Tom Hanks discusses his most embarrassing audition for a touring show of Grease, when he showed up to the audition with a terrible head cold.
Netflix Announces Rapture an 8-part Documentary Series on Hip Hop Culture
From Mass Appeal, Rapture stares directly into the bright light that hip hop culture shines on the world and doesn’t blink. Throughout 8 episodes and featuring a diverse swath of artists — Nas and Dave East, T.I., Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 2 Chainz and Just Blaze – Rapture dives into the artists’ lives with their families and friends, to sitting front row in the studio and grinding on tour, to experiencing the ecstatic power of moving the crowd. It premieres on Netflix March 30th.
Kevin Hart’s “Irresponsible Tour” Adds Over 100 New Dates Across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia
Kevin Hart announced he is expanding his widely successful and massively hysterical ‘The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour,’ adding over 100 new dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. Produced by Live Nation, the new dates will kick off March 23 in Baltimore, MD and hit all new cities including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, Paris, London, Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, and more. See below for full routing and on sale details.
Hart’s last multi-city domestic and international WHAT NOW comedy tour sold out large venues all over the world, including being the first comedian to sell out an NFL stadium, selling over 50,000 tickets in one show at Lincoln Financial Field. Internationally, he sold out over a dozen arenas in the European market, selling over 150,000 tickets, and sold out arenas across Australia, selling 100,000 tickets. Hart’s hit comedy tour grossed over $100 million worldwide.
2017 was a banner year for Hart, his memoir I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons debuted at Number One on the New York Times Bestseller list and remained on the list for ten consecutive weeks. The book also topped records on the Audible platform, selling over 100,000 copies in the first five weeks. Earlier in the year Hart voiced a title character in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. To close 2017, Kevin appeared in the Sony reboot of the classic film Jumanji alongside Dwayne Johnson and Jack Black. Jumanji has been Kevin’s highest grossing box office release to date, the movie has made over $800 million worldwide.
Hart’s newest business venture is his digital platform the LOL NETWORK – Laugh Out Loud, the comedy brand and multi-platform network founded by Hart in partnership global content leader Lionsgate. Hart’s next feature film is Night School for Universal, a film in which he co-wrote, produces and stars in – all under the Hartbeat production banner. The comedy follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the longshot chance they’ll pass the GED exam.
‘THE KEVIN HART IRRESPONSIBLE TOUR’ 2018 DATES:
DATE: CITY: VENUE:
Fri Mar 23 Baltimore, MD Royal Farms Arena
Sun Mar 25 Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum
Fri Mar 30 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum
Sat Mar 31 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
Sun Apr 01 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
Fri Apr 06 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at The BJCC
Sat Apr 07 Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena
Sun Apr 08 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Fri Apr 13 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
Sat Apr 14 Chicago, IL United Center
Fri Apr 20 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
Sat Apr 21 Hamilton, ON FirstOntario Centre
Sun Apr 22 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena
Fri Apr 27 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Sat Apr 28 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
Sun Apr 29 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Sat May 05 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena
Sun May 06 Buffalo, NY KeyBank Center
Fri May 11 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
Sat May 12 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Arena
Sun May 13 Ontario, CA Citizens Business Bank Arena
Thu May 17 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center
Fri May 18 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Sat May 19 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
Fri May 25 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sat May 26 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Sun May 27 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri Jun 01 Winnipeg, MB Bell MTS Centre
Sat Jun 02 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
Sun Jun 03 Regina, SK Brandt Centre
Fri Jun 08 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Sat Jun 09 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Sun Jun 10 Boise, ID Ford Idaho Center
Thu Jun 14 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Fri Jun 15 Portland, OR Moda Center
Sat Jun 16 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Thu Jun 21 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Fri Jun 22 Concord, CA Concord Pavilion
