Setlist: Linkin Park

Thanks to BPD member Rich Boy Rich for sending this recent setlist for Linkin Park in:


The Requiem

Wretches and Kings

Papercut

Given Up

New Divide

Faint

Empty Spaces

When They Come for Me

No More Sorrow

Jornada del Muerto

Waiting For The End

Wisdom, Justice, and Love

Iridescent

Numb

The Radiance

Breaking The Habit

Shadow Of The Day

Crawling

One Step Closer

Encore:

The Messenger
(With happy birthday to Rob after)

In The End

What I've Done

Bleed It Out
(A Place For My Head over bridge)

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Setlist: Elton John

Member Tilde sent this to us from a recent Elton John show; she promises a full review to follow :

Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

Levon

Madman Across the Water

Tiny Dancer

Philadelphia Freedom

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Daniel

Rocket Man

I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues

Hey Ahab

The Best Part of the Day

Gone to Shiloh

Monkey Suit

When Love is Dying

Sad Songs (Say So Much)

Take Me to the Pilot

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

Candle in the Wind

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Bennie and the Jets

The Bitch is Back

Crocodile Rock

Encore:

Your Song

Member Review: Bon Jovi

BPD member BJ4ever checks in with this report:

"I'm looking for love tonight? Are you with me?" Jon Bon Jovi asked me before the show backstage.


As one of what I guess were thousands of screaming, excited females in the arena, you just gotta know that my answer was a resounding Yes. JBJ then gave me a big hug and set off to begin his 2 1/2 hour set.


The first words from his lips out front were "Bon Jovi is like Viagra for women, you know," while getting a "kiss-cam" trained on couples in the audience who were then triggered into locking lips.


"I want to see some smooching going on!" he demanded.For all you lovers, and soon-to-be-lovers, and somebody-who-meets-somebody at a Bon Jovi concert and becomes lovers.


I'd seen their show last July, but the major difference this time was a much more intimate show - if you can call a large, in-the-round stage, a circular catwalk, and an impressive LED screen and several mini screens as a backdrop intimate - with the energetic frontman able to easily move around and work the room.


Back in July, the singer had just torn his calf muscle and was a trooper but a stationary one.


On Monday night, about 150 audience members were also lucky enough to be in a semi-circle of seating that was actually part of the stage while the band - rounded out by guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald and a touring guitarist - played just a few feet in front of them.


"Now brothers and sisters, you ask why I come back here time and time again," said Bon Jovi, on one of his jaunts to the back of the stage. "Well the truth is I like to hear you scream!"


Oh, the screaming came alright for such hits from the band's 27-year back catalogue as You Give Love A Bad Name, Born To Be My Baby, Lost Highway, It's My Life, Runaway, Who Says You Can't Go Home, Keep The Faith (with Bon Jovi on maracas), Wanted Dead Or Alive, Just Older and, the grandaddy of them all, Livin' On A Prayer.


Sambora got some mic time too, taking over on lead vocals on Lay Your Hands On Me, but it was the frontman with the million dollar smile who clearly had the arena in the palm of his hand.


Covers included Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman - with Bon Jovi at his most flirty - Robert Palmer's Bad Case of Loving You, which became part of the band's own Bad Medicine, and the jazz standard, My Funny Valentine, which featured Bon Jovi at the front of the catwalk crooning away in a red T-shirt while getting red roses thrown at him for that song and the follow-up ballads, the band's own Bed Of Roses, Superman Tonight and I'll Be There For You.


This was a dream come true. All I can say is WOW! Like a fine wine, they just keep getting better.

BJ4ever, sounds like you had yourself one helluva good time.

Our members do; that's why we keep growing and growing. Wanna getta hug from your fave? Join BackstagePassDirect today.

Queens Of The Stone Age Spring Tour

Queens Of The Stone Age will celebrate the March re-release of its expanded, remastered self-titled debut with a limited run of US shows. These one-time only events will feature the band playing the entire first album plus additional material from that same early Queens era, as well as nightly surprises.

Here's the early Spring schedule:

Fri 03/18/11 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jacks

Sat 03/19/11 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Soundstage

Sun 03/20/11 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

Mon 03/21/11 Atlanta, GA Center Stage

Wed 03/23/11 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel

Thu 03/24/11 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory

Fri 03/25/11 New York, NY Terminal 5

Sat 03/26/11 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston Presented By Foxwoods Resort Casino

Wed 03/30/11 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues

Thu 03/31/11 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue

Fri 04/01/11 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre

Sat 04/02/11 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium / Underground

Mon 04/04/11 West Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom

Tue 04/05/11 St. Louis, MO The Pageant

Wed 04/06/11 Kansas City, MO Beaumont Club

Fri 04/08/11 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre

Mon 04/11/11 Oakland, CA Fox Theater

Tue 04/12/11 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern

These shows are not very far out into the future. The band is restricting passes to limited amounts, so act quickly. Request yours today.

