Calfornia Culture

Gorillaz Lands in Oakland for Plastic Beach World Tour

Since the release of “Plastic Beach”, the third studio effort from Blur front man Damon Albarn and visual specialist Jamie Hewlett’s virtual band Gorillaz in March, the virtual rock quartet has been at the helm of some of the biggest festivals in the music industry, such as the Coachella Festival and the Glastonbury Festival, to name a few.

Now, the band has just released a new set of dates for a tour that will span three continents and three months to continue support for “Plastic Beach”. Highlights of the band’s North American stops is the kick off show in Montreal on October 2, the two-city gig in Texas in mid-October and also in California, in Los Angeles and Oakland, towards the end of the said month.

Noodle and the rest of the animated rockers will hit Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Saturday, October 30 at 7:30 PM. Tickets will be available to the public beginning August 6, Friday at 10 AM PDT through Ticketmaster. The band’s official fan club will be holding a presale event on August 2, Monday at 10 AM PDT while an internet presale event will also be held on August 5, Thursday at 10 AM PDT.

Ticket prices range from $47.25 for general admission to $85.25 for reserved and premium seats. For advanced, premium and sold out tickets, check out Gorillaz Tickets.

“Plastic Beach” peaked at the second spot of the Billboard 200 when it was released in spring.

Widespread Panic Jam for Three Nights at Oakland’s Fox Theatre

With their summer tour nearing its homestretch, Georgia-bred jam band Widespread Panic is set to hit the road again next season after their planned six-week break.

Their new tour schedule includes mostly bicoastal and southern stops with a few Midwest shows spanning from mid-September till Halloween where the band will stage their yearly three-night show in New Orleans in honor of the horrific festivity. The itinerary also includes a couple of two-nighters in Alpharetta in September and Milwaukee and Reno in October, and three three-nighters in October – the previously mentioned gig in New Orleans wrapping the tour up, Nashville and Oakland.

The band will be jamming with their most loyal fans in Oakland as they perform at the Fox Theatre from October 15 to 17. Shows for the first two nights start at 8 PM while Sunday night’s performance begins at 7 PM. Tickets for all three shows are available via Ticketmaster starting on August 1, Sunday at 10 AM PDT. Presale tickets will also be available via the APE presale on July 29, Thursday at 10 AM PDT. Tickets cost $45 each for all seating areas. For more information, visit Widespread Panic Tour.

The band continues to tour behind its May 2010 release and their 11th studio set, “Dirty Side Down”. The album comes in CD, digital MP3 and vinyl formats. Ten cuts from the album can be sampled via web streaming by logging on to the band’s MySpace page.

Bob Dylan to Perform at Fox Theater August 24

Fresh from the success of his world tour which had its final stop in Ireland on July 4, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bob Dylan is set to take his legendary brand of music back on the road in front of his most faithful American fans in a month-long US tour.

Dylan’s US tour will open with a show in Austin’s The Backyard on August 4. The tour will entail mostly Midwest and west coast stops until he hits Seattle on September 4 as his last stop. He will also be stopping by Oakland as he hits the homestretch of his tour.

Catch Bob Dylan and his band as they stop by Oakland’s Fox Theater on August 24, Tuesday at 8 PM. Alt-rock outfit The Dough Rollers will also be performing as opening acts.

Tickets for the show will go on sale to the public on July 25, Sunday at 10 AM PDT via Ticketmaster. Earliest access to advanced tickets will be available through Bob Dylan’s website on July 19, Monday at 10 AM PDT. Another set of advanced tickets will also be available on July 22, Thursday at 10 AM PDT via the APE and KFOG separate presale events.

Ticket prices cost $67.50 for all seating sections – mezzanine, general admission and balcony.

Bob Dylan’s complete US tour itinerary is posted on Bob Dylan Tour.

Lady Antebellum Tours Oakland’s Fox Theatre October 28

The acclaimed breakout country trio of Lady Antebellum will be welcoming fall with a very tight-knit tour schedule fresh from their successful opening stint in Tim McGraw’s recently concluded tour.