Sat Jun 23 Irvine, CA Five Points Amphitheatre
Fri Jun 29 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Sat Jun 30 Salt Lake City, UT Vivint Smart Home Arena
Sun Jul 01 Phoenix, AZ Talking Stick Resort Arena
Fri Jul 06 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sat Jul 07 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
Fri Jul 13 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
Sat Jul 14 Camden, NJ BB&T Pavilion
Sun Jul 15 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Fri Jul 20 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
Sat Jul 21 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sun Jul 22 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Fri Jul 27 Montreal, QC Centre Bell *Montreal International Just For Laughs Festival
Sat Jul 28 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Sun Jul 29 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Fri Aug 03 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheatre
Sat Aug 04 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
Sun Aug 05 Biloxi, MS Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Wed Aug 15 Reykjavik, Iceland Laugardalshöll
Thu Aug 16 Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Arena
Fri Aug 17 Oslo, Norway Vallhall Arena
Sat Aug 18 Stockholm, Sweden Ericsson Globe
Sun Aug 19 Gothenburg, Sweden Scandinavium
Tue Aug 21 Dublin, Ireland 3Arena
Wed Aug 22 Paris, France Olympia
Fri Aug 24 Amsterdam, Netherlands Ziggo Dome
Sat Aug 25 Antwerp, Belgium Sportpaleis Antwerp
Sun Aug 26 Berlin, Germany Mercedes-Benz Arena
Mon Aug 27 Cologne, Germany Lanxess Arena
Tue Aug 28 Glasgow, UK SEC (SSE Hydro Arena)
Thu Aug 30 Birmingham, UK Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham
Fri Aug 31 Manchester, UK Manchester Arena
Sun Sep 02 London, UK London O2 Arena
Thu Sept 13 Milwaukee, WI Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
Fri Sep 14 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Sat Sep 15 Washington, DC Capital One Arena
Fri Sep 21 Boston, MA TD Garden
Sat Sept 22 University Park, PA Bryce Jordan Center
Thu Sep 27 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Thu Oct 04 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Fri Oct 05 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
Sat Oct 06 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Thu Oct 11 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Bay Center
Fri Oct 12 Tallahassee, FL Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at Florida State University
Sat Oct 13 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena
Thu Oct 18 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
Sat Oct 20 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Fri Oct 26 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Sun Oct 28 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Thu Nov 01 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
Fri Nov 02 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Sat Nov 03 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena
Fri Nov 16 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center
Sat Nov 17 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Fri Nov 23 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
Sat Nov 24 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
Thu Nov 29 Honolulu, HI* Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall
Mon Dec 03 Perth, Australia Perth Arena
Wed Dec 05 Melbourne, Australia Rod Laver Arena
Fri Dec 07 Sydney, Australia Qudos Bank Arena
Sun Dec 09 Brisbane, Australia Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Tue Dec 11 Auckland, New Zealand Spark Arena
Thu Dec 13 Singapore SunTec City
*on sale beginning 9am local time
DJ Cummerbund Mashes Shania Twain and Marilyn Manson To Full Effect
What happens when Marilyn Manson hooks up with Shania Twain? Well, thanks to DJ Cummerbund, we now have the answer in Man I Feel Beautiful by Shanilyn Twanson.
The Gaslight Anthem Celebrate The ’59 Sound With Special Shows
The Gaslight Anthem has announced a very special series of shows celebrating the 10th anniversary of their milestone second studio album, THE ’59 SOUND. The New Jersey-based rock band will travel North America and Europe performing the album in its entirety, with dates beginning May 27th at Washington, DC’s legendary 9:30 Club and then traveling into mid-August. As previously announced, The Gaslight Anthem will also perform THE ’59 SOUND in its entirety at this year’s Governors Ball Music Festival.
Released by SideOneDummy Records on August 19th, 2008, THE ’59 SOUND officially saw The Gaslight Anthem break out as one of the most electrifying groups, marrying their punk roots with classic FM radio scale to craft a soulful and exhilarating vision of American rock ‘n’ roll. Songs like “Old White Lincoln,” “Great Expectations” and the worldwide smash title track proved transcendent modern rock classics, fueled by heroic hooks, huge choruses, and lead vocalist-guitarist-songwriter Brian Fallon’s masterful chronicles of love, loss, and the broken hearted, of summers gone and dreams still to be met.
