Live Music Blog

The Hannah Montana concert film “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” has been a top online ticket seller.
Hannah Montana

Online ticket sellers Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com said the digital 3D concert film accounted for more than three-quarters of their ticket sales as of Wednesday morning. The film opens at midnight in 684 theaters.

Fandango.com said “Hannah Montana” was the site’s highest-selling concert film on record, selling out over 1,000 showings and accounting for 91 percent of sales as of Wednesday morning.

MovieTickets.com said the film was ranked eighth on its all-time presale list and was responsible for close to 90 percent of sales on Wednesday.

The Hannah Montana character got its start on a Disney Channel television series of the same name and has been extremely popular with “tween” girls.

Miley is one of the most exciting and talented performers of her generation, and watching her on the concert stage is a genuine thrill, said Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, in a statement.

As soon as she committed to the Best of Both Worlds tour last winter, we wanted to find some special way to let all of her fans share the excitement and fun of this live event, and filming the concert in 3D seemed like an ideal way to do that. This is going to be an exciting 3D motion picture event experience for everyone who loves Hannah Montana.

Madonna will be giving a concert at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom to promote her new CD, “Hard Candy”; the performance will be streamed live on MSN.
Madonna Concert Live On MSN
Madonna Concert Live On MSN

The show will be streamed live Wednesday, April 30, at 10 p.m. EDT in the United States and will be available on demand to international audiences on May 15. Filming the concert will be Control Room, which produces concerts for distribution online. Control Room also worked on Live Earth, a worldwide series of concerts performed over 24 hours last summer.

As experts in bringing live music performances to the Web, Control Room will deliver Madonna fans an online experience that captures the excitement and authenticity of this exclusive show, said Aaron Grosky, Control Room president.

The concert will include exclusive rehearsal footage, a pre-recorded interview with Madonna and her full performance.  Fans can view the concert by going to MSN Music In Concert.

MySpace said today it will host a concert in Kuwait for U.S. Armed Forces on March 10 billed as “Operation MySpace.”

Operation MySpace will feature performances by pop artists the Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Simpson, rock bands Disturbed and Filter, mashup artist DJ Z-Trip and comedian Carlos Mencia.
Pussycat Dolls Pussycat Dolls
(Photo Credit: Pussycat Dolls Official Site)

MySpace co-founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe will be attending the event, which was put together with the cooperation of the Department of Defense’s Armed Forces Entertainment and America Supports You program. The concert will be three hours in length and will be streamed live in high definition on the Operation MySpace profile starting at 11a.m. PT/ 2 p.m. ET.

Starting today visitors to the Operation MySpace profile will be able to leave video and text messages supporting the troops. A best of one-hour version of the concert will be broadcast nationally on the FX cable channel on April 12.

MySpace is a great medium to connect our military members and their families, who serve in 177 countries, to the folks back home, said Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. “We are so glad to have MySpace as part of the team working with both America Supports You and Armed Forces Entertainment.”

Having bought the concert tickets that you were after, you are probably now looking forward to a great gig and a wonderful night out. There is certainly more to planning your evening than simply getting hold of the concert tickets. There is loads to plan to make sure that the evening runs smoothly, such as how to actually get to the venue, whether to eat before or after the gig, where you might go for a coffee or a drink, staying safe, and getting home afterwards.

Many modern venues for concerts are very large and can hold thousands of people. To make sure everyone gets in and out safely, these places have loads of different entrances and exits, and there are different ones for different tickets. It’s a good idea to check out in advance from your ticket which entrance you will be expected to use.

If you are going to the concert by car, it is a good idea to know in advance where you will be parking. If the parking place is some distance from the venue, you will have to factor in walking time to your schedule. The last thing you want is to be walking for miles and miles, when all you want to do is get to your gig.

If you want to go somewhere to eat before your gig, then a bit of planning will be in order too. Consider whether it is worthwhile to book a table beforehand, and when you book, check up on how long it may take to get served. Most likely a lot of other people attending the gig will be looking to eat at the same time, and this will fill up the local restaurants really quickly. Most of all, you don’t want to end up having to rush off to the concert when you are only halfway through your meal.

