Two Legends, One Month, 14 Shows

Eric Clapton. Steve Winwood.

The names say it all. Two of the biggest legends in rock are again joining forces in a sweet co-headline, 14-city U.S. tour beginning June 10 in New Jersey.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the two rockers have worked together. Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were charter members, along with Ginger Baker and Rick Grech, of the 1969 super group Blind Faith.

More recently, Clapton and Winwood played the 2007 Chicago Crossroads Festival. Then, they did three nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2008, considered the first full Winwood / Clapton concerts in 40 years.

Now, they are re-uniting for 14 shows across the U.S. in June.

06/10/09 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center

06/12/09 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

06/13/09 Washington, DC Verizon Center

06/15/09 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

06/17/09 Chicago, IL United Center

06/18/09 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

06/20/09 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha

06/21/09 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

06/23/09 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

06/24/09 Houston, TX Toyota Center

06/26/09 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena

06/27/09 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

06/29/09 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena

06/30/09 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

Nothing more need be added by us. If you're already a BPD member, better get your request in ASAP. If you're not yet a member but would love to stand beside these two giants, join BackstagePassDirect today.

Another Summer, Another Tour: The Dave Matthews Band

These perennial favorites are known for their annual summer-long, nationwide tours featuring lengthy improvisational renditions of their songs accompanied by video and elaborately choreographed lighting. With band members who each have roots in differing genres, including jazz, classical music, soul music, and "Afro-beat", the combination of each member has created a sound which has earned DMB fans from a wide variety of quarters.

Active in a wide variety of social issues from the fight for equality, the environment, education, racial tolerance, and AIDS awareness, DMB consistently sells out the largest arenas on earth.

This year's tour runs into the Fall and of special note to fans would be the Sep 29th show at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, AR which will opened by none other than Gregg Allman.

Here are the dates and venues for May and June:

05/01/09 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

05/02/09 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center

05/05/09 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion

05/06/09 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion

05/08,09/09 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

05/27/09 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

05/29,30/09 Boston, MA Fenway Park

06/05,06/09 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre

06/12,13/09 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center

06/16/09 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

06/17/09 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis

06/19,20/09 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion

Dancing backstage while Dave and the Band do their special thing could be the highlight of anyone's Spring or Summer. You could make it yours; join BackstagePassDirect today.

U2 Tour Update

Tickets for the first 3 stops on U2's Summer/Fall 360 Tour in the US will go on sale in the next few days. But BackstagePassDirect has even more dates, dates that don't even appear on the band's website.

The shows are selling out incredibly fast worldwide; we suspect that the same will apply to backstage passes. So, here are the confirmed dates:

12-Sep-09 Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
20-Sep-09 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
24-Sep-09 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
29-Sep-09 FedEx Field, Landover, MD
01-Oct-09 Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA
06-Oct-09 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
09-Oct-09 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
12-Oct-09 Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX
14-Oct-09 Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

You snooze, you definitely lose. Visit BackstagePassDirect today, join up, and make your requests.

Member Review: The Pretenders

Member "NewMom2B" wrote:

Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, with drummer Martin Chambers the only other remaining original member, rocked us on Mardi Gras night with a mixture of tunes old (“Talk of The Town,” “Message of Love,” “Back on the Chain Gang”) and new (“Don’t Cut Your Hair,” “Rosalee, “Love’s A Mystery”) in promoting their ninth and most recent album, the terrific Break Up the Concrete.

Hynde, an American girl (Akron, Ohio) who formed the group with three British males in 1978, is still going strong at age 57 even while flecks of gray start appearing among those trademark black bangs. She refuses to sit on her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame laurels (Class of 2005, with U2) or turn into a bland nostalgia act that winds up playing in casino bars and hotel lounges.

The Pretenders hit the stage to the recorded sounds of “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady. Still looking as cool as she did on the cover of Pretenders II in 1981, Hynde, wearing a dark tie and a coat with tails over a striped vest and black top, worn but slim-fitting jeans showing a gaping hole just under the top right pocket and knee-length boots with high heels, tore into “Boots of Chinese Plastic,” the energetic opener to Break Up the Concrete that coulda been a Top 40 contender back in the day.

Introducing the album’s second track, “Don’t Cut Your Hair,” Hynde snarled, “Here’s one for all the gentlemen in the house ... if there are any,” then shimmied and swayed across the stage.

And the Pretenders were off and running, while the full house occupied mostly by Middle-Aged Crazies ate it up, most of them standing on their feet for much of the show. Hynde, notorious in her heyday for telling unreceptive, unruly or unappreciative audiences where to go, was gracious throughout most of the 90-minute set. She smiled and bowed often, looking happy to be working with a group that has gone through enough personnel changes to keep Wikipedia working overtime.

