Jimmy Buffett – The Summerzcool Tour

If summer holidays weren’t enough to be excited about, we have Mr. Margaritaville himself coming to town. That’s right, Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band arrive in Phoenix on 5/14 at the Cricket Wireless Pavillion for the Summerzcool Tour 2009 – Buffett’s 34th music tour of his career.

At 62, Buffett might not be getting any younger but he’s still a heck of a lot of fun, and his guitar strumming is pure nostalgia. His songs are the main staple of summer parties, beach or otherwise. Margaritaville, for instance, is an American classic and rates number 234 on the Songs of the Century list (an educational project organized by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc.)

With Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in a Paradise alone, he is practically the symbol of island life, but he is also a powerful institution. Author of three bestselling fiction and non-fiction books, writer of children’s books, songwriter, musician, cameo-actor, businessman, philanthropist and pilot, Buffett may sing about the laid back island life – like the balmy Key West where he lives - but he is a busy entrepreneur wearing many hats, earning an estimated total of $100 million a year.

Born in Mississippi, Buffett’s music career took off in 1977 with the album release of Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, featuring his breakthrough single, Margaritaville. Amazingly, with all his success and popularity over the last 30 years, it wasn’t until 2003 that he had another top hit – It’s Five O’clock Somewhere, a duet with Alan Jackson. It went to the top of the country charts and won the 2003 Country Music Association Award for Vocal Event of the Year. Also incredibly, this was his first award. Granted, a lot of his music has some dubious language that might have been a holdback for awards and honors.

Still, this legend still looks great and keeps up with the times, and his fans, aka Parrotheads, will be in for a treat as he promises to introduce several more songs on his tour, including: We’ve Got a lot to Drink About - a song meant to lift spirits despite stock market and unemployment blues. His music is pure entertainment guaranteed to make you smile, a valuable commodity in these troubled times. Be quick. Most of his tickets sell out in minutes.

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Jennifer Hudson @ Dodge Theatre in Phoenix

It isn’t everyday that one gets to hear one of America’s most powerful singing voices up close and personal. Often compared to a young Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson will perform in Phoenix on 5/05 at the Dodge Theatre with Robin Thicke as part of her 2009 tour.

The 27-year old Chicagoan has had both a remarkable and tragic few years. After finding fame on American Idol in 2004 as one of twelve finalists, Hudson won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 for the movie musical, Dreamgirls. She then went on to release her debut 2008 album, self-titled, that contains rich and emotional songs such as If This Isn’t Love, Giving Myself, and Spotlight, along with sassier numbers like Pocketbook, featuring Ludacris. But in October of that year, the unthinkable happened when her mother, her brother Jason and her nephew were murdered. Her fans wondered if she could ever recover from such a devastating and public loss.

But Hudson did come back, and she did so on one of the biggest platforms there is in the US. She reemerged at Superbowl XLIII, performing the Star Spangled Banner. Although the song was rumored to be prerecorded, the sadness in her voice was there for all to feel. It was a nerve-wracking performance but beautifully done. She went on to perform on Oprah among other big-name shows, as well as the Grammy Awards, where she sang a particularly poignant single off her new album – You Pulled Me Through. She proceeded to win Best R&B album of the year.

There is still so much to come for this young and powerful singer as she moves forward from her family’s tragedy. Be part of her history and see her this May. In the meantime, keep up with her on http://www.JenniferHudsonOnline.com

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JONAS BROTHERS WORLD TOUR 2009

Young fans and their parents, too, will be lining the streets to see this fresh faced, clean living band. The Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 comes to the Jobing.com arena in Glendale on August 11th 2009 to promote their fourth pop-rock album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, which will be released on June 15, 2009. All twelve of the songs’ lyrics were written by Jonas brothers Nick, Kevin and Joe. In a recent Rolling Stone Magazine interview, Nick said of the album title: "Lines are something that someone feeds you, vines are the things that get in the way, and trying times, well, that's obvious."

