Author: Faith Logue

Great New York State Fair 2024 Concert Lineup Announced

The Great New York State Fair 2024 initial lineup of concerts has been announced, featuring a mix of new and old and a little bit for everybody. The fair begins Wednesday, Aug. 21 and continues through Monday, Sept. 2.

Founded in 1832 by a group of local farmers for agriculture and local fairs, The Great New York State Fair became a musical showcase in the 1950s and 1960s. A variety of artists perform at the fair, including popular and up-and-comers. Last year, Salt-N-Pepa, Chubby Checker, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone, The Fray, Joywave, and more appeared. Both stages are free with the price of admission.

2024 New York State Fair Concerts

photo by Allison Marie

Chevy Court Stage

Chubby Checker- Aug. 21 at 1 p.m.

Chubby Checker will be making his sixth performance at the Fair, and third in as many years. He is best known for “The Twist,” the first number-one song of all time from Billboard’s Hot 100, but also for releasing hits throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond with “The Hucklebuck,” “Slow Twistin’,” “Limbo Rock,” and more. In 2014 he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. Checker is set to take the Chevy Court Stage at 1:00 p.m.

90s Rewind: Digital Underground, Tone Loc & Color Me Bad – Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.

To celebrate the fair’s opening day, a 90s rewind concert will take audiences back in time with music from 3 classic acts. Grammy-nominated group Digital Underground will kick off the event, playing hits like “The Humpty Dance” and “Kiss U Back.” Led by rapper Money-B, the group rose to stardom, incorporating elements of 70s funk into their hip-hop stylings. Their early output, including the track “I Get Around,” helped introduce the world to former member and rap legend Tupac Shakur.

Also included is 80s rap legend Tone-Loc. Known for mega hits “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina,” Tone-Loc was one of the original stars of Hip Hop. His debut Loc-ed After Dark reached no. 1 and has since been certified 2x platinum. Tone-Loc is also known for his acting, being featured in hit films like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

Closing out this lineup is the classic 90s R&B group Color Me Badd. Together the group has sold 12 million records worldwide, with nine top 40 singles. Color Me Badd are best known for their two no. 1 singles, “I Adore Mi Amor” and “All 4 Love.” Since their breakout, they have been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, won two Soul Train Awards, and an American Music Award.

Ace Frehley – Aug. 22 at 6 p.m.

Rock legend Ace Frehley rose to fame as the guitarist of KISS. Raised in the Bronx, Frehley was drawn to the guitar, founding KISS in 1973. His powerful riffs and solos on tracks like “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City” played a large part in propelling KISS to rock stardom. In 2014 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Frehley as a member of KISS, with Guitar World magazine since ranking him the 15th greatest metal guitarist of all time.

Sophie B. Hawkins- Aug. 23 at 1 p.m.

American pop legend and Native New Yorker Sophie B. Hawkins is a dynamic creative force known for a spellbinding live show. Hawkins’ appearance at The Fair is part of her tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of her platinum-selling debut album, Tongues and Tails. The GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter/musician will showcase music from her well-received recently released album, Free Yourself, featuring an original new video and the single, “Love Yourself.” She challenged the norms of gender expression and sexual orientation at a time when political, social, and sexual labels were more rigid. Her career arc includes releasing six widely beloved albums, breaking chart records with her smash hit “As I Lay Me Down,” four worldwide singles from Whaler, songs in cultural touchstone TV shows and films, and a starring role as Janis Joplin in the critically acclaimed musical Room 105.

Sister Sledge- Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.

Hailing from Philadelphia, the Sledge sisters became household names and a symbol of unity with their 1979 worldwide hit and iconic album We Are Family. The legendary vocal group is responsible for some of the biggest dance anthems like “Lost in Music,” “He’s the Greatest Dancer,” and “Thinking of You.”

Sister Sledge has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. They have also performed at the White House, and even before Pope Francis during the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, PA. Over the years, the family group has amassed a string of Gold and Platinum hits and earned hundreds of awards and commendations, including GRAMMY Nominations for Record of the Year, Best R&B Duo or Group, and Best Produced CD for their African Eyes album. Their worldwide anthem “We Are Family” was entered into the prestigious Library of Congress in 2017.

CAIN- Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.

Pop/Contemporary Christian band and sibling trio sensation, CAIN is comprised of siblings Madison Cain Johnson, Taylor Cain Matz, and Logan Cain. They have been delighting audiences with their joyous performances since 2012 when they got their big break opening for Dave Barnes and Andrew Ripp. Since then, they have gone on to release four projects and shared the stage with artists such as TobyMac, Zach Williams, and Casting Crowns, while also performing on the famed stages of The Grand Ole Opry, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and Ryman Auditorium. Following the success of their breakout album, Rise Up, which won a K-LOVE Fan Award for Top Breakout Single “Rise Up (Lazarus),” Honest Offering was released in 2022, followed by Jesus Music in 2023.

