Archive | May, 2011

Tags: Awards, Billboard, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift

2011 Billboard Music Awards Winners

Posted on 23 May 2011 by editor

Haywood, Scott and Kelley

Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum wan the Country album and Country Song awards at last night’s Billboard Music Awards. Eminem won the night’s biggest award the “Top Artist” trophy. The Billboard Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in partnership with Chevrolet and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

This is the first year that ABC aired the event and marks the first Billboard Music Awards show since 2007.

2011 Billboard Music Awards Winners:

ARTIST AWARDS
Top Artist:
Eminem

Tags: Speak Now, Taylor Swift

Help Now Taylor Streams Concert

Posted on 20 May 2011 by Bill West

Taylor Swift announced today via Twitter that she will expand her fundraising efforts for tornado victims by streaming two performances during Saturday’s “Speak Now … Help Now” benefit event.

“I’ll be streaming 2 of the songs from the Speak Now/Help Now rehearsal performance worldwide- Saturday at 9pm central on taylorswift.com ,” Taylor tweeted from @TaylorSwift13.

The stream will give fans around the world a first look at Taylor’s new stage and her show for the North American leg of the Speak Now World Tour. Information on how to donate to help tornado victims will be posted during the stream.

“Speak Now … Help Now”, the final dress rehearsal for Taylor’s Speak Now Tour, will be held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, May 21^st, and is open to the public as a benefit event for tornado victims.

100% of ticket sales will go directly to help tornado victims via the Speak Now … Help Now Fund established through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

STREAM DETAILS:

TIME: 9:00 p.m. CDT – Saturday, May 21^st

PLACE:

www.Taylorswift.com, Ustream.tv/taylorswift, Facebook.com/TaylorSwift, MySpace.com/TaylorSwift

The North American portion of the Taylor Swift Speak Now World Tour 2011 kicks off on May 27^th in Omaha, Nebraska.

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Tags: Flatts, Oprah, Rascal Flatts on oprah, Stevie Wonder

Flatts On Oprah

Posted on 18 May 2011 by Bill West

Rascal Flatts backstage with Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle who also performed Photo Credit: Zach Henderson

“We were a part of Oprah’s farewell show, and it was an amazing event, and we were able to do ‘I Won’t Let Go’ and be on there for a truly historical moment” said Jay DeMarcus.

Superstar vocal group Rascal Flatts was at Chicago’s United Center last night to tape a surprise appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. The band was tapped by Oprah’s producers to perform on one of their highly-anticipated finale shows “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular Part 1.” Rascal Flatts performance is slated to air in the May 23^rd episode; check local listings for times.

“We got to perform live at the arena in downtown Chicago, and just a crazy, crazy huge crowd of people, a huge amount of Oprah fans. [laughs] Who doesn’t love Oprah? And we got to perform the song, ‘I Won’t Let Go’ that’s out right now. It’s a pretty good hit for us, and it’s a very befitting song for her. Her producers wanted us to come and dedicate that song to her. We’re all going to remember Oprah’s shows for the past 25 years for the rest of our lives. I mean, she’s had a way with touching our lives in a unique way, and every episode she’s had is always unique from the last one. And she’s done so much for entertainment for our households for so many years. It’s going to be sad seeing Oprah’s show not be on TV any more, but we were very proud and honored to be a part of that, no doubt.” said JoeDon

Rascal Flatts, who have made several Oprah show appearances in the last few years, performed their latest smash hit, “I Won’t Let Go,” from their current Big Machine Records album, NOTHING LIKE THIS. The show’s staff and producers expressed to the band their desire to have this song performed as the sentiments in the lyrics express their feelings for Oprah.

The Oprah Winfrey Show will air the last new episode of its 25-year run on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

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Tags: garth, garth brooks, Garth Tickets, wynn

Garth Adds Fall 2011 Wynn Concerts

Posted on 18 May 2011 by Bill West

Win / Wynn for Garth?

Garth Brooks has jammed to big crowds and rave reviews at the intimate Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas since December 2009. Tickets for the next series of highly anticipated Garth Vegas concerts will go on sale on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are $225 plus service charge and tax ($253 total). Tickets are available exclusively at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-877-65-GARTH.

Concert Dates
August 19, 20
September 9, 10
September 23, 24
October 7, 8
October 21, 22
November 4, 5

Concert times
Fridays: 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Package Information
For the ultimate Garth experience, guests may indulge in the “Unforgettable Garth Package,” which includes three nights in a Wynn or Encore Tower Suite King, two premium Garth Brooks tickets, Garth merchandise valued at $100, dinner at Switch, choice of spa treatments for two and Sunday Jazz Brunch for two at The Country Club. To book this package call 866-770-7929 and mention package code UNFGB. Packages are priced from $839 per night.

About Garth Brooks
Certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, Garth Brooks has sold in excess of 128 million albums. He has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow on an artist.

