John Mayer Passes Still Available

We still have passes for seven-time Grammy winner John Mayer's 2012 tour in support of his soon-to-be released Born And Raised.

Here are all the dates and venues for which passes remain available:

Mon 04/09/12 Bloomington, IN Indiana University Auditorium

Tue 04/10/12 East Lansing, MI Wharton Center For Performing Arts

Thu 04/12/12 Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Performance Hall

Fri 04/13/12 West Lafayette, IN Elliott Hall Of Music

Sat 04/14/12 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre

Tue 04/17/12 Orono, ME Collins Center For The Arts

Wed 04/18/12 Providence, RI Providence Perf. Arts Ctr.

Thu 04/19/12 West Point, NY Eisenhower Hall Theatre

Sat 04/21/12 Buffalo, NY Shea's Performing Arts Center

Sun 04/22/12 Wallingford, CT Toyota Presents The Oakdale Theatre

Tue 04/24/12 Richmond, VA Landmark Theater

Thu 04/26/12 Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa Amphitheater

Appearing at "New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival"
Sun 04/29/12 New Orleans, LA Fairgrounds Racecourse

Mon 04/30/12 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre

Wed 05/02/12 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre

Fri 05/04/12 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino Amphitheater

Sat 05/05/12 Las Vegas, NV The Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel / Casino

Sun 05/06/12 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre

TwangFest

Over 80 million albums sold worldwide. 12 Top 10 smash hit singles and thousands of concerts performed............ The time has come for the ultimate convergence of Rock's finest from the Midwest. REO Speedwagon, STYX and Ted Nugent will join forces for "The Midwest Rock 'n Roll Express" 30-date U.S. tour. rolling out May 1 in Hidalgo, TX.

Here's the full itinerary:

Tue 5/1 Hidalgo, TX State Farm Arena
Thu 5/3 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion
* Fri 5/4 Tucson, AZ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre (no Ted Nugent)
Sat 5/5 Las Vegas, NV Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Sun 5/6 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre On-Sale TBA
Tue 5/8 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Thu 5/10 Council Bluffs, IA Mid America Arena
Fri 5/11 Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre
* Sat 5/12 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (no Ted Nugent)
Sun 5/13 Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amphitheatre
Thu 5/17 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sat 5/19 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live Amphitheatre
Sun 5/20 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Thu 6/21 Kansas City, MO Starlight Amphitheatre
Fri 6/22 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sat 6/23 Ft. Knox, KY Godman Army Airfield
Sun 6/24 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion
Tue 6/26 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Thu 6/28 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Fri 6/29 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Sat 6/30 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
Sun 7/1 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Event Ctr
Tue 7/3 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort Casino
Thu 7/5 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Fri 7/6 Big Flats, NY Summer Stage
Sat 7/7 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion

Onslaught of Announcements

There's just too much news and too little space. So, we're just gonna give you the artists and the respective dates and venues. Here goes:

The Beach Boys
April 24 – Tucson, Ariz., Anselmo Valencia Tori Amphitheatre
April 26 – Grand Prairie, Texas, Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie
April 27 – New Orleans, La., New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April 28 – Atlanta, Ga., Chastain Park Amphitheatre
April 29 – Raleigh, N.C., Raleigh Amphitheater
May 2 – Saint Augustine, Fla., St. Augustine Amphitheatre
May 4 – Hollywood, Fla., Seminole Hard Rock Live
May 5 – Tampa, Fla., David A. Straz Jr. Center For The Performing Arts
May 8 – New York, N.Y., Beacon Theatre
May 9 – New York, N.Y., Beacon Theatre
May 11 – Pittsburgh, Pa., Benedum Center
May 12 – Uncasville, Conn., Mohegan Sun Arena
May 13 – Uncasville, Conn., Mohegan Sun Arena
May 15 – White Plains, N.Y., Westchester County Center
May 17 – Bethlehem, Pa., Sands Bethlehem Event Center
May 19 – Atlantic City, N.J., Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa / Event Ctr.
May 21 – Chicago, Ill., Chicago Theatre