Little Anthony- Aug. 27 at 1 p.m.

Doo-wap singer Little Anthony will make his debut appearance at the Fair. With over 60 years in show business and over 50 million records sold worldwide, he has “shimmy shimmied” his way into the hearts of fans across generations. With hits including “Tears On My Pillow,” “Goin’ Out Of My Head,” “Hurt So Bad,” and “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop,” Little Anthony was inducted into the 2009 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and most recently inducted into the 2018 class of The Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

Blue Öyster Cult- Aug. 27 at 6 p.m.

Heavy metal masters Blue Öyster Cult will rock the Chevy Court stage for the band’s fourth appearance at The Fair and the first since 2017. For five decades, they have thrilled fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs – becoming one of very few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn genuine mainstream critical acclaim and commercial success. The band is often cited as a major influence by other acts such as Metallica, and BÖC was listed in VH1’s countdown of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. Upon the release of BÖC’s self-titled debut album in 1972, the band was praised for its catchy-yet-heavy music and lyrics that could be provocative, terrifying, funny, or ambiguous. Their discography includes three songs that no doubt go down in history as stone-cold classics: “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” “Godzilla,” and “Burnin’ for You.”

Danielle Ponder– Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.

Rochester native and soul R&B performer Danielle Ponder first worked in the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office – first as a public defender, then as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer – for nearly a decade, while performing regularly throughout Rochester’s music scene. While working as a public defender, she toured Europe, opening for George Clinton. In 2018, she decided to pursue music full-time, just one week before her 40th birthday. She stepped into the national spotlight with the release of her debut album, Some of Us Are Brave, in September 2022 with her unique sound – a blend of pop, R&B, blues, rock, and soul. Currently, she’s working on her second album.

Also performing at the State Fair 2024

Aug 22 @ 1 p.m.- RVSHVD

Aug. 24 @ 1 p.m.- KIDZ BOP

Aug. 24 @ 6 p.m. – Ying Yang Twins

Aug. 25 @ 1 p.m.- The Elders

Aug. 25 @ 6 p.m.- Dax

Aug. 26 @ 1 p.m- Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone

Aug. 28 @ 1 p.m. – Crystal Gayle

Aug. 29 @ 1 p.m. – Tom Nitti

Aug. 29 @ 6 p.m.- Chapel Hart

Aug. 30 @ 1 p.m. – The Cleverlys

Aug. 30 @ 6 p.m. – Josh Ross

Aug. 30 @ 9 p.m. – DJ Swiftie

Aug. 31 @ 12 p.m. – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24 Youth Performances

Aug. 31 @ 1:30 p.m. – Shawn Seals & SMX – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Aug. 31 @ 3 p.m. – Stroke – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Aug. 31 @ 4:30 p.m. – C.P. Lacey – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Aug. 31 @ 4:45 p.m. – Raydio – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Aug. 31 @ 6:15 p.m. – C.P. Lacey – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Aug. 31 @ 6:30 p.m. – TMF – JAMS Funk Fest 2k24

Sept. 1 @ 1 p.m.- Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour

Sept. 1 @ 6 p.m. – Snow Tha Product

Sept. 2 @ 12 & 4 p.m. – Journey From the Heart

Suburban Park

Joey Fatone and AJ McLean– Aug. 21 at 8 p.m.

AJ McLean is known by fans across the world as a beloved member of the Backstreet Boys. As a seasoned performer, McLean has been performing some of pop music’s biggest hits – featuring tightly crafted songs, floor-shaking rhythms, and unmistakable harmonies – for over twenty years.

Over the last few years, McLean has been hitting the road with the Backstreet Boys for the band’s international, stadium-filling “DNA Tour,” which performed over 150 shows across five continents. The band, comprising McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and Kevin Richardson, also released their documentary series Making of the DNA Tour in 2022. Recently, McLean released a new single called “Electric” and will have more solo music coming out this year

Joey Fatone first rose to fame as a member of the record-shattering, multi-platinum boyband *NSYNC. Following the band’s incredible success with albums that sold over ten million copies and countless awards, Fatone took on projects spanning from television, film Broadway, and beyond. In November of 2019, during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival Eat to the Beat series, Joey performed three days of Joey Fatone and Friends, entertaining fans alongside Chris KirkPatrick, Ryan Cabrera, Nathan Morris of BOYZ II MEN, MC Search and more. And, in August 2021, Fatone brought together brought together some of pop superstars like Wanya Morris, Nick Carter, and AJ McLean for the AFTR PRTY, an intimate pop classic for a sold-out residency in Las Vegas.

Fatone recently made headlines with a long-awaited reunion with his bandmates in NSYNC, releasing their first single in nearly 20 years in November 2023. The track, “Better Place,” was featured on the soundtrack of the third main installment in the Trolls franchise, the “Trolls Band Together.” The five members, including Fatone, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick, also made headlines during a united public appearance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

TLC– Aug. 23 at 8 p.m.

