![]() She’s hit Broadway and is ready to “Spice Up Your Life”! Melanie Brown aka Scary Spice will celebrate her opening night as Roxie Hart in the smash-hit musical, Chicago today with the X-Factor judge performing through February 19, 2017. Brown follows in the footsteps of other famous singers who have taken a turn as Miss Hart; country singer, Jennifer Nettles and R&B sensation, Brandy Norwood have both played the role of the woman whose name is on everyone's lips. Famous singers having a stint on Broadway is nothing new. Pop-stars Joey Fatone (Rent, Lilttle Shop of Horrors), Lance Bass (Hairspray), Ashley Parker Angel (Hairspray), Carly Rae Jepsen (Cinderella) and Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages) have each called the Great White Way home for a bit, while R&B legends Usher and Brian McKnight both starred as Roxie Hart’s lawyer, Billy Flynn in Chicago in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Back in 2003 it was Backstreet Boy, Kevin Richardson who encouraged Roxie to "give 'em the old Razzle, Dazzle". Recently, Leona Lewis took part in the revival production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS and currently Josh Groban is on stage in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. This musical is based on a passage from War and Peace. You can catch the “You Raise Me Up” singer on stage until July of 2017. The ‘Divine Miss M’, Bette Midler will star as Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly alongside Frasier alum and Broadway vet, David Hyde Pierce. The show will begin previews on March 15, 2017 and officially open on April 20th at the Shubert Theatre. Even if they aren’t starring in a role, some big name artists have tried their hand at using their music as the basis for an entire musical. Two popular musicals come to mind; Billy Joel’s Moving Out, nominated for Best Musical at the 2003 Tony Awards and Green Day’s American Idiot, nominated for Best Musical at the 2010 Tony Awards. The former telling a story using songs spanning Joel’s entire category, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, “Uptown Girl”, “Captain Jack”, and the title song “Movin’ Out” while the latter built a story using all of the songs off of Green Day's album American Idiot and a select few from their 21st Century Breakdown. Who is next to head to Broadway? Back in March, Backstreet Boy, Brian Literell said he would love to have a Backstreet Boys musical come to life. He also prophesied about a Las Vegas residency which has since been confirmed so who knows, if he really wants it that way, maybe there will be a Backstreet Boys musical in the near future. Written by Kristen
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Early 2000s teen sensation Aaron Carter has announced a run of US tour dates for the months of January and February.
The tour, which will stop at intimate venues across the country, kicks off on January 19th in Seattle and wraps up February 18th in Waterloo, Iowa. Carter’s official website states that the pop star is preparing to release his 5th studio album (his last album, Another Earthquake, was released 15 years ago). Carter, who is best known for his 2000 cover of The Strangelove’s “I Want Candy,” has released a new single, “Fool’s Gold” exclusively through Billboard. The single was released without mixing and mastering and currently has no label support. Aaron Carter on Tour 1/19 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 1/21- Jerome, ID @ Diamonds Event Center 1/22- Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo House of Music 1/24- Billings, MT @ Pub Station 1/26- Duluth, MN @ The Red Herring Lounge 1/27- Minneapolis, MN @ The Pourhouse 2/01- Ames, IA @ The Maintenance Shop 2/02- La Crosse, WI @ The Cavalier Theater 2/03- Urbana, IL @ The Canopy Club 2/04- St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room 2/05- Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose Tap House 2/07- Morgantown, WV @ Mainstage Morgantown 2/09- Fairfield, CT @ The Fairfield Theatre 2/10- Halethorpe, MD @ Fish Head Cantina 2/11- Haverhill, MA @ Whiskey Barrel 2/12- Stanhope, NJ @ Stanhope House 2/13- Amityville, NY @ Amityville Music Hall 2/14- Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch 2/15- Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music Diner 2/16- Valparaiso, IN @ Big Shots 2/18- Waterloo, IA @ Spicoli’s Grill & Reverb Rock Written by Eugene ![]() This week Stevie Wonder was honored with “Stevie Wonder Avenue” in Detroit, Michigan. The new ave. is one block long located on Milwaukee Avenue where Wonder lived for some time growing up. During the ceremony, he was also presented with a key to the city by Mayor Mike Duggan. With his street naming, Stevie Wonder joins a long list of musicians who have been honored with streets named after them. In New York, Part of 2nd Street near the former CBGB in Manhattan was renamed “Joey Ramone Place”. The block between Riverside Drive and West End Avenue is now known as “Miles Davis Way”. If you head over to Queens and you can travel on “Run DMC JMJ (Jam Master Jay) Way”. ![]() Across the river in New Jersey, “Frank Sinatra Drive” is located in his hometown of Hoboken. Ol’ Blue Eyes also has a drive named after him in Rancho Mirage, California. Sam Cooke and Buddy Guy each have a street named after them in Chicago. Dave Grohl received his own Alley in Warren, Ohio along with the key to the city back in 2009. The alley located in Grohl’s hometown has since become covered with murals dedicated to the rocker. Stevie Wonder and Dave Grohl being alive and well to celebrate their street naming is something Billy Joel most likely envies. For over a year now, the New York State Senate has been locked in a heated debate over naming part of Route 107 in Hicksville, Joel’s hometown in Long Island, after the “New York State of Mind” singer. While the disagreement isn’t if Joel is worthy of such an honor the disagreement is if someone who is alive is worthy of the honor. This topic even became banter for political campaings with canidates promosing to get the naming completed in their term. I imagine if New York is able to rename the street after Joel while he is still alive he would put on quite the performance for the state he so notably loves. Billy Joel closed the Nassau Coliseum on August 4, 2015 and is set to open the new one in April of 2017. You can also catch Joel performing once a month at the famed Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Written by Kristen Back in October, we told you who was nominated to be in the class of 2017, today The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced six artists for the Performer Category and one individual for the Award for Musical Excellence to be inducted in 2017.
