Live Nation Inc.

Beyonce Stoops to Conquer Toyota Center July 15

Hot off the heels of her electrifying Super Bowl halftime performance, which some believe had something to do with the mysterious blackout at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome shortly into the game's third quarter, Beyonce announced after the game that she will hit the road later this year for her first w ... More >>

Surprise! Rick Ross' Maybach Tour Stop In Houston Canceled

According to an email we have just received from Live Nation in Houston, the Maybach Tour set for next week on December 13 at Reliant Arena, has been canceled. In fact, Ross has canceled the rest of the tour. He cited problems with the tour promoter among other things. The tour -- featuring Rick ... More >>

UPDATED: Railroad Revival Tour With Willie, etc. Cancelled; Band of Horses Adds House of Blues Date

UPDATED (3:15 p.m.): According to Live Nation, Band of Horses has added a show October 24 at House of Blues. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon at livenation.com. The Railroad Revival tour, featuring Willie Nelson, Band of Horses, Jamey Johnson and actor John C. Reilly's band, has been canceled, a ... More >>

Rearviewmirror: 5 Ways Ticketmaster Survived Pearl Jam

Do you hate Ticketmaster convenience fees? If you don't, it's because you've never been to a concert. The various fees tacked onto admission prices by the global ticketing behemoth can add a pretty penny in a hurry to the face value of a chance to see and hear our musical heroes, and they're one of ... More >>

Rush Closes 2012 Tour In Houston December 2

Canadian rock behemoths Rush are set to close out their upcoming Clockwork Angels tour here in Houston December 2 at Toyota Center. The album, their first studio set since 2007's Snakes & Arrows, is due June 5 from Roadrunner Records. On the band's last Houston-area date was up at the Cynthia Woods ... More >>

Garbage Postpones Tonight's House of Blues Show to Unspecified Date

Alt-rockers Garbage have postponed their show scheduled for tonight at House of Blues due to a medical emergency in the family of an unspecified band member, a statement from promoter Live Nation said. "The band will reschedule these dates soon," the statement said.

Kiss, Motley Crue Hit Houston Together August 3

Kiss and Motley Crue are set to go on tour this year together, hitting the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 3, in the the thick of what will probably be a nasty, hot Texas summer. What should they call this tour? Maybe the "Shout It Loud at the Devil Tour"? Or how about "Detroit Rock City Bo ... More >>

Madonna Playing Toyota Center October 24

After her mostly praised Super Bowl XLVI halftime performance - aside from that whole M.I.A. middle-finger thing - Madonna will perform at Toyota Center on Wednesday, October 24, Live Nation announced this morning. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, February 27, at the usual outlets: livenation ... More >>

Chris Gray Day: Auction Items and a Special Deal from Live Nation

With the Chris Gray benefit just a few days away, news is flying fast and furious. We told you yesterday about the addition of Hayes Carll to the artist line up and gave you a rundown of every artist on the bill. Today, we have news from Live Nation. Live Nation has donated two box seats including ... More >>

Jay-Z & Kanye West Bringing The Throne To Houston October 26

​This morning Live Nation announced that Jay-Z and Kanye West, two rappers you may have heard of, will bring their brand-new group The Throne's "Watch The Throne" tour to Toyota Center October 26. Rocks Off applauds the duo for reigniting mass interest in Otis Redding via their single, "Otis, ... More >>

Arcade Fire Tickets On Sale Next Friday

​We'll lead off this week's Magnolia City Mixtape with, well, the headline. It's 10 a.m. next Friday (March 4) at livenation.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. In other late-breaking concert news, Bob Seger hits Toyota Center April 30. Tickets for that one go on sale next Saturday. Our soundt ... More >>

New Dynamo Stadium May Not Change Concert Climate Much

Marco TorresLady Gaga at Toyota Center, July 25​Conceivably, today's announcement that the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has agreed to act as landlord for the proposed Houston Dynamo stadium in downtown's East End could present a serious challenge to the Houston area's reigning concer ... More >>

Rudy's Country Store Sign Don't Need No Thought Control

Craig Hlavaty​Either someone in the front office at Rudy's Country Store & Barbecue near U.S. 290 and Huffmeister got a push from the corporate higher-ups to start slinging more banana pudding, or they are really stoked to have scored front-row Roger Waters tickets. Or maybe Live Nation is in ... More >>

Church for Thugs

50 Cent decides to be a little more selfish on upcoming LP Black Magic.

Why Did Christina Aguilera Really Postpone Her Tour?

