CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

It was the best deal in town on Tuesday night.

When country star Dierks Bentley bounded onto the stage at the Tabernacle just after 10 p.m., not a single person in the fist-pumping crowd had paid a cent to see the show. That’s because it was one of several around the country being sponsored by Samsung and AT&T in their Summer Krush series (each city gets a different artist).

These days, Bentley has no trouble filling a set with crowd-pleasing hits. In the six years since his debut with “What Was I Thinkin’,” he’s scored seven No. 1 country hits. He got Tuesday’s show of to a blazing start with the latest of those, this year’s hard-partying anthem “Sideways” and the hits, as they say, kept on coming: “Every Mile a Memory,” “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” “Settle for a Slowdown,” and on and on. Bentley seemed to feed off the considerable energy of the crowd, loving every moment in the spotlight and interacting with the fans in the front row. Many of …

Continue reading Dierks Bentley at the Tabernacle »

Maxwell will perform at Philips Arena on Oct. 5. Credit: Sony/Columbia

LN = Live Nation, 1-877-598-8698, www.livenation.com
TM = Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com
TA = Ticketalternative, 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com

ON SALE AUG. 21
Maxwell with Common and Chrisette Michele. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5. Philips Arena. $20-$150. LN.
Blues Traveler. 8 p.m. Oct. 13. Center Stage. $23; $21.50 advance. TM.
The Bravery. 8 p.m. Oct. 20. Center Stage. $23; $21.50 advance. TM.
Gogol Bordello with Apostle of Hustle. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Variety Playhouse. $29.50. TM.
American Revival Tour with Uncle Earl, Sierra Hull and Dixie Bee-liners. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8. Variety Playhouse. $25; $22.50 advance. TM.
Delbert McClinton. 8:30 p.m. Nov. 14. Variety Playhouse. $30; $27.50 advance. TM.

ON SALE AUG. 22
Chevelle with Halestorm. 8 p.m. Sept. 26. The Tabernacle. $25. LN.
Paramore with Paper Route and The Swellers. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27. The Tabernacle. $27.50. LN.
OP presents Boys Like …

Continue reading Hot tickets 8/18 »

For those who follow American Idol, or who are members of the “Soul Patrol,” Sunday night was very special as Taylor Hicks played a rousing set at Smith’s Olde Bar. Taylor Reuben Hicks was born in Brmingham, AL on October 7, 1976, and won the fifth season of American Idol in 2006, beating out finalist Katharine McPhee. Taylor’s win at age 29 made him the oldest Idol winner, and the first male contestant to win American Idol without ending up in the bottom two or three. He is currently on tour in the musical Grease, playing Teen Angel, which just concluded a week-long run at the Fox Theatre.  WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TAYLOR IN COMPARISON TO OTHER IDOL WINNERS?

(Photo Credit: Matt Alexandre/ www.robbsphotos.com)

For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit www.RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen

Continue reading American Idol Winner TAYLOR HICKS Plays Smith’s Olde Bar »

Two of Atlanta’s favorite homegrown bands play a free concert in Centennial Park Sept. 5 when ESPN’s College GameDay comes to Atlanta for the Alabama vs. Virginia Tech game at the Georgia Dome. Both bands have new albums. Drivin n Cryin’s first record in 12 years,”Whatever Happened to the Great American Bubble Factory” (Vintage Earth Music), comes out Sept. 29. Collective Soul’s eponymous CD on Road Runner comes out Aug. 25. Show times finally confirmed: Gates open at 3 p.m. Drivin N Cryin starts at 3:45 p.m. and Collective Soul goes on at 5 p.m.

Drivin n Cryin also will give an in-store performance at Criminal Records in Little Five Points, SEPT. 29, day of their album release. 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Continue reading ‘nother UPDATE: Free concert w/ Collective Soul & Drivin n Cryin »

Three icons of 80’s rock, Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick, blew away a sold out crowd Saturday night on the Southside at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood. Def Leppard’s line-up remains intact from their heydey in the early 80’s, consisting of Joe Elliott (lead vocals, additional guitars, keyboards), Phil Collen(guitars, backing vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitars, backing vocals), Rick Savage (bass, keyboards, backing vocals) and Rick Allen (drums, percussion, backing vocals).

Ranked #31 on VH1’s “Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”, Def Leppard is one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling over 10 million copies each in the US. The others are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Van Halen.

Who stole the show? (Photo Credit: Matt Alexandre/ www.robbsphotos.com)

For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit RobbsPhotos.com for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries.  by Atlanta Photographer Robb …

Continue reading DEF LEPPARD, POISON & CHEAP TRICK @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre Saturday »

By Bo Emerson

A little rain didn’t dampen the spirits of a cross-generational crowd of 40,000 who came to Piedmont Park Saturday to sing old Beatles songs with an old Beatle.

