andPOP » tour

Conan O’Brien Launches Comeback Tour

andPOP Staff — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:37:27 +0000

Conan O’Brien fans rejoice – Conan is coming back. Conan has announced a 30 city comedy tour, but be forewarned, it’s “half-ass.”

Although it’s not clear on what type of material the show will include, Conan says expect a “night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence.”

The tour begins April 12th in Oregon and includes stops in Canada. The tour is being called “The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.”

Conan O’Brien Hitting the Road

andPOP Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:36:26 +0000

Conan O’Brien is hitting the road because what else do you do when you’re out of work? E! News reports that O’Brien will have live performances across the country starting in April.Conan will announce the dates via his Twitter page.

Sources say the performance will be a live theatrical revue. There is no word whether the rest of Conan’s entourage such as Andy Richter and Triumph the Insult Dog will be joining the comedian. But the show will combine music and comedy, hearkening back to what O’Brien did back in 2004 when he transplanted NBC’s Late Night to Toronto for a string of shows
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Steven Tyler and Aerosmith Plan Summer Gigs in Europe

Angelina Irinici — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:54:15 +0000

It’s recently been a rough go for Steven Tyler and Aerosmith since the rockers have been toying with the idea of breaking up for the past six months now. MTV news, however, has reported they have put those ideas to rest and are planning tour dates for this upcoming summer. Guitarist Joe Perry and drummer Joey Kramer confirmed the news via twitter.

“We are looking to crossing the big pond with Aerosmith this summer for some rockin’ festivals,” Perry tweeted on Tuesday.

Kramer followed the next day, “Aerosmith is back!”

The “rockin” festivals include a gig in England and Sweden. Billboard magazine reported that the band will be adding a number of European dates to its summer line-up after confirming a spot at England’s Download Festival in June of this year.

After months of public bickering and reports that the group was possibly looking to replace Tyler, it seems the long-time-running rock group has put their differences aside for now. Aside from Download Festival on June 13, the group is scheduled to play at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 10, and a U.K. spokesperson is saying to look out for more European dates for the band. Aerosmith has also been offered South American tour dates, but no shows have been confirmed yet.

Replacing Tyler would not be a clever move for the group as Download promoter Andy Copping of Live nation U.K. believes.

“There’s no Aerosmith without Steven Tyler,” he said. “There’s no point in entertaining anything other than (with) Steven Tyler.” He added that booking the band without Tyler was “never part of the conversation” with Aerosmith’s management.

In October after announcing an indefinite hiatus, it seemed positive that the band was at a near breakup; especially after Perry tweeted a month later they were looking for a new lead singer. Only one day later Tyler was back onstage with Perry in New Orleans. He proved that rumor wrong, however a month after that the 61-year-old checked himself into rehab for painkiller addiction, which made fans nervous about a possible breakup. Sounds like they are stable for now.

Tiger Woods to Finally Speak

Graham Slaughter — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:31:49 +0000

Tiger Woods will speak for the first time in three months at the PGA Headquarters on Friday.

The acclaimed golfer hasn’t made any public announcements since the car accident outside his Florida home cracked open a dark history of sexual affairs.

At the public announcement, it is expected that Woods will discuss whether or not he will participate in this year’s PGA tour, as well as make a formal apology to fans. The only comments that Woods has made after the accident have been via his personal website.

Mark Steinberg, Tiger Woods’s agent, stated, “This is all about the next step. He’s looking forward to it.”

Hawksley Workman Back to Work

Stephen Baldwin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:25:05 +0000

Canadian rocker Hawksley Workman (Ryan Corrigan) has set his upcoming album, Meat, to be released January 19th. He will also release Meat’s follow up album, Milk, later in the year, according to Chartattack.com.

Corrigan will start a cross Canada tour that will kick off in B.C. on March 6th and conclude in Toronto on April 24th. Tickets will eventually be sold through Ticketmaster, with a presale starting today and ending Thursday through Six Shooter Records’ website.

Workman’s debut album, For Him and the Girls, was released on 1999, and will go on sale today in the U.S. for the first time.

Owl City Hates Owls But Loves Music

Philip Viater — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:55:09 +0000

Breaking news: Adam Young, the artist behind the electronic/pop project Owl City reveals exclusively to andPOP that he he hates owls. In the Q&A, Young — whose single “Fireflies” continues to top charts, including the Billboard Hot 100 — dishes on a possible collaboration with Lights, insomnia, Canada and of course, his “intense dislike of owls” (sorry Owl Society).

“I really hate to pop your bubble, but I in fact have an intense dislike for owls,” admits Young. “I mean, honestly. Does anyone really like owls? They eat vermin and puke up nasty pellets. If I owned an owl I’d name it Toilet Face.”

