Coldplay To Launch First U.S. Tour In Nearly Three Years In 2012

In December of 2011, Coldplay had two diametrically opposed gigs on their schedule, and we're not even counting their New Year's Eve show in Abu Dhabi.

A special 90-minute episode of Austin City Limits showcased Coldplay's new album, Mylo Xyloto, as well as many of their greatest hits. The pre-recorded concert was dubbed, "Coldplay New Year's Eve: An Austin City Limits Special."

ACL is cool. You don't get an invitation to perform on its stage, much less a rare 90-minute episode, if you rely on auto-tune or your stage show involves choreography and costume changes.

On Dec. 11, Coldplay performed on the second night of the two-part finale of The X Factor UK. Many were surprised by the band's decision to appear on Simon Cowell's singing competition.

The X Factor has an awful reputation in the Commonwealth. It's what hipsters think of American Idol but worse. In other words, it has the exact opposite reputation that ACL has.

In the U.K., The X Factor is viewed by many as the devil; it's everything that's wrong with the music business. That's why Coldplay's management was very worried about the backlash the band would receive for performing on such an anti-cool show. They already have a small army of haters and performing on The X Factor would only help with recruitment.

Of course, a few thousand negative tweets and a few hundred disparaging Facebook updates are no match for the amount of albums they'll sell from their X Factor appearance. Like American Idol in the States, people who watch The X Factor buy albums. And if they like what they hear they might also buy Coldplay tickets.

So in less than one month, Coldplay performed on a show with serious "street cred" and on a show watched by millions of consumers. Say what you will about their music, but Coldplay certainly knows what they're doing.

In 2012, the British alternative band is set to launch their first tour of the United Sates in almost three years. The excursion is in support of their latest album, Mylo Xyloto.

The band's string of concert dates is split into two legs, one in the spring and the other in early summer.

The first leg kicks off April 17 in Edmonton, Alberta at Rexall Place. Highlights of their spring jaunt include Coldplay in Vancouver, B.C. on April 20; Coldplay in Seattle, Washington on April 25, and Coldplay in San Jose, California on April 27.

The outing culminates with a pair of Coldplay concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 1 and May 2.

Their summer dates begin June 22 with a Coldplay concert in Dallas, Texas and ends Aug. 11 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Coldplay shows are also planned for Houston, Tampa, and Miami. On July 23, Coldplay will be in Boston for a show at TD Garden. Then on Aug. 3, look for Coldplay in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the IZOD Center.

Red Hot Chili Peppers To Launch First U.S. Tour In Four Years

A lot is going on for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the waning days of 2011. The band is about to kick off their first U.S. tour in four years and they were just inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Chili Peppers are part of the 2012 class that also contains Guns N' Roses, The Beastie Boys, The Small Faces/Faces, Donovan, Laura Nyro, Freddie King, and Don Kirshner (he created The Monkees and The Archies). The induction ceremony is planned for April 14 and will air on HBO sometime in May.

Say what you will about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, getting inducted is an honor and of all the 2012 recipients, RHCP are the most deserving. They actually play rock, they're pioneers in the genre of funk rock, and unlike some inductees, most people can name more than one of their songs.

Personally, I think the R&RHOF is a joke. Or at least it has become a joke. There are probably just 50 to 60 artists/contributors that have the necessary credentials worthy of enshrinement into some contrived "hall." Of course the current Rock and Roll vestibule includes significantly more than a few dozen acts.

Since the organization seems to let just about anyone in—regardless of the genre of music they play or whether or not they actually influenced future generations—the honor has lost some of its luster (or all of it). The Beastie Boys don't play rock; The Small Faces were pretty much a blimp on the rock and roll map; Donovan's music is about as timeless as a housefly; and who has ever even heard of Laura Nyro?

Sadly, Nyro was inducted because she's a woman and The Hall has a dearth of female rockers. While that's definitely a concern, inducting someone because of who they are and not what they've done defeats the purpose. It's like giving Jay Buhner or Joey Cora a bust in Cooperstown because there are not enough Seattle Mariners in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of course none of this matters to fans of the Chili Peppers or to the band themselves. Flea posted on the group's Web site that he's very excited about being part of the Class of 2012. If he's happy, I geuss we should be too.