​So Christina Aguilera isn't touring this summer after all, according to a release Live Nation floated late Monday and Rocks Off caught via Billboard this morning: "Christina Aguilera's summer tour has been moved to 2011 due to prior commitments that the singer had made to her film Burlesque and t ... More >>

ZZ Top Opening Tom Petty's Texas Dates

Rocks Off has been sitting on this information pretty much all day, and after teasing you on Twitter all day, it feels so good to finally get it off our chests. That's it right up there in the headline, more or less - Houston's hometown boyz ZZ Top have been tapped "by special arrangement" (your gu ... More >>

Angela Barrow-Dunlap's Church Girl

She's only as good as she wants to be

Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert Top Lilith Houston Lineup

​ If you missed Norah Jones Wednesday or Miranda Lambert a couple weeks back, don't worry - they'll both be back when the revived Lilith Fair hits the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 16. Also scheduled for Houston are Dixie Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire's new band, Court Yard Houn ... More >>

Shakira, Tool, Kings Of Leon, Roger Waters All On Sale Within A Week

​This morning, Live Nation announced more huge roadshows hitting Houston soon (enough), adding Shakira and prog-rockers Tool to Toyota Center's 2010 roster. On-sale information for Kings Of Leon and Roger Water's in-concert production of Pink Floyd's The Wall was also released; see the end of this ... More >>

Twitter You've Heard Of (Grrr), But What's a Drobot?

​Rocks Off's sister music blogs have been kicking ass on music analysis lately. At The Sound of The City, critic Christopher R. Weingarten talks about how Twitter and search-engine optimization (SEO) are ruining music journalism. And if you think Austin City Limits was a mess last year, check out ... More >>

Tom Petty Reschedules Woodlands Date For September 24

​ This JUST off the wire... Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are taking a little longer than anticipated to finish their new album, Mojo, and have rescheduled several early dates of the accompanying tour, including May 16 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, which is now scheduled for Septembe ... More >>

Mayday, Mayday: Van Morrison Opens Woodlands' 2010 Season May 1

​This weekend word came from Live Nation that legendary Irish crooner and songwriter Van Morrison will be open the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's 2010 season Thursday, May 1, Van the Man's first Houston appearance in more than 30 years. According to songkick.com, Morrison first hit Houston in J ... More >>

Dave Matthews Band Returns to Houston September 10

Well, there you have it. All Dave's many fans out there can start counting down to next Friday, when tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. through www.livenation.com, Ticketmaster (apparently that merger is working out) or by phone at 800-745-3000. Everyone else can go about your business. Occasional excep ... More >>

Magnolia City Mixtape: New Videos, 7-Inches, Poster Shows, National Blogpress... Enough to Make You Think We've Got an Actual Scene Around Here

Well, the Justice Department has approved the Live Nation/Ticketmaster monopoly merger. What does this mean for you, the average concertgoer? Well, even more inflation on the already-ridiculous $6 Lone Stars at House of Blues. Free Press Houston had a well-written cover story last spring about the ... More >>

Report: Justice Dept. Approves Ticketmaster/Live Nation Merger (UPDATED)

[UPDATED to include AEG President and CEO Timothy J. Leiwecke's statement about the merger.] ​ Via CNBC, businessinsider.com reported Monday morning that the U.S. Justice Department has approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster into a multi-platform entertainment corporation that can do ... More >>

Despite Impending Merger, Live Nation Shows No Longer Available Through Ticketmaster

​ Last week, shareholders of both Ticketmaster and Live Nation voted to approve the companies' impending merger, which was first announced last February. The stock price of both companies rose sharply after the announcement, and the Dow Jones Newswire reported that the U.S. Justice Department coul ... More >>

Congratulations to Our Live Nation Club Passport Winners, and More Background on That John Entwistle Photo

​ We finally have a winner in Rocks Off's photo contest for those Live Nation Club Passports we started giving away back when George W. was president. Not really, but it seems like it. Congratulations to Houston's Mitsy Parsons, whose shot of her with NYC up-and-comer Ryan Star at September's Coll ... More >>

Bayou Beat: More Live Nation Ticket Deals, I.J. Gosey at Discovery Green, Bob Fuldauer Leaves Meridian, Tony Campise In Serious Condition

farm1.static.flickr.com/I.J. Gosey​ We have a winner in our Live Nation "Club Passport" photo contest - we think - but are still awaiting a judge's ruling. Stay tuned. Live Nation has expanded its "No Service Fee" promotion once again, to include pretty much every show coming to House of Blues ... More >>

Bayou Beat: Half Price Live Nation Tickets, Last Call for Photo Contest, First Call for Poster Exhibit, Final "They, Who Sound" (For Now) This Sunday

​ Live Nation's weekly Wednesday "No Service Fee" ticket offer is pretty stiff this week: Buy one ticket for dozens of shows at House of Blues or Verizon Wireless Theater - such as Alice Cooper, O.A.R., Jewel, Goodie Mob, Bob Saget, Drive-By Truckers, Hanson, Peaches, Stryper, Zappa plays Zappa an ... More >>

Fix Your Face

Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker is more hip-hop than most rappers.

Bayou Beat: A 15-Foot Sculpture of George Jones' Head, $10 House of Blues Tickets, Free Tontons Show, etc.

​Heavy metal comedy troupe Steel Panther has cancelled tonight's Warehouse Live show. What's on VH-1 Classic? Tennessee-born artist Wayne White is crafting a 15-foot puppet head in the likeness of Saratoga-born honky-tonk legend George Jones. Entitled "Big Lectric Fan to Keep Me Cool While I Sleep ... More >>

Bayou Beat: Cougars for a Cause at House of Blues, Mandy Moore Hearts Jandek, Bun B Orders Up Some PB&J, etc.

