Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Police Announce Worldwide Concert Tour
Los Angeles, CA. Monday, February 12, 2007: Following an electrifying rehearsal performance at The Whisky on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, The Police today confirmed their highly-anticipated concert tour will begin on May 28th in Vancouver, playing arenas, some stadiums & making some special appearances throughout North America. Some of the North American tour highlights announced include a headline performance at this year’s June 16th Bonnaroo Festival, an appearance at Boston’s historic Fenway Park on July 28th and two Madison Square Garden performances in New York City on August 1 and 3. Concert dates were also confirmed in Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, Toronto and Montreal.
Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Chairman of Global Music, also announced that the tour will continue this fall with dates in the UK and Europe, including appearances in Holland, Germany, Italy and France with additional countries to be announced. Additional dates in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are anticipated. “The anticipation and excitement to see The Police is overwhelming and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of bringing the band to their fans worldwide,” said Mr. Fogel.
In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers created an unmistakably nuanced sound filled with evocative melodies, infectious lyrics and rock & roll swagger. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five #1 albums and a succession of top 10 hit singles. In the six years they were together, The Police became one of the world's most famous bands, earning six Grammy Awards and countless fans around the globe.
The North American tour is presented by Best Buy, the leading consumer electronics retailer with nearly 1,000 retail locations in the United States and Canada. “The Police Live in Concert is one of the most anticipated musical events of this decade,” said Gary Arnold, senior vice president of entertainment for Best Buy. “We are proud to be able to help bring this event to music fans and to be able to offer our best customers a chance to experience this incredible tour.”
In the United States, members of Best Buy’s Reward Zone program will have the opportunity to access tickets prior to the general public. To qualify for the presale, participants need to be 18 years old or older and must have a current Reward Zone program membership that was activated by February 1, 2007. Presale tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster on a first come first served basis. Complete details of the Reward Zone program presale can be found at www.bestbuy.com/thepolice. Information about the Canadian concert dates can be found at www.bestbuy.ca/thepolice.
Special guest Fiction Plane will join The Police for the North American portion of the tour. Known for their high-energy live shows, this dynamic rock trio will be releasing their 2nd full length album in May. Fiction Plane are: Joe Sumner (Bass); Seton Daunt (Guitar); Pete Wilhoit (Drums). Additional support artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
A portion of the proceeds from this tour will be donated to WaterAid, an international NGO founded in 1981 and dedicated to reducing poverty by improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education. Working in 17 of the world’s poorest countries, WaterAid and its partners have already helped over 10 million people gain access to water and sanitation and is committed to helping to reduce by half the proportion of people living without these basic necessities of life by 2015.
Tickets for the North American leg of The Police tour will be scaled at $225.00, $90.00 and $50.00 in most markets (plus applicable service fees) and will go on sale beginning this Saturday, February 17th in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Tickets in Boston and New York City will go on sale Tuesday, February 20th. Additional on sale dates to be announced. There will be a 4 ticket limit per person for all arena shows and a 6 ticket limit per person for the stadium events.
The Police World Tour is produced by The Next Adventure, A Live Nation Company in association with RZO Entertainment, Inc.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY 2007
DATE: CITY: VENUE: ON SALE DATE:
28-May Vancouver, BC GM Place Saturday, Feb. 17
06-June Seattle, WA Key Arena To Be Announced
09-June Denver, CO Pepsi Center To Be Announced
15-June Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena To Be Announced
16-June Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival To Be Announced
18-June Phoenix, AZ US Airways Arena To Be Announced
26-June Dallas, TX American Airlines Center To Be Announced
30-June New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena To Be Announced
02-July St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center To Be Announced
22-July Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
25-July Montreal, PQ Bell Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
28-July Boston, MA Fenway Park Tuesday, Feb. 20
01, 03-Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Feb. 20
*both shows on sale
Additional North American concert dates in Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco’s Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area will be announced in the next few weeks.
Additional cities and venues to be announced soon.
For complete tour & ticket information, fan club memberships and more visit:
www.thepolicetour.com
Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Chairman of Global Music, also announced that the tour will continue this fall with dates in the UK and Europe, including appearances in Holland, Germany, Italy and France with additional countries to be announced. Additional dates in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are anticipated. “The anticipation and excitement to see The Police is overwhelming and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of bringing the band to their fans worldwide,” said Mr. Fogel.