One of the most popular female music groups of the 1990s, TLC, is performing at The Fair on Pride Day, Friday, August 23. The ladies of TLC – Tionne “T-Boz” and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas – formed the group in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The four-time GRAMMY award-winning group became one of the biggest-selling female groups of all time, producing an extensive musical resume. TLC has sold 85 million records worldwide, produced ten Top Ten singles in the U.S., and four multi-platinum selling albums, including the 1994 breakthrough CrazySexyCool. The album, which Rolling Stone recognized as one of The Best 500 Albums of All Time, produced four top-five singles including “Creep,” “Diggin’ on You,” and “Waterfalls.” This summer TLC is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the iconic album.

Dropkick Murphys– Aug. 25 at 8 p.m.

The Dropkick Murphys will return to the Chevrolet Music Festival at Chevy Court for the fourth time. The Celtic-influenced rockers have generated half a billion streams and continue to sell out venues. They’ve headlined Boston’s Fenway Park and have been personally invited to share the stage with everyone from Foo Fighters to Bruce Springsteen to Mumford & Sons. Their celebrated discography includes two critically acclaimed acoustic albums – 2022’s This Machine Still Kills Fascists and 2023’s Okemah Rising, four consecutive Billboard top 10 album debuts, along with the double-platinum classic “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.”

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts– Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts formed in 1979, creating the iconic hit “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Over the next 40+ years, the band went on to amass nine Top 40 singles, including “Bad Reputation,” “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. This will be their fifth time performing at The Fair – closing out Women’s Day this year, which is very fitting for a frontwoman who broke down barriers in the mid-1970s to prove women could make it in the world of rock music. Joan Jett was rejected by 23 labels before forming her own independent record label, Blackheart Records.

Big Boi – Aug. 30 at 8 p.m.

Big Boi is a 7x Grammy Award winner best known for his work with legendary Hip Hop duo OutKast. Originating in Georgia, Big Boi helped put Atlanta on the musical map through his rapping and production work. He rose to fame with the release of OutKast’s 1994 debut Southernplayalisticcadillacmuzik, which went platinum. Their subsequent albums Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below spawned numerous number 1 hits, making Big Boi a household name. Audiences are sure to know mega-hits like “Ms. Jackson” and “Hey Ya.” Individually, Big Boi is a force to be reckoned with, frequently cracking Billboard charts and racking up millions of streams.

Brian Kelley– Aug. 31 at 8 p.m.

DIamond-selling superstar, Brian Kelley, is first known as the Florida half of the GRAMMY-nominated Florida Georgia Line (FGL). The ACM Breakout Artist of the Decade Award recipients garnered 19 career #1s and became the first and only act to achieve two RIAA DIAMOND singles in Country music history. They have surpassed 17 billion global streams, selling more than 40 million tracks and 4.8 million albums worldwide, plus playing to over four million fans. Kelley’s “Trucks, Ducks, Bucks & Beer” is the latest preview of his much-anticipated full-length album on Big Machine Records due out this spring, having already introduced the project with “See You Next Summer,” “Dirt Cheap,” and “How We’re Livin’.”

Also performing

Aug. 22 @ 8 p.m. – Warren Zeiders

Aug. 24 @ 8 p.m. – Chevelle

Aug. 26 @ 8 p.m. – Megan Moroney

Aug. 27 @ 8 p.m.- Stephen Sanchez

Aug. 29 @ 8 p.m. – Flo Rida

Sept. 2 @ 6 p.m. – Jackyl

For more information about the Great New York State Fair 2024, visit here.

August 7, 2024
2024 Chenango Blues Festival Announces Lineup Featuring Devon Allman Project

The 2024 Chenango Blues Festival lineup, on Aug. 16 and 17, features the Devon Allman Project wsg JD Simo, Jimmy Hall, Ghalia Volt, and more at the Chenango County Fairgrounds.

The Chenango Blues Fest is a family-friendly event run by an all-volunteer staff. Their motto is “by fans, for fans.” The Chenango Blues Fest is the 2016 recipient of The Blues Foundations Keeping the Blues Alive award as well as a two-time recipient of the Russell J. Perlman Award for the most outstanding project to apply for an NYS Decentralization grant, which is administered by the Chenango Arts Fund.

The Devon Allman Project is a six-piece world-class band that has previously toured almost 20 countries. The band is led by Devon Allman, son of The Allman Brothers guitarist Gregg Allman. The band is known for gracefully blending genres and jam in the same way that the Allman family is known for.

Other performers include Paul Thorn – a bluesy, rocking, and thoroughly Southern American who speaks universal truths; Bywater Call, a powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, a roots rock band from Toronto, Canada; Sue Fole, a virtual triple threat as a lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter; award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer Coco Montoya; and more.

