Eagles, Krauss honored at Boston music school

The Eagles were awarded honorary doctor of music degrees at Berklee College of Music’s 2012 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12, along with Alison Krauss and Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke.  Berklee president Roger H. Brown presented honorary degrees to the Eagles, Krauss and Astatke in recognition of their achievements in contemporary music, for their enduring contributions to popular culture, and for the influence their careers and music have had over Berklee’s international student body.

After accepting his honorary degree, Don Henley, referring to the student performance at Friday evening’s commencement concert, “Sometimes I worry about the future of music and culture. But, after what we all witnessed here last night, I have renewed hope and faith in the future of music. It was truly inspiring.”

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 Back Row from L-R: Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Berklee President Roger H. Brown, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey. Front Row from L-R: Mulatu Astatke and Alison Krauss.

Leonard Cohen Announces Fall Tour of North America

by Erik Pedersen, THR  |   May 03, 2012 9:35 EDT

(Photo by Paul Butterfield/Getty Images)

Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen’s coming back. The 77-year-old singer-songwriter will launch the North American leg of his “Old Ideas” world tour with a Halloween show in Austin. The 20-date jaunt announced Thursday runs through Dec. 20 and includes 10 shows in his native Canada.

Cohen already has a European trek booked from mid-August into early October. The world tour supports his 12th studio album, Old Ways, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in February — his first trip to the Top 50 stateside — and topped charts in several other countries.

In 2008, the smoky-voiced troubadour began his first concert tour in 15 years. It drew critical praise around the world and ended up stretching into 2010.

Although never a commercial juggernaut, Cohen has been a revered singer and songwriter since the 1960s. After a frustrating career as a poet and novelist, he released his first LP, Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967. The disc featured “Suzanne,” which was covered by Judy Collins and many others.

“Hallelujah,” a track from his 1984 album Various Positions, gained notoriety when John Cale covered it for a 1991 Cohen tribute album. Three years later, Jeff Buckley’s version brought the song to a wider audience. The cover was featured on numerous TV shows, performed repeatedly on American Idol, and Rolling Stone ranked it No. 259 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Cohen was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country’s top civilian honor, in 2003, and Lou Reed inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five years later.

Tickets for AEG Live-backed Old Ideas tour go on sale starting May 11 for the Canadian dates and a week later for the U.S. shows, which include the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York.

Tour Dates:

Oct. 31: Austin, Bass Concert Hall

Nov. 3: Denver, 1st Bank Center
Nov. 5: Los Angeles, Nokia Theatre
Nov. 7: San Jose, Calif., HP Pavilion
Nov. 9: Seattle, Key Arena
Nov. 11: Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
Nov. 12: Vancouver, B.C., Rogers Arena
Nov. 16: Calgary, Alberta, Scotiabank Saddledome
Nov. 18: Edmonton, Alberta, Rexall Place
Nov. 20: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Credit Union Centre
Nov. 23: Chicago, Akoo Theatre
Nov. 26: Detroit, Fox Theatre
Nov. 28: Montreal, Bell Centre
Dec. 2: Quebec City, Colisee Pepsi
Dec. 4: Toronto, Air Canada Centre
Dec. 7: Ottawa, Scotiabank Place
Dec. 11: London, Ontario, John Labatt Centre
Dec. 13: Kingston, Ontario, K-Rock Centre
Dec. 15: Boston, The Wang Theatre
Dec. 18: New York, Madison Square Garden
Dec. 20: Brooklyn, Barclays Center

http://www.billboard.com/events/leonard-cohen-announces-fall-tour-of-north-1006950352.story#/events/leonard-cohen-announces-fall-tour-of-north-1006950352.story

LEONARD COHEN

NORTH AMERICAN DATES ANNOUNCED FOR

“OLD IDEAS WORLD TOUR 2012”

*****

Tickets for Canadian Dates Go On Sale Starting May 11 and

U.S. Dates Go On Sale Starting May 18

 May 3, 2012 – Legendary singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen will be gracing stages throughout the U.S. and Canada with a new live show, beginning October 31st in Austin, TX. The North American leg of Cohen’s “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows on the heels of his previously announced European concert dates. The tour, promoted by AEG Live and presented in Canada by CBCMUSIC.CA, celebrates Cohen’s highly acclaimed twelfth studio album, Old Ideas. The album debuted at #1 across the globe, making it the highest charting album of his career. Tickets for the Canadian tour dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 1th and U.S. dates will go on sale starting Friday, May 18th. For updated tour information visit www.LeonardCohen.com.

