First Fest Announced for 2011

Robert Plant & Band of Joy will headline the 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The lineup also features Emmylou Harris and The Decemberists.

The 38th annual event takes place June 16-19 at Telluride Town Park in Telluride, Colo.

The 2011 fest will feature a group listed as the Telluride House Band featuring Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton and Stuart Duncan.

Sam Bush Band, Béla Fleck & the Original Flecktones, and Edgar Meyer will also take to the stage individually.

The full list to-date:

Robert Plant & Band of Joy
Telluride House Band featuring Sam, Béla, Jerry, Edgar, Bryan & Stuart
Sam Bush Band
Béla Fleck & the Original Flecktones
Emmylou Harris
Yonder Mountain String Band
The Decemberists
Railroad Earth
Tim O'Brien Band
Edgar Meyer
Punch Brothers
Peter Rowan
Emmitt-Nershi Band
Tim O'Brien & Kevin Burke
The Infamous Stringdusters
Cornmeal
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
Trampled by Turtles
Nora Jane Struthers & the Bootleggers

And many, many more still to be announced...

Please note that backstage passes for this fest will be valid for a single day only.  Request yours early.

Setlist: Heart

This setlist just in from BPD member RaphaelD:

Barracuda

Even It Up

Red Velvet Car

Straight On

These Dreams

Hey You

Alone

What About Love?

Crazy On You

Magic Man

BackstagePassDirect memberships for Xmas? You bet! Buy'em today.

Member Review: Black Crowes

Just Stooie sent this in:

This was, with a doubt, the best Black Crowes performance in years.

Two sprawling sets, the first all-acoustic, delivered as advertised: 1992's "Remedy," a No. 1 Billboard Album Rock Track, was served up out of the gate and instantly galvanized the crowd; the rarity "Tornado," fleshed out with a Floyd Cramer-esque piano lilt and extended lap-steel lead by guitarist Luther Dickinson from its 2-minute, 41-second recorded running time, delighted Crowes completists; the first of several covers, the Rolling Stones' languid "No Expectations," was a treat given the originators themselves rarely have performed the song live and the Crowes have the innate ability to fully inhabit the songs they choose to appropriate; and the gospel-revival breakdown added to concert staple "Thorn in My Pride" had the venue sounding and feeling more Sunday morning than Saturday night.

Considerable mention must also be made of the boundless energy and consummately tasteful drumming of Steve Gorman, who exerted as much effort bashing congas and other percussion in that first hour-plus set as his traditional kit.

The second set commenced after 10 p.m. with their unreleased hard-rock gem "Exit," and by evening's end (shortly before midnight), the repertoire would include more familiar radio tracks ("She Talks to Angels," "Hard to Handle"); a transcendental instrumental segue between Amorica's "Ballad in Urgency" and 'Wiser Time"; and the disparate encores of the Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin' " and Little Feat's "Willin.' "

A brief Axl Rose-type moment threatened to disrupt the momentum of the gig's goodwill when, during the rendering of "And the Band Played On," Chris seemed intent on zeroing in on a disruptive attendee in the audience, but play on they did and without missing a beat.

Yes, it would seem the Black Crowes finally relented to give the people what they want ... and then said goodbye.

Set list:

Acoustic set:
Remedy, Hotel Illness, Whoa Mule, Tornado, No Expectations, Thorn in My Pride, Driving Wheel, Downtown Money Waster, She Talks to Angels, My Morning Song
Electric set:
Exit, P.25 London, Ballad in Urgency, Wiser Time, Oh Josephine, Stop Kicking My Heart Around, Hard to Handle, And the Band Played On
Encore:
Oh! Sweet Nuthin', Willin'

Thanks Stooie.

As we wind down 2010, we want to take this opportunity to tell each BPD member how much we appreicate you and how we are committed to working even hareder in 2011 to give you the best backstage experience possible.

Taylor Swift 2011 Schedule

Last year, when we first announced dates for Taylor Swift's 2010 tour, we weren't prepared for the deluge of backstage pass requests that came in.

A year later, we're prepared to deal with what lies ahead in 2011. It's one thing to sell out arenas in 5 minutes, but it's at an entirely different level when you sell out stadiums in that time, and that's what TS's Speak Now show is doing.

Need to Breathe is opening all US shows.