Iron Maiden
Thu 06/21/12 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sat 06/23/12 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood
Tue 06/26/12 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Wed 06/27/12 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Fri 06/29/12 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Sat 06/30/12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Mon 07/02/12 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Thu 07/05/12 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Mon 07/16/12 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Wed 07/18/12 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Thu 07/19/12 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
Mon 07/30/12 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre
Wed 08/01/12 Salt Lake City, UT Usana Amphitheatre
Fri 08/03/12 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Mon 08/06/12 Phoenix, AZ Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion
Thu 08/09/12 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sun 08/12/12 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion
Mon 08/13/12 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Wed 08/15/12 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
Fri 08/17/12 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
Sat 08/18/12 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Dave Matthews Band
May 18 - The Woodlands, Texas, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 19 – Dallas, Texas, Gexa Energy Pavilion
May 20 – Gulf Shores, Ala., "The Hangout Beach, Music And Arts Festival
May 22 – Atlanta, Ga., Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood
May 23 – Charlotte, N.C., Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 25 – Hartford, Conn., Comcast Theatre
May 26 – Hartford, Conn., Comcast Theatre
May 28 – Scranton, Pa., Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain
May 29 – Cincinnati, Ohio, Riverbend Music Center
June 3 – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Blossom Music Center
June 5 – Mansfield, Mass., Comcast Center
June 6 – Mansfield, Mass., Comcast Center
June 8 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 9 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 12 – Wantagh, N.Y., Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
June 13 – Wantagh, N.Y., Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
June 16 – Bristow, Va., Jiffy Lube Live
June 17 – Virginia Beach, Va., Farm Bureau Live At Virginia Beach
June 22 – Noblesville, Ind., Klipsch Music Center
June 23 – Noblesville, Ind., Klipsch Music Center
June 26 – Camden, N.J., Susquehanna Bank Center
June 27 – Camden, N.J., Susquehanna Bank Center
June 29 – Hershey, Pa., Hersheypark Stadium
June 30 – Bethel, N.Y., Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
July 3 – Darien Center, N.Y., Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 6 – East Troy, Wis., Alpine Valley Music Theatre
July 7 – East Troy, Wis., Alpine Valley Music Theatre
July 10 – Clarkston, Mich., DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 11 – Maryland Heights, Mo., Verizon Wireless Amph.
July 13 – Burgettstown, Pa., First Niagara Pavilion
July 14 – Burgettstown, Pa., First Niagara Pavilion
July 18 – Tampa, Fla., 1-800 Ask-Gary Amphitheatre
July 20 – West Palm Beach, Fla., Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 21 – West Palm Beach, Fla., Cruzan Amphitheatre
Aug. 31 – Quincy, Wash., Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 1 – Quincy, Wash., Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 2 – Quincy, Wash., Gorge Amphitheatre
Sept. 7 – Chula Vista, Calif., Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Sept. 8 – Irvine, Calif., Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sept. 9 – Mountain View, Calif., Shoreline Amphitheatre

Marilyn Manson
Wed 04/11/12 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
Fri 04/27/12 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Sat 04/28/12 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Sun 04/29/12 Huntington, NY The Paramount
Tue 05/01/12 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore Silver Spring
Wed 05/02/12 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre
Fri 05/04/12 Atlantic City, NJ House Of Blues
Sat 05/05/12 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Sun 05/06/12 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Tue 05/08/12 West Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom
Wed 05/09/12 Sioux Falls, SD W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds
Sat 05/12/12 San Antonio, TX Sunken Garden Amphitheatre
Sun 05/13/12 Houston, TX House Of Blues
Tue 05/15/12 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
Wed 05/16/12 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Fri 05/18/12 Minneapolis, MN The Brick
Sat 05/19/12 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Eagles Club
Sun 05/20/12 Columbus, OH Crew Stadium