Camping has become a very popular way to enjoy the festival and the ranks of people setting up tents or bringing in RVs grows every year. This year the fairgrounds is planning to install more RV hookups to try and keep up with demand. Those bringing tents have a nice area under the trees (and some even under cover!) and there is a shower building on site. The stages are right on the grounds so it’s a great way to enjoy the festivities.

The festival also has a nice variety of food and craft vendors to go along with the music and on Saturday there is a children’s craft tent for the younger fans. With the Thursday and Friday shows being free all you need to do is buy a ticket for Saturday to enjoy award winning blues all weekend long for this great family friendly event.

Tickets for the 2024 Chenango Blues Festival are on sale now.

Festival Schedule

Friday, August 16

Tent Stage

5:30 – 6:45 – TBA
7:15 – 8:30 – Bywater Call
9:00 – 10:15 – Paul Thorn

Saturday, August 17

Infield Stage

11:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. – Benny Turner with the Tommy Z Band
12:45 – 1:45 p.m. – Chris O’Leary
2:45 – 4:00 p.m. – Sue Foley
5:15 – 6:30 p.m. – Ruthie Foster
7:40 – 9:00 p.m. – Devon Allman Project
wsg JD Simo, Jimmy Hall, and Ghalia Volt

Saturday, August 19

Tent Stage

1:45 – 2:45 p.m. – Tinsley Ellis
4:00 – 5:15 p.m. – John Gros Band
6:30 – 7:40 p.m. – Robert Finley
9:00 – 10:15 p.m. – Coco Montoya

July 10, 2024
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Music Tourism

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and John Hickenlooper have introduced a bill to help support music tourism throughout the country, dubbed the American Music Tourism Act of 2024.

According to a press release, the American Music Tourism Act of 2024 requires the assistant secretary to identify locations and events in the United States that are important to music tourism and implement a plan to increase and attract domestic and international visitors to venues nationwide.

Music tourism is projected to bring in over $11.3 billion in revenue nationwide by 2032, with the United States boasting one of the world’s largest music industries – generating over $43 billion in revenue each year. The act will require the assistant secretary to submit their findings, achievements, and activities to the congressional and senate committees within one year of its passage and every year after that.

“Tennesseans know a thing or two about the positive impact that music tourism has on the economy and culture,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Volunteer State is proud to be home to so many iconic musical landmarks for tourists to enjoy – from Graceland in Memphis to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol. This bipartisan legislation promotes music tourism’s fast-growing industry and ensures fans from all over the world can celebrate the rich history of music for generations to come.”

Former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) speaks at the United States Conference of Mayors winter meeting in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas.

The legislation is endorsed by the Recording Academy, the Recording Industry Association of America, Live Nation Entertainment, the National Independent Venues Association, the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the National Independent Venues Association, the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development, Tennessee Entertainment Commission, Memphis Tourism, Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism and the Overton Park Shell in Memphis.

“Music venues are keepers of our culture. From Red Rocks to the Grand Ole Opry, and hundreds of small venues across our country, millions visit Colorado and all our states to hear world-class musicians and connect with each other,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Our bipartisan American Music Tourism Act will support these venues by helping our music tourism industry grow and expand.”

We reached out to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their views on the bill, but have not heard back. We will update this article if they reach out.

June 14, 2024
Nicki Minaj Pink Friday 2 Tour Adds Queens, Buffalo Dates

Dubbed the Queen of Hip Hop, Nicki Minaj has announced her highly anticipated tour, showcasing her brand new album Pink Friday 2. She will stop at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, March 30, and Barclays Center on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Additionally, Minaj has announced shows in Buffalo on September 14 and in Queens on October 11.

For the finale of the tour, Nicki will make her return to Queens for one final show in her hometown after a total of over 80 shows across the globe.

Nicki Minaj became “the first woman to score 100 Billboard Hot 100 Hits” with an astounding 133 total entries to date (the most among female hip-hop acts). These include three #1’s, over 70 Top 40 hits (also a record among female hip-hop acts), and 23 Top 10’s (another record among female hip-hop acts). As a songwriter, she also holds the record for the “Most Billboard Hot 100 Entries Among Women in the 2010s.”

Minaj has set the tone in music, fashion, and beauty for more than a decade. Her seminal song “Super Bass” surpassed one billion YouTube views, entering history alongside the likes of “Anaconda.” As such, she has emerged as “the first female rapper to cross the one billion mark with multiple solo tracks.” With nine videos receiving more than one billion views thus far, she has earned “the most videos with over one billion views for any female artist.”

Nicki Minaj at the Barbie premiere. Credit: Rodin Eckenroth.