As for drinking, it may be worth bearing in mind that you don’t want to overdo it, as this will end up ruining your enjoyment of the concert, and probably other people’s enjoyment of it too. One of the major considerations will be getting to the gig, and then getting home again. To save all the bother of wondering where to park your car, you might consider going to the concert by public transport, and this may well be the best option if you think you may drink alcohol at the gig. When planning to go by public transport you will find most of the up-to-date bus and train timetables available on the web, and be sure to get your times all worked out, allowing for time to walk to and from the venue from the bus stop or train station.

On the subject of security, it is often a good idea to wait behind at the venue itself for some fifteen to twenty minutes in order to let the large crowd disperse. If you leave with everybody else, you might find the congestion to be quite uncomfortable, and sometimes even downright dangerous. Also, if you are going to collect young people from a concert, they are much easier to find once most of the crowd has gone. The security guards will still be around, making it reasonably safe for them to hang around for a while. It is often a good idea to decide on a definite pick up point, so that you will not miss each other, and many popular venues have clear landmarks where you can arrange to meet. In case of problems, it is best that you make sure that the young people have mobile phones, and that they make sure that they are switched on straight after the gig has finished.

Tickets for your favorite shows and venues can sometimes be very expensive and just as hard to find. Finding cheap concert tickets, event tickets, theatre tickets, wrestling tickets, theme park tickets can really become a tedious task at times and even wearisome. Hopefully, nowadays there are a number of ways to obtain cheap tickets mostly through the internet and through an array of other techniques. You can virtually find all sorts of cheap concert tickets online.

Buying tickets from the venue of a concert or event can get really challenging at times. There are the ridiculously high prices then the long ticket queues. Cheap concert tickets are often offered d by radio stations and websites for registering with them. Some websites have a “points won” offer for their members. Gaining more points can easily get you a good deal on cheap concert tickets.

There are many other ways in which you can find cheap concert tickets and cheap tickets of many popular events. On the web, you will find thousands of online ticket retailers, who are expert at buying tickets at group rates, and then re-selling them individually at cheaper and reasonable rates. Buying tickets from venue websites can turn out to be lucrative for you, as you can buy tickets at cheaper rates, as most of these websites provide discounts on their tickets.

Ticket Barter websites have been around for sometime now. Ticket barter websites allow people to sell off their tickets at cheaper rates or through bidding, if they are unable to attend a concert or event. This is a technique in which they can get some of their money back, and you can avail cheap tickets to your favorite concerts or events.

If you are keen on buying cheap theme park tickets, there are a number of options you can consider. Similar to event and concert venues, buying tickets from the theme park’s official website can get you cheaper tickets and many other discounted amenities for your visit. Cheap or Discount tickets are sometimes also offered by theme parks in association with other companies. For example, you can obtain cheap Disney Land tickets by staying at a particular Disney -partner hotel inside the theme park. However the cheapest theme park tickets are mostly available on travel packages arranged via reputable travel agents, association memberships or recreation travel companies.

Cheap airline tickets are also best found online. There are a number of travel websites offering cheap airline tickets to the destination of your choice. Through using other affiliated services of the airline, for e.g. partner hotels or car rentals, you can obtain discount airline tickets.

It is true that people can do anything just to get a hand on the concert ticket of their favourite articles or sports team. In some cases, prices becomes to barrier. They buy the tickets as soon as the concerts or the game is announced. It is however wise to search for a cheap concert ticket or discounted sports ticket to save some money. After all, it is your money!

Mike Harrell is the founder of Daily Ticket Hub an online website where consumers can purchase discounted online tickets to concerts and events on Daily Ticket Hub. Find more information about Discount Concert Tickets here.

1962 was a revolutionary year for the music industry. Five people came together to take the music industry absolutely by storm – a storm which has not lowered in intensity to this day.

These five people are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards (on guitar), Ian Stewart (on piano), Charlie Watts (on the drums), and Bill Wayman. They comprise the popular group known as the Rolling Stones. The group has since produced 55 albums, 200 million copies of which have been sold all over the world.

Why are the Rolling Stones so popular?

* The Rolling Stones can take credit for revolutionizing the music industry of the 70s. As it was then, pop music was very popular all of which changed with the Rolling Stones storming the music industry with their classical fusion of Rock and Blues.

* Its lead vocalist, Mick Jagger, has sang in many albums that were worldwide hits, with the first being released in the summer of 1963 (this was Berry’s “Come on”). The Rolling Stones first began their musical career with a gig at the Marquee Club in London in 1962.