Although some of the venues have yet to be named, the dates are firm. Here's the whole shebang:

 04/23/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 04/24/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 05/27/11         Omaha, NE     TBA
 05/28/11         Omaha, NE     TBA
 05/29/11         Des Moines, IA     TBA
 06/02/11         Fort Lauderdale, FL     TBA
 06/03/11         Fort Lauderdale, FL     TBA
 06/04/11         Orlando, FL     TBA
 06/07/11         Columbus, OH     TBA
 06/08/11         Milwaukee, WI     TBA
 06/11/11         Detroit, MI     Ford Field
 06/14/11         Saint Paul, MN     TBA
 06/15/11         Saint Paul, MN     TBA
 06/18/11         Pittsburgh, PA     Heinz Field
 06/21/11         Buffalo, NY     TBA
 06/22/11         Hartford, CT     TBA
 06/25/11         Foxboro, MA     Gillette Stadium
 06/26/11         Foxboro, MA     Gillette Stadium
 06/30/11         Greensboro, NC     TBA
 07/01/11         Knoxville, TN     TBA
 07/02/11         Louisville, KY     TBA
 07/08/11         Charlotte, NC     TBA
 07/09/11         Atlanta, GA     Philips Arena
 07/10/11         Atlanta, GA     Philips Arena
 07/19/11         New York, NY     TBA
 07/20/11         New York, NY     TBA
 07/28/11         Grand Rapids, MI     TBA
 07/29/11         Indianapolis, IN     TBA
 07/30/11         Cleveland, OH     TBA
 08/02/11         Washington, DC     TBA
 08/03/11         Washington, DC     TBA
 08/06/11         Philadelphia, PA     Lincoln Financial Field
 08/09/11         Chicago, IL     TBA
 08/10/11         Chicago, IL     TBA
 08/13/11         Lexington, KY     TBA
 08/14/11         St. Louis, MO     TBA
 08/23/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 08/24/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 08/27/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 08/28/11         Los Angeles, CA     Staples Center
 09/01/11         San Jose, CA     HP Pavilion At San Jose
 09/02/11         San Jose, CA     HP Pavilion At San Jose
 09/03/11         Sacramento, CA     ARCO Arena
 09/06/11         Portland, OR     TBA
 09/07/11         Seattle, WA     TBA
 09/16/11         Nashville, TN     TBA
 09/17/11         Nashville, TN     TBA
 09/21/11         Tulsa, OK         TBA
 09/24/11         Kansas City, MO     Arrowhead Stadium
 09/27/11         Denver, CO     TBA
 09/28/11         Salt Lake City, UT     TBA
 10/04/11         Little Rock, AR     TBA
 10/05/11         New Orleans, LA     TBA
 10/08/11         Arlington, TX     New Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Need we say don't delay? Request your backstage passes now.

Setlist: Brandon Flowers

BPD Member JustinCase sent us this setlist for the recent Brandon Flowers (Killers frontman) show he attended:

On the Floor
Crossfire
Magdalena
Bette Davis Eyes
Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas
Was It Something I Said?
Hard Enough
Losing Touch
Swallow It
Playing With Fire
Encore:
Read My Mind
Only the Young
Mr. Brightside

Christmas is right around the corner and BPD memberships make great stocking stuffers. Buy some today.

Setlist: Ozzy

 

Member HellRazr sent us this list from a recent Ozzy show:

         1.Bark at the Moon
         2. Let Me Hear You Scream
         3.Mr. Crowley
         4. I Don't Know
         5.Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath cover)
         6.Suicide Solution
         7.Road to Nowhere
         8.War Pigs  (Black Sabbath cover)
         9.N.I.B.  (Black Sabbath cover)
        10.Killer of Giants
        11.Shot in the Dark
        12.Rat Salad (Black Sabbath cover) (with guitar and drum solos)
        13.Iron Man  (Black Sabbath cover)
        14.Fire in the Sky
        15. Flying High Again
        16. Into the Void  (Black Sabbath cover)
        17. I Don't Want to Change the World
        18.Crazy Train

Encore:
        19. Mama, I'm Coming Home
        20. Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)

Rush Rocks On

The Time Machine Tour returns in 2011, with Rush announcing a new North America run beginning in Florida.

Like Rush’s summer 2010 touring, the band will perform its 1981 release, Moving Pictures, in its entirety.

Billed as “An Evening With Rush,” the first new North American date is March 30 in Sunrise, Fla., at the BankAtlantic Center.

