Mike's Bloggity Blog

So I have a bit of a problem and I was wondering if you could help.   You see, I’ve been in Chicago since Monday and I am supposed to leave.  The only problem is I really don’t think I can.  Not because of passport issues or anything yet, but because I’ve fallen in love with this city as quickly as a reality star with a camera.  Honestly, does everyone else know how cool Chicago is?  Because it is pretty freaking cool.

Just yesterday alone, I had the absolute luck of seeing two amazing shows on two very different spectrums.  The first was the broadway production of Billy Elliot.  I had always heard really great things about it, but I never saw the movie and I thought maybe the whole thing would have been lost on me.  But after posting it on Twitter, I was convinced that I could not be in Chicago and not see the show.  And boy am I glad I did.  I actually have to apologize to the audience who watched Billy Elliot with me, I was the bawling mess who was laughing hysterically the whole time.  Honestly, I was shocked at how good the entire production was. I really gave it some thought before I said it, but I really thing this was the best show I’ve ever seen.  Sure Lion King and Les Mis are bigger and more grandeur, but what Billy Elliot was able to do with relatively small production and some unbelievable kids was absolutely remarkable.  I feel like a better person for having seen the show.

The second show I saw on Wednesday was one that came at the very last minute.  I found out that David Gray and Ray LaMontange were performing at Millenium Park with Serena Ryder as the opening act.  I thought I was screwed because tickets had been sold-out for a long time, but as always, Erikson at MapleMusic Recordings came through for me BIG TIME and I was able to get tickets.  So I must thank him and the BEST, COOLEST, MOST AWESOME record label in all of Canada: MapleMusic Recordings, MapleMusic Recordings, MapleMusic Recordings, MapleMusic Recordings.

I don’t really have to tell you how good the show was,  It was David Gray, Ray LaMontagne and Serena Ryder, you know how good the show was.  It was actually funny because Serena only played four songs and everyone was so curious to who she was, they were shocked when I told them she regularly played sold out shows in Canada on her own. As always, Serena represented Canada perfectly!

David Gray was touring in support of his newest album Foundling.  I could be very wrong, but I think he only played one song from it.  The rest of the show was filled with David Gray’s best songs.  And even though I saw him in Calgary just a few months ago, thanks to Calgary’s uber-conservative concert-goer ways, it was waaaaaay better seeing him the second time around.  The entire audience was on their feet the whole time.  Any Calgarian will tell you that this is a huge no-no in our fair city.  Gray is one of today’s most consistent performers.  Luckily for us, that consistancy is usually absolutely perfect.When I got back to my hotel, I posted this message as my facebook status: “I’ve never been married or had a child, but I don’t see how either of those things could top my day today!!!”  I don’t know if Chicago is supposed to the city where dreams come true, but save from not having a bath in a tub full of McLobsters, today was pretty damn close.

So what do you got for me Canada?  Chicago’s made a pretty strong showing this week!  Oh that’s right, McLobsters.  See you tomorrow!

I just got back from the sold-out Black Eyed Peas concert and yes, I’m a hot and sweaty mess! I don’t know the last time I danced to hard!  The entire concert was a complete party and I couldn’t be happier!

During the entire concert I kept thinking how I was going to be able to describe the show and how much fun it really was.  Then it hit me, I couldn’t.  Capturing the energy and excitement that goes into a Black Eyed Peas with words is nearly impossible.   For all of those people that say that the “concert” is dying, need only go to a BEP show and see that when you want it bad enough, the fans will come.  And Fergie, Wil.Iam, Taboo and apl.de.ap worked their asses off.

So instead of using my words, I thought I would show you some of the HUNDREDS of pictures I took during the show!  I couldn’t help t so many pictures, there was just always so much going on!

I wasn’t sure the Black Eyed Peas would be able to live up to their hype.  I’m happy to report that I was wrong, so very, very wrong.

It is no secret that the summer concert season has been a bit dreadful…(well,except for Drake). And it is hard to say what exactly is turning customers away from concerts and festivals alike, but I’m guessing you wouldn’t be far off if you said cost of tickets.

And crappy ticket sales aren’t just effecting new-comers like Christina Aguilera and Rihanna, older (see: more established) acts like Meat Loaf and Van Morrison are having to re-adjust their shows to accomodate lower than expected ticket sales.

Meatloaf was actually supposed to play tonight at the Saddledome.  But low sales forced the 70′s rocker to move to the significatnly smaller Southern Jubilee Auditorium. I don’t know if it is has anything to do with the disappointing sales or not, but Meatloaf has now pulled out of the concert all together citing illness. Tickets for Meatloaf were originally somewhere between $180 to $240, but were recently being offered for 2 for 1.

The same move had to made for Van Morrison‘s upcoming concert.  He was initially supposed to play Fort Calgary and that too has just been moved to the Southen Jubilee Auditorium.  The Fort accommodates up to 15,000 people and “The Jub” can hold up to 2,500.  You do the math, they ain’t moving because of the weather.  Morrison’s ticket prices range from $75 to $113.

I wonder if it is too late for either of them to add Drake to the bill?

Have you gone to any concerts this summer?  If not, why?

(For more details on what to do if you have tickets to Meatloaf or Van Morrison, visit The Calgary Herald)

Remember last year when Aerosmith had to cancel a bunch of Canadian dates?  If you don’t, essentially Steven Tyler forgot he was 107 years old, was dancing on a catwalk and fell off.  He was so badly injured that their shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Regina and Winnipeg all had to be canceled.

Well that was last year and now Tyler has fully recovered and Aerosmith has announced their new Canadian dates.  Correction: date.  singular.  Guesses?  Toronto on August 17th. Obviously.