Her supremacity can be traced back to her landmark debut Pink Friday in 2010, which sold 375,000 copies in its first week according to MRC Data. It made history by achieving “the largest sales week for a female hip-hop artist since Lauryn Hill in 1998.” In 2022 she released “Super Freaky Girl,” which impressively debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other accolades she acquired were “the female rapper with the most solo Top 10 albums in Billboard 200 history,” “the most-awarded rapper at the American Music Awards,” and “the first female rapper with over 30 billion Spotify streams across her catalog.”

In addition to music, Nicki Minaj has made numerous TV and film appearances, including as a judge on American Idol along with film roles in 2014’s The Other Woman, 2016’s Barbershop: The Next Cut, and voiceover for Ice Age: Continental Drift. She has landed high-profile deals with Fendi, Adidas, H&M, Diesel, Mercedes-Benz, Sprint, and Pepsi, released a nail polish collection with OPI, and was the face of MAC’s Viva Glam campaign. Not to mention, she is a co-owner of TIDAL, and her BEATS 1 QUEEN radio show stands out as “the highest-rated show in Apple Music history.”

Nicki Minaj – photo by Kevin Mazur Getty Images

You can listen to Pink Friday 2 here.

Tickets will be available starting with a Citi presale beginning on Tuesday, December 12. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Friday, December 15 at 9 a.m.

PINK FRIDAY 2 WORLD TOUR DATES:

Fri Mar 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Sun Mar 03 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Fri Mar 08 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Sun Mar 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Wed Mar 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center

Fri Mar 15 – Inglewood, CA – Rolling Loud California*

Mon Mar 18 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center

Wed Mar 20 – Atlanta, GA  – State Farm Arena

Fri Mar 22 –  Orlando, FL – Amway Center

Tue Mar 26 –  Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Thu Mar 28 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center

Fri Mar 29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Sat Mar 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Mon Apr 01 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Tue Apr 02 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

Thu Apr 04 –  Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Fri Apr 05 – Hartford, CT – XL Center

Sun Apr 07 – Raleigh, NC – Dreamville Festival*

Wed Apr 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Fri Apr 12 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center

Sat Apr 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum

Wed Apr 17 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

Thu Apr 18 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Sat Apr 20 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Wed Apr 24 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Sat Apr 27 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center

Thu May 02 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center

Thu May 09 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center

Sat May 11 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Sun May 12 – Austin, TX – Moody Center

Sat May 25 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live

Sun May 26 – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena

Tue May 28 – London, UK – The O2

Sat Jun 01 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Sun Jun 02 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Wed Jun 05 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena

Fri Jun 07 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena

PINK FRIDAY 2 WORLD TOUR DATES:

Tue May 28 – London, UK – The O2

Wed May 29 – Glasgow, Scotland – OVO Hydro

Thu May 30 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live

Sat Jun 01 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Sun Jun 02 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Mon Jun 03 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live

Wed Jun 05 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena

Fri Jun 07 – Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena

Sat Jun 08 – Warsaw, Poland – Orange Warsaw Festival*^

Sun Jun 09 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Tue Jun 11 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena

Wed Jun 12 – Stockholm, Sweden – Tele2 Arena

Thu Jun 27 – Portimao, Portugal – Afronation Portugal*^

Fri Jun 28 – Rabat, Morocco – Mawazine*^

Wed Jul 03 – Milan, Italy – Fiera Milano Live^

Fri Jul 05 – Vienna, Austria – Rolling Loud Europe*

Sat Jul 06 – Dublin, Ireland – Malahide Castle and Gardens

Sun Jul 07 – Bucharest, Romania – SAGA Festival*^

Fri Jul 12 – London, UK – Wireless Festival*

Sat Jul 13 – Frauenfeld, Switzerland – Openair Frauenfeld*

Sun Jul 14 – Liege, Belgium – Les Ardentes*

Wed Sep 4 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Fri Sep 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena

Sat Sep 7 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Mon Sep 9 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Thu Sep 12 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center

Fri Sep 13 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Sun Sep 15 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC

Tue Sep 17 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Wed Sep 18 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center

Sat Sep 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

Sun Sep 22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum

Mon Sep 23 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

Thu Sep 26 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena

Sat Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV  – MGM Grand Garden Arena

Tue Oct 1 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center

Wed Oct 2 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

Fri Oct 4 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Sat Oct 5 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena

Sun Oct 6 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Tue Oct 8 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena

Wed Oct 9 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena

Fri Oct 11 – Queens, NY – UBS Arena

*Festival Performance

May 30, 2024
NYC-Based Electronic Musician Moby Shares new Track “where is your pride?”

Acclaimed New York City-based electronic musician, producer and activist Moby celebrates the life of Benjamin Zephaniah with the new track “where is your pride?,” out now taken from his 22nd studio album always centered at night, due out June 14th .