The “Old Ideas World Tour 2012” follows Cohen’s triumphant 2008-2010 world tour – his first in 15 years — which was met with overwhelming praise. The New York Times reported that “Mr. Cohen sang these words with a kind of gracious generosity…awash in wild applause,” while The San Jose Mercury News reported “The show underscored what his fans already know: Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of popular music.” The Victoria Times Colonist reported that Cohen received “an automatic standing ovation at what was clearly the Church of Leonard.”  The Vancouver Sun called the show “nothing short of a religious experience” and the Toronto Sun declared Leonard Cohen “Charming, funny, poignant, smart, sharp, sexy… he is still a ladykiller.”

In his sixth decade of producing critically acclaimed music, Leonard Cohen is arguably one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Old Ideas, released on January 31, 2012 by Columbia Records, has earned worldwide accolades for its highly acclaimed collection of new songs. USA Today raves that “Old Ideas is the work of a master craftsman,” while Rolling Stone gave the album 4 ½ stars. TIME Magazine states, “Listeners have been relying on Cohen’s heartbroken yet grinning, world-weary yet hopeful voice to get through that night for decades, and this album should continue that for a whole new batch of souls.” Newsday hails Old Ideas as “GRADE A… Stunningly simple, incredibly deep and destined to be a classic.” The Telegraph (UK) reports that “Old Ideas is an unexpected and precious gift of new gems from an old master,” and The Irish Times exclaimed that “The more you play it the better it gets.” The Times (South Africa) commended it as “an album of poetic and pared-down musical genius,” and the Montreal Gazette simply states that “Lyrically, Cohen is at the top of his game.”

“OLD IDEAS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY:

About Leonard Cohen:

Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician and poet whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions. Citing W.B Yeats, Irving Layton and Walt Whitman as literary influences, Cohen first shot to the forefront of the music industry in the 60’s and has remained an inspirational talent and contributor to the industry since he first emerged. His albums Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), I’m Your Man (1990) and Dear Heather (2004) are rightly considered classics along with the beautiful singles “Hallelujah” and “Suzanne.”  He has sold over 20 million albums, worldwide and published 12 books.  With a career spanning five decades, Leonard Cohen has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (2008), and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (2010), and is a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2010).

 About AEG Live:

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance.  AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues.  The current and recent concert tour roster includes artists such as Taylor Swift, American Idol, Bon Jovi, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Justin Bieber, Leonard Cohen, Wisin & Yandel, Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Enrique Iglesias and Paul McCartney.  The company is also currently producing residency shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas including Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain opening in December and is the exclusive promoter at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Our exhibition at portfolio boasts the most successful exhibition of all time, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, which has attracted more than 8 million visitors since 2005. AEG Live is also the largest producer of music festivals in North America from the critically acclaimed Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach Country Music Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. www.aeglive.com

About CBC Music:

CBC Music is Canada’s free digital music service. For the casual listener to the hardcore fan, connect with the very best Canadian and International music, concerts, features and other music fans. Simple and easy to navigate, CBC Music gives Canadians access to 40 web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, plus CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts, playlists and more. Experience CBC Music online at cbcmusic.ca. The CBC Music App is available for free from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.ca/appstore.  Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/cbcmusic or on Twitter @cbc_music.

For More Information:

Sunshine, Sachs & Associates, 212-691-2800

Tiffany Shipp, Shipp@sunshinesachs.com

Scoop Marketing, 818-761-6100

Eve Samuels, esamuels@solters.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

QUEEN’S ROGER TAYLOR AND BRIAN MAY TO PERFORM WITH AMERICAN IDOL’S TOP 6 ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25th

 * * * * *

OFFICIAL TRIBUTE GROUP THE QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA SET TO PLAY HIT SHOW ON THURSDAY, APRIL 26th IN ADVANCE OF NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICK OFF

 LOS ANGELES, CA (April 25, 2012) - American Idol audiences are in for a treat this week, with a double-dose of the music of legendary rock band Queen to be showcased on consecutive nights.  On Wednesday, April 25, original Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May will lend their talents to perform their band’s classic songs with the Top 6 American Idol contestants.  Then on Thursday, April 26, official Queen tribute band The Queen Extravaganza will appear on the show to perform “Somebody to Love,” giving a preview of their upcoming North American tour.