She gave shout-outs to her boys in the band (past and present), calling the white-haired Chambers (with mutton-chopped sideburns and muscle shirt while sitting behind a clear plastic device that resembled a splash guard on a buffet table), “the world’s greatest drummer.” While those red locks are nevermore, he appeared as vibrant as he did back in 1981.

In introducing “Kid,” Hynde honored the memory of the band’s first guitarist, the extraordinary James Honeyman Scott, and bassist Pete Farndon, both of whom died of drug overdoses in the early '80s. “Without them, we wouldn’t be here,” she said.

Her love of country music is evident with the addition of steel pedal guitarist Eric Heywood, formerly of Son Volt, who was featured on “Love’s a Mystery” and “The Nothing Maker,” the latter a song Hynde said is “about a guy who has less ambition than all you guys put together ... and that’s why I love him.” And while bassist Nick Wilkinson has been a constant touring companion in recent years, the addition of lead guitarist James Walbourne has given the Pretenders a renewed vigor.

Walbourne’s rapid-fire riffs on “Rosalee” and “Thumbelina” were scorchers that set the stage for a frenetic finish that included four encores off their 1980 debut album, highlighted by the fast and furious “The Wait,” "Tattooed Love Boys," and “Precious”.

Yet Hynde and the Pretenders didn’t make this a predictable setlist. She and Walbourne actually shared a laugh after she prematurely moved Ray Davies’ “Stop Your Sobbing” (with a quick reference to the “Muswell Hillbilly,” who’s the father of her first child) up in the order.

A couple of times in the set Hynde even took requests, although she shot down one lame choice by growling sarcastically, “At least make it a Pretenders song.” For the most part, though, she appeared relaxed and in a festive mood, watching fans throw Mardi Gras beads on the stage and almost placing a cheap green, gold, and purple wreath made of tinsel around her neck. "How come Stevie Nicks gets cuddly dolls and hats?" she wondered aloud.

She didn’t disappoint anyone who was wondering if her mean streak had completely vanished. All it took was an asshole who sneaked in a cellphone camera, despite the highly visible postings at the entrance that they were not allowed.

On two occasions she got visibly annoyed, including in the middle of “Day After Day,” when Hynde, tambourine in hand, snapped “Can you stop it?” then continued like nothing ever happened.

Okay, so Chrissie isn’t always Little Miss Sunshine. Isn’t that part of her appeal? Yet, in the back before going on, she stood with me and shared stories of motherhood (I'm at 6 months and HUGE!!), remembering how thrilled she had been to be able to get back in her “cool jeans” only months after giving birth.

That's the yin-yang of Chrissie as she keeps playing for legions of Hip Chicks and Rock Jocks everywhere, continuing to challenge her band, her fans and anyone else who dares to come between them. No pretending or pretension about it.

Definitely, being backstage at great shows is where its at. Become a member of BackstagePassDirect and get your dreams made real.

More Breaking News

Seems like this stuff comes in bunches.................

The Jonas Brothers have just announced a major 44 city North American tour via their MySpace page.

The tour featuring Joe, Nick and Kevin is to begin in May in Peru. Additional concert dates are expected to be announced.

"This tour is going to be about really connecting with our fans," Joe Jonas told MTV News. "We've got new music that's taking us in new directions, plus a mind-blowing production that's going to surprise everyone. We want to give the audience the summer concert they're not going to ever forget."

The band said they will play will play on a specially designed 140-foot-plus stage that will be set up in the center of the venues. A statement released by the band also hints that the stage will feature a "one-of-a-kind" water screen, lasers and "other surprises that will bring the tour to the next level of concert entertainment."

The upcoming tour is one of several projects the brothers have on the go. A Disney Channel comedy -- J.O.N.A.S. -- is set to debut in May and they have plans for a new album later this year.

The band said Jordin Sparks will join them on the tour. The U.S. dates begin in late June and run through the end of August:

06/20/09 Dallas, TX Dallas Cowboys New Stadium

06/22/09 Tulsa, OK BOK Center

06/24/09 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

06/26/09 Nampa, ID Idaho Center

06/27/09 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena

06/28/09 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome

07/04/09 Provo, UT LaVell Edwards Stadium

07/07/09 Omaha, NE Qwest Center Omaha

07/08/09 Minneapolis, MN Target Center

07/09/09 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center

07/10/09 Roset, IL Allstate Arena

07/13/09 Washington, DC Verizon Center

07/14/09 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center

07/17/09 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden

07/20/09 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

07/24/09 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

07/25/09 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena

07/26/09 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills

07/28/09 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center

07/29/09 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

08/01/09 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

08/03/09 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion At San Jose

08/04/09 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena

08/05/09 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center

08/07/09 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

08/11/09 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena

08/13/09 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center

08/15/09 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena

08/16/09 Birmingham, AL BJCC Arena

08/18/09 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum

08/19/09 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center

08/21/09 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Mem. Arena

08/22/09 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena

08/23/09 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena

08/25/09 Nashville, TN Sommet Center

08/26/09 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena

08/27/09 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Request your passes today at BackstagePassDirect. Don't miss out on this record making, record breaking tour.