Bonnaroo 6/7-10/2012 Manchester TN artists appearing

RADIOHEAD •RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS •PHISH
THE BEACH BOYS (BRIAN WILSON, MIKE LOVE, AL JARDINE, BRUCE JOHNSTON AND DAVID MARKS)
BON IVER •THE AVETT BROTHERS •THE SHINS •FOSTER THE PEOPLE •SKRILLEX
•AZIZ ANSARI DISPATCH •FEIST •THE ROOTS •ALICE COOPER •SUPERJAM
•BLACK STAR THE WORD (JOHN MEDESKI, ROBERT RANDOLPH AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS)
•LUDACRIS BEN FOLDS FIVE •FLOGGING MOLLY SPECTRUM ROAD (CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA, JACK BRUCE, JOHN MEDESKI, AND VERNON REID) MAC MILLER
•CHILDISH GAMBINO •MAJOR LAZER •TUNE-YARDS •AFROCUBISM •FLYING LOTUS UMPHREY’S MCGEE
•LITTLE DRAGON •ST. VINCENT •CITY AND COLOUR •THE CIVIL WARS YOUNG THE GIANT •TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB
•PUNCH BROTHERS •NEEDTOBREATHE FITZ & THE TANTRUMS •BAD BRAINS •YELAWOLF •DAWES
•BATTLES •DANNY BROWN THE BLACK LIPS •SBTRKT •PHANTOGRAM •BIG GIGANTIC
•KENDRICK LAMAR CHARLES BRADLEY AND HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES •THE KOOKS •THE JOY FORMIDABLE
•THE ANTLERS KATHLEEN EDWARDS •MIMOSA •KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS •ALABAMA SHAKES
•DAS RACIST DELTA SPIRIT •GARY CLARK JR. •IVAN NEVILLE'S DUMPSTAPHUNK
•LAURA MARLING TRAMPLED BY TURTLES •MOGWAI •THE WAR ON DRUGS •BEN HOWARD
•GROUPLOVE BLIND PILOT •ALO •THE DEVIL MAKES THREE •WHITE DENIM •EMA
•HERE WE GO MAGIC FRUIT BATS •K-FLAY •THE LONELY FOREST •MARIACHI EL BRONX
•BIG FREEDIA DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. •THE SOUL REBELS •KVELERTAK
•SOJA STEVEN BERNSTEIN'S MTO PLAYS SLY •SARAH JAROSZ •ORGONE •DARONDO •MOON TAXI

Whew!!

Want passes? Come and get'em!
Not yet a member? Join us here.

Setlist:Van Halen

BPD member and Van Haleniac Silly Cyrus just sent us this setlist from his recent backstage experience:

You Really Got Me
(The Kinks cover)
Runnin' With the Devil
She's The Woman
Somebody Get Me A Doctor
Tattoo
Everybody Wants Some!!
Beautiful Girls
Ice Cream Man
(John Brim cover)
China Town
Dance The Night Away
Hot For Teacher
Blood and Fire
Guitar Solo
Panama
Jump

We're still trying to coax him into writing a review of the show. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, the number of great 2012 show announcements continue to stream in. If you want backstage, we are the source. Why not sign up today?

Bonnie Raitt Tour for May and June

Nine-time Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt announces her May/June tour in support of – Slipstream – her newest work which will be released April 20.

The album’s first single is Raittt’s reworking of Gerry Rafferty’s classic tune “Right Down The Line.”

Marc Cohn appears May 8 – 27 & May 31 – June 3. Mavis Staples appears June 8 – 24.

Dates and venues:

Tue 05/01/12 Newkirk, OK First Council Casino
Thu 05/03/12 Durant, OK Choctaw Event Center
Fri 05/04/12 Vinton, LA Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino
Sun 05/06/12 New Orleans, LA Fairgrounds Racecourse
Tue 05/08/12 Meridian, MS MSU Riley Center
Wed 05/09/12 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Sat 05/12/12 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Sun 05/13/12 Louisville, KY Whitney Hall
Mon 05/14/12 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Wed 05/16/12 Indianapolis, IN Clowes Memorial Hall
Fri 05/18/12 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Sat 05/19/12 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
Tue 05/22/12 Midland, MI Midland Center For The Performing Arts
Wed 05/23/12 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
Fri 05/25/12 Ann Arbor, MI Hill Auditorium
Sun 05/27/12 Rochester, NY Kodak Hall At Eastman Theatre
Wed 05/30/12 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Thu 05/31/12 Portland, ME Merrill Auditorium At City Hall
Sat 06/02/12 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
Sun 06/03/12 Burlington, VT Various Venues
Fri 06/08/12 Holyoke, MA Mountain Park
Sat 06/09/12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Tue 06/12/12 Portsmouth, VA Ntelos Wireless Pavilion
Thu 06/14/12 Vienna, VA Filene Center At Wolf Trap
Sat 06/16/12 Philadelphia, PA Academy Of Music
Sun 06/17/12 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
Wed 06/20/12 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Sat 06/23/12 Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion
Sun 06/24/12 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent

Member Review: Bryan Adams

This just in from Billingsboy:

The idea of Canadian pop/rock mainstay Bryan Adams stripping down his sounds on stage is nothing new. After all, he turned in one of the most famous "MTV Unplugged" episodes of all time and recently released the CD sequel of sorts Bare Bones,, which chronicles past hits and more current material in acoustic settings.