This young New Jersey group started as a solo band with Nick, who originally began playing on Broadway at the tender age of 7 in many top productions. In 2002 he wrote a song with his father, and Nick was ‘discovered’ because of the song by Columbia Records and was signed jointly with them and INO Records in 2004. Several songs on the subsequent album were written by all three brothers and although it had only a limited release, it was enough to persuade Columbia Records to sign the three brothers together. The band was eventually dropped by Columbia in 2007 but was picked up quickly thereafter by Hollywood Records with whom they really took off, combined with their success on the Disney Channel.

These young kids are successful to say the least. Their second album, released in the summer of 2007, hit number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week. They won Breakthrough Artist at the 2008 American Music Awards, and they were the youngest band ever to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine (July 2008.) In December 2008, they were nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards. They were also listed number 9 on the richest pop acts of 2008, making over sixty-two million US dollars. And they’ve done all of this with a very family-friendly, wholesome image.

Just as impressive are their philanthropic endeavors. They have donated 10% of their earnings to the charity they founded: Change for the Children Foundation that supports “programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and the will to succeed.”

They were in Arizona just last year, kicking off their last tour down in Tucson. If you missed them, this is the ideal band to take the entire family. Go hear their energetic sing-a-long tunes at their August appearance in Glendale.

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NICKElBACK TOUR KICKS OFF

One of Canada’s biggest rock star acts, Nickelback, has just kicked off their tour and will reach Glendale on September 8th to promote their Dark Horse album featuring the single, "Gotta Be Somebody."

Nickelback’s lead singer, Chad Kroeger has one of the sexist male voices in rock. If you have any doubts, his duet with Santana with ‘Into the night’ and with Josey Scott on the Spider-Man theme song, "Hero," will likely change your mind.

The band plays an interesting mix of AC/DC style hard rock and tuneful melodies, like Photograph, that the softer rock fans enjoy. In fact, they really went mainstream with ‘I Wanna be a Rock Star’ – a parody on rock star life. Who better to know, ayh? If they play this one on tour, the whole place will be standing and singing. It’s not shown as part of their song setlist, but if they’re smart, they’re using it as an encore.

Their Dark Horse album has the usual mix of hard and softer tunes, and lead single, ‘Gotta Be Someone,’ is about as romantic as it gets with its lyrics on searching for one’s soul mate. It must be resonating with a lot of fans, old and new, as it’s creeping up the Billboard in the top 20.

A last FYI for those new fans who didn’t already know… apparently the band got its name from band member Mike Kroeger frequently telling customer’s at his Starbuck’s job, "Here's your nickel back." Funny where inspiration hits. Grab and ticket for the tour and get a further jolt.

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U2 360 Tour

Start standing in line, Phoenix fans… U2 360 Tour tickets go on sale on April 20th for an October 20th appearance at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Ticket holders will get just what the tour’s name advertises: 360_ staging. This most famous of Irish bands will be surrounded literally by their fans – an experience that surely will be incredible for the audience, as well as the band itself. Check out what it looks like on U2’s official website site: http://360.u2.com/

On the tail of their newest album release since 2004, No Line on the Horizon, their twelfth album, has generated so much excitement since its February release that tour sales have already exceeded 2.5 million tickets. Such a long pause between albums obviously paid off – as well as the time it took to make the album: 16 months in the studio.

Diehard fans of post-punk U2 will not be disappointed by No Line on the Horizon, which has plenty of hard guitar and rhythmic echos combined with Bono’s grandiose vocals and philosophical lyrics. The top singles – which debuted every night in one week on the Letterman Show – include Get on Your Boots, Magnificent, Breathe, and I’ll Go Crazy If I don’t Go Crazy Tonight.

Those searching for a softer side may find solace in another album, recorded at the same time as No Line on the Horizon and that is to be released at the end of the year. Bono has been quoted as saying it’s a "more meditative album on the theme of pilgrimage."

