METALLICA played a corporate gig last night (Wednesday, August 31) in San Francisco at a party hosted by Salesforce.com, a cloud computing company that provides cloud-based applications and solutions for businesses to enhance their sales and customer service capabilities. The company hosted its annual convention called Dreamforce in San Francisco, and METALLICA got involved through guitarist Kirk Hammett's friendship with Salesforce.com chief executive officer Marc Benioff, who is his neighbor.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom the Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. The Memory Remains
05. Fade to Black
06. Cyanide
07. Sad But True
08. One
09. Master of Puppets
10. Blackened
11. Nothing Else Matters
12. Enter Sandman

Encore:

13. Last Caress
14. Seek & Destroy

You can find a 15 minute video of the guys warming up and also playign Creeping Death on the official website....it's great footage!

According to The Pulse Of Radio, LINKIN PARK continues to spearhead efforts from various music artists to raise relief funds for the Japanese people in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the country earlier this month. The band's Music For Relieforganization has collected new, unreleased tracks from FLYLEAF,HOOBASTANK, ANGELS & AIRWAVES, THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS,STAIND, SLASH, SARA BAREILLES, COUNTING CROWS, PLAIN WHITE T'S and others in support of Save The Children's emergency response campaign. The exclusive set of songs can be downloaded for a donation of $10 or more at the Download To Donate web site.

Cirque du Soleil has been producing hit shows for years, and Dralion is no exception.  The traveling show made a stop in Buffalo, NY for a four day trek of the weird, unknown, and impressive.  Just picture taking a trip to Asia but with an altered state of mind.  The show covers everything from the sensual to comedic with parts anyone in attendance will enjoy. 

Dralion takes you on a  journey lead by dancers, acrobats, jugglers, rope jumpers, and wall climbers.  At one point, you could hear the audience gasping as the men seemed to be walking up walls due to some strategically placed trampolines.  Another highlight of the show is the highly talented live performing orchestra that was nestled into the side of the circular stage.  With multiple percussionist and singers, the full sound of Dralion radiated through HSBC Arena to the audiences delight. 

Although the show was far some sold out on its opening night, the buzz was created and word of mouth spread for the show.  It has been getting great reviews in other markets, and for Buffalo, this was a breath of fresh air from the mundane.

See Dralion when it comes to your town - go to the official website at:

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/dralion

Watch the trailer below to see what you're in for when you check out Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. 

Kings of Leon's "Come Around Sundown" (Hand Me Down/Sony Music Entertainment) made a record-breaking start to its U.K. album chart career yesterday (Sunday). In selling over 183,000 copies, it recorded the biggest first-week sale of any artist album this year, and the 49,000 of those that were digital represented the biggest first-week digital sales in U.K. chart history. On the singles chart, Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are (Amazing)" (Elektra/Atlantic), achieved the unusual feat of returning to No. 1.

"Come Around Sundown" is Kings of Leon's third consecutive U.K. No. 1 album. They opened their chart account with a No. 3 peak for "Youth and Young Manhood" in 2003, repeating the feat the following year with "Aha Shake Heartbreak." Their first bestseller was 2007's "Because of the Times," followed in 2008 by "Only By The Night." From the new set, "Radioactive" held at No. 14 yesterday after debuting two weeks ago at No. 7. "Night" climbed back 37-23 in its 109th chart week, and below the published top 75, "Times" improved 118-89.

 

What do you do when you're the top selling rock-rap act in the world?  Evolve.  Linkin Park is now a household name, but the new release isn't the most radio friendly mainstream music...TheConcertMan.com has reviewed the new CD "A Thousand Suns" so do yourself a favor and click here to read the full review.

TheConcertMan.com has an exlusive interview with Puddle of Mudd Guitarist Paul Phillips talking about the new record, advice for up and coming musicians, and the massive summer tour they're currently on called the Carnival of Madness featuring Shinedown and Sevendust.  Check out www.carnivalofmadness.com for the tour dates and www.puddleofmudd.com for the latest news and updates. 

TCM: You've been on the road supporting Volume 4 the past few months on a headlining tour, how has that been going?  

Paul Phillips:  It's been great.  We've had some really fun shows.

TCM:  What can we expect on this summer's Carnival of Madness tour with Chevelle, Shinedown, and Sevendust? Any collaborations or setlist surprises?  

Paul Phillips:  I don't know about collaborations, but there may be a curveball cover just for fun.  Our set is a little shorter on this tour so we don't have that much time to get too crazy.  We have a lot of singles that we have to play.

TCM:  Whats the best venue you've ever played at and why? 

Paul Phillips:  I remember being pretty stoked to play Madison Square Garden with Korn.  That place is so legendary and pretty much the mecca for live shows.