In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers created an unmistakably nuanced sound filled with evocative melodies, infectious lyrics and rock & roll swagger. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five #1 albums and a succession of top 10 hit singles. In the six years they were together, The Police became one of the world's most famous bands, earning six Grammy Awards and countless fans around the globe.
The North American tour is presented by Best Buy, the leading consumer electronics retailer with nearly 1,000 retail locations in the United States and Canada. “The Police Live in Concert is one of the most anticipated musical events of this decade,” said Gary Arnold, senior vice president of entertainment for Best Buy. “We are proud to be able to help bring this event to music fans and to be able to offer our best customers a chance to experience this incredible tour.”
In the United States, members of Best Buy’s Reward Zone program will have the opportunity to access tickets prior to the general public. To qualify for the presale, participants need to be 18 years old or older and must have a current Reward Zone program membership that was activated by February 1, 2007. Presale tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster on a first come first served basis. Complete details of the Reward Zone program presale can be found at www.bestbuy.com/thepolice. Information about the Canadian concert dates can be found at www.bestbuy.ca/thepolice.
Special guest Fiction Plane will join The Police for the North American portion of the tour. Known for their high-energy live shows, this dynamic rock trio will be releasing their 2nd full length album in May. Fiction Plane are: Joe Sumner (Bass); Seton Daunt (Guitar); Pete Wilhoit (Drums). Additional support artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
A portion of the proceeds from this tour will be donated to WaterAid, an international NGO founded in 1981 and dedicated to reducing poverty by improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education. Working in 17 of the world’s poorest countries, WaterAid and its partners have already helped over 10 million people gain access to water and sanitation and is committed to helping to reduce by half the proportion of people living without these basic necessities of life by 2015.
Tickets for the North American leg of The Police tour will be scaled at $225.00, $90.00 and $50.00 in most markets (plus applicable service fees) and will go on sale beginning this Saturday, February 17th in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Tickets in Boston and New York City will go on sale Tuesday, February 20th. Additional on sale dates to be announced. There will be a 4 ticket limit per person for all arena shows and a 6 ticket limit per person for the stadium events.
The Police World Tour is produced by The Next Adventure, A Live Nation Company in association with RZO Entertainment, Inc.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY 2007
DATE: CITY: VENUE: ON SALE DATE:
28-May Vancouver, BC GM Place Saturday, Feb. 17
06-June Seattle, WA Key Arena To Be Announced
09-June Denver, CO Pepsi Center To Be Announced
15-June Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena To Be Announced
16-June Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival To Be Announced
18-June Phoenix, AZ US Airways Arena To Be Announced
26-June Dallas, TX American Airlines Center To Be Announced
30-June New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena To Be Announced
02-July St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center To Be Announced
22-July Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
25-July Montreal, PQ Bell Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
28-July Boston, MA Fenway Park Tuesday, Feb. 20
01, 03-Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Feb. 20
*both shows on sale
Additional North American concert dates in Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco’s Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area will be announced in the next few weeks.
Additional cities and venues to be announced soon.
For complete tour & ticket information, fan club memberships and more visit:
www.thepolicetour.com
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Nelly News
Nelly’s current single “Say It Right” was featured in the 2/1 episode of the CBS series “Shark”
Nelly has also made recent appearances on MTV’s “I’m From Rolling Stone” and Dance Life.
She makes her acting debut on CSI: NY – tomorrow 2/7 at 10pm on CBS.
Nelly will also be a guest on the “ Ellen” show’s Grammy special on 2/12/07 and she will perform “ Say it Right” and the Grammy nominated “ Promiscuous “ from her latest release “ Loose” on the ABC daytime drama “ One Life to Live’ on 2/23/07.