The tour will have the “Need You Now” hit makers crisscross from coast to coast as they play from arena to arena in support of their highly successful breakout album and also their second release, “Need You Now”, which hit the shelves earlier this year.

The trek will kick off with an appearance at the York County Fair in Pennsylvania on September 10 which marks the last of the band’s string of festival appearances. On October 28, Thursday, the trio will be in Oakland’s Fox Theatre. Show starts at 7:30 PM with singer David Nail also on board as support act.

Advanced tickets for the show can be purchased in any of these presale events (all starting at 10 AM PDT): the Lady A Team presale on July 12, Monday; the Lady A Team presale exclusive for members on July 13, Tuesday; and the APE presale on July 15, Thursday. Regular tickets will go on sale via Ticketmaster starting July 18, Sunday at 10 AM PDT. Tickets are sold at a fixed price of $39.50.

“Need You Now” peaked atop the Billboard 200 upon its release in January and moved close to 500,000 units on its first week in the market alone. The band has a special treat going on their fans who got themselves a copy of the album, details of which are posted on Lady Antebellum Tour.

Roger Waters Brings ‘The Wall’ to Oakland December 3

After Roger Waters’ “The Wall” tour opened to rave reviews in Toronto on September 15, leaving audiences in awe of the spectacular audiovisual display featuring “theatrics and pyrotechnics” (Toronto Globe and Mail), “slick animation, an astounding light show and 360 degree acoustics” (The Telegraph) and images depicting the relevance of Pink Floyd’s concept album amidst the continuing global political unrest especially in the Middle East, the former Pink Floyd front man will continue to spread the message of the 30-year old “The Wall” album as the tour continues to pound the pavement – in and out of North America – till June 2011.

Opening the December leg of “The Wall” is a one-nighter in Oakland’s Oracle Arena on December 3. Show starts at 8 PM but doors will be open an hour earlier. Tickets have been on sale since June 21, 2010 via Ticketmaster with advanced tickets offered by several presale events sponsored by American Express, iTunes, Live Nation, radio, venue and AOL. VIP packages are also still available via Ticketmaster. Ticket prices go from $70.50 for general admission to $299.70 for main floor seats.

Following his show in Oakland, Waters is scheduled to perform throughout the west coast and up north in Vancouver. He will be wrapping up the December leg with a three-nighter in Mexico City before the holidays. He will resume roadwork, this time filled with international dates, on March 2011.

Log on to Roger Waters Tour for all the latest news and to view the complete “The Wall” tour schedule.

Lady Gaga Hits Oakland’s Oracle Arena March 22

The controversial and always upstaging Lady Gaga won’t be resting anytime soon. Fresh from her success at the MTV VMAs and her news flashing appearance at a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law repeal rally in Portland, ME last week, the dance pop diva has released a long list of tour dates extending her “Monster Ball” tour till spring next year.

The latest addition to Gaga’s tour itinerary will have her going from coast to coast, and even to Mexico, as she sings about her “Bad Romance” over the “Telephone” with “Alejandro” and other tracks from her record breaking sophomore studio set, “The Fame Monster”.

She is slated for a one-off performance in Oakland’s Oracle Arena on March 22, 2011 at 8 PM. Tickets have been on sale via Ticketmaster since June 4, 2010 with presale events that took place on June 1, 2010 for Citi cardholders and on June 3, 2010 for Virgin Mobile subscribers. Tickets are still available with prices ranging from $64.10 to $207.90.

Aside from performing hits from “The Fame Monster” and possibly from her debut record, “The Fame”, Gaga might also use the spring leg of her tour to support her forthcoming third studio set, “Born this Way”, the title of which she formally announced at the MTV VMAs where she was the biggest winner of the night with eight awards including Video of the Year for “Bad Romance”.

For all the latest on Lady Gaga’s tour and new release, visit Lady Gaga Tour.

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.