The rumors have swirled, but today it was confirmed: Garth Brooks is back.  Arguably one of the most award-winning country artists, Garth makes a return to performing after more than eight years in retirement.  Brooks will start an ongoing show at the Encore Theatre at the Wynn in Las Vegas.  Why come out of retirement after nine years?  Apparently because Steve Wynn had the answers to all of Brooks’ objections.

Garth Brooks

Brooks and his wife, fellow country star Tricia Yearwood, had decided on his retirement in order to spend more time in Oklahoma with his daughters.  It’s not surprising that tours, performances, and travel can make family life and normalcy difficult.  So how did Wynn change Mr. Brooks’ and Ms. Yearwood’s opinion on family?  Apparently, he didn’t.  He simply showed Brooks how this could fit with his family life.  Apparently a gig in Sin City can work with a simple life in Oklahoma.  All you need is a private jet.  Word is Wynn is providing a private jet so that Brooks can travel to Las Vegas to perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on select weekends (about 15 a year), and be back in Oklahoma for the normal family and school routine on Monday mornings.  And you can’t blame Garth Brooks for thinking Mr. Wynn couldn’t afford him.  In fact he actually voiced that, but Mr. Wynn had that covered as well. (And to this point, note that ticket prices have not been disclosed yet.)

Like many Vegas shows, folks might expect the usual glitz and glam, as well as some of the big-time productions for which Brooks is popular.  But Wynn and Brooks have another idea.  A man and his guitar - stripped down, classic, country.  Aside from country, this might not seem like Garth’s style, but if you think about it, it makes sense.  Garth has already done some of the largest shows with the most over-the-top productions for the biggest crowds.  So you come out of retirement, and where do you go from there?  Nine years later, you’re unlikely to top yourself again, one would think.  But strip it down to the basics, to your roots, raw talent, for an honest, intimate performance – there’s potential there.

Brooks’ performances are said to be geared toward his roots and influences.  Some lucky fans may have already seen a sneak peek of what’s to come…  Garth referred to some previous shows where crowds outlasted the set list for a show and wanted more.  Never the one to let down a crowd, Brooks would head back out on stage and perform some of his favorite songs impromptu, obviously without the big production because one wasn’t planned.  That’s the type of show that’s expected at the Wynn; Garth performing a mix of his own hits along with some from artists that made a mark on him, including the likes of Bob Seger, Cat Stevens, Tom Rush, Merle Haggard and George Jones.  Some country influences you might expect and some that might surprise you.

Wynn Las Vegas

While the show is being described as simple and stripped-down, it wouldn’t be Vegas without some extravagance.  Appears plans are in place for a huge animated frog perched atop a video screen over the Wynn’s Lake of Dreams.  Of course the frog will be decked in boots and black hat singing what else but, ”I’ve Got Friends in Low Places.”   The first performance for Garth Brooks will be Friday, December 11, 2009 at the Encore Theatre at the Wynn.  Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Satruday, October 24, 2009 at 8am PT.

Typing Pic For A Post On Misspellings, Very Creative, I Know

When not keeping track of what people are looking for on our website, one of my other terribly exciting jobs is making sure people find what they’re looking for. This includes handling misspelled searches. Since our search technology is a bit more modest than Google’s, I deal with misspellings manually. Which to say I notice them, decipher them, and add them to a table of “alternative” spellings for the artist in question. This means if these “creative interpretations” of the artist’s name are ever used again, they’ll end up right where they intended to be in the first place.

Since you’ve likely read the title and put two and two together by now, I present to you the many varied ways in which fans of the band Metallica express their desire to see them in concert through our search box:

Interestingly, this about the same number of misspelled versions as we have for everyone’s favorite southern-rock band / spelling conundrum: Lynyrd Skynyrd. I’m a bit more sympathetic to Skynyrd fans, as that one stumps me from time to time. Wikipedia tells me the band’s name is a riff on an old high school gym teacher with a no-tolerance policy for males with long hair, and not an attempt to win “most gratuitous use of the letter ‘y’ in a band name.”