The Queen Extravaganza tour launches on May 26, and will hit cities coast-to-coast across the U.S. and Canada throughout the summer of 2012 (see below for full itinerary). Masterminded by Taylor and May themselves, The Queen Extravaganza is a spectacular touring concert show designed to bring the glorious music and live experience of Queen to multiple generations of fans.  The band includes vocalists Marc Martel and Jennifer Espinoza; additional vocalists Yvan Pedneault and Jeff Scott Soto; bassist Francois Olivier Doyon; guitarists Brian Gresh and Tristan Avakian; drummer Tyler Warren; and keyboardist & musical director Brandon Ethridge.  The musicians were hand-selected by Taylor after an intensive 12-week worldwide online audition search, with video submissions generating more than 10 million views.

In a show that will run over two hours, The QE band will perform nearly 40 Queen classics, drawn from a list of the band’s biggest all-time chart hits: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Under Pressure,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “A Kind of Magic,” “Radio Ga Ga,” and “Killer Queen.” In addition, the show will highlight some of the band’s finest heavy-duty rock-based anthems that have long been at the core of their live performances, so audiences can also expect a healthy dose of early period Queen with songs such as “I’m In Love With My Car,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Seven Seas of Rye,” and “In the Lap Of The Gods,” among others. The production will also be boosted with the inclusion of never-before-seen video footage.

To guarantee that the touring show matches the fabled design and excitement of Queen at its live best, Taylor has enlisted a heavyweight production team headed by stage designer Mark Fisher.  Fisher has been responsible for some of the most memorable rock concerts ever staged, including The Wall for Pink Floyd, every Rolling Stones show since 1989, and many more. Lighting for The Queen Extravaganza has been designed by Rob Sinclair (Queen, Adele, Peter Gabriel, Pulp, Mumford and Sons, Goldfrapp).

The Queen Extravaganza Tour Dates:

For more information and ticketing links, please visit: http://www.queenextravaganza.com/

 # # #

 MEDIA CONTACTS:

Erik Stein & Anna Loynes / Scoop Marketing for the Queen Extravaganza / 818-761-6100 / estein@solters.com &aloynes@solters.com

Sharrin Summers / Hollywood Records for Queen / 818-560-5787 / sharrin.summers@disney.com

View the full PDF here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE /  APRIL 20, 2012

NHL AND NICKELBACK ANNOUNCE NEW PROMOTIONAL PARTNERSHIP; NICKELBACK TO HEADLINE 2012 NHL AWARDS AT WYNN LAS VEGAS RESORT ON JUNE 20

Music from Nickelback’s Here and Now to be Integrated into 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Broadcasts, Highlight Reels during the Conference Finals, and on “NHL Tonight”

Nickelback’s NHL Awards Performance to be Sponsored by Verizon

NEW YORK (April 20, 2012) – The National Hockey League (NHL) has formed a strategic promotional alliance with the chart-topping rock band Nickelback, the League and Nickelback announced today.  As part of the partnership, the band will headline the 2012 NHL Awards™ – the League’s annual, post season awards show – with two performances, sponsored by Verizon, at the event on Wednesday, June 20 at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas.  The 2012 NHL Awards will be televised live in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network and on CBC in Canada. The partnership also calls for the integration of Nickelback’s music into highlight reels during the upcoming Stanley Cup® Conference Finals and promotion of the NHL® on Nickelback’s digital and social media platforms.

This will mark Nickelback’s return engagement to NHL Awards and its first performance on the NHL’s Las Vegas stage since the NHL Awards moved to the world-famous destination in 2009 as part of a multi-year partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The band’s performance at the 2002 NHL Awards in Toronto helped launch its career as the top-selling band of the last decade.