In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children. While in retirement, when called upon by events greater than his own self-interest, he returned to the stage.
The President himself requested that Garth headline President Obama’s Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. He performed as Barack and Michelle Obama, their girls, Joe and Jill Biden and a crowd of over 300,000 lined the mall from the Lincoln Memorial all the way to the
Washington Monument. It was a moment in history when all did the “wave” to Garth’s performance of “Shout” while the President sang along. When the governor of California asked for Garth’s help, he responded by performing five concerts in two days, where proceeds from 83,000 tickets sold were donated to efforts to prevent fire catastrophes. Portions of the live concerts were shown as a TV special, Garth Brooks: Live in L.A., where viewers donated to the organization Fire. He recently finished an astonishing nine concerts to raise money for the flood relief efforts in Tennessee.
ABC World News Tonight declared Garth “The Person of the Week” and the mayor of Nashville came on stage during his last performance to announce that this was a record December for downtown Nashville merchants due to the over 145,000 who attended the concerts.

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Tags: blake shelton, Honey Bee, HoneyBee, Miranda Lambert

Honey Bee-Blake Shelton

Posted on 17 May 2011 by Bill West

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Tags: disaster relief concert, Kenny Chesney, tornado relief show

Kenny Chesney Disaster Relief Concert

Posted on 17 May 2011 by Bill West

Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney, Morris Management, and his representatives at AEG/TMG have confirmed today that Chesney’s scheduled concert on May 25th in Tuscaloosa, AL will go on as planned and that Chesney’s fees, as well as those of his management and booking representatives, will be donated to GiveTuscaloosa.com, a clearinghouse for local charities and social services founded specifically to address the devastating tornado that ravaged the city on April 27th.

According to Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, “Thanks to the resilience and compassion of our community, the City of Tuscaloosa is in the process of healing. On this road to recovery, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater plans to host Kenny Chesney on May 25th as scheduled. As we respond to one of the worst natural disasters in our state’s history, we refuse to let April 27th define our future and hosting Kenny Chesney is another step forward to a new tomorrow. On behalf of the City of Tuscaloosa, I want to thank Kenny and his team for their generosity and compassion. It is the kindness of others that will carry us through as we rebuild Tuscaloosa.”

Chesney, whose 2011 ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour marks his return to the US stage after taking last year off, considered postponing the date, but was convinced by Mayor Maddox that the concert would be tremendously positive to the community, both emotionally and as a fundraising boon.

“When we first heard about this tragedy we were stunned, as we have so many fans in the area and have enjoyed every visit that we’ve made there over the years,” Chesney said. “But Mayor Maddox convinced us that this is a great opportunity to bring the people of Tuscaloosa together in a positive way, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help them in this way.”

Chesney’s representatives confirmed that all fees for the artist and his band, plus all earnings for his management and booking representatives, would be contributed to GiveTuscaloosa.com.

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Tags: American Idol, ScottyMcreery

Scotty Mcreery and Josh Turner

Posted on 17 May 2011 by Bill West

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Tags: Big Machine, Taylor Swift

Mean – Taylor Swift

Posted on 07 May 2011 by editor

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Tags: capitol, Chief, Eric Church

Homeboy Eric Chuch To Release Chief

Posted on 05 May 2011 by editor

EMI Records Eric Church

To some modern country artists, the words critics are using to describe Eric Church’s forthcoming third studio album may seem off-putting, but to the trailblazing mutineer and his equally passionate fans, the terms: “strange,” “aggressive,” “wild,” and “rare,” couldn’t be more complimentary. What has been buzzing as the most experiential, head-turning country album of the year will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 with the release of Church’s third studio album, Chief, to stores nationwide, courtesy of EMI Records.

“I have a theory that all of us [artists] only get a small window of time to make records when people will really listen and care,” said Church. “It’s up to us to move the needle. People like Waylon and Cash or Garth and Strait,– they all took the format and said, ‘We’re going over here,’ and they each changed the direction of the music a little bit– helping to make it what it is today.”

That desire to move the needle is the very reason Church has chosen to use the successes of six Top 20 country singles (“How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me” from his 2006 critically-acclaimed debut, Sinners Like Me; “Love Your Love The Most,” “Hell On The Heart,” and “Smoke A Little Smoke” from his sophomore release Carolina) and an ACM Award for New Solo Vocalist of the Year to push the creative envelope even further with Chief. Church took a month off and went to a secluded cabin in North Carolina to reflect and write the entire album which he later recorded in Nashville with producer, Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, Cage the Elephant), who also produced his previous two releases.

The songs that resulted from the diversion illustrate Church’s impressive range and infinite creative canvas. Songs like “Drink in My Hand” and “Hungover & Hard Up,” illustrate his ability to connect with a rowdy audience. Other songs like “Springsteen” and “Like Jesus Does,” reveal a deeper emotions complemented by sophisticated song structures; and then there’s “Homeboy” –the provocative lead single—and Church’s fastest-rising career single to date– that’s already turning heads and causing critics from USA Today and Billboard to champion the release.

The “alive and breathing” feel of the new music inspired Church to name the album, Chief, after a nickname given to his grandfather, and one he has consequently adopted over the years out on the road. “When it’s show time, I put on the sunglasses and the hat, and that’s how people know it’s game time. This album was made from a live place; we recorded it with the live show in mind, so it just seemed right to make that the title,” he adds.