* Rolling Stones members as a general rule lasted with the group for at least two decades or so. A case in point is Keith Richards, who was the group’s lead guitarist and provided backing vocals for Mick Jagger. He started in 1963 and is around up to now.

* Better still, even now he provides backing vocals to Mick and strums on the guitar. This long term association of most of its band members has enabled Rolling Stones to preserve its style of music over a long period of time.

Who are the band members of Rolling Stones?

Obviously, the list cannot start without the mention of Mick Jagger who has been at the heart of every Rolling Stones concert with his vocals. Keith Richards, who is the guitarist of the band and also provides backing vocals is also worth mention as he has been associated with the band for more than 45 years now.

The latest Rolling Stones concert also witnessed Charlie Watts on the drums and percussion and Ron Wood handling the guitar, pedal steel and the lap steel for the band. This combination of the big 4 has been around for the last 33 years of Rolling Stones musical history.

With such a class act line-up, Rolling Stones generates mass hysteria amongst people worldwide. And its no wonder that all the Rolling Stones concerts get packed to the rafters.

Related topics: Gain insight into rolling stones products plus discount concert tickets – just click the links for more details.

Recording and sound professionals are among the most essential professionals in the field of entertainment. From the sound of live events, concerts and television broadcasts, and film sound recording, the work of technical sound is crucial. The truth is; sound is only as good as the equipment. For concert sound engineers, it is necessary to have high-quality, reliable sound mixing equipment. Regardless of whether they are live or in the studio, musicians demand great sound. Requests for these two types of concert sound, however, are not the same.

A good system for a concert tour is often very expensive Engineers should be able to expect that the company they hire will provide reliable equipment. For 15 years, the best digital audio mixers for the concerts are provided Hi-Tech audio. They built their businesses, starting from one console. Today, they are considered some of the biggest sound in music and television

The staff of Hi-Tech Audio is passionate about their business. They research (and occasionally help develop) each console they sell or rent, as well as the reputation of the manufacturer for quality and service. Nothing that fails to meet their high standards is ever offered through Hi-Tech Audio. Thorough personal training insures that sound engineers are capable of competently manning the concert sound equipment they rent or purchase. They can then hit the road with the confidence, knowing that should difficulties arise, the Hi-Tech Audio staff will offer impeccable technical assistance.

Reputation matters. That is why Hi-Tech Audio has remained at the forefront in a competitive business. The concert sound they have provided for the last fifteen years continues to resonate loudly.

Steve Collins is an author and Journalist based in Encino, CA. He specializes in writing about live sound, recording and in particular concert sound.

A live music boom driven by bands ranging from the newest guitar acts to reformed rock dinosaurs will lead to the reopening of former concert halls across Britain next year.

Academy Music Group, the UK’s biggest owner of live venues, will today unveil plans for three new ones with capacities of more than 2,000 in 2008, including the refurbishment of legendary names like the Roxy in Sheffield and the Town & Country Club in Leeds.

Both played host to a string of famous acts before being converted into nightclubs. While both cities have experienced a musical revival with the likes of Arctic Monkeys and the Pigeon Detectives, neither has a large concert hall.

AMG chief executive John Northcote also that confirmed Brighton Hippodrome, a grand music hall that played host to the Beatles and the Stones in the 60s before becoming a bingo venue, was on course to reopen in April 2008.

The company is also in negotiations to buy one other venue next year and four more in 2009.

The Sheffield Roxy hosted David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and concerts by the Jam and the Clash in the 70s before becoming a nightclub. It was threatened with demolition throughout the 90s and Northcote said he had been chasing the “iconic” building for four years.

The Grade I-listed Leeds site was built in 1885 and went through various incarnations as a theatre, a cinema, a bingo hall and a television studio. In the 90s, it was home to the Town & Country club before also becoming a nightclub.

Industry experts put the surge in popularity for live music down to a wider demographic going to gigs, better facilities and a resurgence of interest in live bands kick started by the Libertines and sustained by Arctic Monkeys.

Yesterday, the Police’s global reunion tour was named the most profitable of 2007 by Billboard, the US industry magazine. The trio have so far grossed more than £83.8m from 53 shows seen by more than 1.5 million people.

From younger crowds recruited through my space to re-formed 90s acts like the Verve catering for thirty-somethings, live music is more popular than ever. An increasingly fragmented media culture, with unfettered access to music online, has led fans to crave the one-off communal experience provided by concerts and festivals. “To be one of 5,000 people at Brixton Academy, all there because they love the band – you are in an exclusive club,” said Northcote.