“As die-hard hockey fans, we can never get enough of the NHL, even when we’re on tour.  And there is nothing more exciting for hockey fans than the Playoffs.   The NHL Awards is the culmination of celebrating the best players and moments the season has produced.   We’re honored and humbled to perform at the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas,” said Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger.

Among the highlights of the NHL’s promotional partnership with multi-platinum rock band Nickelback is the integration of music from the band’s multi-platinum selling seventh studio album, Here and Now, into 2012 Stanley Cup Conference Finals highlight reels and broadcast opens, bumpers and roll-outs for the NHL Network’s signature show, “NHL Tonight™.” The band will promote the NHL across its platforms, including Nickelback.com and its Twitter (@Nickelback) and Facebook (Facebook.com/Nickelback) pages.

Nickelback will be featured in 2012 NHL Awards promotional materials, including TV, print and radio ads, digital banners and email blasts. In addition, the band’s Here and Now tour – its first North American arena tour in two years – will receive promotional support across the NHL’s broadcast, online, mobile and social media platforms, including NHL Network™, NHL.com, team websites, Twitter (@NHL) and Facebook (Facebook.com/NHL). NHL.com will offer exclusive Nickelback content, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. The alliance will culminate with the band’s performance at the 2012 NHL Awards, which is the centerpiece in a week-long celebration of activities surrounding the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

As the presenting sponsor of Nickelback’s NHL Awards performance, Verizon will continue to provide its customers with unparalleled access to NHL events, including compelling, “must-see” highlights from the show via the Verizon NHL GameCenter™ application.  Additionally, Verizon will be running a national and local sweepstakes allowing subscribers the chance to win a trip and tickets to Vegas to see Nickelback perform live at the 2012 NHL Awards.  These lucky Verizon winners will be treated to VIP experiences
including behind-the-scenes access and an exclusive meet and greet with the band. Nickelback will be a featured artist in the Verizon Tones store with ringtones and ringback tones available for purchase to Verizon subscribers.

Currently on a North American tour, Nickelback has achieved a prestigious place in music history, having sold nearly 50 million worldwide.  Since their 2001 breakthrough hit song “How You Remind Me,” Nickelback has sent more than 20 singles rocketing onto various Billboard charts. In 2009, Billboard named Nickelback “Top Group of the Decade.” Their now-classic album All the Right Reasons insured Nickelback an indelible place in rock history: it spent a staggering 112 consecutive weeks in the Top 30 of the Billboard Top 200, was certified eight-times platinum in the U.S. with more than 11 million copies sold worldwide, and topped the charts in four countries. All the Right Reasons spun off seven multi-format singles and made Nickelback the first band in Nielsen BDS history to send five singles onto the CHR charts.

The 2012 NHL Awards will honor the best regular-season players in a wide range of categories, including most valuable player (Hart Trophy), outstanding goaltender (Vezina Trophy), outstanding defenseman (Norris Trophy) and outstanding rookie (Calder Trophy); the Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, which is presented annually to the “most outstanding player” in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), will also be awarded.

Sirius XM Satellite Radio will provide radio coverage. NHL Network and NHL.com will provide extensive coverage of the 2012 NHL Awards festivities. NHL Network will host exclusive live coverage of the 2012 NHL Awards Red Carpet show prior to the event.

Nominees for each Award, along with a full line up of celebrity guests, presenters and entertainment, will be announced in the coming weeks.  For more information, visit www.nhl.com/awards.

### (4/20/12)

NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are
registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Tonight, NHL
Network and NHL GameCenter are trademarks of the National Hockey League.  © NHL.  All Rights Reserved.

About the NHL
The National Hockey League, founded in 1917, is the second-oldest of the
four major professional team sports leagues in North America.  Today, the
NHL consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the League’s international
makeup, with players from more than 20 countries represented on team
rosters. According to a Simmons Market Research study, NHL fans are
younger, more educated, more affluent, and access content through digital
means more than any other sport. The NHL entertains more than 250 million
fans each season in-arena and through its partners in national television
(NBC Sports Network, NBC, TSN, CBC, RDS, RIS, and NHL Network™) and radio (NHL Radio™ and Sirius XM Radio).  Through the NHL Foundation, the League’s charitable arm, the NHL raises money and awareness for Hockey Fights Cancer™ and NHL Youth Development, and supports the charitable efforts of NHL players. For more information on the NHL, log on to NHL.com.

