Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on 9/7/14.
Setlist: So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, American Dream Plan B, Into the Great Wide Open, Forgotten Man, I Won’t Back Down, Free Fallin’, A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me), U Get Me High, Rebels, Two Gunslingers, Yer So Bad, Learning to Fly, Shadow People, I Should Have Known It, Refugee, Runnin’ Down a Dream
Encore: You Wreck Me, American Girl
This fall marks one of the most sought after tours in recent memory. The incredible co-lining onslaught of Five Finger Death Punch and Volbeat has been an idea in the works for some time, with both bands finally hitting the road together after countless scheduling issues, stopping in Albany. The timing could not be better, as both bands are the premier heavy metal bands on mainstream rock radio.
Joining them on tour will be Nothing More, the fast rising heavy groove metal project out of San Antonio, Texas. Chipping away at the game with their relentless barrage of work they finally have broken out with their single, “This is the Time(Ballast)” hitting #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in 2014. As they self proclaim with the inherent question, “Nothing more?”, they immediately answer back, “Accept nothing less.”
Hellyeah have recently dropped their most defining album to date. Blood for Blood allows the average listener to really get the best interpretation of this ‘supergroup’, and gives the die hard fan a new outlook on this incredible band. Made up of seasoned veterans of the stage Chad Gray (Mudvane), Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan), Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) and Kyle Saunders (Bloodsimple), they are poised to bring the hard hitting heavy rock to this tour.
Hailing from Denmark, Volbeat is no stranger to the United States. The three-piece continues to tear up stages all over the world, and are primed and ready to co-headline this tour in support of their most recent album, Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies. Epic riffs and catchy melodies make each show an experience, and with new second guitarist Rob Caggiano (Anthrax) will have the entire crowd banging their heads and singing along.
Five Finger Death Punch (5FDP) has been wanting to do this tour for sometime, and scheduling has always gotten in the way, as is the case with hard working bands that tour constantly. But the planets aligned and this tour can finally be a reality. 5FPD are riding high off their two releases last year, The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell, parts 1 and 2. The combined sales of those records made the band the highest selling rock band in America. Their live show is one of pure intesity and heavy metal chaos, and one not to be missed when it rolls into the OnCenter War Memorial Arena in Syracuse NY on Setptember 23rd. Then, on September 27th, the tour will hit the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. This, like so many other amazing shows in the Albany area, is being brought to this area thanks to the tireless efforts of Step Up Presents.
The tour kicks off in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 16 and goes until it’s Las Vegas on October 24th. Tickets and tour dates can be found on the bands websites or through TicketMaster.
Tickets for the Syracuse Show can be found here.
Tickets for the Albany show can be found here.
Adding another instrument to a band is always a hard choice, but when it works out so well, the band and its’ fans embrace it forever. On his new album Swift, Marco Benevento has done just this, except the instrument he added is his own voice. Not one known for singing, Benevento sprinkled his voice all over Swift and it works great. Opening track “At The Show” has been played live for about a year and it is finally nice to hear the studio version. His voice adds character to a song that was already a great one from the wizard of the keyboards. Benevento explains. “I’m surprised it took me this long to sing, but growing older, getting into music by The Band and James Booker and the Grateful Dead, the singing door has opened. It’s a new instrument.”
Andy Borger and Dave Dreiwitz, on drums and bass respectively, are not hidden by the new instrument on the scene either. They are an integral part of what makes Marco’s music so special. Borger’s drums are heavy throughout the record, constantly driving each song forward while Dreiwitz’s bass dances right along with Benevento’s keys and lyrics, keeping them honest. “Eye to Eye” is a slowed down hazy dream that you get lost in immediately and feels longer than the four minutes that it is listed as. For fans of jamming, “Coyote Hearing” is a blissful jam, creeping closer to craziness the longer the track goes. This song is sure to thrive in a live setting with the beautiful work on the keys from Benevento, the thumping bass from Dreiwitz, and Borger’s impeccable drum work.
On “The Saint” an evil bass line pushes everyone else to go down the path of full on rock and roll and should be another one that thrives in the live setting. Album closer “Free Us All” is one that will be one of the tracks you find yourself listening to and clapping along with it. The song is sure to get stuck in your head. The vocals shine on this one with Marco belting out “Why don’t you free us all?”, over and over. Swift is new territory for the band and it should come as no surprise that these great musicians thrive on it. The band is going to be touring the country behind the album and make a stop in New York early in the tour with album release parties in New York City on Sept. 16 and 17, and a stop at Kingston’s BSP on Sept. 26. Grab the album before going the show though so you can learn the words and sing along with Marco; I’m sure he’d love it.
