Atlanta Entertainment

Mary J. Blige Smooth Soul Comes to Chastain October 2

With an upcoming stint at the possibly rainy Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle on September 6, R&B and soul diva Mary J. Blige will be back on the road after the said music fest, this time for her own tour tagging along Jazmine Sullivan and Miguel as support acts.

The tour will open on October 1 with a show in Mobile, AL. After which, the three performers will be heading to Atlanta for a one-off gig at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre on October 2, Saturday at 7 PM. Tickets for this show will be on sale via Live Nation on August 28, Saturday at 10 AM EDT. Presale tickets are also available via the CITI, Live Nation and radio presale events which are all happening on August 27, Friday at 10 AM EDT. Tickets are priced at $103.65, $81.60, and $60.

The tour’s next stop will be a show in Virginia Beach, VA on October 3, followed by a string of east coast stops including a show in Raleigh, NC on the 5th with the venue still to be determined, Atlantic City on the 8th and a two-off gig in NYC’s Radio City Music Hall on the 11th and 12th. Wrapping up the US leg is a series of Midwest and west coast shows with a show in Oakland on the 23rd to close the leg.

For more news on Mary J. Blige’s music and upcoming US and international tour, visit Mary J Blige Tour.

America’s Got Talent Finalists Light Up Atlanta

Fans of the hit NBC summer talent show “America’s Got Talent” will be going on a tour all across the country with its top ten finalists performing live in front of their biggest fans from city to city.

As part of their tour, season 5 winner Michael Grimm and the rest of the finalists will head down to Atlanta on November 6, Saturday. The talented gang is set to perform at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at 7:30 PM.

Tickets for the show will be available to the public starting on July 23, Friday at 10 AM EDT via Ticketmaster and AEG Live. No presale events were announced.

Ticket prices cost $51.70 to $112.65 for orchestral seating and $73.30 for both mezzanine and box seating levels. All ages can be admitted as long as each person, regardless of age, has a ticket.

The show will be hosted by former ATG host Jerry Springer. Aside from the top ten finalists, fan favorites and other previous contestants from season 5 are also scheduled to appear.

The Atlanta show is the tour’s second to the last stop with a November 7 show in Orlando, FL closing the trek.

For news on your favorite ATG season 5 finalists or performers and to view their complete tour schedule, visit the America’s Got Talent website.

Kings of Leon to rule over Atlanta September 15

Rock quartet Kings of Leon will be spending the summer ruling from city to city with their tracks from their 2008 hit record “Only by the Night”.

The summer tour will run for four months with a show in Atlantic City, NJ on June 5 to kick things off. Also included in their 32-city run is a show in London on June 30 and a show in Toronto on July 28. They are also scheduled to play at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood in Atlanta on September 15, Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The Black Keys and The Whigs will also be playing as support acts.

Tickets for the Atlanta show will hit the Live Nation box office on June 19, Saturday at 10 AM EDT. As for presale tickets, only Citi cardholders will have exclusive access to those starting on June 18, Friday at 10 AM EDT. Tickets cost $36 for the general admission lawn areas and $61.50 for both pit and pavilion seating areas.

“Only by the Night” marks the band’s fourth studio release and has spawned the hits “Use Somebody”, “Notion”, “Revelry” and “Sex on Fire”.

To view the band’s complete summer tour schedule, log on to Kings of Leon Tour.

Ray LaMontagne, David Gray to perform at Chastain Park August 23

Singers/songwriters Ray LaMontagne and David Gray are going on a tour spanning two months and two seasons to bring good folk-rock sounds from east coast to west coast.

They will be heading down south in Atlanta for a one-off gig at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Monday, August 23 at 7 PM. Tickets for the show will be available starting on Saturday, June 19 at 10 AM EDT via Live Nation. There are no advanced tickets available for this event.