About Verizon
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest,
most reliable 3G network. The company serves nearly 108 million total
wireless connections, including 92.2 million retail customers.
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 82,000 employees
nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications
(NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.  To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About the LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with
marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination
worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and
Cashman Center.  With 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and 10.6
million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA’s
mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and
business visitors to the area.  For more information, go to www.lvcva.com
or www.VisitLasVegas.com.

About Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas, a luxury hotel and destination casino resort located on the
Las Vegas Strip features 2,716 luxurious guest rooms and suites, an
approximately 111,000 square foot casino, 15 restaurants, a nightclub, spa
and salon, an on-site 18-hole golf course, approximately 223,000 square
feet of meeting space, an on-site Ferrari and Maserati dealership, and
approximately 74,000 square feet of retail space.

Encore, an expansion of Wynn Las Vegas, opened on December 22, 2008. Encore is located immediately adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas and features a 2,034 all-suite hotel, approximately 72,000 square foot casino, 6 restaurants, 2 night clubs, a spa and salon, approximately 60,000 square feet of meeting space and approximately 27,000 square feet of upscale retail outlets.

For more information, contact:

For the NHL
Nirva Milord / NHL
212-789-2123 | nmilord@nhl.com
Audra Silverman, Brener Zwikel & Associates
212-708-1703 | audras@bzapr.com

For Nickelback
Erik Stein & Eve Samuels / Scoop Marketing
818-761-6100 | estein@solters.com | esamuels@solters.com
Julie Lichtenstein | Roadrunner Records
212-274-7500 | Lichtenstein@roadrunnerrecords.com

For the LVCVA
Aurrice Duke / R&R Partners
(702) 318-4255 | Aurrice.Duke@rrpartners.com

For the Wynn Las Vegas
Rosie Abrams / Wynn Las Vegas
(702) 770-3636 | rosie.abrams@wynnlasvegas.com

PRESS NOTE: The credential application for the 2012 NHL Awards will be available starting April
23 at credentials.NHL.com.

Atlanta — April 18, 2012 — Cumulus Media and Nielsen announced the companies have expanded their relationship to include Cumulus stations using Nielsen’s premiere music monitoring service, Broadcast Data Systems, in addition to sales representation.  This agreement builds on long-standing collaboration between the two companies.

“Our stations need the most reliable research and this arrangement with Nielsen accomplishes that and allows us to continue providing the most compelling content on radio,” said Dennis Green, Senior Vice President of Cumulus Media.

“We look forward to sharing BDS data with our stations across all format platforms. BDS is providing cutting-edge technology. Its accurate data helps us super-serve our stations with valid and useful information with music targeting and rotations,” said Jan Jeffries, Senior Vice President of Corporate/Programming at Cumulus Media.

“Cumulus selecting Nielsen BDSradio as its monitoring service is a testament to our commitment to quality services and insights and we couldn’t be prouder,” said Howard Appelbaum, President, Entertainment, for Nielsen.

Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems provides music research and monitoring services for the entertainment industry including Nielsen BDSradio, the only strategic tool designed for radio programmers.  Nielsen BDS captures more than 100 million song detections annually on more than 1,900 radio stations, satellite and video channels in 176 markets across North America.  Nielsen’s data on airplay, sales, and On-Demand streams is featured weekly in Billboard’s charts and is widely cited by numerous publications and broadcasters as the standard for music measurement.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.

About Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media is America’s second largest owner and operator of radio stations and the premier local marketing company in 120 communities across the US. Our radio and digital brands target numerous large and demographically-distinct audiences in each of these markets. Cumulus strives to create the next generation radio broadcasting enterprise, based on great people and technological excellence that will provide high quality, local programming choices for our listeners, targeted audiences with disposable income and buying preferences for our advertisers, challenging career environments for our employees and wealth generation opportunities for our shareholders. For more information, visit Cumulus.com<http://Cumulus.com>.

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VAN HALEN EXTENDS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Van Halen has added 18 concerts to its highly successful 2012 North American tour. The newly added dates begin July 7 with an encore performance at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.  Second shows have also been added in the Detroit and New York/New Jersey areas, as well as Philadelphia.  Ky-mani Marley is the opening act for all added concerts. The full itinerary can be found below.