Here's the whole schedule:

Wed 03/30/11         Sunrise, FL     BankAtlantic Center    

Fri 04/01/11         Greensboro, NC     Greensboro Coliseum    

Sun 04/03/11         Nashville, TN     Bridgestone Arena    

Tue 04/05/11         Louisville, KY     KFC Yum! Center    

Wed 04/06/11         Toledo, OH     The Huntington Center    

Fri 04/08/11         Hershey, PA     GIANT Center    

Sun 04/10/11         New York, NY     Madison Square Garden Arena    

Tue 04/12/11         Chicago, IL     United Center    

Fri 04/15/11         Cleveland, OH     Quicken Loans Arena    

Sun 04/17/11         Auburn Hills, MI     The Palace Of Auburn Hills    
 
Fri 04/22/11         Baltimore, MD     1st Mariner Arena

Wanna hang with the legends? Don't be slow. Request your backstage passes now.

Member Review: KT Tunstall

BPD subscriber Blitzkrieg Betty sent us this:

Touring behind her new album Tiger Suit - and with a large tiger face on a black backdrop, 35-year-old KT Tunstall  worked through a 90-minute, 19-song set with energy, precision and a bit of humor.

"How you tonight?" she asked before her and her four-piece supporting cast kicked off with the tight rock pop of Glamour Puss, bringing to mind a bit of Sheryl Crow with a healthy dose of Melissa Etheridge.

In fact, one could see a lot of Etheridge circa Yes I Am in KT's performances, whether it was on the lighter, whistle-whetting (Still A) Weirdo or on the slow building False Alarm which earned a strong response after being deservedly fleshed out in the end.

Later on, Tunstall seemed a tad nervous in explaining the inspiration for Madame Trudeaux. Although not the same surname, the singer explained how friends told her of Margaret Trudeau's encounter with the Rolling Stones in Toronto in the '70s while her husband was Prime Minister. Describing Pierre Trudeau's wife as a "firecracker," Tunstall tore into the beefy, ballsy number perfectly.
   
Mick and Keith would have been proud.

Elsewhere, Tunstall stripped things down a little bit for the up-tempo vibe of Hold On but definitely hit gold when she nailed the simple but infectious Black Horse And The Cherry Tree from 2004's Eye To The Telescope album. Before the show, I asked her if that was one of her favorite tunes. She didn't give me a direct answer, but replied that it was "popular at jazzercise classes and number one on the line dancing charts".  I wasn't sure what she was trying to say but I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

Not shy to deliver Tiger Suit, the singer performed every number off the record. But it wasn't always great. The Entertainer didn't fare nearly as well as the guitar-driven Difficulty and Golden Frames, the latter a murky, moody number in the vein of Chris Isaak's Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing.

After thanking the crowd for buying the tickets to the show at a time when money is tight for many, Tunstall closed out the main set with Fade Like A Shadow, a rather safe, radio-friendly pop number that paled compared to the rockabilly boogie flavor Come On, Get In possessed earlier in the night.

A quick three-song encore was highlighted not only by the finale Suddenly I See but a better than average reworked roots-y cover of A Little Respect by '80s British dance-pop act Erasure.

Thank you BPD for giving me this chance to be backstage with one of my favorite female artists.

Blitzkrieg Betty, thank you for your report.

We're glad you enjoyed KT's show.

If you haven't yet joined BackstagePassDirect, it's not too late. The new year is fast approaching and promises to provide many great concert moments.

Join today.

New Feature: Setlists

Readers of our blog know that we encourage our members to send us reviews of shows that they've seen thru us and to tell us about their backstage experiences. Based on the e-mails we've received, both members and readers enjoy this feature.

Today, we add another feature that we hope you'll like.

Sometimes, members are too shy to want to write reviews for us. But they've gone to the show and had one helluva time. Now, these members too can make a contribution to the BPD community. Beginning today, we'll start posting Setlists for artists that members have recently hung out with. In so doing, this will give other members who will soon be seeing the artist some sense of what tunes they can expect. Hope you all like it.

Today we kick off with a recent setlist from Adam Lambert (sent to us by member PigNSh*t):

         1.Voodoo
         2.For Your Entertainment
         3.Down The Rabbit Hole
         4.Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)
         5.Fever
         6.Sleepwalker
         7.Whataya Want From Me (acoustic)
         8.Soaked
         9.Aftermath (acoustic)
        10.Sure Fire Winners
        11.Strut
        12.Music Again
        13. If I Had You (with band and dancer intro)
        14. Encore:
            20th Century Boy (T. Rex cover)