Calfornia Culture

Shakira Live in Oakland on October 22

Shakira will be further promoting her latest album “She Wolf” on a world tour that is set to kick-off in the US this September.

The artist’s publicist recently released a new string of dates to be added to the first three shows which were confirmed earlier for the US leg of her world tour – New York, Los Angeles and Houston. The addition features 7 new shows, one of which will be in Oakland, CA.

Watch Shakira live as she performs both her greatest and newest hits at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Friday, October 22 at 8 PM.

Tickets will be made available to the public through Ticketmaster, on Friday, May 14 at 10 AM PDT. Citi cardholders and members of Shakira’s official website can avail of the first presale tickets beginning on May 11, Tuesday at 10 AM PDT. Live Nation, radio and the venue will also be holding presale events on Thursday, May 13 at 10 AM PDT.

Ticket prices are $9 to $66.25 for the upper level, $94.75 to $142.50 for the lower level with club access, $142.50 for the main floor level, and $9 to $142.50 for the lower level with no club access. Tickets priced at $9 are especially requested by Shakira herself to allow her fans with tight budgets to still see her perform live. The seats for this ticket price are very limited.

“She Wolf” is Shakira’s sixth studio effort and third English album. Log on to Shakira Tour for more updates on her upcoming world tour.

Honda Civic Tour Brings Paramore to HP Pavilion September 17

Emo rock group Paramore will be partnering with Honda to headline the annual Honda Civic Tour which will kick off on July 23 and will run through September 19. Fellow rockers Tegan and Sara will also be performing as supporting act.

Catch Paramore as they perform their chart topping hits like “Decode” and “I Caught Myself” at the HP Pavilion in San Jose California on September 17, Friday at 6:30 PM.

Tickets will be available to the public starting March 27, Saturday at 10 AM PDT through Ticketmaster. Early access to tickets will be available through the Honda Civic tour website presale on March 23, Tuesday at 3 PM PDT. CIti cardholders can also have access to early tickets beginning on March 26, Friday at 10 AM PDT.

Tickets are priced at $33.50 for the upper, lower and general admission levels. The general admission level is a standing-only level.

Honda will also be raffling a Civic Si Coupe to be given at the end of the tour on September 19 in Anaheim, CA. For those who want to have a shot at it, simply log on to the tour’s Facebook fan page and become a fan for more information on the raffle.

Paramore is still riding on the success of their current release “Brand New Eyes” which landed on the second spot of the Billboard 200. Log on to Paramore Tour for more updates.

Justin Bieber Comes to Oracle Arena July 17

With the recent release of Justin Bieber’s full length album “My World 2.0”, he now unveils his plans to trek across North America to promote the said album throughout the summer. Details of the tour are posted on his website.

Meanwhile, he is scheduled to perform in Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Saturday, July 17 at 7 PM. Tickets will be available to the general public on March 27, Saturday at 10 AM PDT via Ticketmaster. Early bird tickets are available through an internet presale on Thursday, March 18 at 10 AM PDT.

Tickets are priced at $29.50 to $40 for the upper level, $40 – $49.50 for the lower-no seating level, and $49.50 for the lower-club seating level and the main floor level. Doors open at 6 PM.

Sean Kingston, with whom Bieber worked with for the song “Eenie Meenie” will also be performing alongside Bieber as guest.

Bieber will then be heading to Reno, NV a day after the show in Oakland. After which he will be tackling cities in the west and mid-west before embarking on an eastern and Canadian sweep by August.

“My World 2.0” features the hit tracks “Baby” featuring rapper Ludacris, “Never Let You Go” and his newest single “U Smile”.

Check out Justin Bieber Tour for all the latest information on his newest album and tour updates.

Iron Maiden Bring the Metal to Sleep Train on June 20

Metal aficionados Iron Maiden have just exited the studio to wrap their upcoming album “The Final Frontier,” and the band is set to take on North America. Iron Maiden will be landing in Phoenix’s Cricket Wireless Pavilion on Sunday, June 20 at 7:30pm. For full tour information, visit Iron Maiden Tour. Prog-metal group Dream Theater will provide opening support for Iron Maiden.

Tickets go onsale to the general public through Ticketmaster.com on Saturday, March 20 at 10am. There are two presales for opportunities to score advanced tickets. On Wednesday, March 17 at 10am, there is a fan club presale followed by a radio & LiveNation presale on Friday, March 19 at 10am. Ticket prices will run from $87.50 to $37.50. Be aware that some of the seating for this show is paperless tickets meaning you’ll need to provide your ID and the credit card used to purchase the tickets to enter the venue. It can be a major inconvenience if you are meeting part of your party at the Sleep so just plan accordingly.

James Taylor & Carole King at Oracle Arena July 19

70s singer-songwriter icons James Taylor and Carole King are joining forces for a world tour in 2010, and they are parking their tour in Oakland at the Oracle Arena on July 19 at 8pm. The collaboration brings the pair together who both got their start at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in the early 70s. The duo came up with the idea after playing a tribute concert for the Troubadour’s 50 Anniversary celebration in 2007. Full tour dates for the upcoming trek can be viewed at James Taylor Tour.

