We have a lot to get to this week, but first a quick Gene Simmons update.
It seems that the whore of all whores (“Whorissimo”?) has canceled over half of the shows scheduled for an upcoming solo tour, including his Houston gig at the House of Blues, which was set for Saturday, May 24. No official reason was given for cancellations, but Simmons’ team says that the dates will be rescheduled some time next year. A reasonable person must, however, speculate that ticket sales were on the anemic side. No report is available on the number of folks who have taken Simmons up on his offer to be a “Roadie for the Day,” an experience priced at over $12K, but I have my guesses there as well.
In other Kiss news, the band has announced that it will, after playing a much-ballyhooed farewell tour, perform a show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Kiss Army fan club at the three-day “Kiss Army Storms Vegas” event scheduled for November 14-16 in Sin City.
But, but, wait, you may ask. Didn’t Kiss say they were through performing? Wasn’t that the point of the farewell tour? No, we are told (dismissive hand wave here), the band said that they were through touring, not performing. And besides, that doesn’t count, because it only applied to performances where Kiss was in makeup. This will be an “unmasked” show.
And speaking of sin, isn’t “greed” on that list of the deadly ones?
Ticket Alert
The Jonas Brothers will perform at Toyota Center on Sunday, October 19, as part of the band’s “Living the Dream” tour. The program will feature “dedicated sets from every chapter of Jonas,” meaning that, in addition to a set from all of the brothers (that would be Joe, Nick and Kevin) together, the show will also include solo sets from Joe and Nick, plus sets from Nick Jonas and the Administration and Joe Jonas’ band DNCE. Whew! Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 am.
Another BFD is EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) John Legend’s just-announced show at the Smart Financial Centre on Sunday, October 19, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Lifted. Meet and Greet packages are available, along with a “pre-show storytelling session.” Presales are up now, with the general ticket sale on Friday.
One thing about the Flaming Lips: they are never boring. Inscrutable, eccentric, trippy and just plain weird, but never boring. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: The Lips hold the Guinness World Record for most concerts in a 24-hour period. On June 27 and 28, 2012, the band played 8 shows, starting in Memphis and winding up in New Orleans. The self-proclaimed “fearless freaks” from Oklahoma will perform at the 713 Music Hall on Wednesday, August 20, with Modest Mouse opening. Presales are in progress now, and the general sale starts on Friday.
Two Texas titans will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Sunday, September 21. “The Crooner and the Cowboy” tour pairs longtime friends Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett for an evening which celebrates the musical legacy of Texas. As a bonus, Americana heavyweights Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Dave Alvin will open. The presale is going on now, and the general sale is set for Friday.
Jimmie Vaughan is back on the road after taking some time off to deal with health issues last year, and he will play the Heights Theater on September 28, backed by his Tilt-a-Whirl Band. Vaughan has stood at the pinnacle of the Texas guitarists mountain since he was a teenager during the ‘60s, so it’s great to have him back. Tickets are on sale now for what promises to be an evening of serious blues and R&B.
Concerts This Week
Some have said that Blackberry Smoke is a difficult band to categorize, and I suppose there is some truth to that, but in my mind, these guys are the latest in a musical lineage that reaches back to the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Marshall Tucker Band, the Georgia Satellites and the Black Crowes. I’m talking about southern rock here, a mixture of rock, blues, country and some major attitude. The band’s “Rattle, Ramble and Roll” tour stops at the 713 Music Hall on Friday, with some good seats still available.
Geoff Tate first achieved fame as a member of prog-metal band Queensryche (forgot the umlaut, dammit!) in the late ‘80s, and since the band’s acrimonious breakup over a decade ago, he has been plying his high-frequency vocals as a solo artist, to the delight of metal fans and dogs alike. Seriously, if Maxell were still producing television commercials, this guy would be the successor to Ella Fitzgerald in the wine glass shattering department. You can catch his act on Friday at the House of Blues.
Burt Bacharach composed the music for a bunch of pop classics, including the No. 1 songs “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” Aficionados have long respected his songwriting, which introduced imaginative and sophisticated touches gleaned from his background in jazz. Todd Rundgren (no slouch himself when it comes to being part of many a hit record) will headline a tribute to the hitmaker, “What the World Needs Now: The Bacharach Songbook Live,” on Saturday at the Heights Theater. Longtime Bacharach arranger / music director Rob Shirakbari will lead an ensemble comprised of ace session musicians and other musical badasses.
The latest version of the Millennium Tour will make a stop at Toyota Center on Sunday. This year’s lineup, which is headlined by Omarion, Trey Songz and Bow Wow, features artists from the aughts including (deep breath here) Plies, Boosie, Ying Yang Twins, Ray J, Sammie, Bobbie V, Pleasure P, Nivea and special guest Rick Ross. You might want to buy a program, because with this many acts, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard.
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