​Want to help fight breast cancer and possibly get pawed by some of Houston's hottest older ladies? Boy, is this the right weekend for you. Sugar Ray, pimping its new album Music for Cougars, headlines House of Blues' "Cougars for a Cause" show Saturday night with Austin power-pop heroes Fastball, ... More >>

Bayou Beat: McKenzies Break Up, Live Nation Goes for (Almost) Broke, New Discovery Green Season, etc.

Chris Gray​ Unfortunately, Houston power-pop prodigies the McKenzies (above) announced after Free Press Summer Fest they have broken up, for the usual reasons. "It's all on good terms," the band said via email. "It's just been really hard to do anything... everyone has personal things to do - scho ... More >>

Bayou Beat: Three Fantastic on NPR, Beyonce Leads MTV Noms, Rocks Off Seeking Intern, More Live Nation Deals, etc.

Mark C. Austin​ Congratulations to Houston's Three Fantastic, whose "Hot Summer Day" was chosen as NPR's "Song of the Day" Wednesday. Comparing it to "one of those half-remembered Sugar Ray hits from a decade ago," NPR's David Browne is a little taken aback by the band's idea of a "glorious summer ... More >>

Bayou Beat: JavaJazz and Meridian Merge

Craig HlavatyButthole Surfers at Meridian, October 2008​Rocks Off has learned that Northside all-ages coffeehouse and music venue JavaJazz has shut down and moved all its shows to the Meridian downtown, and that the two venues have merged into one operation. "All Javajazz shows have moved to Merid ... More >>

Not Too Late for Half Price Live Nation Tickets

Rocks Off meant to post this as part of "Bayou Beat" Tuesday, but we got so excited about seeing Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten - which is excellent, especially if you like campfires - that, well, we forgot. Luckily, this week's Live Nation "All In" ticket deal requires minimal explanation: b ... More >>

Bayou Beat: ZZ Top Winner, New KPFT Schedule, the Little Joe Twitter Mystery and More

Cary Godshall Well, it wasn't a very crowded field, but we have a winner in our ZZ Top lookalike contest: Cary Godshall, who sent in this picture of a friend of his. (Bonus points because he looks like ZZ Top today and not circa Tejas.) Cary wins a four-pack of lawn tickets to Friday's ZZ show at ... More >>

Bayou Beat: Live Nation Goes All In, ZZ Top Tickets Up for Grabs, Meridian Rocks the Sabbath and More

Courtesy of Stephen "Rube" Sager Live Nation has outdone itself on its latest "No Service Fee" Wednesday. All day, $29.99 buys a lawn ticket - one lawn ticket, mind you - parking, all those pesky fees, a hot dog and a soda for any participating show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Once they ... More >>

Funny Girl

Jokes of the Female Persuasion

Discounted Woodlands Lawn Seats All Day

Craig HlavatyUntil midnight tonight, the folks over at Live Nation are selling all lawn tickets to shows way out in the woody, mall-y expanses of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for just $24.99. The concert conglomerate has been running deals on Hump Day for about the past month to alleviate all ... More >>

Before We Go: News on Girl In a Coma, Willie D, Live Nation, Nameless Sound, Golden Cities and More

Before heading to Fitzgerald's tonight, Girl In a Coma had to make a little pit stop: a courtroom in downtown Houston, where the band's Jenn Alva and Nina Diaz had a preliminary hearing for the felony assault on a peace officer charges stemming from the late-night brawl at Chances back in March. How ... More >>

Before We Go: A Thousand Cranes, the Muses, Johnny Bush, the Old Quarter, Katy Perry, a Numbers Documentary and More

The above cartoon - give it a minute; it'll show up - is somehow tied into Saturday's show at Avant Garden featuring A Thousand Cranes, How I Quit Crack and Metal Rouge. Rocks Off wishes he could tell you how, but he digs the Monty Python and the Holy Grail homage. Colorado traditional Celtic duo t ... More >>

It's Official: Live Nation and Ticketmaster Merge

The boards of directors of concert-industry giants Live Nation and Ticketmaster have approved a merger agreement, CNNmoney.com reported today, a deal expected to take effect later this year. The deal is a stock swap that awards Ticketmaster shareholders 1,374 shares in Live Nation per ... More >>

Live Nation and Ticketmaster Near Merger

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that entertainment megacorp Live Nation and Ticketmaster, the world's leading ticketing agency and an important player in artist management, are in talks to merge the two companies. "The resulting firm" - called, appropriately, Live Nation ... More >>

Fleetwood Mac to Unleash at Toyota Center

"Go Your Own Way," live in L.A. on 1982's Mirage tour Live Nation announced this morning that soft-rock supergroup Fleetwood Mac - who put the "fun" in dysfunction while going on to sell more than 10 million copies of 1977's Rumors, scheduled to be re-released this year in expanded CD/DVD for ... More >>

Cheech and Chong

Web exclusive!

House of Blues Changes Houston's Live Music Landscape Before Even Opening

Boss Fans Take Note: Springsteen Announces First Local Date Since 2002

Madonna to Warner Bros.: "Sorry"

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