Ticket prices go for $58 for the front stage seats and $48 to $58 for the orchestra and terrace level seats. Please take note that doors open at 6 PM and setup coolers and carry-ins are not allowed. The show will push through rain or shine.

LaMontagne is expected to perform cuts from his 2008 release “Gossip in the Grain” which is the artist’s most recent studio work and is also his highest album entry in the Billboard 200 at no.3.

Gray is also touring behind his 2009 release “Draw the Line” which features a couple of song collaborations; one for the track “Kathleen” with Jolie Holland and another for the album’s second released single, “Full Steam” with Annie Lennox.

For advanced tickets and premium seating, checkout Ray Lamontagne Tickets.

Widespread Panic Bust Out the Jams at Philips, Verizon

Georgia’s homegrown rock outfit, Widespread Panic, will be going back home for a three-night engagement in two cities – Atlanta and Alpharetta – to relive the magic and success of their three night show in their native Athens ten years ago, “Live in the Classic City” through a live release entitled, “Live in the Classic City II”

“Live in the Classic City” was held in Athens, GA on April 1-3, 2000 and marks the first time for the band to observe a strict “no-recording” policy. Thus “Classic City II”, which will be released on September 28 and the band’s upcoming fall tour will mark the first time songs from those shows will be heard both on record and live for the first time after ten years, and it will be heard live not only in the southern state but all across the US in a tour that will span for a month and a half next season.

As for the band’s homecoming show, they will first be in Atlanta’s Center Stage Theatre on September 23, Thursday at 8 PM. Tickets for this show will go on sale on July 30, Friday at 10 AM EDT through Ticketmaster. All tickets are priced at $125.

Their second show in Georgia will be in Alpharetta’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on September 24 and 25, Friday and Saturday, both at 7:30 PM. Tickets for this show are available also via Ticketmaster starting on June 18, Friday at 10 AM EDT. Tickets are priced at $47 for both reserved and general admission seats.

There are no presale tickets available for both shows. Log on to Widespread Panic Tour for more details on the upcoming album and tour schedule.

Erykah Badu at Chastain Park August 14 on “Out of My Mind” Tour

Fresh from the successful release of “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)”, Erykah Badu has recently laid out her tour plans kicking off in late spring and running till mid-summer.

The tour will kick off with a show in Baltimore on May 22 and will journey through the east coast and the Midwest till mid-June. After Badu’s short stint in the west coast, she will be appearing as special guest for Maxwell and Jill Scott’s June 26 show at the Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Badu is also slated to perform in the five-day Lilith Tour event where she will share the stage with other renowned female artists like Sheryl Crow and Sara McLachlan. More dates have been added to Badu’s show trail in August such as a stop in Atlanta three days after the initially planned tour finale on August 11.

She will be performing at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta, GA on Saturday, August 14 at 8 PM. Bilal will also be appearing as support act. Tickets for the show will be available starting June 18, Friday at 10 AM EDT through Ticketmaster. There are no presale tickets available for this event.

Tickets are priced at $65 for box seats, $49 for terrace tables, $39-$35 for terrace seating and $25 for lawn seats.

Visit Erykah Badu Tour to know all the latest on the artist’s music and tour schedule.

Adam Lambert at Atlanta Symphony Hall September 14

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert is scheduled to bring his signature brand of glam and theatrical musicality on the road for a lengthy tour crisscrossing about 50 US and Canadian cities for his first ever headlining road show since he came out of “Idol”.

The tour will kick off in New York on June 6 and will cap off in Washington on September 21. “Glambert” will be firing up the stage of the Symphony Hall Atlanta in Georgia on September 14, Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Tickets will be on sale to the public via Ticketmaster on June 19, Saturday at 12 PM EDT. A presale event will be held by Lambert’s official website on June 16, Wednesday at 10 AM EDT. Tickets are priced at $39.50. There are five viewing or seating sections in the venue.