Both Skynyrd and Metallica are on tour at the moment, so you can get tickets for both just one click of the mouse away.

As temperatures begin to cool and leaves begin to turn, millions of travelers are expected to take to the road in pursuit of fall foliage in the Northeast, and when they do, TicketCity and TripCart.com will be there to provide recommendations for natural sites of interest, as well as live events they won’t want to miss along the way such as baseball, football and Broadway.

TicketCity partnered earlier this year with TripCart, the most comprehensive online Road Trip Planner and travel reference site.  Together, they have taken the guesswork out of planning exciting things to do while chasing fall’s ever-changing colors. Booking weekends full of sports and entertainment through the sites’ revolutionary combinations of enticing content and robust, interactive technology has made the information gathering process a breeze.  Not to mention TicketCity’s reputation for outstanding customer service, abundant seating options and guaranteed reliable transactions.

This fall, TripCart, TicketCity, and good ol’ Mother Nature herself present foliage fanatics and sports enthusiasts a weekend of colorful indulgence in the Northeast’s favorite cities.  And fall foliage tours aren’t limited to small towns in Vermont or the Rocky Mountains anymore and aren’t exclusively about the trees and leaves.

Highlights of TripCart’s unique Urban Fall Foliage Guide include information on hundreds of scenic spots and routes, including:

• Lunch among leaves and life at Massachusetts’ Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
• Drive through cranberry country just south of Boston along State Road 105, along twinkling ponds and red-gold forests.
• Combine rich fall foliage with rich American history at Philadelphia’s Valley Forge National Historic Park.
• Take a break from city hubbub and hike through tranquil, colorful Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
• Hop on Metro-North for a moving view of Hudson Valley Fall Foliage or grab the subway to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for a nap under the color-changing trees and then a stroll through trendy Park Slope. 

For those travelers looking to supplement their nature exploration with spectacular live sports or entertainment events, TicketCity offers no shortage of ideas to choose from:

• Catch the U2 360 concert tour at Gillette Stadium in Boston on September 20, 2009.
• See Dave Matthews Band in concert at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on September 19-20.
• Celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame benefit event at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2009.
• Support the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox with tickets for events as they head into postseason baseball.
• Enjoy NFL action with the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and New York Jets tickets throughout the entire NFL season.
• Kickoff the NBA season with tickets to the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks or Boston Celtics.
• Explore Broadway and all of its offering including tickets to shows such as The Lion King at Minskoff Theatre, and Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.

Travelers are encouraged to mix and match nature with culture to create an itinerary that captures the best of fall foliage, entertainment, and fun. For more information on TripCart, or to begin planning your next excursion within the United States, visit www.tripcart.com. For details on the hottest sports or entertainment tickets, visit www.ticketcity.com.

Aerosmith announced the remaining dates of their tour are cancelled due to the injuries suffered by front-man Steven Tyler after falling off the stage.

The tour came to an end in South Dakota where the show experienced an hour delay caused by thunderstorms in the area.  Then once beginning, audio systems and blown fuses abruptly halted the show.

As a true entertainer, Tyler slide out on stage during the outage to do the “Tyler Shuffle” when he accidentally fell off the stage breaking his left shoulder and cutting his head.  He was airlifted to a hospital and will take the remaining weeks to recover as recommended by his doctors.

Though disappointed and regretful, Tyler jokingly commented on his good fortune of having fallen off the stage only four times out of the thousands of shows he’s performed and not incurring more serious injuries. Luckily fans didn’t attempt the shuffle themselves that evening.

