Jackson Browne Goes Acoustic

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne kicks off his Fall 2009 Solo Acoustic Tour on November 1. The tour wraps on December 7. These are Browne's first solo acoustic dates since early 2008.

The stripped-down, unscripted nature of Browne's intimate solo performances can be experienced through two live albums recorded on previous solo acoustic tours in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia: the GRAMMY®-nominated Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 (2005) and Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 ('08). Both albums are available on Browne's independent label, Inside Recordings.

Rolling Stone reviewer Anthony DeCurtis wrote, "Between songs, Browne speaks about his life and music with moving candor...This is Browne at his best, engaging his audience, his own experiences and the world around him, all in songs that will not lose their resonance any time soon."

These are special performances which makes them special opportunities for BPD members.

Here's the schedule:

Sun 11/01/09 Harrisburg, PA The Forum Auditorium

Tue 11/03/09 Morristown, NJ The Community Theatre At Mayo Center For The Performing Arts

Wed 11/04/09 Scranton, PA Weinberg Theatre

Fri 11/06/09 Kingston, NY Ulster Performing Arts Center

Sat 11/07/09 Greenvale, NY Tilles Center For The Perf. Arts

Mon 11/09/09 Baltimore, MD Lyric Opera House

Wed 11/11/09 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center

Thu 11/12/09 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Sat 11/14/09 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theatre

Sun 11/15/09 Columbus, GA Bill Heard Theater

Tue 11/17/09 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Perf. Arts Centre

Wed 11/18/09 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Perf. Arts Hall

Fri 11/20/09 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

Sat 11/21/09 Miami Beach, FL Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater

Mon 11/30/09 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall

Tue 12/01/09 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater

Thu 12/03/09 Linden, TX Music City Texas Theatre

Fri 12/04/09 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre

Sun 12/06/09 Salina, KS The Stiefel Theatre For Perf. Arts

Mon 12/07/09 Des Moines, IA Civic Center of Greater Des Moines

Jackson Browne, all acoustic, all access backstage pass. What a combo! Make your pass requests now.

Still not a member? Join today.

Member Review: Kings of Leon

BPD member DaCrawDaddy wrote:

Sex, guitars, tattooed drummers, dark and moody looks, and disciplined raw power. Those are the rock and roll truths. Those are the Kings of Leon.

The Kings are singer Caleb Followill, with brothers Nathan and Jared on drums and bass and cousin Matt on lead guitar: three sons of a preacher man and their cousin.

Kings of Leon is a throwback to the 1960s and 1970s, when rock and roll was the common voice of a whole generation.

So it goes with Kings of Leon, a nostalgic rarity, a fashionably out of date, traditional Southern American blues rock and roll band which has more in common with bands from a generation and more earlier -- The Doors and The Black Crowes.

This was garage rock on a grand scale. Hell, there was no mistaking the lack of pretense, cliche or posing from this band, right down to the DIY band- logo taped onto the bass drum.

"You guys still having fun out there?" teased Caleb mid-set. Everybody was already having a lot of fun and ready for more. The teasing line was followed by a challenge to his bandmates.

"How are you doing up here on stage? You having fun?" he asked, looking around.

That meant it was time for Sex on Fire, the KOL anthem and a contender for the rock hall of fame.

With the light show burning red and the fans singing along massively, Sex on Fire burned along -- and the night was officially hot. It had been hot all night with only Caleb's three visits from me (as the designated refreshment deliverer) bringing some liquid coolant a cause for worry.

"In the last few days, we've come down with a cold or something. I know I'm not supposed to drink, but................ Would you take care of us while we're out front?" he had asked me before they took the stage. How could I say no?

Three times, though? Maybe all that sexy sweat on the frontman was a cold and maybe that held him back. Maybe. He did spit on stage at one point -- and not in a Johnny Rotten, let's spew all over the fans way. Maybe not. The only one of the band to move around much, he has finely judged prowl to go with his sweetly strong growls.

Their latest album, Only By the Night, celebrates its first birthday later this week and the hits just keep on coming.

The lead single Sex On Fire was No. 1 on the "Modern Rock" charts forever.

The second single, Use Somebody, came along with a video that long since cleared six million views on YouTube. It arrived in the encore in last night's set, long after songs like Notion and Crawl.

Kings of Leon were mostly brilliant, that is if your notion of a solid rock concert is less-is-more.

Serving refreshments? Now that's quite a gig!!

Our members sure do seem to have a good time. Want some? Join today.