Key Tracks: At The Show, Coyote Hearing, The Saint, Free Us All
Grunge bands aren’t the only performers from the ’90s making a comeback. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, a Hip-Hop act made famous in 1996 with their #1 single, “Tha Crossroads” will be at the brand new Charles R Wood Festival Space in Lake George on Friday, Sept. 19.
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony has sold over 40 million records worldwide and collaborated with widely popular artists including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, 2Pac, and the Notorious B.I.G..
With a new album in the works, the group has been gearing up for a resurgence. They recently made appearances at the BET Awards and the Beats Grammy Party with Eminem and Dr. Dre, and have participated in several festivals. Upstate fans can expect to hear the group’s big hits including “Thuggish Ruggish Bone”, “1st of Tha Month”, “Tha Crossroads”, “Notorious Thugs”, and more.
Saratoga’s DAO JONES and local phenom, DJ Playground will also be performing.
Tickets are available online or from 42 Degrees located at 23 Park St. Glens Falls, NY. $25 (advance; $30 gate) for general admission. $40 (advance; $45 gate) gets you VIP access to an “up front” tented area (with a private beer and wine vendor). An additional $80 gets you to the Meet~n~Greet.
The event is rain or shine and those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Brought to you by Improv Records and Kamp David Productions, who remind fans that blankets are welcome, but coolers, animals and bad attitudes are not.
Update 9/25: Yusuf has cancelled his show in NYC at The Beacon Theatre to protest New York’s scalping laws, per CBS. A statement from Yusuf reads:
Unfortunately I will not be performing in NYC this time around but I am looking forward to playing for fans in Philadelphia on December 4 and hope to return to NYC at a future date. My fans will understand and I thank them for informing me about the extortionate tickets prices already being listed on some websites. I have been a longtime supporter of paperless tickets to my shows worldwide and avoiding scalpers. Unfortunately NY has a state law that requires all tickets sold for shows in NYC to be paper, enabling them to be bought and sold at inflated prices. I’m sorry about not being able to now play in NYC but hope to find an opportunity that aligns with my support of this issue in the near future, God willing. Looks like the Peace Train is going to arrive at New York a little bit later than expected. – Yusuf
Yusuf will be playing in Boston on December 7th at the Wang Theatre.
“Peace Train” singer and newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, Yusuf Islam, better known as Cat Stevens, announced a six-city concert tour in North America this December. This will be his first set of tour dates since 1976.
Islam will be releasing a blues album called Tell ‘Em I’m Gone, on Oct. 27 produced by Rick Rubin. The last album that Islam released as Cat Stevens was his 1978 album, Back To Earth.
The “Peace Train..Late Again” tour starting on Dec. 1 in Toronto then continues through to Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and ends in Los Angeles. Tickets for the New York show go on sale September 24 at 10 am.
Fans can pre-order Tell ‘Em I’m Gone on iTunes and Amazon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjSHazjrWg
Phish has played for the last four years at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a New Year’s Eve show. But this year, EDM legends Skrillex and Diplo will be taking the stage this time around, both doing their own sets.
More guests will be revealed soon.
Tickets for Skrillex and Diplo’s NYE gala go on sale to the general public this Friday, September 19 at noon ET via Ticketmaster. American Express Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, September 16 at 10 a.m. ET.
This past Tuesday Sept. 16, E One Records announced a winter tour featuring Black Label Society, Hatebreed, and Butcher Babies. Including a stop in Syracuse, N.Y. Saturday, Jan. 10 at the F Shed At The Regional Market.
Black Label Society is currently touring in support of their latest album Catacombs of the Black Vatican. This tour will mark the first time since 2006 that the band has played in Syracuse. Hatebreed, unleashed their latest album The Divinity of Purpose last year and came to Syracuse in February of 2013. Butcher Babies, who toured with Black Label Society earlier this spring, will be releasing a covers EP entitled Uncovered, on Sept. 30.
Tickets for the F-Shed Show can be purchased here, this Friday Sept. 19 at 10AM.