Nelly will be hitting the road again beginning 2/16/07 – These are European and Canadian dates:
2/16/07: Manchester UK
2/17/07: Glasgow
2/18/07: Nottingham
2/20/07: Birmingham
2/21/07: London
2/24/07: Paris
2/25/07: Duesseldorf
2/26/07: Brussels
2/28/07: Milan
3/2/07: Winterhur, Switzerland
3/5/07: Stuttgart
3/6/07: Munich
3/7/07: Vienna
3/8/07: Leipzig
3/10/07: Frankfurt
3/11/07: Hamburg
3/12/07: Berlin
3/13/07: Amsterdam
3/15/07: Amsterdam
3/16/07: Copenhagen
3/17/07: Stockholm
3/21/07: Victoria, BC, Canada
3/22/07: Vancouver BC
3/23/07: Kelowna, BC.
3/25/07: Grande Prairie, AB
3/26/07: Edmonton , AB
3/27/07: Calgary
4/4/07: Toronto, ON
4/5/07: Montreal, QC
4/6/07: Ottawa
Nelly has also made recent appearances on MTV’s “I’m From Rolling Stone” and Dance Life.
She makes her acting debut on CSI: NY – tomorrow 2/7 at 10pm on CBS.
Nelly will also be a guest on the “ Ellen” show’s Grammy special on 2/12/07 and she will perform “ Say it Right” and the Grammy nominated “ Promiscuous “ from her latest release “ Loose” on the ABC daytime drama “ One Life to Live’ on 2/23/07.
Nelly will be hitting the road again beginning 2/16/07 – These are European and Canadian dates:
2/16/07: Manchester UK
2/17/07: Glasgow
2/18/07: Nottingham
2/20/07: Birmingham
2/21/07: London
2/24/07: Paris
2/25/07: Duesseldorf
2/26/07: Brussels
2/28/07: Milan
3/2/07: Winterhur, Switzerland
3/5/07: Stuttgart
3/6/07: Munich
3/7/07: Vienna
3/8/07: Leipzig
3/10/07: Frankfurt
3/11/07: Hamburg
3/12/07: Berlin
3/13/07: Amsterdam
3/15/07: Amsterdam
3/16/07: Copenhagen
3/17/07: Stockholm
3/21/07: Victoria, BC, Canada
3/22/07: Vancouver BC
3/23/07: Kelowna, BC.
3/25/07: Grande Prairie, AB
3/26/07: Edmonton , AB
3/27/07: Calgary
4/4/07: Toronto, ON
4/5/07: Montreal, QC
4/6/07: Ottawa
Billy Talent Lights Up
Anti-establishment angst. Four-band roster brings potent mix of furious energy and politically charged music
T'CHA DUNLEVY, The GazettePublished: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Toronto's Billy Talent blazed into the Bell Centre last night, topping a four-band roster that brought out 11,800 fans for four straight hours of adrenaline-charged, politically minded music.
Billy Talent's new album II veers into hard rock, metal and even radio-friendly fare, without selling its soul. Judiciously balancing its set between new material and songs from its self-titled debut, the band played for nearly 90 minutes.
A tidal wave of screams erupted as the lights went out, a testament to Billy Talent's devoted following. And if there was any lingering doubt, the sinister guitar riffs and Ben Kowalewicz's piercing wail in the opening of This Is How It Goes proved the potency of the potion.
Leaning into the monitors at the front of the stage, the singer screeched like a fighting wildcat. And the crowd roared back.
"Bonjour tout le monde, ca va?" Kowalewicz asked, after, in a demented caterwaul. "This is amazing."
The energy only increased with the next two songs, Devil In a Midnight Mass and This Suffering.
"Wow," the band leader said, picking up the thread.
"You know, I was born in Montreal. I was born in the West Island. So playing here tonight is a dream come true. Thank you very much."
His shirt was off by the fourth song, and all bets were off as to how high the collective energy would rise. Billy Talent is a damn solid band, with a great frontman, and great songs that combine irresistible pop hooks and a fearless attack.
The chorus to The Navy Song ("In the fall! In the fall!") is a riotous schoolyard chant that borders on battle cry. And it is just one of many.
"So we all know that George W. Bush is an evil man," Kowalewicz said, introducing the fascism warning-call Worker Bees. "But we, as Canadians, have a new problem on our hands. And that problem's name is Stephen Harper."
The song is an anthem - there are several on the new album - with the chorus, "Can we fight to save our souls?" The answer was a resolute yes.