As opposed to the arena settings he's used to, we were treated to the personal side of the popular but sometimes underrated troubadour.

Sure, Adams took care of monster smashes like "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" and "Summer of '69," but they came within the first half, suggesting he puts greater stock in more overlooked album material. Cuts like the pleading "Here I Am" and the gorgeous ballad "Do I Have To Say the Words?" might not have earned the same level of exposure, but they were actually better examples of his skills as a songwriter.

Another key quality in the success of the performance was Adams' decision to not take himself too seriously, poking fun at the fact he often gets questioned in customs as to the reason he's entering a country (which is often followed by an airline attendant saying they once saw him open up for Journey). He also stopped "Please Forgive Me" midway through to ponder what it would've sounded like as a country song, accompanied by his best Willie Nelson drawl. (He may even want to consider pitching "The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You" to Shania Twain).

Even though ballads like "Let's Make a Night To Remember" and "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?" oozed with their fair share of schmaltz, they nonetheless served as guilty pleasure sing-a-longs. Yet it was the standing room only encore that started with "Somebody" and ended with "Straight From the Heart" that demonstrated Adams is just as confident as a rock n' roller as he is a balladeer who has no trouble crafting equally catchy tracks in either arena.

Backstage, Bryan was equally relaxed and spent about 15 minutes "jus' hangin' with me and the three others who I got passes for.

It was a real treat for all of us. Thanks so much BackstagePassDirect.

You're so welcome Billingsboy.

If you want to meet your faves, BPD is place to go. Why not join today?

Madonna Announces US Tour

In a matter of hours, Madonna will announce the details of her 2012 US tour.

Following on the heels of her appearance headlining this year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Indianapolis, Madge has unveiled her travel plans in support of MDNA, her latest album which arrives March 26.

Here are the dates and venues:

Aug. 28 – Philadelphia, Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 4 – Boston, TD Garden
Sept. 6 – New York, Yankee Stadium
Sept. 15 – Atlantic City, Boardwalk Hall
Sept. 19 – Chicago, United Center
Sept. 23 – Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
Oct. 2 – Seattle, KeyArena At Seattle Center
Oct. 6 – San Jose, HP Pavilion
Oct. 10 – Los Angeles, Staples Center
Oct. 13 – Las Vegas, MGM Grand Garden Arena
Oct. 16 – Phoenix, US Airways Center
Oct. 20 – Dallas, American Airlines Center
Oct. 24 – Houston, Toyota Center
Oct. 27 – New Orleans, New Orleans Arena
Oct. 30 – Kansas City, Sprint Center
Nov. 1 – St. Louis, Scottrade Center
Nov. 3 – Saint Paul, Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 10 – Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena
Nov. 15 – Charlotte, Time Warner Cable Arena
Nov. 17 – Atlanta, Philips Arena

Do we have to say act quickly for your passes?

James Taylor Summer Tour

Sweet Baby James has announced a series of US dates for the summer.

Dates are:

Wed 06/20/12 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
Thu 06/21/12 Syracuse, NY Oncenter Complex
Sat 06/23/12 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sun 06/24/12 Portland, ME Cumberland Co. Civic Center
Sat 06/30/12 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Mon 07/02-04/12 Lenox, MA Tanglewood
Fri 07/06/12 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa
Mon 07/09/12 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica
Thu 07/12/12 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sun 07/15/12 Memphis, TN Mud Island Amphitheatre
Tue 07/17/12 Springfield, MO JQH Arena
Wed 07/18/12 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Fri 07/20/12 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre
Sat 07/21/12 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Mon 07/23/12 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Passes for JT's shows always fly out the door. Don't wait; request yours right now!