Flight of the Conchords is Landing

The Grammy Award-winning comedy duo Flight of the Conchords bill themselves as "Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a cappella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", but it’s probably a safe bet that their recent success has made them New Zealand’s first most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a cappella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo.

Flight of the Conchords has been cracking audiences up since 1998, but in 2007 they debuted their own TV series on HBO, catapulting them to superstardom. Now you can meet Flight of the Conchords during their 2009 tour:

04/06/09 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center

04/07/09 Coral Gables, FL BankUnited Center @ The University Of Miami

04/08/09 Orlando, FL UCF Arena

04/10/09 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

04/11/09 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre

04/12/09 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

04/13/09 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall

04/14/09 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall

04/17/09 Boston, MA Agganis Arena at Boston University

04/18/09 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre

04/19/09 Kent, OH Kent State University

04/21/09 Toronto, ON Massey Hall

04/22/09 Toronto, ON Massey Hall

04/24/09 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre

04/25/09 Bloomington, IN Indiana University Auditorium

04/26/09 Madison, WI Overture Center For The Arts

04/28/09 Chicago, IL Arie Crown Theater At McCormick Place

04/30/09 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre

05/02/09 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre

05/03/09 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium

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

05/06/09 Houston, TX Jones Hall For The Performing Arts

05/07/09 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall

05/10/09 Vancouver, BC Centre In Vancouver For Perf. Arts

05/11/09 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

05/12/09 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

05/14/09 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

05/16/09 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

05/17/09 Salt Lake City, UT Abravanel Hall

05/19/09 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre

05/20/09 La Jolla, CA RIMAC Arena

05/22/09 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl

05/23/09 Las Vegas, NV The Joint

05/24/09 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre

05/25/09 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Community

You know how hot these passes are, so don't wait. If you're not already a member of BackstagePassDirect, sign up today!

Member Review: The Meat Puppets

BPD member "DoubleDown" wrote to us recently:

The Meat Puppets are a band that changed my entire way of approaching music when I was introduced to their music by a friend in 1986. The Meat Puppets taught me that you don’t have to be perfect to be great and that having a personal style was more important than being the fastest guitar player on the planet.

When we shook hands, I was struck at how Cris Kirkwood has aged. Life has not been kind to him as he’s been shot, lost his wife to a drug overdose and spent time in prison. It showed on his face and he looks much older than his brother Curt now. That being said, when he went outfront, he absolutely nailed his bass and singing parts. He has a fantastic touch on the bass guitar and it’s a testament to what a player can do with just a simple bass guitar and an amplifier to watch him play. He made that bass come alive with his playing and his playing is the perfect compliment to Curt Kirkwood’s guitar playing. Cris and Curt are brothers and their voices are very similar when they sing. Because of that the harmonies have a silky quality that is a real pleasure to listen to.

Ted Marcus, the new drummer, did a great job of keeping the beat going for Cris and Curt to work their magic. Ted played his butt off all night long and by the end of the night his shirt was drenched from the effort. He really knew how the drums fit in the Meat Puppets music and he is a great fit for them.

The show was really a thing of beauty. The Meat Puppets work together as a perfect team and it’s awesome to watch the interplay between them from backstage. Watching Curt ask the others what they wanted to play and watching how the used eye contact with each other to go from song to song was really entertaining. The show ebbed and flowed with moments of brilliance and plenty of improvised jamming as well. They played all their biggest hits and the crowd loved every minute of it. The Meat Puppets are proof that some bands are just plain better live than they are on a recording. If you get a chance to see them when they come to your town, go to BackstagePassDirect and get yourself some passes.

They are truly a great band to see play live and they're even more awesome from the back.

Lyle Lovett and John Hyatt acoustic tour

The multiple-Grammy-winning Lyle Lovett kicks off his 2009 tour calendar Jan. 14 in Beaver Creek, CO, before heading back on the road with the legendary John Hiatt beginning Feb. 5 in Pittsburgh, PA. The pair has confirmed a slate of 11 cities together. Details are included below.

Lovett's 13th album, "It's Not Big It's Large," was released last August, reaching No. 18 on The Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart. The 12-track set features Lovett's signature Large Band and covers everything from country to blues, to folk, jazz and gospel. A deluxe version of the album including a DVD with studio footage is also available. A few song samples are streaming at the performer's MySpace page.

"Its Not Big It's Large" follows Lovett's Lost Highway Records debut, "My Baby Don't Tolerate," which surfaced in 2003. That set marked his first collection of original material since 1996's "Road to Ensenada."

Hiatt is touring behind his latest studio set, "Same Old Man," which was released in May.

01/14/09 Beaver Creek, CO Vilar Center For The Arts
02/05/09 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall
02/06/09 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center For The Perf. Arts
02/08/09 Morristown, NJ The Community Theatre At Mayo Center For The Performing Arts
02/09/09 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Ctr.
02/10/09 Morgantown, WV Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre
02/12/09 Nashville, TN Schermerhorn Symphony Center
02/14/09 Danville, KY Norton Center
02/15/09 Bloomington, IN Buskirk-Chumley Theater
02/18/09 Joliet, IL Rialto Square Theatre
02/19/09 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff Center For The Arts
02/21/09 Midland, TX Midland Center

Don't forget, all passes are first-come, first-served. So don't delay. Order yours today and hang out with Lyle and John. Visit BackstagePassDirect.