THE ’59 SOUND earned The Gaslight Anthem rapturous reviews around the world. “THE ’59 SOUND is an answer to a prayer,” enthused Pitchfork. “When the guitars turn into chorus-firepower, it just kills because it’s been so long since we’ve heard anyone pull that off with such panache.” “Wearing their influences as badges of honour,” wrote Q, “the New Jersey quartet blast out affecting, soulful punk rock strewn with bittersweet memories of small-town blue-collar America.” Perhaps PopMatters said it best: “Oh hell, the whole damn thing is great!”
The Gaslight Anthem’s fifth and final studio album, GET HURT, made top 5 chart debuts in both the US and the UK upon its August 2014 release via Island Records. The band made its last live appearance at the UK’s Reading Festival on August 30th, 2015.
Fan presale begins January 30th (pw: 59SOUND), with all remaining tickets to be released to the general public on February 2nd. For complete ticket information, please visit www.thegaslightanthem.com.
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: THE ’59 SOUND TOUR 2018
MAY
27 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (w/ Matt Mays, Tim Barry)
JUNE
2 – New York, NY – Governors Ball Music Festival
JULY
20 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
23 – Dublin, IR – Vicar Street (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
24 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
25 – Manchester, UK – Apollo (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
27 – Tilburg, NL – O13 (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
28 – Cologne, DE – Palladium (w/ The Flatliners, Matthew Ryan)
AUGUST
10 – Toronto, ON – Rebel (w/ Joe Sib)
11 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre (w/ Matt Mays, Joe Sib)
Lunch & Learn Seminar From CIMA: Know Your Rights! Copyright & Royalties
CIMA & WorkInCulture Present Lunch & Learn 05: Know Your Rights! Copyright & Royalties
When: Wednesday, February 21st, 2018
Where: Artscape Youngplace (180 Shaw Street, Toronto, ON)
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Price: FREE for CIMA & MusicOntario members with discount code; $10 for non-members
Confused by copyright and royalties? You’re not alone! As independent artists, it’s essential to know your rights in order to make the most of your music, so prep your questions for February 21st and come get the breakdown from our guest speaker, Ron Rogers, as he uncovers the need-to-know information on intellectual property, copyright, royalties, collection societies, sync licenses, and neighbouring rights!
Ron Rogers has nearly 25 years of experience in the music industry in Canada. His career began at former industry trade journal RPM, where as news editor he covered music business trends and events, and interviewed many of the top artists and executives in music. He has also written freelance articles, promotional materials and advertorials for a variety of companies and media outlets, including Billboard Magazine, Sun Media and Canadian Music Week.
Ron later joined The Children’s Group, one of Canada’s leading independent record labels, as their Director of Publicity and Promotion. Ron subsequently left The Children’s Group to become Head of the Entertainment Management Program at a noteworthy private career college, where he developed curriculum, cultivated and coordinated a faculty of industry professionals, and developed and taught courses in music business, communications and career planning.
For the past 9 years, Ron has been a faculty member, curriculum designer and career and alumni advisor at Metalworks Institute in Mississauga, ON, a private career college dedicated to entertainment industry arts education.
In addition to his work at Metalworks, Ron also designed a Music Business certificate program for George Brown College’s Continuing Education School in Toronto, and currently runs his own music consulting business (soundintellect.com). For more than a decade he has been a juror with the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR).
You can go here for tickets!
Alessia Cara Responds To Online Trolls About Her Winning Grammy’s “Best New Artist”
Alessia Cara won Best New Artist at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, and that seemed to bring out the social media trolls. Forget the fact that changes to the Grammy rules made her eligible. Forget the fact that this was her breakout year. And forget the fact that the music industry and all the judges that encompasses a winner voted for her. No, no, the haters attacked her. Alessia had a brilliant response, as if she needed to say something in the first place – which she absolutely does not – but here it is. And it’ll make you love her even more.