Tickets for the newly announced shows go on sale beginning April 20th at 10 AM at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.  Tickets for all other shows are available now.   Van Halen’s 2012 North American tour, produced by Live Nation, has confirmed a total of 61 stops throughout North America thus far with additional dates to be announced.

Van Halen recently premiered the video for She’s The Woman, the second single from A Different Kind Of Truth, the band’s first original studio album with singer David Lee Roth since the iconic, multi-platinum 1984.  Shot during its on-going live tour, the video presents a greatest hits of the band’s concert moments.

Fans and music critics alike have praised the group’s recent shows:

“Van Halen is still one of the most limber bands in hard rock, with a higher center of gravity than most.” – New York Times

“Roth remains the ultimate showman. The energy was palpable between him and master guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who looked equally thrilled to be sharing the stage and gave no hint of any past disharmony as they delighted the crowd with a mix of their early classics and cuts from their new album.” – Tampa Bay Online

“The band’s center has always been Eddie Van Halen, who still deserves his exalted stature among rock guitarists. Even his heavier riffs came threaded with filigree, and his solos were bold in their extravagance. The one solo that didn’t come fastened to a song, late in the show, featured not only his proprietary tapping technique but also a drift of cascading arpeggios, rendered beautifully strange by his finessing of a volume knob. There could have been more of this.” - New York Times

“Tattoo drew a big cheer from the crowd. Everybody Wants Some drew a bigger one, bookended with Somebody Get Me a Doctor in the early highlight. After the crazy intro to China Town, Pretty Woman and You Really Got Me, you saw the new songs would slow nothing down. Not when The Trouble With Never was setting up Dance the Night Away. I’ll Wait for the girls, the sonic roman candle of Hot For Teacher for everyone. You realized you’d been pulling for Eddie, and needn’t have – he was in top form and complete control in those fretboard calisthenics, and seated on the steps for Eruption, and unleashing the riff to Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love … Don’t get me wrong – despite all that writing of a New Grace in a recent column, David Lee Roth remains a hooting Vaudevillian, his band a hard rock boom-bah parade candy coating a kind of genius center …” - Montreal Gazette

“Van Halen came out unannounced. No intro reel, nothing. They just started. Alex was pounding on the drums, Eddie started ripping, Dave said, “Let’s go!,” and it was on. Eddie fired into the opening riff of “Unchained,” and the place went nuts…the band was in fine form, especially Eddie, who looks happy and healthy, doing what he was put on earth to do. He is playing the best he’s played in years.” – GuitarWorld.com

“Diamond Dave doesn’t need auto-tuning and a backing track and he was dancing like someone was shooting at his feet. His song and dance routine put the 20-something pop princesses to shame. Take note, ladies. Autotune does not a good singer make, and dancing is not an excuse for a lack of talent. These guys have it in spades. The show concluded with an encore of Jump, an explosion of confetti and Roth waving a comically oversized flag over the first four rows. When they took their bow, the boys all hugged, and you could feel how glad this tour is making them.” – Atlantic City Weekly

Formed in Los Angeles in 1974, Van Halen changed the rock and roll landscape forever with the release of their self-titled, 1978 debut album. Displaying unparalleled stage presence, musicianship, and songwriting abilities, the band has sold more than 75 million albums sold worldwide and created a record of achievement that is hard to top.   Van Halen joins an elite short list of two-time Diamond Award (10 million sales) honorees for their albums Van Halen and 1984. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2007.

Opening act, Ky-mani Marley, son of legendary Bob Marley, has gained world-wide recognition and praise for his musical style, which transcends cultural and creative boundaries incorporating world music, hip hop, blues, rock, and reggae into one melodic entity. Since 1999, Marley has released four studio albums and an autobiography, a GRAMMY nomination, and in 2009 started the charitable Love Over All Foundation (LOAF), which caters to empowering and educating youth.  Ky-mani Marley is currently putting the finishing touches on his new album, Evolution of a Revolution.

VIP Packages will also be available through VIP Nation, including premium seats, exclusive merchandise and more. For more information please visit:www.VIPNation.com.