Moby, photo credit: Lindsay Hicks

The break-beat-driven track is spoken word with a powerful message delivered in the late dub poet’s characteristically warm burr. “Where is your love? / Where is your faith? / Where is your hope? / Where is your place? / Where is your pride?” Moby is proud to share a track with the late Benjamin Zephaniah to continue celebrating his life and note their aligned ideals: “As a vegan activist, and as a wise and compassionate man, Benjamin inspired me for many years. I hope that ‘where is your pride’ honors his legacy and also draws people’s attention to his life, work, and principles.”

Benjamin Zephaniah was a British writer, dub poet, actor, musician, and poetry and creative writing professor. He was included in The Times list of Britain’s top 50 post-war writers in 2008. He won the BBC Radio 4 Young Playwrights Festival Award in 1998 and received at least sixteen honorary doctorates.

Benjamin Zephaniah | Photo credit: Adrian Pope.

Moby was born Richard Melville Hall, in Harlem, in 1965. His father gave him his nickname, Moby, because of his hereditary relationship with Herman Melville. Moby started playing classical music and studying music theory when he was nine and came of age musically in the punk rock scene in and around New York in the early 80’s. He released his first single, “Go,” in 1991 (listed as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s best records) and has been making albums ever since. He has sold over 20,000,000 albums worldwide.

Even by Moby’s standards, always centered at night is special. The album features 13 collaborations from names many might recognize to others many undoubtedly will come to know. The captivating voices on always centered at night include Sudanese, Netherlands-based chanteuse Gaidaa, London-based, Burundian royal refugee J.P. Bimeni, and Kingston-raised, London-based Aynzli Jones. These are often personal songs, and the personal is the political, as is the border-defying nature of the work.

In his pursuit of new sounds, Moby has become a collector of voices. He’s a connoisseur of the timbre and texture of human vocal chords, whether sampling artists like Bessie Jones, Vera Hall, or Boy Blue, or working with superstars like David Bowie.

Thrilled to bring this dynamic body of work to the world, Moby explains, “For the last 30 years, I’ve worked with amazing singers–everyone from David Bowie to Freddie Mercury, Gregory Porter to Jill Scott. Always centered at night continues my love of collaborating, but has a focus of working with amazing singers who might not be as well known as David Bowie and Gregory Porter.” Though all tracks are collaborations, the music remains unmistakably Moby, dripping with glittery melodies and warm, hypnotic instrumentals.

For more information, visit here.

May 21, 2024
Artwork by Bob Dylan Featured This Summer at Fenimore Art Museum

A new exhibition at Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown celebrates another impressive aspect of music legend Bob Dylan’s creativity: his talents in visual art.

Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the Road features ninety-two unique, original signed works. The exhibition is on view from May 25–Sept. 15, 2024.

A selection of portraits from the exhibition Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the Road, on view at Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown starting May 25. (Photo courtesy of PAN Art Connections).

A dedicated performer, Bob Dylan started what is known as his “Never Ending Tour” in 1988; between 1989 and 1992, as he traveled through North America, Europe, and Asia, he began sketching glimpses of his life on the road. The pencil and charcoal drawings were a way to “refocus a restless mind,” as Dylan claimed, providing him a new outlet to celebrate the comings and goings of everyday life.

“This exhibition allows everyone, including Dylan’s fans, to experience another aspect of the range of talents possessed by this music legend,” said Chris Rossi, Director of Exhibitions at Fenimore Art Museum. “We all recognize him as an accomplished singer/songwriter and visitors will be equally amazed when discovering his work as a visual artist.”

Dylan made three different collections out of the original drawings by “remastering” these works, adding vivid watercolor and gouache to digital enlargements of the drawings to create a new, special edition set entitled The Drawn Blank Series, which is the focus of Fenimore’s exhibition.

All three series were first seen during an exhibition at the prestigious Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz Museum in Germany in 2007. After one additional show in Helsinki, the works returned to Dylan. Today, The Drawn Blank Series is owned by a private collector while the other two sets were sold to a private gallery. His skills as a draughtsman, in keeping with his talents as a songwriter, lie in his ability to tell a tale through the simplest and most evocative means.

Visit here for more information.

ADDITIONAL SUMMER EXHIBITIONS at FENIMORE

Banksy: The Haight Street Rat
May 18–September 8, 2024

Marc Hom: Re-Framed
May 25–September 2, 2024

American Masterworks
through December 29, 2024

As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now
through September 2, 2024

May 21, 2024
Sarah King Announces “Temporary Farewell” Performance at Grand Point North Festival

Just three days after the release of her debut record When It All Goes Down, Sarah King received the news that she has thyroid cancer. After being told she’d need multiple surgeries beginning in July, she decided to schedule the first following the Grand Point North Festival so she could give her fans a proper “temporary farewell,” with her only full band show of the year.

Her first LP, When It All Goes Down, was released on March 29, 2024, to praise from everyone from American Songwriter to Brooklyn Vegan, The Bluegrass Situation, Glide Magazine, and many more.