TCM:  "Stoned" has done very well in the charts and on the radio as well as "Spaceship.”  What's next for a new single?  

Paul Phillips:  Our third single "Keep It Together" will be going to radio real soon.

TCM:  What was the musical direction Puddle of Mudd took on the new record?  How are the majority of the songs created and written?  

Paul Phillips:  Well, we don't really try and reinvent the wheel.  We do what we do and it seems to work for us.  Most of the songs are written individually on the bus or at our houses on acoustic guitar.  This time, I was staying up at Wes', so a bunch of the songs were written by he and I late at night in his living room.  We would then take these into the band at rehersal and hash them out.

TCM:  Out of all the Puddle of Mudd records, what are some of your personal favorite songs to play on guitar?  

Paul Phillips:  There are a few.  Drift and Die, Think, Stoned, and Famous come to mind.

TCM:  How did you get your start in the music business? 

Paul Phillips:  I grew up in Jacksonville, Fl., the home of Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst.  When they took off, Fred really wanted to sign a band that I was in at the time.  Well, the band had dissolved, but we kept in touch and when Puddle needed a second guitarist, I got the call.

TCM:  What advice would you give to those starving musicians out there trying to get their foot in the industry?  

Paul Phillips:  It is really tough right now.  The internet has destroyed the good old days when there was a lot of money to throw around because of record sales.  Today, no one is selling records.  All your money is gonna come from touring and merch.  Therefore, why is any label gonna take a gamble on a new band and throw them lots of cash?  It isn't gonna happen.  You need to be as self sufficient as you can.  Use the internet to build up your fan and touring base.  Network with local promoters and bands.  Bug your local stations to give you a few spins.  The more you can tour, sell merch, and get your music out there on your own, the better.  Labels will be much more willing to take that risk. 

METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — are playing together for the first time in history tonight (Wednesday, June 16) at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland.

"Normally we put the set together about half an hour before we go on, but for this one we've done it earlier," explained METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. "Everyone is really excited about this."

METALLICA's setlist for tonight's concert was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. The Four Horsemen
05. Fade To Black
06. That Was Just Your Life
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Stone Cold Crazy
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy

The Stone Temple Pilots are finally back with their first studio album is over nine years - it's about time right?  This heavily anticipated album will be dropping on May 25th but you can stream new songs from Amazon.com or YoutTube.com.   For your listening pleasure, below is the newest single called "Between the Lines" from a recent live performance.

Also, be sure to tune in when Stone Temple Pilots will be featured on the May 21 episode of Friday Night Alright on VH1.

VH1 describes "Friday Night Alright" as a music fan's passport to first-class rock and pop music concerts in HD from around the world every Friday night at 11 PM. 

The weekly global musical expedition includes concerts by Pink, U2, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Black Eyed Peas, and more. Jim Shearer, of VH1's "Top 20 Video Countdown," will present the series.

Dave Grohl has revealed that he is teaming up with producer Butch Vig for the forthcoming Foo Fighters album, which he said "could be our heaviest album yet."

Appearing at the Independent Spirit Awards on Friday (March 5th), the Foo frontman and Them Crooked Vultures drummer said his main project was gearing up for their seventh album, and stated that the collaboration in Vig was meant in part to honor the 20th anniversary of of Nirvana's breakthrough album Nevermind.

"Me and Taylor have already started demoing songs," Grohl said, speaking to Rolling Stone about initial efforts with Foo drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Bucking with the trend of the last two Foo albums, which were recorded at the band's cutting-edge Studio 606 in California, the new effort will be laid down in Grohl's garage on analog tape. "We're doing a test on Monday," Grohl stated, before adding, "I think this could be our heaviest album yet."

The forthcoming album will also be complimented by a documentary film, said Grohl, which will honor the group's 16 years together and offer a behind the scenes look at the making of the new release.

No word yet on whether this means that Them Crooked Vultures, who recently announced that they were to start work on a new album this year, will be put on the back burner.

Weezer are back on the road after the unfortunate accident in Albany two months ago.  They kicked off the tour in Florida.  Karl from Weezer.com gives a full report of the nights crazy events and festivities....it was one not to be missed.

"Well, all I can say is wow! What a crowd, what a show. Incredible energy tonight at the T-Mobile Moto Cliq Concert. No one quite knew what to expect for tonights show, with the band off of the scene since early December, and Rivers returning to the stage for the first time since the bus accident that 86'ed the December and January tour dates. Not even Rivers knew what to expect. He knew he was still in some pain despite the doctor's green light, and wasnt sure of what his limitations were nor how hard he should push against them. 