Pilgrimage your way right to buying a ticket for this tour that promises to have you 360 dizzy with the kind of larger-than-life entertainment only Bono and his band can illicit.

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KEITH URBAN’S ESCAPE TOGETHER TOUR

New Zealand born but raised in Australia, Keith Urban music sounds more like that of a Tennessee native’s, but perhaps that is the magic of country music’s flexibility and reach. Urban is heading our way on July 25th on his Escape Together World Tour to promote his sixth U.S. studio album, Defying Gravity, released on March 31, 2009. The album has hit number one on Billboard 200.

Named the 2005 CMA's Male Vocalist of the Year, Urban is widely regarded for his guitar skills, and has performed on albums with the likes of Charlie Daniels, Emerson Drive, Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks. His guitar plucking is as good as ever on Defying Gravity, never ceasing to entertain with foot tapping tunes you can crank up loud and sing to.

You can see why Kidman fell for this eye-pleasing talent. His sassy country hits just lift the spirits. ‘Sweet Thing,’ his latest CD's first single that has already become his 18th Top 5 Country single, is a fast paced charmer. And the rest of the album won’t disappoint either. ‘I’m In,’ ‘Kiss a Girl,’ and ‘Hit the Ground Running’ will have everyone rockin’ in the aisles for the lucky few able to grab tickets. The album should keep selling at the top of the charts through the summer with the momentum of this promising high-energy tour.

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MADONNA’S STICKY AND SWEET TOUR 2

Madonna - yes, she is still touring: Sticky & Sweet 2 kicks off in London at the O2 arena on July 4th. She has already played in the US, and it became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist reaching $US 280 million in sales – this as she turned 50. There is, however, nothing middle-aged about her physique. Tight, toned, and sinewy as a high-performance athlete, there is not a dab of flab on her.

When touring in Michigan, her home state, her performance was rated as a stylish sensory overload, brimming with high-end video, sublime lighting, strapping dance numbers and an array of pulsing hits (The Detroit Free Press.)

Madonna might now be able to recreate herself anymore, because let’s face it, she’s got nowhere else to go, but the tour is brimming with her risqué sexual energy. Billed as the hottest concert on the planet, if you missed last year’s tour, this is just the time to take advantage of the improved dollar exchange rate and take a trip to Europe because she will be one of the top sights to see. She’s playing in some of the most beautiful places like London, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, Marseille, Bucharest and St. Petersburg. Act fast because this tour already has many sold out shows.

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BRITNEY SPEAR’S CIRCUS TOUR

Britney Spears is on tour with the Pussy Cat Dolls and hits Glendale’s Jobing.com arena on April 24th. As we all know, Spears has had her ups and downs – mostly downs in the last few years. But, her new album, Circus, released in November of 2008is an absolute reincarnation and is bringing her vastly renewed success. The album sold over half a million copies in its first week in the US alone and debuted on Billboard 200 at number one. It is her fifth number-one album. Not too shabby for a twenty-eight year old from Mississippi.

Spear’s video of her featured song, ‘Circus,’ borrows extensively from Moulin Rouge’s Lady Marmalade in its girl power theme and colorful backdrop. But, her highly polished performance, crisp beat and lyrics are 100 percent Britney. When she sings, I’m like the ringleader, I call the shots… and she snaps that circus whip, you believe her. She’s the star and is telling us, not so subtly, that she is back in control of her life – after a life that is, well, like a three ring circus with her in the constant spotlight.

She bares a striking resemblance to Madonna in this video with her wavy bleached blond locks, fit body, and the way she enunciates her words. Her tight sharp dance moves are also Madonna influences but, hey, if you are going to borrow, you might as well borrow from the best. Spear’s fans will be pleased to note, however, that the playful southerner is still there for all to see and makes this video all her own.

This release is so hot that the tour promises to be the best of her career. Like she says, she’s calling the shots. We can only hope to keep up.

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