With the release of his third studio album, Church hasn’t forgotten the true captains of his career –his loyal fans. “More than anyone else, we have built are career on the backs of the fans,” he says. “We have not had a lot of TV exposure or number one songs, but we have had music that stirs passion, we put on shows that stoke the flames of that passion, and our fans have carried the torch. Our music belongs to them.”

Chief Track-by-Track
1. Creepin’ (Eric Church / Marv Green)
2. Drink In My Hand (Eric Church, Michael P. Heeney, Luke Laird)
3. Keep On (Eric Church / Ryan Tyndell)
4. Like Jesus Does (Casey Beathard / Monty Criswell)
5. Hungover & Hard Up (Eric Church / Luke Laird)
6. Homeboy (Eric Church / Casey Beathard)
7. Country Music Jesus (Eric Church / Jeremy Spillman)
8. Jack Daniels (Eric Church / Jeff Hyde / Lynn Hutton)
9. Springsteen (Eric Church / Jeff Hyde / Ryan Tyndell)
10. I’m Gettin’ Stoned (Eric Church / Jeff Hyde / Casey Beathard / Jeremy Cradey)
11. Over When It’s Over (Eric Church / Luke Laird)

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Tags: American Idol, scotty mcreery

American Idol Tour 2011

Posted on 02 May 2011 by Bill West

Idol Top 13 2011

The American Idol 2011 season has been a suprising success despite many a nay sayer after the departure of Simon Cowell and other judges. The additionof Jennifer Lopez andSteven Tyler has baeen a refreshing change plus a slew of supertalented finalists have set up a most wanted summer American Idol Live! Tour.

Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown will be selling country tickets against future country stars Scotty Mcreery and Lauren Alaina.

Officials just released the dates and the cities set for the 2011 American Idol tour featuring Casey Abrams, of Idyllwild, Calif., Haley Reinhard, of Milwaukee, Jacob Lusk, of Compton, Calif., James Durbin, of Santa Cruz, Calif., Karen Rodriguez , of New York City, Lauren Alaina, of Rossville, Ga., Paul McDonald, of Huntsville, AL., Pia Toscano, of Howard Beach, N.Y., Scotty McCreery,of Garner, N.C. Thia Megia, of Mountain House, Calif. (Stefano too).

Here are the “American Idols Live!” 2011 tour dates:
July 6: West Valley City, Utah (Maverik Center)
July 8: Everett, Wash. (Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center)
July 9: Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden)
July 11: Sacramento, Calif. (Power Balance Pavilion)
July 12: Oakland, Calif. (The Oracle Arena)
July 13: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
July 15: Los Angeles, Calif. (Nokia Theatre LA Live)
July 16: Ontario, Calif. (Citizens Business Bank Arena)
July 17: Phoenix, Ariz. (US Airways Arena)
July 19: Oklahoma, Okla. (Cox Convention Center)
July 20: Grand Prairie, Texas (Verizon Theater at Grand Prairie)
July 21: Houston, Texas (Reliant Arena)
July 22: New Orleans, La. (Lakefront Arena)
July 24: Orlando, Fla. (Amway Center)
July 26: Duluth, Ga. (Arena at Gwinnett Center)
July 27: Raleigh, N.C. (RBC Center)
July 28: Charlotte, N.C. (Time Warner Cable Arena)
July 30: Nashville, Tenn. (Bridgestone Arena)
July 31: St. Louis, Mo. (Scottrade Center)
Aug. 2: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
Aug. 3: Minneapolis, Minn. (Target Center)
Aug. 4: Milwaukee, Wis. (Bradley Center)
Aug. 6: Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
Aug. 7: Detroit, Mich. (Joe Louis Arena)
Aug. 9: Columbus, Ohio (Schottenstein Center)
Aug. 10: Pittsburgh, Pa. (Consol Energy Center)
Aug. 11: Baltimore, Md. (1st Mariner Arena)
Aug. 13: Atlantic City, N.J. (Boardwalk Hall)
Aug. 14: Newark, N.J. (Prudential Center)
Aug. 17: Philadelphia, Pa. (Wells Fargo Center)
Aug. 19: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
Aug. 20: Richmond, Va. (Richmond Coliseum)
Aug. 21: Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza)
Aug. 23: Long Island, N.Y. (Nassau Coliseum)
Aug. 25: Bridgeport, Conn. (Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard)
Aug. 27: Providence, R.I. (Dunkin’ Donuts Center)
Aug. 28: Albany, N.Y. (Times Union Center)
Aug. 30: Portland, Maine (Cumberland County Civic Center)
Aug. 31: Manchester, N.H. (Verizon Wireless Arena)
Sept. 1: Worcester, Mass. (DCU Center)
Sept. 3: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena)
Sept. 6: Syracuse, N.Y. (War Memorial Arena at The Oncenter)
Sept. 7: Reading, Pa. (Sovereign Center)
Sept. 9: Toronto, Ont. (Air Canada Centre)
Sept. 10: Rochester, N.Y. (Blue Cross Arena)