The six artists are; Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, and Yes. The Award for Musical Excellence is being given to Nile Rogers of the 11 time nominated band, Chic. Rogers has established himself as a powerhouse producer, producing hits such as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl”, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” and Diana Ross’ “Upside Down”. He was also featured on Daft Punk's mega hit "Get Lucky" in 2013. Pearl Jam, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Joan Baez and Tupac Shakur are all on the roster after their first year of eligibility. Tupac Shakur will be the first ever solo, hip-hop artist to be inducted. Other hip-hop acts in the hall include Run DMC, The Beastie Boys and class of 2016’s NWA. Pearl Jam and Journey along with Electric Light Orchestra and Yes are winners from the “Fan’s Ballot”. This ballot was comprised of the top five artists as voted on by the public via the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s website. The induction ceremony will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on April 7, 2017. An abbreviated version of the ceremony will air on HBO. Written by Kristen ![]() Icelandic post-rockers Sigur Rós have announced a North American tour for Spring 2017. The tour will kick off April 7th in Santa Barbara, California and conclude June 16th in Queens, New York. Each performance will feature a two-part set and intermission. So far, no opening acts have been announced. For three nights in Los Angeles at the Walk Disney Concert Hall, they will be joined by the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra. On their most recent North American tour, the band have been debuting new music and have released a new song, “Óveður” after a recent live stream. There has been no news announced regarding a new album. Sigur Rós’ latest album, Kveikur, was released in 2014. Sigur Rós on Tour: 4/07 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl 4/08- Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre 4/11- Irvina, CA @ Bren Events Center 4/13- Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall* 4/14- Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall* 4/15- Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall* 5/20- Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Fest 5/21- New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre 5/23- Atlanta, GA @ The Fox Theatre 5/25- Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 5/28- Toronto, Ontario @ TD Echo Beach 5/30 – Montreal, Quebec @ Place des Arts 6/02- Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre 6/03- Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre 6/04- Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre 6/05- St. Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House 6/07- Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory 6/09- Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater 6/10- Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater 6/12- Nashville, TN @ Andrew Jackson Hall 6/13- Louisville, KY @ Louisville Palace Theatre 6/15- Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE 6/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts 6/17- Queens, NY @ Forest Hills Stadium *w/ L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra Written by Eugene When it rains, it pours and right now it is raining nominations! Last week the nominations for the 2017 Grammy Awards were announced and today the 2017 Golden Globe nominations were announced.
There will be some familiar faces from the music industry all dressed up at the Beverly Hilton on January 8, 2017. For one, Hailee Steinfeld, known for her pop hits, “I Love Myself” and “Starving”, is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her role in The Edge of Seventeen. Also a nominee? 90’s pop star, Mandy Moore, “Candy”, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her part in the NBC hit drama, This is Us. The nominees for Best Original Song – Motion Picture are as follows: “Can’t Stop the Feeling” – performed by Justin Timberlake, Trolls “City of Stars” – performed by Ryan Gosling, La La Land “Faith” – performed by Stevie Wonder featuring Ariana Grande, Sing “Gold” – performed by Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse, Gold “How Far I’ll Go” - performed by Auli'i Cravalho , Moana For the full list of nominations, Click Here. Written by Kristen In a recent appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Canadian pop icon Justin Bieber has revealed plans for a North American stadium tour next summer.