"Fame Kills" is Official

Kanye West revealed in a recent TV appearance that he’ll embark on a joint tour with Lady Gaga later this year. West said, “She’s talented and so incredible that she’s not an opening act. We’re doing it together, with no opening act.” Perez Hilton says that Gaga and Yeezy will instead spend the entire show onstage performing together. One thing is certain: This show will definitely be one of the hottest backstage pass requests this year.

It’s no surprise that Kanye is a fan of Lady Gaga, who fronted Rolling Stone’s annual Hot Issue. West recently interpolated Gaga’s “Poker Face” hit into the Kid Cudi track “I Make Her Say” or “I Poke Her Face” as the kids on the streets call it. Kanye has even gone as far as saying Gaga is this generation’s Madonna. Kanye is also no stranger to recruiting the top talent on the charts to join him on tour, as his epic Glow In The Dark tour last year featured Rihanna, Chris Brown, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco.

The multiplatinum artists will unite for 34 shows in 34 cities, kicking off at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ on November 10th and runs through January 24th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Here's the full US schedule:

Tue 11/10/09 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center

Wed 11/11/09 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena

Fri 11/13/09 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

Sun 11/15/09 Anaheim, CA Honda Center

Mon 11/16/09 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center

Wed 11/18/09 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena

Thu 11/19/09 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion At San Jose

Wed 12/02/09 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

Fri 12/04/09 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center

Wed 12/09/09 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena

Fri 12/11/09 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena

Sat 12/12/09 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum

Sun 12/13/09 Norfolk, VA Norfolk Scope Arena

Wed 12/16/09 Worcester, MA DCU Center

Fri 12/18/09 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

Sat 12/19/09 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena

Sun 12/20/09 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena

Tue 12/22/09 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center

Wed 12/23/09 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena

Sat 12/26/09 Hartford, CT XL Center

Wed 12/30/09 Washington, DC Verizon Center

Sun 01/03/10 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Thu 01/14/10 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills

Sat 01/16/10 Chicago, IL United Center

Thu 01/21/10 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center

Fri 01/22/10 Houston, TX Toyota Center

Sun 01/24/10 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center

Passes are awarded on a first come first served basis, so don't delay. Join now and get your requests in early.

Member Review: U2

This just arrived in this morning's e-mail from BPD member AboutFace:

The Irish rockers kicked off their two-hour set with Breathe, from their latest album, No Line on the Horizon.

They had a 150-foot-tall, mammoth spaceship-like stage and a 54-ton state-of-the-art cylindrical video screen that eventually came apart and formed a long cone around the band later in the show during The Unforgettable Fire and City of Blinding Lights.

The group played up the futuristic bent blasting David Bowie's Space Oddity before they came out on stage, and later connected with an astronaut at the international space station in a pre-taped segment during the Passengers rarity Your Blue Room.

There was also a circular catwalk around the perimenter of the band and the musicians took a moving bridge across to get closer to the audience with Bono doing a major lap during Until the End of the World. (Not like he usually does during Where the Streets Have No Name, which was still a standout song last night.)

Having launched the 360 Degree Tour on June 30 in Barcelona, the biggest rock show of the year is, by now, a well-oiled machine even if it did take about a half-hour into the set to really ignite the crowd.

After four songs from No Line on the Horizon, which hasn't produced any real significant hits, they finally offered up the first crowdpleaser of the night, Beautiful Day and finished the song off with a snippet of Costello's Alison.

Bono also played with a lit-up, oversized dangling microphone during the second encore songs, Ultra Violet (Light My Way) and With Or Without You, while wearing a lit up jacket.

Here¹s the U2 setlist:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day (with snippet of Elvis Costello's Alison)
Still Haven't Found What I¹m Looking For/Stand By Me
Elevation
Your Blue Room
Unknown Caller
Until The End Of The World
Stay (Faraway So Close)
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo (with snippet of Elvis Costello's Pump it Up)
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday/Oliver's Army
MLK
Walk On
One (with Amazing Grace)
Where The Streets Have No Name

ENCORE

Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

I've seen the band a few times before. I'm sure that from the front, this wasn't their best outing. But this was my first time in the back, and from the back U2 ruled!!

"We got old songs, we got new songs, we got songs we can barely play, we got that spaceship," Bono confided to me backstage. Other great backstage stuff included Bono's "Without Edge none of us would be here. But in our defense, without us, Edge would still be in his bedroom twiddling knobs." The line of the night, however, belonged to bassist Adam Clayton: "The effortlessly stylish, citizen of the world, and sexual predator, the only man in U2 who uses face cream."

LOL

Thanks ever so much BPD.