While he may dislike owls, what he does love is music. Young, whose voice closely resembles that of Death Cab for Cutie frontman Benjamin Gibbard, describes his music like so: “It’s like a flock of sweaty sheep in gym clothes at Anytime Fitness relentlessly running on treadmills and eating powdered sugar donuts simultaneously while watching ‘Brady Bunch’ reruns on overhead TVs. It’s also like grass.”

The album “Ocean Eyes” may be his first major label release, but Owl City had already received millions of plays on MySpace before Young signed to Universal Republic. He says there are a few differences with this album compared to his previous work. “It’s bigger, wider, deeper. There’s more meat to it. I’m a vegetarian. Cool.”

Many of his songs reference the ocean but oddly enough, Young grew up in the ocean-less city of Owatonna, Minnesota. He says his obsession with the sea derived from seeing Lake Superior for the first time. “I’m from Minnesota and the Great Lakes are like the ocean in the Midwest. Totally inspiring to a bratty 8th grade babyface. I remember seeing Superior for the first time on a family vacation, my jaw literally unhinging and my mouth hanging open like a freshly opened can of tuna fish,” says Young. “Duluth, Minnesota, is a mighty nice place. I could live there and be happy.”

Aside from Owl City, Young has been working on another project, Port Blue. “Port Blue was the egg and Owl City was the chicken, or visa versa,” he explains. “Port Blue came first. That’s really my true love in art and music — experimental, instrumental, abstract music. Creating it makes me feel like a scientist and for a noob who got Ds in every science class he’s ever taken. It’s somewhat of a satisfying feeling. More Port Blue to come.”

It might come as a surprise (or it might not come as one at all) that many Owl City songs are products of sleepless nights and influenced by video games like “Race 64.” “Some of my tips for falling asleep revolve around the idea of peanut butter and ice cream meeting in my stomach and holding a wild seafood disco party,” Young tells andPOP.

Later this month, he’ll be heading to China and Japan. American fans can catch Owl City in December and then in January when Young goes on tour with Lights. When asked if he’s working on a collaboration with the Canadian synthpop singer, Young hinted to a possible one by responding to the question with “Hmmmmmmmm…”

After all the touring — which includes shows in the UK, France, Germany, and Australia (with Cobra Starship) — Young has a few things to do when he returns. “I plan on raking leaves after tour and smirking at the thought of throwing Baby Ruth chocolate bars into my neighbor’s uncovered outdoor hot tub”.

Britney Spears Angers Australians, Inspires Lip-Synching Legislation

Emma Renda — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:03:17 +0000

Britney Spears’ first show of her 14-gig Australian tour was a bigger spectacle than expected.

A review in the Sunday Telegraph claims fans stormed out halfway through the show in Perth in an outrage over her lip-synching. But today, News.com.au filed an article giving the other side of the story: that one Australian reporter fabricated the whole thing.

It’s a case of “you had to be there”, but for Spears, it’s still hurtful. Paul Danity, her Australian tour promoter, says she is “extremely upset” and has been holed up in her Perth hotel since the incident on Friday night.

Reports were circulating the fans walked out of the show, despite having paid up to $1,500 for tickets and driving more than two hours to get there.

“It’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard,” Dainty told The Australian.

“I’m so angry. We can take heat if there’s something wrong and people can review shows badly — that’s something you have to live with — but to say people stormed out of the show was an absolute fabrication.”

The Perth Burswood Dome released a statement in Spears’ defense.

“Last night’s concert (Friday) saw record crowds turn out for her first performance in Perth and from Burswood’s perspective the event was a huge success.”

Adam Leber, Spears’ manager, took to Twitter to support Spears and her followers.

“Its unfortunate that one journalist in Perth didn’t enjoy the show last night. Fortunately the other 18,272 fans in attendance did. – Adam,” he wrote.

But Australia isn’t letting her off the hook that easily.

The Sydney Confidential reported that Spears’ lip-synched tour has inspired a move for legislation to require artists to reveal to ticket-buyers if they plan to mime their concert. China has already introduced a “name and shame” policy following the lip-synching debacle at the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony.

Virginia Judge, Fair Trading Minister and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts, told the Daily Telegraph she would not tolerate a “Mickey Mouse performance.”

“Let’s be clear – live means live. If you are spending up to $200 I think you deserve better than a film clip,” Judge said. “The NSW Government would be happy to look at options, such as a disclaimer on a ticket which would warn consumers a performance is pre-recorded.”

Steve Dixon weighed in on the opposite side, saying people pay for the show as much as the music.

“This is a pop spectacular, this is a showband show. You come for the experience,” he told the Telegraph. “There is a lot to see about this show, there’s nothing like this in the world. Britney Spears will entertain you, that’s what people come for. We absolutely give them a show.”