Refunds are possible, but fans must contact the ticket outlet where they purchased tickets for more details.  Below are the cancelled tour dates:

8/21/09 – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
8/23/09 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Irvine, CA
8/30/09 – Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
9/1/09 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
9/3/09 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ONT
9/5/09 – Scotiabank Place – Kanata, ONT
9/8/09 – XCel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
9/10/09 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
9/12/09 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Homdel, NJ
9/14/09 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
9/16/09 – Palace of Auburn Hills – Detroit, MI

No details have emerged yet as to whether any dates in the current Aerosmith tour will be canceled or rescheduled stemming from Steven Tyler’s fall from the stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally August 5th. Apparently, in an effort to entertain the crowd while a failed sound system was repaired, Tyler performed some onstage antics leading to a backwards fall into the crowd. He was taken via helicopter to Rapid City Regional Hospital suffering head, neck, and shoulder injuries.

This would not be the first bump in the road on the current Aerosmith tour. The Venezuelan debut was canceled due to emergency surgery on Tyler stemming from an infection, and seven shows were canceled in July due to another Tyler injury. Other members of the band have missed dates due to injury, but shows have not been canceled in those cases.

Aerosmith is scheduled to perform dates in Canada from the 7th to the 15th, and there’s no word on the status of these dates.

Couldn’t really pass this one up, as I am strong with the geek side of the Force. Star Wars will be coming not to a theatre but an arena near you, complete with a large symphony orchestra. Star Wars: In Concert features the greatest hits of John Williams’ legendary score from all six films. The presentation includes clips from the films (edited by Lucasfilm) and is narrated live by Anthony Daniels, who will probably appear decidedly less gold plated than fans are accustomed to seeing him.

Sure, it covers “the ‘new’ Star Wars films” but look on the bright side, the score is one of the few things about those films that people don’t complain about. It’s pure win-win.

The show kicks off in Anaheim, at the Honda Center, on October 1st. Tickets for shows in October are up already on our Star Wars: In Concert Tickets page.

The unfortunate news that Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch, is going to seek treatment for cancer has prompted the group to cancel their tour dates in the Fall.  We wish Adam the best for a speedy recovery.

While many of the Beastie Boys tour dates can be rescheduled for a later date, one that cannot is the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October.  ACL Fest is a 3-day festival that features dozens of the top acts in music; the Beastie Boys were one of the headliners, along with Dave Matthews Band and Pearl Jam.   The Beastie Boys had the primetime Friday night timeslot on the main, AMD sponsored, stage.

There has been no word yet from the promoter, C3 presents, about who will replace the Beastie Boys.  But the opinions about who will replace them have rampant on the internet.  Austin360 lists these bands as potential replacements: NIN, Oasis, Phish, Public Enemy, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, The Cure, The Killers,  Tool and Willie Nelson.  Definitely some big names in that group that would draw a crowd, but it’s still speculation at this point.  Right now ACL Fest fans will have to wait until the new name is announced.  They shouldn’t lose too much sleep because the rest of the 2009 ACL Festival lineup is stellar.

Which band or performer do you want to see added to the ACL Festival lineup?

Silver Anniversary for Rock

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with a mega line up of talent over the course of 2 shows at Madison Square Garden. The events will be held October 29th and 30th, and feature some of the biggest names in rock and R&B. The full line up hasn’t yet been finalized, but the names released so far already put these shows firmly in the “must see” category.

The October 29th show will feature Simon & Garfunkel, Simon without Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & “Friends”. No word on who the unnamed “Friends” will be at this point.

The October 30th show has Aretha Franklin, U2, Metallica, and Eric Clapton announced so far, with more as yet unannounced performers to be added.

While the individual sets are sure to be top notch, there’s always the potential for “once in a lifetime” onstage collaborations with this kind of show. While you’ll have to wait to get a chance at tickets, you can catch many of the performers on tour now. Tickets aren’t yet released for the event, so our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Show Tickets page is a little light at the moment, but that will likely change in the future.

Jim Henson’s Diva Babies

Miley Cyrus

No doubt the Rock and Roll Hall of fame rushed to get the news of its concerts out a day after VH1 threatened to dominate concert news with the ressurection of its “Divas” show after a five year absence. While in the past the show focused on performers who could reasonably lay claim to that title, Cher, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Diana Ross, and Whitney Houston, etc, the new show features a crop of comparatively new female talent.