Grammy Awards TV Rating May Have Dropped, But Look At These Sales Numbers For The Artists Involved
TV viewership of the The 2018 Grammy Awards may have dropped 24%, but the show was a huge success on social media, and for those artists who got to perform on the Sunday broadcast. Those songs earned a collective 328% gain in download sales in the U.S. on the day of the show, according to initial sales reports.
All together, the songs performed (and original versions of songs covered) sold 74,000 downloads, up from 17,000 on the previous day.
Additional music sales & social insights from Nielsen:
Sales lifts reflect a comparison from Saturday (1/27) to Sunday (1/28)
- Winning six Grammys (out of six nominations), including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year, Bruno Mars was the big winner of the night among voters. His success translated through to fans as sales of his songs and albums surged. The Album of the Year, 24K Magic rose 157% (over 2100 units) vs. prior day, while the title song, winner of Record of the Year lifted by 176% (nearly 2300 units). His song “That’s What I Like,” winner of Song of the Year, jumped by 186% (nearly 2000 units).
- Kendrick Lamar opened the show with a powerful performance and took home five of the seven awards for which he was nominated, including Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Humble” and Best Rap Album for DAMN. “Humble” sales increased by 71% (nearly 900 units), while DAMN. rose by 92% (over 800 units) over the day prior to the Awards. Kendrick also won best Rap Performance for his song “Loyalty” featuring Rihanna, which lifted by 273% (nearly 1200 units) over prior day.
- Childish Gambino performed his song “Terrified”, and won Best Traditional R&B Performance for his song “Redbone”. He also saw sales of his Grammy nominated album Awaken, My Love! increase by 526% (over 1500 units). “Redbone” rose by 588% (over 4000 units) as well.
- A performance that had everyone talking (*see social insights below), was Kesha‘s stirring song “Praying”, which was performed alongside some of the biggest female voices and most respected women in music. Sales of the song rose by over 8,000 units (the biggest unit increase of any performed song), or 720%, while sales of her album Rainbow lifted by 289% (nearly 500 units).
- Country superstars Little Big Town performed their song “Better Man” which won the award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Sales of the song increased by nearly 7,000 units over the prior day, a gain of over 2100%.
- Chris Stapleton took home three big awards in Country, with Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. His album From A Room: Vol. 1 increased by 132% (over 1000 units), while his nominated songs “Either Way” (+132%/+200 units) and “Broken Halos” (+36%/+1000 units) also experienced gains.
- Lady Gaga experienced significant lifts from the performance of her hits “Joanne” (+41%/+600 units) and “Million Reasons” (+662%/+3500 units).
- Bruno Mars performed “Finesse” with Cardi B, driving sales of the song up 53% (+3400 units).
- SZA, nominated for five awards, performed “Broken Clocks”, driving the song up 364% (+600 units).
- Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid gave us the final performance of the evening with the important “1-800-273-8255”, which was also nominated for Song of the Year. Sales of the song rose by 436% (over 4000 units).
- Jay-Z proved that winning and performing isn’t everything. The hip-hop and business mogul was nominated for eight awards and was acknowledged and celebrated throughout the entire Grammy weekend, including a memorable shoutout from Kendrick Lamar. Sales of his album 4:44 increased by 55% (+300 units), while songs “4:44” (+143%/+180 units), “Story of O.J.” (+135%/+180 units) and “Family Feud” (+118%/+100 units) all enjoyed increased sales.
- DJ Khaled, Rihanna, and Bryson Tiller performed “Wild Thoughts” driving sales of the song up 739% (up over 2100 units).
- One of the most talked about songs of 2017 was “Despacito”, which was performed and nominated for three awards. Despite not winning, the song grew by over 7,000 units (263%).
- Eric Church, Maren Morris and Brothers Osborne delivered a touching performance of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” as a tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas shootings. Sales of Clapton’s original version increased by 1178% (1,200 units).