Tour Dates: 
12/28 — Spokane, Wash. — Knitting Factory
12/29 — Vancouver, British Columbia — The Commodore Ballroom
12/30 — Kelowna, British Columbia — Kelowna Community Theatre
12/31 — Calgary, Alberta — Flames Central
1/2 — Edmonton, Alberta — Shaw Conference Centre
1/3 — Regina, Saskatchewan — Conexus Arts Centre
1/4 — Winnipeg, Manitoba — The Burton Cummings Theatre
1/5 — Thunder Bay, Ontario — Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
1/7 — London, Ontario — London Music Hall
1/8 — Toronto, Ontario — Kool Haus (The Guvernment)
1/9 — Montreal, Quebec — Le Métropolis de Montréal
1/10 — Syracuse, N.Y. — F SHED at The Market
1/12 — Reading, Pa. — Reverb
1/13 — Portland, Maine — State Theatre, Portland, Maine
1/14 — Hartford, Conn. — The Webster
1/16 — Royal Oak, Mich. — Royal Oak Music Theatre
1/17 — Columbus, Ohio — LC Pavilion
1/18 — Charlotte, N.C. – The Fillmore Charlotte
1/20 — Oklahoma City, Okla. — Diamond Ballroom
1/21 — Kansas City, Mo. — Arvest Bank Theater At the Midland
1/22 — Omaha, Neb. — Sokol Auditorium
Emotionally driven and musically diverse, Greensky Bluegrass’s newest studio effort, If Sorrows Swim, defines the group’s growth going into their fifteenth year. This intense collection of road-tested and unheard originals aims to capture the quintets dynamic, contrasting stage sound.
Targeting a more concise sound than previous albums, If Sorrows Swim, does exactly that. The album opens with Paul Hoffman’s (mandolin/vocals), “Windshield”. Strong, yet desperate, Hoffman’s vocals grow intense and dramatic, bringing an immediate sense of emotional release to the album. Impassioned rhythmic interplay between Mike Bont (banjo) and Dave Bruzza (guitar/vocals) immediately engage the listener as bass player, Michael Devol, adds light bass lines to the mix.
“In Control” displays the bands ability to weave intricate layers of sound. The albums MVP’s, Michael Bont (banjo/vocals) and Anders Beck (dobro), create delicate, yet fiery lines that gives Hoffman’s ballad a powerful texture that doesn’t quite exist on earlier albums.
What stands out the most on this album is the extreme attention to detail compared to their previous releases. If Sorrows Swim captures some of Hoffman’s and Bruzza’s best songwriting, as well as the band’s meticulous interplay. While the album loses a little steam over the twelve tracks, “Leap Year” brings back an energy that features a Garcia/n inspired sound. Reaching past the five-minute mark, the tracks dramatic instrumental exchanges make this the improvisational cut on the album.
While putting out what could be their best studio album, If Sorrows Swim still falls somewhat short of recreating their intoxicating and energized stage sound.
Key Tracks: Forget Everything, Leap Year, Windshield
Steve Winwood performed at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on September 7, 2014. The setlist included I’m a Man, Them Changes, Can’t Find My Way Home, Medicated Goo, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, Empty Pages, Higher Love, Dear Mr. Fantasy, Gimme Some Lovin’
Music lovers at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park got a taste of homegrown, world-class music Thursday Sept 11th with performances by Mister F and Snarky Puppy.
The livetronica four piece band, Mister F calls the Capital District home and was surrounded by familiar faces as they celebrated their 100th show of the year. Mister F played multiple songs off their debut album released this year, The F Stands Four and has been touring heavily to share their electric dark funk sound. Opening the night with “Vocoder” featured Scott Hannay demonstrating his wild keyboard playing skills and vocals on the talk box with upbeat flair. Ben Pickering laid down major bass rhythm as he grooved to the steady tempo for “On and On” while Andrew Chamberlaine stretched out his strings for a hard-hitting melody. The jams got dark as Matt Pickering clashed cymbals and struck drums with seriously focused energy that spread across the venue. Don’t miss Mister F as they will be all over the Upstate area this week, making stops in Oneonta, Ithaca and Albany performing their electric fusion with force.
Snarky Puppy is one of the biggest bumps under the radar; you either have no idea who they are or were losing your mind that you got to see them in the intimate setting of Upstate Concert Hall. This year, Snarky Puppy won a Grammy Award in the Best R&B Performance category for their rendition of “Something” by Brenda Russell from their album Family Dinner – Volume 1 and have been catching the main stream ear ever since. The all instrumental band was a 7-headed monster that night as they kicked off their World Tour here in Upstate with hypnotizing tight jams. Bassist and pack leader, Michael League joked that it feels like they have been on a nonstop tour since 2006. League is everything you would want in a band leader, with friendly crowd engagement and strong transition assists, encouraging the band to always take it to the next peak. They have nonstop buildups with tremendous horn solos stretching out mellow jazz notes before leaping right back into the jams. They have a foreign yet universal sound that speaks to everyone with a fusion of pop, funk and futuristic jazz. The drummer and percussionist had an all-out dizzying solo session of salsa rock as jazz flute was introduced for a circus melody. The show ended with a celebratory all out blast of an encore that left the crowd still wanting more. Here’s wishing Snarky Puppy a safe and awesome tour with a fast return to Upstate NY!