He also gives credit to a more unlikely source. “A big influence was the success of bands like the Spice Girls and Westlife. The thing about those pop acts is that they played massive tours to a new generation of concert goers who were 10 then and will be 20 now,” he said.

Older gig-goers are also a common sight. “People would reach the age of 25 and spend the rest of their lives harking back to the music they loved then. But now people seem to stay interested in new music for longer,” said Bob Angus, managing director of concert promoter Metropolis, a shareholder in AMG along with rivals SJM and US giant Live Nation. The latter recently signed a 10-year deal with Madonna worth $120m, encompassing everything from records to concerts and films. While AMG concentrates on medium-sized venues, a nationwide network of smaller Barfly venues, owned by the Channelfly Group, is also thriving.

At the other end of the scale, Wembley stadium has reopened and AEG has succeeded in laying to rest the ghost of the Millennium Dome with a string of sold-out concerts by the likes of Prince and the Spice Girls at the O2 arena.

Hot rocks

£743m Value of live music industry in the UK, up 8% on 2006, says Mintel

£83,000 Paid for last pair of Led Zeppelin tickets at O2 in London. They were auctioned for Children in Need

1m-plus Applications for Led Zeppelin tickets at £125 each

£83.8m Grossed so far by the Police reunion tour

3.25m Attendance at Academy venues in 2006

21 nights Sold out by Prince at the O2

One of the best ever live performing bands is Rush A group of phenomenal musicians who are as popular today as they were in the 1970s were put on another plane. And, really, they are not that easy to place in a any specific genre, unless it is considered “rock.” They’ve been classified under a lot of labels – “heavy metal”, “progressive rock”, “hard rock”, etc. – but none have been accurate.

They have garnered one of the most faithful and passionate groups of disciples of any band ever assembled, in spite of having very few bonafide hit records and the wide disparity of music offered on their various and divergent studio recordings.

These elements make their concerts the best I have ever had the pleasure of attending.

Attend a Rush concert, and you’ll find the difference from other heavy rock band audiences as being far more attentive to the music, paving the way for a thoroughly enjoyable performance. Many live shows are about the “flash” – not the music; and usually, that’s due to the mediocrity of the music. The music at a Rush show is complex, and that is what makes it so awesome. Despite the very complex lyrics, thousands of fans sing along, dance and cheer to finely crafted music.

That only three guys could create such amazing music is astounding. The band Rush, doesn’t use any musicians during studio sessions, and they do not use any session musicians in their live concerts. This further connects the fans with the band and creates a unique, exciting experience for the audience in a way that can’t be compared with any other show. The guys have never split up and have had the exact same members for 30 years. In addition, they’ve never used back-up singers or keyboardists live. Of the three chosen, there are two expert connoisseurs of songwriting: Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. The other, Neil Peart, is one of the most excellent authors in the world.

At a Rush concert, there is a special charge to the atmosphere before the first laser is shone and before the first note is even played. Although the music is of utmost importance, Rush concerts are also visually stimulating. Lasers, giant videos or screens showing close-ups of the musicians’ performances in real time, crazy song-fitting things like flashpot explosions during “Far Cry” or head-bobbing, time-keeping bunnies coming up out of top hats when they play their signature song “Tom Sawyer”, and on and on let the special effects crew go crazy.

And the musicians are hardly just standing or sitting there–especially Neil Peart, who may be the only front man drummer there ever was in rock music and whose massive, full-circle drum kit always takes center stage. Lifeson, who plays Guitar and Lee, who is a singer, bass player and keyboardist are a dynamic duo who have just as much zest and electricity now in their mid-50’s as they did when they were younger.

The audiences at a Rush concert are filled with musicians and non-musicians alike. The non-musicians love to play air-anything – even the drums! Speaking of the drums (Rush and drums are practically synonymous), at just about every other rock concert the drum solo is an excuse to go to the bathroom or go grab another beer; but not at a Rush concert. At a Rush concert, the drum solo is WAITED for. For those six to nine minutes of action, everyone remains where they are, watching in awe. Afterwards, the clapping, yelling and cheers are ear numbing!