Glad we could make it happen for ya. Join now and let us make it happen for you too (no pun intended)

Rob Thomas Tour

Given Rob Thomas’s stature as one of modern music’s most compelling and commercially successful artists for well over a decade – between Matchbox Twenty, his solo work, and his various collaborations with iconic artists like Santana and Mick Jagger, his tally now stands at more than 80 million albums sold worldwide – it’s easy to let the charts and numbers overshadow the essential reason he’s come so far in the first place.

He says, “I’m a guy who hears songs in his head, and I have to write them down, and I have to get them out. I’m just lucky enough that I can make it my life’s work.”

Arguably the most accomplished singer/songwriter of his generation, for Rob it all comes back to the creative source. “I have to separate the idea of what I do for a living versus what I do. Songwriting is the only thing that makes sense to me."

Passes remain available for the balance of his US tour thru early December. This is your chance to meet and get to know one of today's great songwriters and performers.

Members should just log-on and make their request; newbies need to sign up ASAP. Here are the dates and venues:

Sun 10/04/09 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater

Mon 10/05/09 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie

Wed 10/07/09 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center

Fri 10/09/09 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah's Casino - Stir Concert Cove

Sat 10/10/09 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre

Sun 10/11/09 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Thu 10/15/09 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater

Sat 10/17/09 Reno, NV Reno Events Center

Sun 10/18/09 San Jose, CA Event Ctr. At San Jose State Univ.

Tue 10/20/09 Universal City, CA Gibson Amph. At Univ. CityWalk

Wed 10/21/09 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre

Fri 10/23/09 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino

Sat 10/24/09 Las Vegas, NV Pearl Concert Theater

Sun 10/25/09 Tucson, AZ Tucson Convention Center

Tue 10/27/09 Denver, CO Magness Arena

Thu 10/29/09 Kansas City, MO The Midland By AMC

Fri 10/30/09 Hammond, IN The Venue At Horseshoe Casino

Sat 10/31/09 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre

Mon 11/02/09 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit

Fri 11/06/09 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa / Event Ctr.

Sat 11/07/09 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Mon 11/09/09 Boston, MA Citi Performing Arts Center

Tue 11/10/09 Fairfax, VA Patriot Center

Thu 11/12/09 New York, NY Beacon Theatre

Fri 11/13/09 New York, NY Beacon Theatre

Sat 11/14/09 New York, NY Beacon Theatre

Sat 12/05/09 Biloxi, MS IP Casino, Resort & Spa

Tue 12/08/09 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort & Casino

Member Review: Jonas Brothers

BPD member BabyBoi wrote us:

The Jonas Brothers will have to be declared a threat to healthy hearing if this fan screaming thing keeps up.

Mostly female teens and their mothers and BFFs, were at their decibel-breaking peak last night as the Jonas Brothers put on a slick theatrical concert.

It was a good thing that the boys came with plenty of amplification (and a 10-piece band) because they needed every watt just to be heard over the incredibly loud cheers of fans.

Note to self, bring earplugs and Aspirin next time teen idols come to town.

It appears that the Disney Channel juggernauts called Jonas Brothers act still have some life left in them after all.They are an entertainment machine. That constantly revolving stage was a thing of beauty, giving the band and concert a sense of energy, especially when lit.

And even though Nick seemed to be the shyest of the three, he was by far the strongest and most natural musician, even playing the drums during Live To Party.

Joe was the most colourful, playing the host, complimenting the girls on their signs and running back and forth across the constantly revolving stage.

Known as much for their music and TV and film projects as their love lives -- Nick has previously been involved with Miley Cyrus, Joe dated both Taylor Swift and Camille Belle and Kevin is engaged to his longtime sweetheart -- the Jonas Brothers first came to mainstream attention as guests on Cyrus' Disney Channel show, Hannah Montana, before hitting it big in last year's Disney movie, Camp Rock. (They said last night that they would begin filming the sequel in about a week.)

The Queen anthem We Will Rock You heralded the trio's arrival from beneath their huge in-the-round, rotating stage which boasted a UFO-like lighting rig and a circular video screen as they opened the night with Paranoid, the catchy first single from their most recent album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times.

"Let's get this party started right," said Joe before launching into the second song of the night, That's Just the Way We Roll.

But it was the third song of the night, Poison Ivy, that really ramped up the action as the band of brothers was joined by a four-man horn section while steam blasted all around them.

Mindless teenage pop songs with titles like Hold On, Play My Music, Year 3000, Live to Party, BB Good, World War III, Lovebug, S.O.S. and Burnin' Up (with bodyguard Big Rob making an appearance), encouraged massive singalongs and the slightest movement by one of the brothers -- like when Kevin simply spun around with his guitar flying behind him -- prompted major reactions.