Before her hiatus from performing Sarah King, who is based in Vermont, will appear at a handful of festivals, including the Wildflower Festival in Richardson, TX, on May 18 – 19. These will be her first performances since receiving the news.

“While I’m heartbroken not to have the year I’d hoped with this album, the songs will still be there for me when my voice and my body are healthy enough to take to the stage again,” says King, pointing out that while any cancer diagnosis is extremely frightening, having surgery so close to her vocal nerves causes additional anxiety.

King creates thought-provoking, versatile Americana music – touching on real-life emotions and situations, while drawing on classic folk-blues themes, balancing songs about the devil and booze with hard-won moments of reflection and acceptance.

The title track of When It All Goes Down was inspired by doctors not listening to women, seeming like she wrote the song to her future self, somehow knowing that she’d need to “stand up to the devil.”

The album is a testament to King’s strength, reflecting on when she lost her mother, first husband, and dog. Songs like the slow-burning “Stronger Than You’ll Ever Know” find her deftly navigating the hidden spaces between darkness and the light.

“My stories are folk stories,” says Sarah King. “Of the people, for the people, by the people (I’m a person). These are songs for folks who’ve lived through some sh*t and want some music that doesn’t shy away from that.”

For more information and to listen to When It All Goes Down, visit here.

May 18, 2024
NIVA and the Fix The Tix Coalition Applaud Passage of the TICKET Act

The House passed the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing Act on Wednesday to increase consumer price transparency with great praise from organizations such as NIVA and Fix The Tix Coalition.

According to NBC, the TICKET Act would require sellers to list the ticket cost to buyers, including fees. They would also have to disclose whether the tickets they are selling are not in their possession and provide refunds if an event is canceled. It was first introduced by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., in June 2023.

The act is one of several recent efforts to curb unfair practices in the ticketing industry. A group of bipartisan senators also introduced the Fans First Act in December, increasing cost transparency and preventing resellers from listing tickets at high prices. Since the Eras Tour incident in 2022, lawmakers have sought to address consumer discontent toward the ticketing industry.

The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Fix The Tix Coalition applauded the act’s passage. They are calling on the Senate to pass S. 3457, the Fans First Act, which has additional provisions to ban fake tickets, to ensure that deceptive imagery on websites does not trick consumers, to increase mandatory reporting of illegal BOTS, to require clear itemizations of ticket prices and fees at the beginning, and to provide meaningful enforcement of these provisions.

We commend House passage of H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act, which will help to improve the ticket buying experience for fans, to protect the livelihoods of artists, and to preserve independent venues across the nation. Not only has the U.S. House of Representatives moved to protect consumers from predatory and deceptive ticketing practices, but states across the country, including Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada, have recently banned, without exception, speculative tickets on a bipartisan basis. We call on Congress to do the same, to build on the act and adopt strong, enforceable, comprehensive ticketing reform legislation like the Fans First Act.
Stephen Parker, Executive Director of the National Independent Venue Association.

Fix The Tix Coalition also applauds the act saying, “The bill provides transparency with all-in pricing and takes important steps to combat speculative tickets and deceptive websites. We urge the Senate to build on this progress by strengthening these provisions, increasing enforcement of the BOTS Act, and providing additional avenues of enforcement to combat predatory and deceptive ticketing practices. The live entertainment ecosystem is counting on Congress to act in the best interests of fans to restore transparency and trust to our countryâs broken ticketing system.”

For more information about the bill, visit here.

May 17, 2024
JazzFest White Plains Returns for its 13th Year with a Star-Studded Lineup

JazzFest White Plains is back with performances by GRAMMY-winning stars and a food festival from Sept. 11 to 15.

The five-day extravaganza highlights 18 captivating live performances spread throughout downtown White Plains. The artists range from emerging talents to world-renowned artists, including four GRAMMY Award-winners and nominees.

Headlining Friday night of this year’s festival is Nicole Zuraitis, the 2024 GRAMMY Award-winning jazz singer-songwriter and pianist known for her unparalleled expressiveness and lyrical prowess. Headlining on Saturday is the Vijay Iyer Trio featuring Tyshawn Sorey and Linda May Han Oh, hailed by National Public Radio as “truly astonishing” and the New York Times as “the great new jazz piano trio.”

Nicole Zuraitis.

“We’re thrilled to bring such exceptional talent to JazzFest White Plains this year,” said Kathleen Reckling, ArtsWestchester COO. “From soul-stirring vocals to innovative instrumental compositions, this festival promises to be a celebration of jazz in all its forms.” Several performances are free, including all the noon and Sunday shows.

In addition to the stellar performances, the White Plains Jazz & Food Festival closes the weekend on Sept. 15 from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mamaroneck Avenue between Main Street and Martine Avenue. The food festival will feature a fusion of delectable cuisines and captivating jazz melodies, creating a sensory experience for all ages.