The tour, Bieber’s first stadium run, will begin on August 5th at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA and will hit major markets throughout the US. Bieber won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording last year for “Where Are U Now.” His most recent album, Purpose, is nominated for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. One of Purpose’s singles, “Love Yourself,” is also eligible for Song of the Year. Justin Bieber on Tour: 8/05 – Pasadena, CA @ Rose Bowl 8/12- Denver, CO @ Sports Authority Field at Mile High 8/18- Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium 8/23- East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium 8/29- Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium 9/05- Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre Written by Eugene ![]() The 59th Annual Grammy Award nominations are in and it is no surprise that Queen Bey is leading the pack with nine. Close behind Beyoncé are Drake, Rihanna and Kayne West whom all received eight nominations. Of Beyoncé’s nine nominations, Lemonade is nominated for Album of the Year while “Formation” is nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Drake also finds himself in the Album of the Year category for Views against Beyoncé as well as Justin Bieber for Purpose, Adele for 25 and Sturgill Simpson for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Justin Bieber is up against Beyoncé in the Song of the Year category for his “Love Yourself”. Other contenders are Lukas Graham “7 Years”, Adele “Hello”, and Mike Posner “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”. Rihanna and Drake take on Beyoncé together for their duet “Work” in Record of the Year as well as Adele’s “Hello”, Lukas Graham’s “7 Years”, and Twenty One Pilots’ “Stressed Out”. Kanye West is set to take on Beyoncé and also himself in the Best Rap/Sung Performance as Beyoncé is nominated for her duet with Kendrick Lamar, “Freedom” and Kanye is nominated for his songs “Ultralight Beam” featuring Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin and The Dream and “Famous”, his duet with Rihanna. “Ultralight Beam” and “Famous” are up against each other again for Best Rap Song along with Drake’s “Hotline Bling”, Fat Joe & Remy Ma featuring French Montana & Infared “All the Way Up” and Chance The Rapper featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz “No Problem”. In the Rock categories the late David Bowie received nominations in Best Rock Performance for “Blackstar”, Best Rock Song, “Blackstar” and Best Alternative Music Album for Blackstar. For additional nominations: Best New Artist Anderson .Paak Chance the Rapper Maren Morris The Chainsmokers Kelsea Ballerini Best Pop Vocal Album Adele, 25 Justin Bieber, Purpose Ariana Grande, Dangerous Woman Demi Lovato, Confident Sia, This Is Acting Best Rock Album Blink-182, California Cage The Elephant, Tell Me I’m Pretty Gojira, Magma Panic! At The Disco, Death of a Bachelor Weezer, Weezer Best R&B Album BJ The Chicago Kid, In My Mind Lalah Hathaway, Lalah Hathaway Live Terrace Martin, Velvet Portraits Mint Condition, Healing Season Mya, Smoove Jones Best Rap Album Chance the Rapper, Coloring Book De La Soul, And The Anonymous Nobody DJ Khaled, Major Key Drake, Views ScHoolboy Q, Blank Face LP Kanye West, The Life Of Pablo Best Country Album Brandy Clark, Big Day in a Small Town Loretta Lynn, Full Circle Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth Keith Urban, Ripcord Best Music Video Beyoncé, “Formation” Leon Bridges, “River” Coldplay, “Up & Up” Jamie XX, “Gosh” OK Go, “Upside Down & Inside Out” Best Music Film Steve Aoki, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead The Beatles, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week The Touring Years Beyonce, Lemonade Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble, The Music of Strangers Various Artists, American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry For the complete list of nominations head over to Grammy.com Written by Kristen Neil Diamond has announced an extensive world tour to commemorate his 50th year in the music business. See the dates for the North American portion of the tour below.
“The 50 Year Anniversary World Tour” begins April 7th in Fresno, California and concludes August 12th in Los Angeles. Diamond will be doing back-to-back performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City as well as The Forum in Los Angeles. “The 50 Year Anniversary World Tour” is a bit of a misnomer, as Diamond released his first single, “You Are My Love at Last,” 54 years ago under the billing Neil and Jack (with Jack Parker). That single, and his two subsequent ones, were dismissed as commercial failures, despite garnering positive critical reception. His first studio album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, was released in 1966 and contained his first Top Ten single, “Cherry, Cherry.” Diamond recently released a seasonal LP, Acoustic Christmas, which contains a mixture of traditional Christmas classics and originals. According to a press release, the album was recorded sans Pro Tools, with Diamond and studio musicians recording straight into a “circle of microphones.” Neil Diamond on Tour: 4/07- Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center 4/09- Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena 4/12- St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center 4/14- Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center 4/16- Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Center 4/19- Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena 4/21- Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center 4/23- Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena 4/26 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center 4/28- Carlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center 4/30- Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena 5/02- New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center 5/21- Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena 5/24- St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center 5/26 –Indianapolis, IN @ Banker’s Life Fieldhouse 5/28- Chicago, IL @ United Center 5/30- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena 6/02- Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills 6/04- Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena 6/07- Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre 6/09- Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena 6/11- Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena 6/15- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 6/17- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 6/20- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center 6/22- Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts 7/14- Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena 7/16- Houston, TX @ Toyota Center 7/18- Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center 7/21- Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center 7/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena 7/26- Seattle, WA @ Key Arena 7/28- Portland, OR @ Moda Center 7/30 San Jose, CA @ SAP Center 8/02- Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center 8/04- Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena 8/08- San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center 8/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum 8/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum Written by Eugene |
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AuthorThe Launchpad Blog is written and made possible by our team members at Ticket Galaxy. Each contributing writer shares their passion for the sports, music and entertainment industry. |
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