnews.com/entertainment Monday.

Photo: Beyoncé was all modeled up Sunday night (Lara Solt/DMN).

Adorable gymnast-turned-singer Carly Patterson (who's from Allen) was just added to the musical lineup at Fair Park Fourth. The program will also feature the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Hellcats bugle and drum ensemble from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and baritone Alvy Powell. It's July 4 at 8 p.m. at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park before the fireworks and the whole thing's free.

Yes, I was there. Yes, the JoBros put on a cool show Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Read what I thought of the concert, which opened the Westlake-based sibling trio's 2009 world tour, here. I also want to once again mention how impressed I was with Jordin Sparks, who came off so full of talent, earthiness and sexy sass without being all sexed-up. She did it with class. Honor Society, the unsigned New York City band that have been plucked out of obscurity by the Jonas Brothers and given a head-spinning golden opportunity, were fun, too.

Were you there? What did you think of the gig?

PHOTO: The JoBros in action Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium (Tom Fox/DMN).

Here's a concert with a cause. Thursday's Santigold show at House of Blues is presented by Bono's (RED)NIGHTS campaign and Live Nation. What that means is that a portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Global Fund. This concert is just one of 26 in the U.S. helping fight AIDS in Africa. Other artists who will turn one of their upcoming concerts (RED) include Katy Perry, Gomez, O.A.R., Fall Out Boy, Lisa Hannigan, The Veronicas, Matisyahu and The All-American Rejects. So far, Santigold's show is the only D-FW one, but the (RED)NIGHTS concert series Web site hasn't listed a date or location for Fall Out Boy and The All-American Rejects yet, so that might change.

Brad Paisley and his American Saturday Night tour will stop at Superpages.com Center On Sept. 12. Dierks Bentley and Jimmy Wayne will also be on the tour date.

Tickets can be bought at Live Nation and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. They are $26 for the lawn, and $31 and $55.75 for reserved seats.

Get ready for some new House of Blues shows, just announced today.

Here's your list:

Kiki Melendez's Hot Tamales Live on Sunday, Aug. 2
Atmosphere on Thursday, Aug. 6
The Footprint in Hip-Hop Tour featuring Method Man & Redman and Ghostface Killa on Saturday, Aug. 8
Collective Soul, Wednesday Sept. 2
Mitchell Musso, Tuesday Sept. 22
The Airborne Toxic Event, Wednesday Sept. 30

See ya at The Footprint in Hip-Hop Tour show.

Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp are touring minor-league ballparks this summer, and the tour stops Aug. 7 at Quik Trip Park in Grand Prairie, home of the AirHogs.

And now, we get news that the Wiyos will join the fun for 28 dates of the tour. The purveyors of traditional American music have been consistently touring for six years now.

And then they got the invite to join the legends on tour. It's a good day to be a member of the Wiyos, huh? The group's new CD, Broken Land Bell, will be released on July 13.

Willie also plans to release a CD this summer. It'll be filled with standards and called American Classic.

All tickets are general admission and $67.50. All children under the age of 14, though, can get in free. To quote John, "Ain't that America"?

(Photo by Bill Waugh)

Whenever a CD surfaces in this office with the name Jackson Browne on it, I'm usually the one who ends up with it. I've been an ardent fan of Jackson's since 1972, when he released his debut album Jackson Browne. No, its title is not Saturate Before Using, even though everyone seems to think so. (I have him to back me up.) So, a DVD screener ended up in my mailbox this week of the upcoming episode of Soundstage on PBS. Soundstage booked Browne to be the inaugural guest of its summer season, which debuts on KERA-TV (Channel 13) at 10 p.m. Thursday and in high definition. Fans hoping to hear a bunch of old stuff might walk away disappointed (though he does sing "Doctor My Eyes"). He sings a bunch of tunes from his fine new album Time the Conqueror, which makes lavish use of his terrific backup band: Mark Goldenberg on lead guitar, Mauricio Lewak on drums, Jeff Young on keyboards and Kevin McCormick on bass. But the two newest additions to Browne's band are what make his current national tour and the summer debut of Soundstage so memorable. (Please click below to read on!)

Photo: Jackson Browne performing in 2004 at Music City Texas Theater in Linden

Lil Wayne seems to be on track to become a touring moneymaker purely through sheer volume, this time stopping at Superpages.com Center on Aug. 23.

He's bringing along Drake, Soulja Boy, Young Jeezy, Jeremih and Pleasure P. No R&B softening the mood this time. Gates are scheduled to open at 5:30, with the show beginning at 6:30.

Tickets, priced from $29.75 for the lawn and $59.75 and $79.75 reserved, go on sale Saturday at 10 through Live Nation. Get in there quick: A four-pack of lawn seats cost only $99 while supplies last.

(Photo of Lil Wayne performing at American Airlines Center in December 2008 by Mike Fuentes/Special Contributor)

Rascal Flatts brought its Unstoppable Tour to Superpages.com on Saturday, and Gary LeVox and team rocked the full house. Starting the show with a fireworks and video extravaganza so elaborate that most acts would CLOSE with it, Rascal Flatts kicked things off with the perfectly appropriate "Summer Nights" from their recently released Unstoppable CD, from which they also played the No. 1 single "Here Comes Goodbye" and the lovely ballad "Love Who You Love." The audience showed the most love for old favorites -- hearing the audience singing along to "Bless the Broken Road" in what seemed like perfect harmony would have melted the most cynical soul.

As good as Rascal Flatts was, the group was matched by opening act Darius Rucker, who sang songs from his hit country album, but also gave the audience a couple of gems from his Hootie & the Blowfish days: "Let Her Cry" and "Only Wanna Be With You." He also came back for the RF encores, with both acts singing Hootie's "Hold My Hand" and RF's "Life Is a Highway." It was a high, all right -