Tickets for JazzFest White Plains are now available for purchase online. For more information about the festival’s full lineup, visit here.

May 17, 2024
‘The Blues Society’ Documentary Announces Screenings at the Firehouse Cinema in NYC

The Blues Society, directed by Dr. Augusta Palmer, will have a week-long run of screenings at Firehouse Cinema in NYC from Friday, May 24 through Thursday, May 30. Dr. Palmer is attending select screenings to introduce the film and conduct a Q&A session afterward.

This feature-length documentary reevaluates the life of the Memphis Country Blues Festival through the lens of race, the counterculture of the ‘60s, and the genre of Memphis blues. It includes interviews with a diverse cast of festival participants and commentators like Dom Flemons, Zandria Robinson, Jamey Hatley, Jim Dickinson, Sid Selvidge, Nancy Jeffries, and the words of Bob Palmer as voiced by Eric Roberts.

The Memphis Country Blues Festival (1966-1969) all started with a $65 check, a ball of hashish, and a bunch of white bohemians who set out to rediscover forgotten bluesmen of the early 20th century.

“I didn’t want to just make a concert film,” said director Augusta Palmer. “I loved the arc of the story. The initial stake was guitarist Bill Barth’s baseball-size chunk of hash and guitarist Jim Dickinson’s sixty-five-dollar check from a Sun Studios session. It was white and black musicians playing together during the height of the civil rights era. The KKK held a rally in that same public park a few days before. I wanted to understand what this moment meant to the people involved.”

The film follows the festival from its start in 1966 as an impromptu happening, through a period of cross-pollinization with New York’s East Village scene, and up to the 1969 festival, which mushroomed into a three-day event. It garnered substantial print and television coverage, including an appearance on Steve Allen’s national PBS show, Sounds of Summer.

Dr. Augusta Palmer. Photo by Paul Reuter.

The Blues Society tells the story of blues masters like Furry Lewis, Nathan Beauregard, and Rev. Robert Wilkins—who had attained fame in the 1920s and 1930s but lived in obscurity by the 1960s. It’s also the story of a group of white artists from the North and the South who created a celebration of African American music in a highly segregated city.

The film’s genesis began as a family affair for director Dr. Augusta Palmer. She grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, went to Rhodes College in Memphis, and Sarah Lawrence College, before settling in Brooklyn. Her father, Robert Palmer, was a founding organizer and player in the festival, and her mother was also there tearing tickets.

“I officially started working on this film in 2016,” she said, “but you could say I’ve been working on it for all my life. When that woman makes a speech at the end, where she’s saying, ‘Why can’t you just pay for your tickets people?’ to people who snuck in. That’s my mom. She was pregnant with me when she made that speech. So, I kind of went to the 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival. I didn’t know my dad very well until I was a teenager, but this festival was a big part of his life.”

Robert Palmer later went on to become a music critic for the New York Times and Rolling Stone and authored the seminal blues history book Deep Blues—which in turn inspired the 1991 documentary Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads.

2023 Trailer The Blues Society from Cultural Animal on Vimeo.

Music executive and Memphis Country Blues Fest organizer Nancy Jeffries was approached by Gene Rosenthal with 16mm footage of Memphis Country Blues Festival that he shot and kept in his basement. Jeffries brought Palmer on board after seeing her feature film The Hand of Fatima. They began developing the film in 2013, but the project stagnated due to rights issues and conflicting ideas on what this film should be. A few years later, Fat Possum Records bought the footage and put together the 2019 concert film Memphis ’69: The 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival, and were generous enough to offer her access to the footage.

Palmer made it a point to bring in diverse voices to give this film a historical context. Memphis writer and filmmaker Jamie Hatley talked about when she wanted to separate herself from images of poverty in the blues, and that it took her a while to come around to appreciating the genre. Henry Nelson, a black man from West Memphis, Arkansas, hoped he could get a ride to Woodstock, but wound up at the Memphis Country Blues Festival. Don Flemons discussed how the blues lost its appeal for young African Americans as we move into the more radical Black Panther era.

We all love the idea that music conquers all. Everyone can appreciate the blues music in this film, but love for this music didn’t cure white supremacy, and white blues fans were part of a power structure that took advantage of black artists. I love the enthusiasm of that white hippy idealism, but the rules were much more stringent back then. There were segregated bathrooms for employees at the bandshell. Racial inequality has become more and more clear to the nation since the pandemic. We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.
Augusta Palmer

The Blues Society premiered Indie Memphis and won the Audience Award, won best Doc Feature at the Oxford Film Festival, and will have theatrical runs in New York City, Memphis, Columbus, Ohio, and Portland before being released to streaming services this summer.

Tickets for its New York City run are available now.

May 15, 2024