Spears’ has three shows in Melbourne this week, and then heads to Sydney before wrapping up the tour in Adelaide at the end of the month.

Russell Peters Teaches andPOP How To Master Accents

Ilan Mester — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:51:28 +0000

A superstar in his own right, Russell Peters is to comedy lovers what Robert Pattinson is to pre-pubescent girls. The Canadian humorist born to Anglo-Indian parents became the first comedian to sell out the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and is one in a handful of comedians to perform at the Madison Square Garden to a sold out audience. Peters’ new tour celebrating his 20th anniversary kicks off this January.

Anyone who’s seen him perform knows that one of the many things that distinguishes Peters from other acts is his dead-on accuracy when it comes to accents. What’s his secret?

“I listen,” he tells andPOP. “You’ve got to listen to get the inflections and the intent of what people are saying. That means listening to people when they’re happy, sad, angry. That’s how you learn how they speak. I still can’t do a Scottish accent though – doesn’t matter how much I listen and try it… those tricky Scots!”

Fans can hear him and his array of accents when Peters hits the road with “The Green Card Tour” in celebration of his 20th anniversary. But rest assured the jokes will focus on a variety of cultures as usual, not only on Americans. “The reason it’s called The Green Card Tour, is because I’ll be getting my Green Card in 2010,” he explains.

And if you’ve ever dreamed of opening for Peters during one of his shows, here’s your chance. He’s looking for a Canadian BFF (not a la Paris Hilton) through SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Russell Peters’ Search for Canada’s BFF. “In this contest we’re looking for anybody’s and I mean anybody’s ‘Best Funny Five Minutes,’ ” says Peters. “This is a chance for all those people who watch stand-up and say, ‘Hey! I could do that’, to actually get up on stage and do it, with a chance to open for me somewhere in North America.”

Just like many fans out there wish they could be Peters’ “BFF” – and they can enter at www.russellpetersbff.com - he has an ideal celebrity BFF of his own. “Eddie Murphy because I grew up watching him and I want to know what goes on in his head now,” he admits.

His latesest DVD, “Red, White and Brown,” was a huge success but Peters is still not sure when he’ll release new material. “I’m trying to figure that out. We taped a lot of the shows across Canada this past summer, but I’m still not sure what we’re going to do for the next DVD,” he says. “I want to make sure that I’m giving the fans the best possible show that I can when I release my next DVD.”

Aside from the tour – that stops in the U.S. and Australia in 2010 — Peters reveals to andPOP some exciting news. “I’ve got a few things on the go right now. We’re back into developing a sitcom and there are a number of different opportunities being presented to me these days,” he shares. “We haven’t cracked series television yet, but that’s okay because some of the stuff that’s come my way hasn’t necessarily been that good, so I’d rather wait until it’s right. It’s not a race.”

He’s also working on a few other things for Showtime and a book for Canada. “Canada is all about a variety of cultures – it’s one of the things that makes us great,” says Peters. “I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am if I’d have grown up in any other country, including the States.”

For Peters, the best and only way to celebrate his anniversary is to be out on the road doing what he does best: making people laugh. “Just doing what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years, getting on-stage and performing,” he says of how he’s celebrating. “Only now it’s arenas instead of biker bars for 50 bucks in London, Ontario.”

Weezer Announces Tour Dates

Joelle Tomlinson — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:19:23 +0000

Weezer have announced their first few dates in support of their upcoming seventh studio album, Raditude.

According to chartattack.com, the dates will see the band playing smaller venues in the United States and include a stop in Toronto for the Edge’s Jingle Bell Rock at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 5. That show will feature IllScarlett and other performers.

Tickets go on sale Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. through Ticketmaster, but members of the Edge’s Inside Edge can get tickets in a presale which is on now. Tickets run $19.50, $39.50 and $59.50.

Weezer just released the video for “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” Raditude’s first single.
Raditude is out Nov. 3.

Here are Weezer’s upcoming dates:

Oct. 24 Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium w/ Wax
Oct. 31 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
Dec. 1 Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
Dec. 3 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
Dec. 5 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre (Edge Jingle Bell Rock)
Dec. 7 Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
Dec. 9 Baltimore, MD @ UMBC Fieldhouse
Dec. 10 Philadelphia, PA @ Susquehanna Bank Center

Guns N’ Roses Announce Canadian Tour

Vanessa Baker — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:39:31 +0000

To promote their latest album, Chinese Democracy, Guns N’ Roses will tour Canada in January, reports CBC.

The first show will be in Winnipeg on Jan. 13. The band will also perform in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Hamilton, Ont., London, Ont., Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Halifax and Moncton, N.B.

The band will also tour Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.