One thing we were hopeful for was a big stoked crowd, which FSU delivered in spades! The press release said: "FSU’s student body and fan base rallied together to win the T-Mobile Motorola CLIQ Challenge, beating out over 1,000 schools including rivals University of Florida and University of Central Florida. The competition allowed students, faculty, alumni and fans to vote for the four-year school or university of their choice between Nov. 2 and Nov. 30, 2009. Hundreds of thousands logged onto T-Mobile’s Facebook page to build the largest online fan base and the Seminoles emerged victorious."

Because they were the victors, they got all that Weezer could deliver, including the FSU Pep Band playing the Seminole War Chant on stage to segue into the shows opening song, Hash Pipe. From there the fun escalated, with special guests Jermaine Dupri on 'Cant Stop Partying' (fresh from the VIP lounge downstairs where he was the star DJ), and Hayley Williams from Paramore guesting on her fave Weezer track 'Say It Aint So'!. That left "(If you're wondering if I want you to), I want you to" needing a duet partner, so Rivers selected some kids from the front row to help out. It was a bit chaotic, but tons of fun (like the whole night!) Then there was DJ Aoki warming up the crowd, the toilet paper, the fake snow, the beach balls, the hand held spotlights, the high fives with the front row, The Pink Floyd, The Van Halen, The Led Zeppelin (in passing), filming footage for use in the next Weezer music video, and some only lightly scaled down feats of Raditude! Asked later if he felt he had ever pushed things too far for his healing body, Rivers said "yes, many times! But once I got out there and saw the crowd... I couldnt stop." Feats of Raditude, people."

January 18  

Crash Karma rocked the Kool Haus last night in Toronto with the Stone Temple Pilots to a sold out crowd.  The guys were given a nice long forty minute set to showcase what they've been up to.  As frontman Edwin put it, "We had our afternoons free and decided to play some music.  Apparently people like it because radio has picked up the song and put it in heavy rotation."

 Crash Karma plowed through a setlist that included their tunes "Next Life" and "Awake".  It's amazing to think the band formed in 2008 and played their first show back in the early summer days as they have a polished set with a demanding stage presence. 

Check out more pictures from Crash Karma at the Kool Haus by clicking here.

November 17  

The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular has taken their show to the road and now they're bringing Christmas to you!  The famous Rockettes will be in Buffalo with a few guests bringing their signature precision dancing thats sure to impress and delight any audience as they have over the past 75 years. 

With the inaugural tour hitting 18 cities last year with wild success, this year promises to be bigger and better with a record breaking production crisscrossing over thirty cities this holiday season.   “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the #1 live holiday production in the world and has been a cherished part of holiday family traditions for generations.   We are thrilled to build upon last year’s success and expand this extraordinary tour to more cities than ever before,” said Jonathan Hochwald, executive vice president, Productions, MSG Entertainment. “We look forward to bringing the spirit and warmth of our holiday production to more people than ever  with the largest traveling Christmas celebration ever created.” 

For more than three-quarters of a century, the Radio City Rockettes have entertained millions of families with their eye-high kicks and unparalleled precision dance. The Radio City Christmas Spectacularcreates wonderful memories for more than two million patrons each year and has been enjoyed by approximately 67 million people in 43 cities since its inception in 1933.  The Rockettes are an American treasure and their performance style has always been both entirely glamorous and deceivingly complex.  As the stars of the legendary Christmas Spectacular, the Rockettes will move this new production forward as they showcase their signature precision dance style and debut some of the most challenging and freshest Rockette numbers that have ever been conceived. 

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 

HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY 7:00PM  

Buy Tickets here!

October 23  

Shram was one of the stand out bands this past summer on the Monster Energy stage at Cruefest and TheConcertMan.com got a chance to talk with frontman Brian Shram.  With fearless guitar riffs and unapologetic punch you in the face rock....the guys have made a name for themselves. Check out the recap of the tour below then check out the exlusive interview by clicking here.

October 20  

Pepper, ill Scarlet, and Iration came to Buffalo, NY on October 16th to deliver a 1,2,3 knockout of reggae rock at the Town Ballroom.  Iration had the crowd in a frenzy playing songs off of the "Sample This EP" and their full length release "No Time for Rest".  Local favorties from Toronto ill Scarlet are out with the boys in Pepper supporting their new rocking album 1UP!.  Their setlist and on stage banter about hockey had the crowd captivated with tracks both new and old, as well as a few covers.  Be sure to check out ill Scarlet's streaming acoustic set followed by an interview with the guys at their official website www.illscarlet.com.  