Tickets for the Oracle Arena concert will go onsale to the general public on Sunday, March 21 at 10 am. There will be a presale for American Express cardholders on Sunday, March 14 at 10 am as well as an Internet presale on Thursday, March 18 at 10 am. Ticket prices range from $119 to $37.75.

Sugarland Wakes Up Sleep Train Pavilion April 30

Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, better known as the country duo Sugarland, is currently busy performing across the US for the spring leg of their “Incredible Machine Tour” which kicked off on April 23 in Primm, NV. They will be heading to Concord, CA on the 30th as they close the April leg of the tour.

See them perform new tracks from their soon-to-be-released fourth album and past hits as well, when they perform at the Sleep Train Pavilion on April 30, at 7:30 PM. Julianne Hough and Vonda Shepard will be joining the duo as guests for the said show.

Tickets will go on sale to the public via Live Nation on March 13, Saturday at 10 AM. Presale tickets are available through Sugarland’s fan club presale event on March 8, Monday at 10 AM. Citi cardholders will also have access to presale tickets starting on Wednesday, March 10 at 10 AM.

Ticket prices for the reserved seating areas are $56 to $31.25, while it will be $31.25 for the lawn seating areas or general admission.

Sugarland is planning to drop their fourth studio release sometime in summer. This will be their follow-up to their 2008 release “Love on the Inside”, which reached platinum status and topped the Billboard 200 charts in when it surfaced that year.

For all the latest on Sugarland, log on to Sugarland Tour.

Tom Petty to Break Hearts at Oracle Arena June 5

Tom Petty is readying his first studio album in 10 years. The album entitled “Mojo” doesn’t have a release date, but that hasn’t stopping Petty from hitting the road to support his coming work. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have outlined a 36-city tour that will make its way to Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Saturday, June 5 at 7:30pm. For information on other stops on the upcoming tour, visit Tom Petty Tour.

Tickets for the Oracle Arena show go onsale to the general public via Ticketmaster on Monday, March 8 at 10am. Fan club members will have a shot at presale tickets on Wednesday, March 3 at 10am as will Citi cardholders who will get access on Friday, March 5 at 10am. Tickets top out at $125.25 for floor and select lower level seating and the nosebleeds will set you back $47.50.

Dave Matthews Band Returns to Sleep Train on August 25

What summer tour would be complete without a helping of the Dave Matthews Band? They will be making their annual trek through Oakland on Wednesday, August 25 at 7pm. It will be just one stop on a 40-city tour which will carry them through September. The group continues to tour in support of their latest album ‘Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King’ that was nominated for two Grammy Awards. DMB has tabbed an assortment of musicians to help them out on the road including Ben Harper, Zac Brown Band, Gov’t Mule, Brett Dennen and Raphel Saadiq. No word on who will be present for the Atlanta show. For up-to-date tour info, check out Dave Matthews Band Tour.

Tickets go onsale to the general public on Friday, February 26 at 10am. If you weren’t fortunately enough to take advantage of the DMB Warehouse fan club presale, you can still score advanced tickets via the American Express presale on Monday, February 22 at 10am. Ticket prices run from $75 to $40.50.

Alicia Keys Slides Her Silky Voice into Oracle Arena on April 10

Alicia Keys, the queen of R&B, has laid out her plans for a tour to canvass North America and Europe in 2010 to support her latest album “The Element of Freedom.” Keys will be bringing her act to Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Saturday, April 10 at 8pm. Robin Thicke and Melanie Fiona will provide opening musical support. Alicia’s “The Element of Freedom” was released on December 15 and has seen the singles “Doesn’t Mean Anything” and “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” culled from the album.

Alicia Key’s Oakland tour date will go onsale to the general public via Ticketmaster on Friday, February 12 at 10am. There are three presales being held for American Express cardholders on Friday, February 5 at 9am, for VIP Packages also Friday, February 5 at 9am as well as a Venue\Radio presale on Thursday, February 11 at 9am. Ticket prices range from $119 to $37.50 in the lower level of the arena and $47.25 to $37.50 in the upper level. For more tour details, visit Alicia Keys Tour.

Vampire Weekend Take a Bite Out of Fox Theater April 19-20

New York-based indie rockers Vampire Weekend is prepping for a two-month North American spring tour to support “Contra”, their second studio effort released this January in Los Angeles.

The trek is set to launch in Edmonton in Canada on March 14 and will tackle 22 other cities before they close the trip with a two-night performance in Oakland, CA.

See them perform live at the Fox Theatre in Oakland on Monday and Tuesday, April 19 and 20 at 8 PM. Abe Vigoda will be performing as front act for the show.

Tickets will be available to the public via Ticketmaster on January 8, Friday at 10 AM. Early tickets will be available through the Vampire Weekend presale on January 6, Wednesday at 10 AM and also through the APE presale event on January 7, Thursday at 10 AM. Visit Vampire Weekend Tour for further information.

Tickets are priced at $27.50 for all levels – mezzanine, balcony and the general admission area.

“Contra” was released in January 12 at a listening party held in Los Angeles. After which they went to Europe for a series of shows in February before embarking on the North American tour.

“Cousins” is the first single taken from the said album. This and nine other tracks from the “Contra” album are streaming now at the band’s official website.