Rush also, for all their musical and lyrical seriousness, have the most incredible sense of humor, adding yet another dimension of fun to their shows. Two tours ago Lee decided to change the lyrics to an old classic “The Temples of Syrinx” to say “We are the pirates of the Temples…Lee threw himself fully into the act by wearing a stuffed pirate on his shoulder, and the audience participated by waving pirate skull and cross bone flags During the tour I spotted them four times.. As regards that zany character called Lifeson…In front of his foot switches, the barbie dolls (new for this tour and definitely blond and busty) declare his hotness and abundance of talent. Behind Lee you can find three large rotisserie chicken cookers cooking real chicken that will match Lifeson’s huge wall of Marshall stacks.

Non-fans sometimes refer to Rush as a cult. When attending a Rush concert, you will see the reason for this, and discover that they are at least half right about it.

Attending a Rush concert is like being at a religious ceremony. and everybody will be singing, for up to three hours!

Boston’s Fenway Park came alive last night as The Police performed one classic hit after another in center field. This is the hottest tour of the 2007 summer and it did not disappoint.

I grew up in the 80’s and always loved The Police so when I heard that they were going on tour this summer, I bought my tickets immediately. The trio sounded fantastic live, creating their signature reggae and punk-influenced music on stage under a mostly clear sky and humid night. The concert began with Message in a Bottle, Synchronicity II and then Walking on the Moon. You couldn’t have picked three better tunes to start the show.

I was looking for any hints of the three playing separately since they’ve been broken up for so long and have had their differences in the past. I recently read a review of one of their earlier shows on this reunion tour where the writer thought it was like hearing three different solo artists happening to play on one stage together. I found no such thing at the Fenway Park concert.

They were one and played as a band. You could just tell how comfortable they were with each other. And as the night progressed, they became even tighter. When Stewart Copeland played everything conceivable except the downbeat, yet the three managed to stay glued to the underlying groove, I was sure I was witnessing a group in the truest sense of the word.

Not only did they play as one cohesive band, but most traces of Sting’s solo career were pleasingly missing. I am also a fan of Sting’s solo music and have been to a few of his shows, but I wanted to hear The Police last night and I did. They didn’t play any Sting tunes, a good decision. And Sting was humble and even inserted both Any Summers’ and Stewart Copeland’s names into a song.

Sting rocked on the bass and he surprised me with his talent. As a bass player myself, I can appreciate just how good he is and I suspect he has improved quite a bit since the eighties. From slap bass to thumb-picking, and from solo riffs in the high register to heart-pounding low-note grooves, Sting was the master of his bass last night. And what amazed me even more was his awesome ability to play syncopated bass while singing harmonious tunes.

Sting’s voice was great too. He hit all the high notes, and there were a lot of them, and nailed every vocal their songs required of him. For a while during the show I thought there was some background vocals just off the stage or maybe a soundtrack playing in the background, but it turned out to be the audience! Everyone seemed to know every word of every song. Sting would purposefully back off the microphone and the crowd would sing the rest of the lyric in unison. In numerous songs, he would sing the first part of the chorus and the crowd would sing the rest. It was a blast since I too knew all the words.

Stewart Copeland was ridiculously good. He drumming was like a genius rhythm machine on steroids. From the wicked snap of his snare to the booming bass drum, Copeland proved to me that his is still one of the best drummers around. His hands were lightening fast, often simply a blur. The beats and polyrhythms emanating from his drum kit were both mesmerizing and beautiful. Copeland also created some unique sounds on his large inventory of percussion instruments. We watched him standing up jamming on one of these unusual instruments and then bouncing over to his seat at his drum kit and slamming down on his snare in perfect rhythm.

Andy Summers also put on quite a show with his famous wide and multi-layered chords. Summers had a few solos and ramped it up in each one. As the night progressed the band sounded more and more like one cohesive unit with Summers filling in the sound. In fact it was remarkable just how much sound three guys can produce. They knew exactly how to make it sound like there were seven or eight musicians up there.

They ended the concert with Roxanne, and then encored with King of Pain, So Lonely, Every Breath You Take and finally, Next To You.

Last night I was at times perfectly transported back to my youth while I took in the whole experience. There were many tunes that reminded me so clearly of earlier times in my life, and that nostalgia felt good. But then I would snap back to the present, summer of 2007, and quickly remember that I was also witnessing a live band that is still relevant today that is made up of musicians at the top of their game.