Member Review: Linkin Park

Inspired by the recent posting of a Linkin Park setlist, BPD member 25alive has followed up with this review:

Linkin Park transformed the arena into an industrial looking musical playground. As the lights lowered, the familiar hum and beeping sounds from the beginning of LP's new album A Thousand Suns filled the air as Rapper/Guitarist/Keyboardist Mike Shinoda entered the stage sporting a hoodie, some shades, and his blue Paul Reed Smith electric guitar. But instead of going into a track from Suns, the group kicked off the show with radio single "Faint" of their Meteroa album.

Lead singer Chester Bennington and Shinoda kept the energy high as they ran around the stage to different microphones and jumped up on create-like risers. The first six or seven songs were all off the group's first two albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora. Tracks like "What I've Done" and "No More Sorrow" were old-school crowd pleasers. Then the giant screen behind the band turned from clouds into an atomic bomb as Mike S. stepped up to hit the beginning rap section of new single "Waiting For The End." The crowd sang along and cheered. "Hey you guys know the new stuff!" Mike said sounding surprised after the song. Of course the crowd went wild, moshing and fist-pumping, for the hit tracks like "Numb," and "In the End." The energy in the room was enveloping and impossible to resist as thousands of fans screamed along.

LP got the major things perfect last night. The set list was incredibly constructed, giving just enough of the hits, but saving major players like "When They Come For Me" "Papercut" "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" for the most killer encore they could hit the crowd with. Besides perfect planning, the performance was nothing but incredible. For 90 minutes Chester Bennington screamed/sang his heart out without sounding worn out in the slightest and same went for the rapping and singing of Shinoda. Thank god for the bands who can actually pull off live what they put out on record. Maybe that's why Linkin Park can still fill an arena while the Jonas Bothers struggle to find a crowd these days.

Join BackstagePassDirect today and start enjoying the best shows out there from a one-of-a-kind perspective.

Coachella 12

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has unleashed its artist lineup for No. 12.

Happening April 15-17 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., headliners include Arcade Fire, Kanye West and Kings of Leon plus an almost endless list of artists and bands including a re-formed Big Audio Dynamite.

With Kings Of Leon topping the Friday, April 15 bill, other first-day acts include The Black Keys, Interpol, The Chemical Brothers, Caifanes, Robyn, Sasha, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Brandon Flowers, Crystal Castles and Magnetic Man.

Along with Arcade Fire’s Saturday, April 16 performance the second-day list includes Animal Collective, Mumford & Sons, Bright Eyes, Empire Of The Sun, Big Audio Dynamite, Steve Angello, the Kills, London Suede, Broken Social Scene, One Day As A Lion, Erykah Badu and Paul van Dyk.

Sunday’s lineup has Kanye West closing after a day of performances by The Strokes, Duran Duran, The National, P.J. Harvey, Death From Above 1979, Wiz Khalifa, Ratatat, Nas & Damian Marley, Jimmy Eat World, Axwell, Sven Vath and The Bloody Beetroots.

These acts are only the short list as the lineup goes deeper each day, listing performances by such notables as Flogging Molly and Ozomatli (Friday), Scissor Sisters, The New Pornographers and Gogol Bordello (Saturday) and Chromeo, Duck Sauce, She Wants Revenge, and Jack’s Mannequin (Sunday). Plus tons more.

We'll have a limited number of passes for individual days. When you make your requests, please include the day you'd like to be backstage.

Setlist: Weezer

BPD member Weezil got to be backstage with his faves Weezer recently and reported this setlist:

Memories

If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)

Troublemaker

Pork and Beans

Beverly Hills

Keep Fishin'
(Brian Bell on lead vocals)

Photograph

Island in the Sun

Hash Pipe

Falling For You

. Encore:

My Name Is Jonas

No One Else

The World Has Turned and Left Me Here

Buddy Holly

Undone - The Sweater Song

Surf Wax America

Say It Ain't So

In the Garage

Holiday

Only In Dreams
(Josh Freese on drums)

Never been backstage before? Nowz your chance; join us today.

Janet Jackson Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour

Janet Jackson will be bringing her Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour to North America. The legendary Icon took the suggestions of her fans to heart and after her start in Asia she will be bringing the tour to the United States. Janet will be performing songs from her 35 number one hits in 35 global cities.

This tour will differ from her previous concert schedules in that she will perform music exclusively from her chart topping CD NUMBER ONES. There will also be a focus on venues that will allow Janet to be up close and personal in a much more intimate setting. In each selected city, she'll offer something different to her performance so no show will be the same. This tour is Janet more revealed, more intimate, and more personal than ever before. Don't look for special effects. Just listen to and look at Janet, as you have never seen her before.

Janet has expressed her gratitude and excitement for the upcoming shows in North America with the following statement:

"I thank my fans who have voted and helped me choose the cities we are announcing today. Each of you are so important to me. These concerts will be different from anything I have ever done. I will be as up close and personal as possible. These concerts are not about special effects. This is a love affair between me and those of you who have supported me and my work for all these years. I'll be singing and dancing from my heart. The music will all be songs that you've made number ones for me. Let's go!"