VAN HALEN ADDED TOUR DATES:

Concert Date  City, State                   Venue                                                  On Sale Date Time

 Sat, Jul 07       Uncasville, CT            Mohegan Sun Arena                           Sat, Apr 21    10 AM

Mon, Jul 09     Hampton, VA              Hampton Coliseum                             Fri, Apr 20      10 AM

Wed, Jul 11     Philadelphia, PA         Wells Fargo Center                             Fri, May 04    10 AM

Fri, Jul 13        E. Rutherford, NJ       IZOD Center                                       Mon, Apr 23   10 AM

Sun, Jul 15      Baltimore, MD            1st Mariner Arena                               Mon, Apr 23   10 AM

Tue, Jul 17      Rochester, NY            Blue Cross Arena                                Sat, Apr 21    10 AM

Thu, Jul 19      Detroit, MI                   Joe Louis Arena                                  Sat, May 05   10 AM

Sat, Jul 21       London, ON                John Labatt Centre                             Fri, Apr 20      10 AM

Tue, Jul 24      Toledo, OH                 Huntington Center                               Sat, May 05   10 AM

Thu, Jul 26      Grand Rapids, MI       Van Andel Arena                                 Sat, May 05   10 AM

Sat, Jul 28       Cleveland, OH            Quicken Loans Arena                         Fri, May 04    10 AM

Tue, Jul 31      Fort Wayne, IN           Allen County War Memorial Coliseum         Sat, May 05   10 AM

Thu, Aug 02    Columbus, OH            Schottenstein Center                          Mon, Apr 30   10 AM

Sat, Aug 04     Knoxville, TN              Thompson Boling Arena                     Sat, Apr 28    10 AM

Mon, Aug 06   Memphis, TN              FedExForum                                       Sat, Apr 28    10 AM

Wed, Aug 08   Birmingham, AL          BJCC Arena                                       Sat, Apr 28    10 AM

Fri, Aug 10      Greenville, SC             BI-LO Center                                      Sat, Apr 28    10 AM

Sun, Aug 12    Cincinnati, OH            U.S. Bank Arena                                 Fri, May 04    10 AM

Van Halen 2012 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR previously announced dates:

4/19/12             Atlanta, GA                Philips Arena

4/21/12             Greensboro, NC        Greensboro Coliseum

4/25/12             Charlotte, NC            Time Warner Cable Arena

4/27/12             Nashville, TN             Bridgestone Arena

5/1/12               Tulsa, OK                   BOK Center

5/5/12               Tacoma, WA             Tacoma Dome

5/7/12               Vancouver, BC         Rogers Arena

5/9/12               Calgary, AB              Scotiabank Saddledome

5/11/12             Edmonton, AB          Rexall Place

5/17/12             Winnipeg, MB           MTS Centre

5/19/12             St. Paul, MN              Xcel Energy Center

5/22/12             Kansas City, MO       Sprint Center

5/24/12             Denver, CO               Pepsi Center

5/27/12             Las Vegas, NV          MGM Grand Garden Arena

6/1/12               Los Angeles, CA       STAPLES Center

6/3/12               Oakland, CA             Oracle Arena

6/5/12               San Jose, CA             HP Pavilion

6/9/12                Los Angeles, CA        STAPLES Center

6/12/12             Anaheim, CA             Honda Center

6/14/12             San Diego, CA          Viejas Arena

6/16/12             Phoenix, AZ              US Airways Center

6/20/12             Dallas, TX                 American Airlines Center

6/22/12             San Antonio, TX        AT&T Center

6/24/12             Houston, TX               Toyota Center

6/26/12             New Orleans, LA       New Orleans Arena

INTERSCOPE GEFFEN A&M:

Combining the legacies of three of the most influential record labels in modern music history, Interscope Geffen A&M embarked on a new tradition of musical achievement with its unification on January 1, 1999.  Headed by Chairman Jimmy Iovine, Interscope Geffen A&M is a major force in global music, developing chart-topping artists across a wide range of musical genres including rock, rap, pop and alternative. Interscope Geffen A&M Records is part of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company.