Lofty topics aside, the bad-girlfriend rant The Ex was equally able to get people going, turning the floor into one big mosh pit. On a more sentimental bent was the melodic power-ballad Surrender. Even anti-establishment freedom fighters, it appears, have their moments of weakness.
But with Fallen Leaves, and the set-ending Try Honesty, and the wild Red Flag in the encore, we were back to passionate clarion calls, leading an army of enraptured believers toward a heckuva night.
While Billy Talent had the headlining spot, the first three bands more than held up their end of the deal.
Rise Against, just before, received the kind of rousing response usually reserved for the main attraction.
Arms went up from front to back, with even the slightest prompting from singer Tim McIlrath, who dedicated the band's set to "those who believe in the power of music to change lives." Anti-Flag and Moneen were equally impressive.
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
T'CHA DUNLEVY, The GazettePublished: Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Toronto's Billy Talent blazed into the Bell Centre last night, topping a four-band roster that brought out 11,800 fans for four straight hours of adrenaline-charged, politically minded music.
Billy Talent's new album II veers into hard rock, metal and even radio-friendly fare, without selling its soul. Judiciously balancing its set between new material and songs from its self-titled debut, the band played for nearly 90 minutes.
A tidal wave of screams erupted as the lights went out, a testament to Billy Talent's devoted following. And if there was any lingering doubt, the sinister guitar riffs and Ben Kowalewicz's piercing wail in the opening of This Is How It Goes proved the potency of the potion.
Leaning into the monitors at the front of the stage, the singer screeched like a fighting wildcat. And the crowd roared back.
"Bonjour tout le monde, ca va?" Kowalewicz asked, after, in a demented caterwaul. "This is amazing."
The energy only increased with the next two songs, Devil In a Midnight Mass and This Suffering.
"Wow," the band leader said, picking up the thread.
"You know, I was born in Montreal. I was born in the West Island. So playing here tonight is a dream come true. Thank you very much."
His shirt was off by the fourth song, and all bets were off as to how high the collective energy would rise. Billy Talent is a damn solid band, with a great frontman, and great songs that combine irresistible pop hooks and a fearless attack.
The chorus to The Navy Song ("In the fall! In the fall!") is a riotous schoolyard chant that borders on battle cry. And it is just one of many.
"So we all know that George W. Bush is an evil man," Kowalewicz said, introducing the fascism warning-call Worker Bees. "But we, as Canadians, have a new problem on our hands. And that problem's name is Stephen Harper."
The song is an anthem - there are several on the new album - with the chorus, "Can we fight to save our souls?" The answer was a resolute yes.
Lofty topics aside, the bad-girlfriend rant The Ex was equally able to get people going, turning the floor into one big mosh pit. On a more sentimental bent was the melodic power-ballad Surrender. Even anti-establishment freedom fighters, it appears, have their moments of weakness.
But with Fallen Leaves, and the set-ending Try Honesty, and the wild Red Flag in the encore, we were back to passionate clarion calls, leading an army of enraptured believers toward a heckuva night.
While Billy Talent had the headlining spot, the first three bands more than held up their end of the deal.
Rise Against, just before, received the kind of rousing response usually reserved for the main attraction.
Arms went up from front to back, with even the slightest prompting from singer Tim McIlrath, who dedicated the band's set to "those who believe in the power of music to change lives." Anti-Flag and Moneen were equally impressive.