Breaking News

You heard it first right here!

Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, two of pop music's most enduring and prolific outfits, are reuniting for a 30-city tour this summer, starting June 5 in Orange, Beach, Ala.

The two groups toured together in 2004-5, and each will perform a full show before joining for a final set with both bands onstage together.

Earth Wind & Fire, a favorite of President Barack Obama, performed in the East Room of the White House on February 22 at the first social event hosted by the new administration.

Both bands formed in the late 1960s. They have become two of the most popular and long-lasting touring bands in music history. Earth Wind and Fire's founding members have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chicago has sold more than 100 million records, and 25 of its 30 albums have been certified platinum.

Chicago/Earth Wind & Fire tour dates:

June 5: Orange Beach, AL (The Amphitheater at The Wharf)

June 6: Atlanta, GA (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre At Encore Park)

June 9: Charlotte, NC (Time Warner Cable Arena)

June 10: Washington, D.C. (Merriweather Post Pavilion)

June 12: Atlantic City, NJ (Borgata Event Center)

June 13: Atlantic City, NJ (Borgata Event Center)

June 14: Bethel, NY (Bethel Performing Arts Center)

June 16: Boston, MA (Agganis Arena)

June 17: New York, NY (Madison Square Garden)

June 19: Ledyard, CT (MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods)

June 20: Verona, NY (Turning Stone Resort Casino)

June 21: Columbus, OH (Value City Arena at Jerome Schottenstein Center)

June 23: Indianapolis, IN (Conseco Fieldhouse)

June 24: Detroit, MI (DTE Energy Music Theater)

June 26: Chicago, IL (Allstate Arena)

Jun 28: Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)

June 30: Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest)

July 1: Minneapolis, MN (Target Center)

July 10: Houston, TX (The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)

July 11: Dallas, TX (Nokia Theater at Grand Prairie)

July 13: Sandia, NM (Sandia Amphitheatre)

July 14: Denver, CO (Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre)

July 17: Seattle, WA (WaMu Theater)

July 18: Portland, OR (Rose Garden Theater Of The Clouds)

July 21: San Jose, CA (HP Pavilion at San Jose)

July 22: Ontario, CA (Citizens Business Bank Arena)

July 24: Glendale, AZ (Jobing.com Arena)

July 25: Las Vegas, NV (The Joint @ The Hard Rock & Casino)

July 28: Los Angeles, CA (Nokia Theater L.A. Live)

July 21: Berkeley, CA (The Greek Theater at UC-Berkeley)

August 1: Lake Tahoe, NV (Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey's)

These passes will fly out the door, so be sure to order yours right away. If you're still not a member of BackstagePassDirect, you can join at the link.

Spring Tours Roll Out, Part Two

As we wrote last time, the phones are ringing off the hook with promoters calling in their tour schedules for the coming months. And it's not just the rock promoters that are going nuts; look who's touring on the country circuit:

• Alan Jackson
• Allman Brothers
• Blake Shelton
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• Brad Paisley
• Brooks & Dunn
• Dierks Bentley
• George Strait
• Houston Rodeo
• Keith Urban
• Kenny Chesney
• K.D. Lang
• Little Big Town
• Merle Haggard
• Montgomery Gentry
• Neko Case
• Oak Ridge Boys
• Taylor Swift
• Vince Gill
• Willie Nelson

and many, many more.

If you never seen a live show from backstage before, if you've never hung out with a so-called "country star", this is your chance. BackstagePassDirect has the passes you want to have. Our members see great concerts from the back of some of the finest venues in the country.

You can too; join today.

Spring Tours Roll Out

While the weather may not yet be Spring-like in your part of the country, things are heating up here in the offices of BackstagePassDirect.

The phones are ringing off the hook with promoters calling in their tour schedules for the coming months. It's going to be a great concert season in 2009 with performances by:

• 3 Doors Down
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Blue October
• Bruce Springsteen
• Cruefest
• Disturbed
• Dropkick Murphys
• Jagermeister Music Tour
• Kings of Leon
• Metallica
• Motley Crue
• Nickelback
• No Doubt
• Phish
• Slipknot
• SnoCore Tour
• Taste of Chaos
• The Dead
• The Eagles
• The Killers
• The Pretenders

and many, many other great bands.

If you never seen a live show from backstage before, if you've never hung out with a so-called "rock star", this is your chance. BackstagePassDirect has the passes you want to have. Our members see great concerts from the back of some of the finest venues in the country.

You can too; join today.