Sir Paul McCartney, 67, put on an enthusiastic two-and-a-half hour show, his voice and energy undimmed by time. Plenty of parents (and grandparents) in the audience danced with little ones on their shoulders, and time-tripped back to when their own hearts went “boom” when they saw a certain someone standing there.

But McCartney’s appeal extended to younger audiences as well. Celia Way, 24, of Charlotte sported a tattoo between her shoulder blades of the words to the third encore, “The End,” from “Abbey Road,”: “And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

“It sort of fit where I was at the time,” she says, of getting the inking last March. McCartney’s music, she says, is up there with Kings of Leon, Led Zeppelin and just a shade below Tom Petty.

Flanked by …

Continue reading Despite rain, McCartney rocks Piedmont Park »

Two alternative rock bands who cranked out hits in the 90’s, Sugar Ray and Fastball, energized a medium-sized crowd at the Variety Playhouse Wednesday night in Little 5 Points. Sugar Ray started in the late 1980s as a group of high school buddies from Newport Beach, California. Initially comprised of Rodney Sheppard and Stan Frazier and called The Tories, later additions Murphy Karges and singer Mark McGrath changed the band’s name to Shrinky Dinx. After signing with Atlantic Records, the name was changed to Sugar Ray upon threat of lawsuit from the Milton Bradley Company (maker of the Shrinky Dinks toy).

When Fastball first started out in 1994 in Austin, Texas, the 3-piece band tried out several names, such as Star 69, Magneto, Magneto USA, and Starchy, before finally deciding to adopt the name Fastball. They share the name with the group’s favorite pornographic film. “It’s a typical porno movie,” Miles Zuniga told  Entertainment Weekly, “but it’s about baseball. It’s like …

Continue reading SUGAR RAY & FASTBALL HIT THE VARIETY PLAYHOUSE »

Jazz composer and pianist Earl R. Johnson Jr. has worked with or toured with artists such as Jeffrey Osborne, Patti Austin and Gladys Knight. He’s also played as keyboardist for R&B’s Chaka Kahn. Now Johnson has released his debut CD titled “Juicy.”

Tonight he’ll give patrons at Sambuca Jazz Cafe in Buckhead a taste of the funky, yet smooth “Juicy,” with tunes such as “That Thang,” “Tasha’s Way,” and “Last Time.”

Performances are at 7:30 and 9:30 at 3102 Piedmont Road, Atlanta. TIckets are $15.

Continue reading Jazz pianist Earl Johnson at Sambuca tonight »

FRIDAY

Incubus

This melodic California quintet’s latest studio album, 2007’s “Light Grenades,” relies less on memorable riffs and songs by adding experimental textures that don’t always gel. Give them points for trying to expand their sound, though. This year, we got a best-of set called “Monuments and Melodies,” with two new tracks and a second disc of B-sides and rarities.

8 p.m. Aug. 14. $35-$45. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. 404-733-5010.

The B-52s. Photo: Joseph Cultice

The B-52s

The B-52s took a long time between albums before releasing “Funplex” last year. When predecessor “Good Stuff” was released in 1992, Miley Cyrus wasn’t even born. The Athens-born party band continued to perform during the intervening years, and that’s where this dance-centric outfit shines brightest.

8 p.m. Aug. 14. $20-$75. Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. 770-819-7765. .

Kingsized Orchestra Elvis Memorial …

Continue reading Live Music Picks, Aug. 14-20 »

The Decemberists will perform at the Classic Center in Athens on Sept. 26. Credit: Joe Giblin/Associated Press

LN = Live Nation, 1-877-598-8698, www.livenation.com
TM = Ticketmaster, 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com
TA = Ticketalternative, 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com

ON SALE AUG. 14
Perez Hilton presents Ladyhawke, Ida Marie and Semi Precious Weapons. 8 p.m. Sept. 10. Variety Playhouse. $20; $18 advance. TM.
Rich Morel and Bob Mould’s “Blowoff.” 10 p.m. Sept. 12. The Loft. $15; $12 advance. TA.
Miss Intown Atlanta. 7 p.m. Sept. 24. Center Stage. $40. TM.
The Sounds. 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Variety Playhouse. $20; $17.50 advance. TM.
Lisa Lampanelli. 8 p.m. Oct. 10. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. $39.75. LN.
Relient K. 8:30 p.m. Oct. 10. Variety Playhouse. $20; $18 advance. TM.
Marc Broussard. 8 p.m. Oct. 23. Center Stage. $30. TM.
Lotus. 8:30 p.m. Nov. 12. Variety Playhouse. $15. TM.
Skinny Puppy. 8 p.m. Nov. 24. Center Stage. $27; $25 advance. TM.
A …

Continue reading Hot tickets 8/11 »