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
Thursday, February 1, 2007
SAW III "Three-Peats" at Number One on DVD Charts
Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures' SAW III 'Three-Peats' at Number One on DVD Charts While Also Claiming Most Successful Week One Blu-Ray Debut
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the third year in a row, blood reigned supreme as SAW III, the highest-grossing theatrical horror film of 2006, followed in the footsteps of its predecessors by slicing through the competition to finish at number one among this week's new home entertainment releases. Debuting on DVD and Blu-ray disc, the psychological thriller from Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier independent filmed entertainment studio, and Twisted Pictures sold 1.6 million units its first day and finished the week in the top spot with 2.5 million units sold. Also, according to Rentrak Home Essentials, SAW III Blu-Ray disc is the largest and most successful Blu-Ray debut to date. Released theatrically by Lionsgate in October 2006, SAW III "gross"ed over $80 million domestically and more than $100 million in worldwide theatrical box office. The success of SAW III highlights a dominant week for Lionsgate on the national DVD charts, scoring four of the top seven titles (SAW III #1, Lionsgate and Marvel's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #3, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH #5 and former chart-topper CRANK #7) and six of the top 20 (catalyzed by the success of SAW III, SAW II re-entered the charts at #15 and SAW reappeared at #16). Continuing an impressive start of the year for Lionsgate, SAW III is the second number one DVD release for Lionsgate this month, following in the footsteps of CRANK, which reigned supreme on the DVD charts following its January 9 release. CRANK earned $30 million in domestic box office, sold 2 million units in its first week and appears positioned to significantly overindex its theatrical box office performance on DVD, reflecting another example of Lionsgate's typically high theatrical box office-to-DVD conversion rate. The performance of SAW III continues the overwhelming dominance of the SAW franchise. One of the most successful global horror franchises in history, the first three SAW releases have earned more than $400 million in worldwide box office receipts. Additionally, SAW and SAW II have sold more than 10 million DVDs combined to date. In fact, the first SAW release continues to rack up sales, ranking among the top 10 on VideoScan's top horror sellers as recently as January 7 of this year. SAW II was also in the news this week as the title made its long-awaited debut on Blu-ray disc. "Jigsaw is one of the more unique madmen in horror movie history and his life-and-death games continue to fascinate horror fans, assuring that the Saw franchise will have legs for a very long time," said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Home Entertainment General Manager and Executive Vice President. Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures commented, "We are delighted to see Jigsaw once again wreaking havoc in home entertainment, and applaud the Lionsgate team for their characteristically inspired work on SAW III. Their efforts have been invaluable in making the entire Saw franchise a smashing and continuing success, and we think the future looks bright -- if necessarily rather bloody."
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the third year in a row, blood reigned supreme as SAW III, the highest-grossing theatrical horror film of 2006, followed in the footsteps of its predecessors by slicing through the competition to finish at number one among this week's new home entertainment releases. Debuting on DVD and Blu-ray disc, the psychological thriller from Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier independent filmed entertainment studio, and Twisted Pictures sold 1.6 million units its first day and finished the week in the top spot with 2.5 million units sold. Also, according to Rentrak Home Essentials, SAW III Blu-Ray disc is the largest and most successful Blu-Ray debut to date. Released theatrically by Lionsgate in October 2006, SAW III "gross"ed over $80 million domestically and more than $100 million in worldwide theatrical box office. The success of SAW III highlights a dominant week for Lionsgate on the national DVD charts, scoring four of the top seven titles (SAW III #1, Lionsgate and Marvel's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #3, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH #5 and former chart-topper CRANK #7) and six of the top 20 (catalyzed by the success of SAW III, SAW II re-entered the charts at #15 and SAW reappeared at #16). Continuing an impressive start of the year for Lionsgate, SAW III is the second number one DVD release for Lionsgate this month, following in the footsteps of CRANK, which reigned supreme on the DVD charts following its January 9 release. CRANK earned $30 million in domestic box office, sold 2 million units in its first week and appears positioned to significantly overindex its theatrical box office performance on DVD, reflecting another example of Lionsgate's typically high theatrical box office-to-DVD conversion rate. The performance of SAW III continues the overwhelming dominance of the SAW franchise. One of the most successful global horror franchises in history, the first three SAW releases have earned more than $400 million in worldwide box office receipts. Additionally, SAW and SAW II have sold more than 10 million DVDs combined to date. In fact, the first SAW release continues to rack up sales, ranking among the top 10 on VideoScan's top horror sellers as recently as January 7 of this year. SAW II was also in the news this week as the title made its long-awaited debut on Blu-ray disc. "Jigsaw is one of the more unique madmen in horror movie history and his life-and-death games continue to fascinate horror fans, assuring that the Saw franchise will have legs for a very long time," said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Home Entertainment General Manager and Executive Vice President. Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures commented, "We are delighted to see Jigsaw once again wreaking havoc in home entertainment, and applaud the Lionsgate team for their characteristically inspired work on SAW III. Their efforts have been invaluable in making the entire Saw franchise a smashing and continuing success, and we think the future looks bright -- if necessarily rather bloody."
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