The US and Tour Dates are as follows:

Houston, TX March 4 Reliant Stadium

Chicago, IL March 7 & 8 The Chicago Theatre

Uncasville, CT, March 16 Mohegan Sun Arena

New York, NY March 18 Radio City Music Hall

Washington, DC March 22 DAR Constitution Hall

Atlantic City, NJ March 25 & 26 Borgata Spa & Resort Event Center

Atlanta, GA March 29 Fox Theatre

Saint Louis, MO March 31 Fox Theatre

Grand Prairie, TX April 2 Verizon Theatre

Denver, CO April 6 Wells Fargo Theatre at the Colorado Convention Center

Phoenix, AZ April 8 Comerica Theatre

Santa Barbara, CA April 9 Santa Barbara Bowl

Los Angeles, CA April 14 Gibson Amphitheatre

San Francisco, CA April 19 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Las Vegas, NV April 22 & 23 Caesars Palace - The Colosseum

Janet is honoring a limited number of passes for her shows. Become a BackstagePassDirect member and request your passes today.

Setlist: Prince

BPD member OhSoGr8 recently got the chance to be backstage at the Purple One's show; here's the setlist he sent us:

            The Beautiful Ones

            Let's Go Crazy

            Delirious

            999

            Little Red Corvette

            Uptown

            Raspberry Beret

            Cream

            Cool
            (The Time cover)

            Let's Work

            U Got the Look

            The ? Of U

            Purple Rain

        . Encore:

            Kiss

            She's Always in My Hair

            If I Was Your Girlfriend
            (With Janelle Monae)
        .
            Condition Of The Heart

            Do Me, Baby

            I Wanna Be Your Lover

            How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore

            Sometimes It Snows in April

        . Encore :

            Jungle Love
            (The Time cover) (With Cyndi Lauper and Egypt Sherrod)

Backstage at a Prince show? What else need be said? You want some? Come and get some!

Who Made the Big Bucks in 2010?

Welcome to 2011; glad you could make it.

As always, we start out the new year by looking at who made all the money last year................and as is often the case, there are a few surprises.

But let's begin by making some comparisons:

The Top 50 Tours Worldwide grossed a combined $2.93 billion which was down about 12% from last year's $3.34 billion. Total tickets sold was 38.3 million which was down about 15% or 7 million from 2009's 45.3 million. Total show count was down about 8% to 2,650. The only number to increase was the average ticket price which went up $2.86 or about 4%.

The Top 50 Tours in North America grossed a combined $1.69 billion which was down about 15% from last year's $1.99 billion. Total tickets sold was 26.2 million which was down about 12% from 2009's 29.9 million. Total show count was down about 3% to 2,114. Unlike the Worldwide chart, the average ticket price in North America dropped $1.55 or about 2%.

We'll leave you to draw your own conclusions, but we can say that in general, the international concert business was stronger than in North America where overbooked and overpriced shows at outdoor amphitheatre venues made it an especially difficult year.

OK, now on to the winners. In the Number #1 slot for North America was Bon Jovi, which played 51 shows on this continent and 80 overall, grossed $108 million here and $201 million total. The BJ tour knocked out all competition by a wide margin.

Roger Waters and AC/DC take up the No. 2 spots.

AC/DC, which has been on a rock ‘n’ roll train since 2008, put on 40 shows worldwide; its $177 million income became the second-highest grossing tour worldwide. Waters launched the phenomenal Wall tour in Toronto and spent 2010 Stateside, landing the No. 2 slot for North America. And even with a midyear start, that tour has grossed almost $90 million playing multiple nights in 35 cities. (Waters could be globetrotting through 2012, we're told.)

Rounding out the top 10 North American tours are Dave Matthews Band ($72.9 million), Paul McCartney ($61.8 million), Michael Bublé ($65.7 million), Eagles ($64.5 million), Lady Gaga ($51 million), James Taylor / Carole King ($50.7 million), The Black Eyed Peas ($50.5 million) and John Mayer ($49.9 million).

Worldwide it’s Bon Jovi and AC/DC, then U2 ($160.9 million), Lady Gaga ($133.6 million), Metallica ($110.1 million), Michael Bublé ($104.2 million), McCartney ($93 million), Eagles ($93.3 million) and Roger Waters, whose $89.5 million stateside still made The Wall Live one of the top-grossing tours worldwide.

Who'll tear up 2011? We'll have to wait and see. But if you want to be a part of the backstage action, you'll have to be a member. Go to BackstagePassDirect and join today!

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)

Membership Milestone - Special Offer

We are pleased to announce that our membership has now surpassed the 10,000 mark.

If it were not for the viral nature of the Internet, this feat could never have been accomplished in two short years. We wish to thank all of our members for the trust you have placed in us.

As our way of saying thank you, we will be issuing a $50 one-time credit to each (new or existing) member who is awarded 2 or more passes anytime between now and the end of March. This credit will be immediately applied to the cost of your passes and, in effect, means that your membership has cost you nothing. It's for one time only, and can only be applied to the cost of your backstage pass awards.

It's our way of acknowledging that we are nothing without you; thanks again.

If you haven't yet joined BackstagePassDirect, there couldn't be a better time than right now!