"It's good to be back here," said Joe. "We love it here".

In a more serious moment, Nick played piano on Fly With Me and A Little Bit Longer, the latter during which he discussed his (Type 1) Diabetes diagnosis four years ago and thanked fans for their support.

"I made a commitment that it would not slow me down," said Nick. "And this past year alone, I met the president of the United States, we've had a second Rolling Stone cover and thanks to all of you, our second No. 1 album. And tonight I'm playing in a place I drove by every day to the set of Camp Rock, and every day, my brothers and I would say, we're going to play there one day."

But it was really the upbeat songs and goofy stunts, like having a trampoline in the middle of the stage on which all three brothers performed flips -- although Joe had a rough landing: "My butt's a big sore right now. I usually land that," he told me later backstage, that made for some of the evening's best moments.

Joe and Kevin also sprayed water on their fans from a moving crane during Live to Party while Nick handled drums and then the brothers got rained on themselves during Lovebug.

The trio even threw in a decent cover of the Black Eyed Peas' I Got a Feeling leading into their own Tonight and melted more hearts during the ballads I Need to Find You -- which saw their stage lift them up above their band -- Turn Right and When You Look Me In the Eyes.


SET LIST

Paranoid

That's Just the Way We Roll

Poison Ivy

Hold On

Play My Music

Fly With Me

A Little Bit Longer

Much Better

Year 3000

I Got a Feeling/Tonight

I Need to Find You

This Is Me (a duet with Demi Lovato)

Turn Right

When You Look Me In the Eyes

Sweet Caroline

Live to Party

BB Good

World War III

Battlefield (with Jordin Sparks)

Lovebug

S.O.S.

ENCORE:

Burnin' Up

I was gonna see the show from backstage with my younger sister, (whom I had gotten the passes for) but the thought of hysterical pre-menstrual or just menstrual teens with their mommies was more than I could handle. Joanna, my sis, was glassy-eyed for ten minutes when we hooked up again and all she could say was "F**king awesome!" I'll have to take her word for it.

BPD, you made my sis' dream come true. My opinions aside, she owes ya.

Glad she enjoyed it. Our member always do.

Join now.

Member Review: Elvis Has Not Left the Building

Member Sure2B filed this with us recently:

Elvis had gone country and it sure suits him.

That would be the "aging punk rocker" - as British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello jokingly referred to himself in a quiet moment we had backstage.

Costello, who experimented with country music before on his 1981 album of country music covers, Almost Blue, wisely brought six exceptional Nashville acoustic musicians (the so-called Sugarcanes whose ranks include bluegrass legend Jerry Douglas of Alison Krauss and Union Station fame) with him this time in support of his latest album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane.

The end result was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Wielding mainly an acoustic guitar - although he did go electric on a few occasions - the 55-year-old Costello who celebrated that benchmark birthday earlier this week - proved to be a consummate performer, as he dramatically moved around the stage with flourish (not to mention in a bright purple hat) while sounding rich in voice - letting some major hoots and hollers rip- and full of funny stories too.

He sure seemed to be enjoying himself as he played 30 tunes - including a couple of new songs, one that he claimed to have written on Friday afternoon - over the course of a two-hour-and-20 minute show that included two encores.

While the twang of Secret, Profane & Sugarcane material was best exemplified on such standout new songs as the moody My All Time Doll and Down Among The Wines and Spirits and the rollicking Hidden Shame, Complicated Shadows, The Crooked Line, and Sulpher To Sugarcane, Costello also countrified many of his older tunes and paid homage to those who came before him including Elvis Presley (Mystery Train), Merle Haggard (The Bottle Let Me Down), Chuck Berry (Don't You Lie To Me), Buddy Holly (Not Fade Away), The Rolling Stones (Happy), and George Jones (The Race Is On).

He also pulled a gem out of The Velvet Underground back catalogue with a staggeringly good version of Femme Fatale and successfully reinvented his own early hits like Blame It On Cain, Indoor Fireworks, Mystery Dance, Everyday I Write The Book, Brilliant Mistake, Red Shoes, Alison, (What's So Funny' Bout) Peace Love And Understanding and more recent tunes like The Delivery Man.

His generosity was also on display as Costello often let his talented musicians take long turns in the solo spotlight.

What else can I add? What a night. Thank you BPD.

Sounds like you had one helluva time, Sure2B. Glad we could make it happen.

A year-long membership is still only $49; join us today.