- U2 braved the cold to perform with the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop on their song “Get Out of Your Own Way”. Sales of the song increased by over 3300% (nearly 2,200 units).
- Elton John and Miley Cyrus performed John’s hit “Tiny Dancer”, which enjoyed a sales increase of 208% (770 units).
- P!nk performed “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken”, which drove the song up over 20,000% (+4800 units) to become of of the biggest gainers of the night.
- Sting’s “Englishman in New York” lifted by nearly 6,300% (1500 units).
- The In Memoriam segment was opened with Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris performing Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers”, which drove the song up 536% (nearly 400 units).
Social media played a major role in the 60th Annual Grammy Awards
- There were 41.5M total interactions across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS (Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, linear metrics. January 28, 2018).
- The Grammys were the #1 most social program on 01/28/18 (Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, linear metrics, ranked on total interactions).
- Of the 41.5M total interactions measured
○ 15% occurred on Facebook
○ 59% occurred on Instagram
○ 26% occurred on Twitter
- The most social moment on Twitter occurred at 9:47 pm EST with 42K interactions as fans Tweeted during Kesha’s star-studded performance of ‘Praying’
- The top hashtags on Twitter were: #grammys, #grammys2018, #grammy and #timesup
CMW Announces Paul Shaffer as the Returning Host of the Live Music Industry Awards
Canadian Music Week (CMW) and Music Canada Live are excited to reveal Paul Shaffer as the returning host of 3rd Annual Live Music Industry Awards. Join us at 4:00pm – 6:00pm on Friday May 11, 2018 at the El Mocambo in Toronto to celebrate the best of the live music business sector. Purchase tickets here.
For 33 years Paul Shaffer served as David Letterman’s musical director and sidekick. Paul began his career in 1972 as musical director of the Toronto production of “Godspell.” He played piano in “The Magic Show” on Broadway in 1974, then spent the next five years with the original “Saturday Night Live,” where he played keyboards, composed special musical material and, in 1980, became a featured performer.
In 1977, he took a brief break from the show to star in the CBS comedy series “A Year at the Top,” produced by Norman Lear and Don Kirshner. After his return to “Saturday Night Live,” he collaborated with Gilda Radner on the songs for her Broadway show, in which he also appeared. He served as musical director for the Blues Brothers – John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd – for their triple platinum album and national tour. His guest starring television appearances include “Ed”, “The Sopranos”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, “Schitt’s Creek” and “How I Met Your Mother”. Paul recently starred with Bill Murray in and was musical director for the Netflix special “A Very Murray Christmas”, directed by Sofia Coppola, for which he received his fourth EMMY nomination. Earlier this year he was in “mini-residency” at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, performing for three weeks at the iconic Cleopatra’s Barge.
In addition to recording his own albums, Coast to Coast (1989) and The World’s Most Dangerous Party (1993), Shaffer recorded with such diverse artists as Diana Ross, Yoko Ono and Robert Plant’s Honeydrippers. He composed the LATE SHOW theme song and, with Paul Jabara, wrote the Number One ’80s dance hit “It’s Raining Men,” performed by the Weather Girls and re-recorded by Geri Halliwell for the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” soundtrack, topping the British pop charts in 2001. In 2002, he received his first GRAMMY, Best Country Instrumental, for the Earl Scruggs and Friends album, and coproduced an avant-garde jazz album for his mentor, Tsziji Munoz. His latest album, Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band, was released on March 17, 2017 and features such diverse guest vocalists as Bill Murray, Darius Rucker, Jenny Lewis, Dion, Shaggy, and Valerie Simpson.
His feature film roles include Artie Fufkin in Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap.” He also appeared in the Mike Nichols-directed “Gilda Live,” the Bill Murray movie “Scrooged,” and with John Travolta in “Look Who’s Talking Too.” He is heard as the voice of Hermes in Disney’s animated feature “Hercules” and the television series based on the film. He produced the gold-selling soundtrack for and appeared in “Blues Brothers 2000”, and composed original songs for the movie “Strangers with Candy.” He composed the theme songs for both David Letterman’s new Netflix series and Bill Murray’s new Facebook series.