About Live Nation Entertainment:

Live Nation Entertainment is the world’s leading live entertainment and ecommerce company, comprised of four market leaders: Ticketmaster.com, Live Nation Concerts, Front Line Management Group and Live Nation Network. Ticketmaster.com is the global event ticketing leader and one of the world’s top five ecommerce sites, with almost 27 million monthly unique visitors. Live Nation Concerts produces over 22,000 shows annually for more than 2,300 artists globally. Front Line is the world’s top artist management company, representing over 250 artists. These businesses power Live Nation Network, the leading provider of entertainment marketing solutions, enabling nearly 800 advertisers to tap into the 200 million consumers Live Nation delivers annually through its live event and digital platforms. For additional information, visit www.livenation.com/investors.

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Eagles take it to the limit in Dubai

Lead vocalist Henley’s voice sounds richer than ever, while Frey and Schmit, who delivered a quivering and grandiose ‘I Can’t Tell You Why’ revealed a steady hand

By Leslie Wilson Jr, Racing & Special Features Writer

Published: 14:54 April 13, 2012

Image Credit: Atiq-Ur-Rehman/Gulf News

Place this necked string instrument in the hands of four legendary musicians and what have you: a mind-blowing, rollicking concert of epic proportions. Right, we’re talking about the Eagles who were totally sold out at the 7evens Rugby Stadium on Thursday night and put on a nearly two-hour show complete with two encores.

Much has been made of the fact that while Don Henley, Glen Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit are all stellar musicians in their own right, collectively they are not risk-takers onstage. The pursuit of perfectionism is the key for these fine musicians who perform their hits the way they would in a studio.

And so it was as the famed quartet took the stage to a thunderous applause with a harmony-laden ‘Seven Bridges Road’. Even though it’s been 40 years since their first album they sounded as fresh as they did in their ‘70s heydays.

Lead vocalist Henley’s voice sounds richer than ever, while Frey and Schmit, who delivered a quivering and grandiose “I Can’t Tell You Why” revealed a steady hand. It was left to Walsh to capture rock’s rowdy enthusiasm with his aggressive arena-rock riffing on such lovable tracks as ‘Walk Away’, ‘In the City’ and ‘Life’s Been Good’.

“He is familiar to law enforcement and hotel staff around the world. Never met a man he didn’t like, or a hotel room he couldn’t wreck. He is the master-blaster with the Stratocaster. Mr Joes Walsh,” screamed Frey when he introduced the former James Gang leader who joined the Eagles on their hit album ‘Hotel California’ in 1976.

Hallmarks of Eagles rich catalogue of hits included the 1972 folk-rock classic ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling’ and 1975s ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ delivered with panache by Frey as an exciting box guitar found its way into his hands.

With a high-quality bunch of backup musicians lending support with a full, tight and extremely realistic panoramic sound, Henley tore into ‘The Boys of Summer’, his biggest solo hit and reprised the effort on ‘The Long Run’, the title track from the 1979 album of the same name.

Although he’s almost 65 years, Henley’s voice showed no signs of ageing as he nailed both songs whilst flaunting a perennial range and talent almost indistinguishable from their original studio recordings.

While the night sky turned red with the twirling spotlights, the Eagles played into a steaming version of ‘Life in the Fast Lane’, the third single from ‘Hotel California’ before exiting the stage only to return seconds later for their first encore.

With the lights turned low, the first strains of the band’s monster-hit from 1976 filled the air as the crowd screamed in anticipation. Then, an opening riff that could only mean one thing: ‘Hotel California’ consumed the stadium to satisfy the most nostalgic cravings of an audience close to the edge.

With Henley back on his drums and belting out the lyrics “On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair…” Walsh and backup guitarist Steuart Smith explored the benchmark for dueling guitars with some stunning synchronized guitar playing.

It was the song people had coughed up as much as Dh1,500 or stood in long queues to board busses that would take them to the 7evens stadium to hear and they were not disappointed. It was by far the most satisfying of a night that saw the Henley and Co justify their four decades of popular rock classicism, and nobody could have summed it up better than the man himself when he told the audience: “It’s been 40 years since we first started, but it seems like yesterday. The reason we are still here today, is because of you. Thank you for supporting us all these years.”

Pretty iconic words, and for most of us who have waited years, days and hours to see the Eagles live in concert, it was more than enough.

Read full article here: http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/eagles-take-it-to-the-limit-in-dubai-1.1008014