So what about the rest of the cities that are still owed an Aerosmith concert?  Well they are out of luck.  And instead of having a blog and just whining about it, Keystone Entertainment Group is suing the band for over $6 million!  Keystone was in charge of the concert line-up last year and put a LOT of money into the promotion of the shows.  And since they were canceled and not re-scheduled, the company feels like Aerosmith owes them some money.

Usually I think law suits are pretty stupid, but according to my Law degree from the University of Ally McBeal, Keystone might have a chance at this one.  While it is not clear how much money they spent on promoting the tour, it is hard to argue that they don’t at least deserve that back!

U2 and Christina Aguilera have both just announced that their summer north american tours have been canceled.  U2 pulled out because of Bono’s bad back and Aguilera pulled out due to scheduling conflicts, though lack of sales is probably to blame.

And with Lilth Fair not selling that well (yet), this is apparently not the summer for concerts?

Luckily, you can still catch Bon Jovi on tour, you know if you are willing to spend $169.50 plus $12.50 in fees!!!!

>On a surprisingly snowy night, Calgarians were treated to a rare-concert experience. In an attempt to regain their momentum after losing their lead singer, The Barenaked Ladies have just embarked on a North American tour. As an opening act, they’ve brought along Joel Plaskett. He himself is coming off a ton of East Coast Must Awards and being robbed of the much deserving Polaris Music Prize.

For Canadian music fans, it didn’t get better.

Since both acts were so impressive, I’ve decided to break out the rare double 99 Word Review.99 Word Review: Joel Plaskett

Bucket List #45: Joel Plaskett concert. Luckily, I was able to cross him off the list by simply attending a BNL concert. As an opener, Plaskett’s popularity could have threatened to overshadow the main act, and yes, he came dangerously close. It was truly a double-header of epic proportions. In his tragically short set, Plaskett continued to establish himself as one of Canada’s biggest rising stars. Song by song, the massive auditorium began to sit up and pay attention. By the end of his set, Plaskett had done the impossible: gotten a standing ovation as opening act. Game, set….

99 Word Review: Barenaked Ladies

Before tonight’s concert, everyone had the same thought: “The Barenaked Ladies without Steven Page? Explain.” After enjoying the two and half-hour show, I’m happy to report that BNL are doing just fine. Actually, they are doing great. Having never seen the Canadian icons before, I honestly felt no noticeable absence. Their show was fun, energetic and unforgettable. Twenty years later, this is a tight band that is still built on friendships with immense respect for each other (and it shows.) John Mayer would benefit with a lesson from BNL about the importance of creating a real concert experience.
It will be hard to forget either Plaskett or BNL. Better yet, it will be even harder to wipe the smile off of my face.

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John Mayer’s fans are now a varied bunch. There are the rabid college fans, the older and wiser blues aficionados and most recently, the insatiable “fans” that mostly know Mayer for his continued plights on TMZ and twitter, than the amazing-ness that is Continuum and Room For Squares. This phenomenon explains why his Calgary show was filled the who’s who of Plenty of Fish rejects and far too easy cougars and skanks. Apparently it doesn’t matter how trashy you’ve become, if you are famous, women will still be interested. (Males please take note.)

For true fans of the must of John Mayer, his ravenous appetite for the tabloid-life has become increasing disheartening. You only need only to listen to John Mayer’s latest CD Battle Studies, to know that things simply aren’t like they used to be. And unfortunately, this was all too evident at Mayer’s show in Calgary on Saturday night. The two-hour concert can only be described as unmemorable and ultimately, disappointing. Actually, it is more complicated than that. The concert was great. Really, it was. But two weeks from now, I’ll struggle to remember it and there in lies the disappointment. That’s what happens when you don’t personalize your show. For real John Mayer fans, it quickly became evident that he was just going through the motions. We might expect this with Britney or Lady Gaga, but Mayer has proven himself to be interesting, funny and very thought provoking. Sadly, Calgarians witnessed none of this. Instead, we got a very cookie-cutter set. Asides from shouting “Calgary” every few songs, the concert could have been performed anywhere and anytime. This is not the John Mayer experience that so many had hoped for.

When I got home from the concert, I started re-listening to some of my favorite John Mayer songs. They’ve always been great and are easily the most played in my Itunes library. But if I’m being honest, listening to them live or in my living room, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference anymore. I used to think this was a good thing, but I always held Mayer on a little bit of a higher pedestal. Saturday night concert reminded me, he’ll have to be taken down a step, or two.

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It’s been a couple of years since I first saw Hawksley Workman in concert. It was at the Banff Centre for the Arts and I was almost instantaneously enamored. I had gone as a friend’s ‘plus one’ and didn’t know much about the singer. Yet, within minutes, I knew I was watching something amazing.

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He is coming on a big ol’ Canadian tour and I need to tell you about the presale!

I didn’t even know you could still buy those things!

If you are an Xavier Rudd fan, and why wouldn’t you be? (have a listen) This special presale ends tomorrow! Along with the K-Way jacket, you get a ticket to the show and you decide if you want a digital download of his new album, or you can have the CD or the Vinyl!

First the k-way jacket and now vinyl! I knew I should have held onto those stone wash jeans!

Click here to order your package! (that sounds funny, doesn’t it?)

Here are all the dates for the upcoming Canadian tour.

May 14th – Quebec City
May 15th – Montreal
May 17th – Ottawa
May 18th – Ottawa
May 19th – Kitchener
May 20th – Toronto
May 21st – Toronto
May 25th – Winnipeg
May 26th – Winnipeg
May 27th – Saskatoon
May 29th – Calgary
May 30th – Banff
May 31st – Banff
June 2nd – Edmonton
June 4th – Vancouver
June 6th – Victoria

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U2 just announced tour dates for their North American tour kicking off next summer and two Canadian cities were lucky enough to book gigs with the world’s biggest band!