Regardless, fans are exciting about the opportunity to cash in their Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets and see their favorite hall of famers on stage as part of their highly anticipated "I'm With You Tour."

Their long-awaited trek begins Jan. 20 in Sunrise, Florida and ends March 16 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Highlights of their itinerary include stops in Orlando, Memphis, New Orleans, and Houston.

The band's last major outing was in 2007 when they launched their "Stadium Arcadium Tour." The upcoming series of Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts will be the first with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

The band, who is currently performing all over Europe, is touring to support their tenth studio album, I'm With You. The Rick Rubin-produced collection dropped in August of 2011.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2012 Itinerary
>>Jan. 20 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Sunrise, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
>>Jan. 21 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Orlando, FL @ Amway Arena
>>Jan. 23 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for St. Petersburg, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
>>Jan. 25 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
>>Jan. 27 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Raleigh, NC @ RBC Center
>>Jan. 28 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
>>Jan. 30 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Duluth, Georgia @ Gwinnett Center
>>Jan. 31 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
>>Feb. 3 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
>>Feb. 4 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
>>Feb. 29 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for San Deigo, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
>>March 6 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
>>March 8 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
>>March 9 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
>>March 13 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Tulsa, OK @ BOK Arena
>>March 15 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
>>March 16 - Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena

Tim McGraw Free From Curbs Record, Touring With Kenny Chesney

Over the years, I've written hundreds of articles about popular music. In those wonderfully composed and amazingly insightful tomes I've discussed just about every aspect of an artist's life a fan can imagine. I've penned prose about their reading habits, their diets, what they bring with them on the road, and even their tawdry affairs, but I've never discussed (or mentioned) their record labels.

That's because record labels are meaningless.

They don't affect the sound of the music, or its availability, and who really cares what company cuts the checks that are eventually cashed by our favorite artists. The only groups truly interested in record labels are record collectors, industry insiders, and unsigned acts.

I will make an exception if an artist and their record label are embroiled in a major contract dispute. That's important because it usually means no new music, or in Tim McGraw's case, a whole bunch of old music.

Country music superstar Tim McGraw recently won a court battle against his former record label, Curb Records (the only label of his career). McGraw is now free to record with any label his wishes or he can form his own.

As alluded to, the dispute was responsible for six compilations released in a five-year period (the label was trying to draw out McGraw's expiring contract). McGraw accused his former label of holding onto a finished album called Emotional Traffic. Although nothing has been announced, fans should expect Emotional Traffic to hit store shelves in the very near future.

It makes sense since the judge's ruling was handed down six months and two days prior to McGraw's big tour with Kenny Chesney. One can safely assume that McGraw would love a new album to promote when he and his good buddy hit the road to play football stadiums all over the United States.

McGraw and Chesney's "Brothers of the Sun Tour 2012" launches June 2 in Tampa, Florida. The 20-date trek ends Aug. 25 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Speaking of Foxboro, the duo just added a second show at the home of the New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium. McGraw and Chesney will play at the venue on Aug. 24 and 25.

The two country music superstars have been close friends for years. Long before they combined forces to sell hundreds of thousands of Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw tickets, the would-be icons shared an apartment in Nashville.

In case you're wondering, McGraw will perform first. Chesney is closing but he has promised fans that the evening's finale will feature plenty of McGraw.

Opening for the dynamic duo are Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jake Owen.

 
"Brothers of the Sun Tour 2012" Itinerary
>>June 2 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
>>June 3 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome
>>June 9 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Dallas, TX @ Cowboys Stadium
>>June 10 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Kansas City, MO @ Arrowhead Stadium
>>June 16 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
>>June 23 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Nashville, TN @ LP Field
>>June 24 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Charlotte, NC @ Bank of America Stadium
>>June 30 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field
>>July 1 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Cincinnati, OH @ Paul Brown Stadium
>>July 7 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
>>July 8 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field
>>July 14 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Anaheim, CA @ Angel Stadium
>>July 21 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Denver, CO @ Sports Authority Field at Mile High
>>Aug. 11 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
>>Aug. 12 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Landover, MD @ FedExField
>>Aug. 18 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
>>Aug. 24-25 - Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw in Foxboro, MA @ Gillette Stadium