Shaffer has served as musical director and producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since its inception in 1986. He led the band for the “We Are the World” finale of Live Aid. Shaffer hosted CBS’s 1994 New Year’s Eve special from New York’s Times Square and was musical director of the closing concert at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. He appeared with the Blues Brothers at the 1996 Super Bowl halftime show and was musical director of the 1999 Concert of the Century at the White House, featuring Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Gloria Estefan, ‘N Sync and others, to aid music programs in public schools. He was Paul McCartney’s musical director for “Concert for New York” and appeared with Faith Hill on the “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon, both of which honoured and raised money for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Paul Shaffer’s This Day in Rock,” is a daily interstitial feature nationally syndicated by Envision Radio. Paul’s best-selling memoir, We’ll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives, is published by Random House.
Shaffer holds two honorary doctorate degrees, was inducted into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame, and awarded a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 2008, Paul received the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour. He lives in the New York area with his wife and two children.
Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers + Ann Wilson Of Heart Announce “Stars Align Tour”
Today, iconic legendary rock musicians Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers announced they will join forces for the “Stars Align Tour,” their co-headlining summer outing with Ann Wilson of Heart. Produced by Live Nation, the outing kicks off July 18th in West Valley City, Utah, and will stop in cities across the U.S. and Canada including Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Toronto, Tampa, and more. The full listing of tour dates can be found below.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public for the “Stars Align Tour” beginning Friday, February 2.
“I always enjoy touring the U.S. in the summer and joining with Paul, and Ann Wilson, should make for quite an exciting night,” said Jeff Beck.
“This is going to be a knock out combination of music and musicians,” said Paul Rodgers. “I’ve always been a Jeff Beck fan, who isn’t? He is in a league of his own. Ann Wilson has an amazing voice and is a brilliant songwriter. 2018 marks the 50th Anniversary of ‘Free’ and I hope we can touch your spirit with the ‘Spirit of Free.’”
“I am thrilled to have been asked to perform on the Stars Align Tour with Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers,” said Ann Wilson. “They are both long time favorites of mine! They are masters at their craft and it is an honor to share the stage this summer.”
Over the course of Jeff Beck’s distinguished 50+ music career, he has earned an incredible 8 GRAMMY Awards, been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice – once as a member of the Yardbirds and again as a solo artist. In the summer of 2016, guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck celebrated 50 years of his musical career with an extraordinary concert at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Jeff Beck: Live At The Hollywood Bowl is available now.
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Rodgers has led 3 bands to global success: Free, Bad Company, & The Firm. Rodgers has been named the #3 “Greatest Voice in Rock” in Rolling Stone and the #2 “All Time Best Rock Singer” in Classic Rock Magazine. For his songwriting, he was awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award along with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Elton John. 2018 celebrates his 50th anniversary as a recording artist who has sold 125 million records. For the first time in 50 years in North America Paul’s set will focus on his Free catalogue.
On this upcoming summer run, Ann Wilson fans can expect to hear an assortment of Heart hits along with tracks from her solo career. Heart’s critically acclaimed Beautiful Broken album was released in 2016, the same year she toured with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick.
Stars Align Tour Dates:
July 18, 2018 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
July 20, 2018 Los Angeles, CA Five Point Amphitheatre
July 22, 2018 Chula Vista, CA Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
July 24, 2018 Houston, TX Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
July 25, 2018 Dallas, TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
July 28, 2018 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 29, 2018 Chicago, IL Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
July 31, 2018 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 1, 2018 Toronto, ON Budweiser Stage
August 3, 2018 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
August 4, 2018 Camden, NJ BB&T Pavilion
August 8, 2018 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
August 10, 2018 Indianapolis, IN Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
August 12, 2018 Holmdel, NJ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
August 14, 2018 Wantagh, NY Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
August 17, 2018 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium
August 19, 2018 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
August 25, 2018 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheatre
August 26, 2018 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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