The ex-“Idol” is still riding on the success of his debut album “For Your Entertainment” which spawned the hits “Whataya Want From Me”, the current single “If I Had You” and the debut single “For Your Entertainment” where in the video for the said track, everyone saw the singer openly express his sexuality and his musical prowess which is greatly attributed to his theatrical background.

To view the complete schedule of Adam Lambert’s summer-fall tour, log on to Adam Lambert Tour.

Toby Keith takes “American Ride” to Atlanta September 2

Seasoned country act Toby Keith is headed for an extensive tour starting this spring stretching till the fall to support his studio fall release “American Ride”.

The “Ride” will begin with a show in Houston’s Reliant Stadium on March 12, and while most of the venues for the confirmed city stops have not been straightened out yet, the extensive tour will close on September 25 with a show at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA.

Keith will open the September leg of the tour with a show in Atlanta’s Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood on September 2, Thursday at 7 PM with Trace Adkins as guest. Tickets for the show will go on sale on June 12, Saturday at 10 AM EDT via Ticketmaster. There are no presale tickets available for this event. Tickets are priced from $23.25 for general admission seats, to $74 for the seats near the stage.

Keith is still riding on the success of his 13th studio effort “American Ride” which hit the shelves October of last year. The singer penned all the songs for the said album except for the title track which is also the album’s carrier single. The track landed atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs list making “American Ride” – the single – the country artist’s 19th chart topper since he broke out the country music scene.

For the latest on Toby Keith’s tour and music, log on to Toby Keith’s website.

Arcade Fire Rock “the Suburbs” at Verizon August 11

Jeremy Gara, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury, Richard Reed Perry, Sarah Neufield, Regine Chassagne and Win Butler, collectively known as the Canadian Grammy award winning septet Arcade Fire, will soon be hitting the road again to hype up the release of their third and upcoming album, “The Suburbs”.

The months of June to September will prove to be a jet lagging summer as they go back and forth from Canada to Europe, then back to North America then back to Europe again just in time for fall. Included in their 7-city August trek in the US is a stop at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, GA on August 11, Wednesday at 8 PM. The band Spoon will be joining the septet as opening act for the show.

Arcade Fire Tickets will be on sale to the general public on June 4, Friday at 10 AM EDT through Ticketmaster. Unfortunately, there are no presale tickets available for this event. Tickets are priced at $46 for the orchestra standing area, $36 for the lawn area and $46 to $36 for reserved seating.

Arcade Fire will also be using this show as a medium to help the less fortunate by donating a dollar from every ticket sale to Partners in Health, a non-government organization that aims to uplift the lives of communities that are stricken with sickness and poverty, globally.

Arcade Fire’s upcoming studio release, “The Suburbs” will be released on August 3. It is the band’s follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2007 album “Neon Bible”. Check out the band’s website for more details.

Maroon 5 Lay “Hands All Over” Atlanta August 21

Adam Levine and the rest of Maroon 5 will be hitting the road this summer to back up their forthcoming release “Hands All Over” which will surface in the market on September 21.

The tour will run for a month starting on July 30 in New York and wrapping off in Pittsburgh on August 30. The tour will have the band crisscrossing between the Midwest and the east coast including a stop in Toronto on August 4.

Fans of the pop-rock quintet in Georgia can see the band perform new material from their upcoming album when they hit the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta on August 21, Saturday at 8 PM. Kris Allen and V. V. Brown will both perform as special guests.

Fans can get hold of tickets starting on June 5, Saturday through Ticketmaster. Several presale events will get underway for advance tickets starting with the Legacy Fan Club presale on June 1, Tuesday at 10 AM EDT and the New Member fan club presale which also happens on the same date but at 3 PM EDT. AMEX cardholders can also snag themselves advance tickets through the AMEX presale event on June 2, Wednesday at 10 AM EDT.

Tickets cost $29 for general admission lawn areas and $34 to $54 for reserved seating areas.

The complete itinerary of Maroon 5’s summer tour is posted over the band’s website.