The GenY friendly line up is lead by Disney’s Miley Cyrus, who, at the age of 16, hasn’t been alive as long as most of the previous Divas had careers. Other acts include British imports Adele and Leona Lewis, as well as the “elder” of the group, American Idol’s original winner, Kelly Clarkson.

Kidding aside, the event does benefit a good cause, the “Save the Music Foundation” whose purpose is getting musical instruments into schools.

The film (500) Days of Summer opens this weekend. That being said (even though this is a “ticket” site) we don’t actually sell tickets to movies. I overhear this fact repeated by our sales reps on the phone from time to time to slightly confused individuals. This isn’t about tickets to the movie, but tickets to the movie’s star’s band.

Zooey Deschanel at SXSW, Photo by Julio Enriquez, Flickr.

The star in question is Zooey Deschanel, who, when not staring in everything from indie to genre flicks, fronts an indie folk band called She & Him. Zooey’s primary claim to geek fame is having portrayed Tricia McMillan in the film adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. History is replete with examples of what happens when “the actor wants to sing”, but this one has a much happier ending.

The “Him” is guitarist/producer M. Ward, who met Zooey on the 2007 film The Go-Getter. She & Him released their first album, conservatively titled Volume One, on March 18th 2008, but didn’t actually appear on stage as a band until over a year later. Zooey writes the songs for She & Him, and their work on Volume One was critically praised. Paste Magazine named it their 2008 album of the year.

A follow-up album is planned for somtime in 2010, also written by Zooey, to be called… wait for it… Volume Two. Since they don’t appear on stage all that often, you could head on over to the She & Him Tickets page and sign up for email alerts.

In the wake of Michael Jackson’s passing, a Thriller-esque monster has emerged.  That would be the refund.  The refund for 50 shows.  750,000 tickets.  Various tickets outlets.  One venue.  Unlike a typical tour where various venues and box offices might be invovled, this is all being shouldered by AEG Live, the promoter and operator of the O2 Arena in London, and its ticketing partners.  Refunds due are amounting to more than $85 million on the 750,000 tickets sold. 

Fans are anxiously awaiting instructions as to how they can get their refund, but AEG is still in the process of holding meetings to decide exactly how to deal with this.  So if you have Michael Jackson tickets, unfortunately we don’t have any refund details for you yet.  (And we should note that TicketCity did not sell any tickets to Mr. Jackson’s upcoming shows.)  While a refund may seem simple enough, it’s more complicated with not only Ticketmaster involved as the primary box office seller, but AEG Live also partnered with reseller Viagogo, O2 partnered with reseller Seatwave and there were also likely a large number of VIP and travel packages sold.  Add on top of that the fact that there was a global market for this show, now we add in currencies, exchange rates, etc.  And now things really get complicated.

There are a few details that are fascinating about this situation.  First, the fact that it’s surely going to require an inordinate amount of time to reverse all of these transactions which originally happened within five hours, to sell out the entire 50-date event.  Too bad there is no control-Z command for this situation.

Second, this fiasco, or what one concert industry exec referred to as “the biggest mess in the history of our business,” is estimated at the astonishing sum of $85 million, while reports have recently come out that MJ was over $400 million in debt when he passed.  400 million dollars.  Hopefully that makes AEG feel a little better in this monstrosity.  I’m not sure what would be worse: organizing the $85 million refund or managing  the estate to  develop a plan to make good on $400 million in debt.

So if you have Michael Jackson tickets  and want to claim your refund, the best you can do right now is to locate your tickets and any receipts or credit card information from the transaction.  Be sure you understand from whom you bought your tickets.  If you did not by your tickets from the primary seller, it will be difficult and most likely impossible to get a refund from them.  You will need to contact the seller who sold you the tickets.  AEG Live and most of the ticket sellers have issued official “wait for more info” statements.  So hold tight; it may take some time to figure this one out.

In the meantime keep checking out this site that has so conveniently started to aggregate the statements and updates on refunds from various outlets.  Michael Jackson Refund Updates