Pepper finally hit the stage decked out in head to toe in military gear and camo for the "Back in the Trenches" tour.  The rapport between Pepper and the fans is evident as the fans participated in chants and sing alongs all night long.  They brought a type of vibe to the Town Ballroom that made you fist pump and break out in dance.  The crowd was having fun, apparently to much fun because of at one point the remaining crowd was congratulated for not getting kicked out like the 100+ underage drinkers and fighters did.  Mission successful for a rocking Friday night.

Check out the remaining tour dates and Pepper's new release at http://www.pepperlive.com

Also, check out the pictures from show in Buffalo by clicking here!

October 13  

Sugarland came to town, apparently they were opening for Keith Urban but the crowd in Buffalo,NY at HSBC Arena didn't seemed to notice.  They blasted through a high energy, well received set in front of a sold out crowd.  When it comes to musicianship, Sugarland knows how to perform catering to old and new fans with a setlist that flowed from start to finish. 

 Check out the photos from the show by clicking here or going to the photos section!  

October 12  

AFI ARE BACK!  The long awaited release "Crash Love" is out and the guys are hitting the road to support it.  Anyone who has see them knows, it's all about the live show.  Opening with the hard hitting yet melodic "Torch Song" the pit erupted and devil horns swayed in the air at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY.  The infectious metal, punk, rock, whatever-you-want-to-call-it grooves ignited the crowd for an October evening of Rock and Roll tearing through their hits "Miss Murder" to "Silver and Cold".  

Check out TheConcertMan.com's pictures from the show here!

September 24  

A Music fan has to make the pilgrimage at least once to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The original Hall of Fame is in Cleveland and now the newly opened Rock and Roll Annex is in the city that never sleeps, NYC!  Don't let the name fool you, this is by no means an offshoot of random memorabilia - the 25,000 square feet is filled to capacity with the greatest names and highlights in music history.

The best part about the Annex is the way its presented.  Each visitor is given a headset that will automatically detect what exhibit you are checking out while exploring the Annex.  So if you're looking at Billy Joel's handwritten lyrics to "Only the Good Die Young", low and behold you'll be listening to it as well.  

The John Lennon exhibit is a lovely display of personal belongings and memorabilia displayed in a way thats not only interesting to any music fan, but thought provoking ranging from Lennon's legendary New York City Shirt to his bag of  clothes returned to Yoko Ono after his tragic murder.  The Museum truly captures the impact New York City has on music from the past, to the present, and into the future.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC

76 Mercer Street

New York, NY, 10012

 September 01  

The You've heard about CRUEFEST all summer long...now here is your chance to go to the big show coming to Darien Lake this Labor Day weekend.  The show is this Saturday the 5th of September and you could win a pair of tickets.

  TheConcertMan.com wants to bring you to the show....but nothing good comes easy.  The band SHRAM will be rocking the second stage and they want you to be there.  All you need to do is check out their website and send an e-mail letting us know the name of the new record.  Go to http://www.schramband.com/ right now then send an e-mail with the name of the new record to theconcertman2009@gmail.com with your name and telephone number.  We'll let you know by the end of the week!

 August 29  The almighty Lynyrd Skynyrd has debuted a new video called "Still Broken " from their new upcoming album called God and Guns.  Great video....great song...should be an amazing album.

More to come - we have a big update happening shortly.

 June 29  

Rain: A Beatles Tribute Band will be invading the Forum in Binghamton, NY this Wednesday June 3rd.  TheConcertMan.com spoke with Joe Bithorn who plays George in the band and has extensive experience with the Beatles music.

The Show features 5 different scene and costume changes, 3 video screens and live camera projection, combining  vintage television commercials and historic video footage. All has been recreated with great detail right down to every note of music performed live. For the four longtime band members – the music is first and foremost with this whole production.  

"We try to muster as much musical integrity as we can and we don't try to pull it off as 'Hey, we're the Beatles.' We're there in celebration of the Beatles' music," Joe Bithorn said in a phone interview.

What's the first step in trying to recreate the magic of the Beatles?  "First and foremost you have to be a good singer and a good musician.  This isn't just about the singing and the acting, it's knowing your instrument, playing in key, in time, in pitch and playing dynamically," Bithorn said.

May 24  

Gavin Rossdale of Bush came to the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY on May 6th, 2009 to play some new songs, cover songs, and old songs from his collection.  Check out exclusive pictures from the show in the photos section. 

 May 5  

Happy Cinco De Mayo!  We're coming at you today with some new pictures from the one and only STAIND!  They performed to a sell out crowd at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY on May 1st playing everything from their discography.  Check out the photos section to see them all.

Also, we review the epic release from the legendary Bob Dylan.  Click here to read the review of Together Through Life.