By MICHELLE SHAW

Alicia Keys sent thousands of Atlantans home in an Empire State of mind Tuesday night.

With images of Grand Central Station flashing above her head, Keys belted out “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” as the last of 17 songs she performed during her nearly two-hour Element of Freedom Tour stop at Phillips Arena.

With few disruptions, Keys put on an entertaining and educational show, using massive LED boards hanging above her to show images relating to her music. She even used the interlude between “Secrets” and “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” to promote her African missions effort “Keep a Child Alive.”

She entertained the crowd with old and new music and spent a notable amount of time at a black baby grand piano, also outfitted with LED technology.
Keys played a number of instruments during the show, but also worked the stage and engaged her fans.

The crowd as a whole appeared to be lukewarm, but the people on the floor of the arena …

Continue reading Alicia Keys mixes old, new at Philips »

Alicia Keys brought her “Freedom Tour” to Philips Arena Tuesday night with support acts Robin Thicke and Melanie Fiona. Robb Cohen was there with his camera. Check out the full photo gallery here. Tell us about what you saw. How did it compare to other Alicia Keys and Robin Thicke concerts?”

(Photo Credit: Robb Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries. byAtlanta Photographer Robb Cohen www.RobbsPhotos.com

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Continue reading Alicia Keys & Robin Thicke Entertain at Philips Arena »

ON SALE APRIL 2
Le’Wow Evening of Jazz with Earl Klugh, Mindi Abair and Boney James with Joey Sommerville. 8 p.m. April 26. Variety Playhouse. $35 and $75. TM.
Cornmeal. 8 p.m. May 1. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $10 advance. TA.
Josh Rouse. 8:30 p.m. May 21. Variety Playhouse. $20; $17.50 advance. TM.
Benjy Davis Project, Jay Nash. 8 p.m. May 23. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $12 advance. TA.
The Hold Steady, Twin Tigers. 8:30 p.m. May 27. Variety Playhouse. $20; $18.50 advance. TM.
Badfish – A Tribute To Sublime with Scotty Don’t. 8 p.m. June 3. Variety Playhouse. $18; $16 advance. TM.

Earl Klugh will perform as part of a benefit show at Variety Playhouse on April 26. Photo Tanner Photography.

Blitzen Trapper. 8:30 p.m. June 9. Variety Playhouse. $17.50; $15 advance. TM.
The Yacht Rock Revue – Summer ’70s Jams. 9 p.m. June 11. Variety Playhouse. $20. TM.
The Yacht Rock Revue – Reagan Rock Prom. 9 p.m. June 12. Variety Playhouse. $20. TM.
Distant Relatives …

Continue reading Hot Tickets, March 30 »

Friday night, the Fabulous Fox Theatre hosted indie favorites Wilco for a sold out performance of nearly three hours. Robb Cohen was there with his camera. Check out the full photo gallery: Wilco rocks Fox Theatre  Tell us about what you saw. How did it compare to other Wilco shows?”

(Photo Credit: Robb Cohen/ www.robbsphotos.com)  For other concert photography linked to Access Atlanta, please visit for Atlanta Concert Photography Galleries. by Atlanta Photographer Robb Cohen www.RobbsPhotos.com.

Continue reading Wilco Sells Out Fox Theatre Friday Night »

Joanna Newsom. Photo: Annabel Mehran

FRIDAY
Joanna Newsom
The sprawling eccentricities of freak-folk experimentalist Newsom mark the spot where folk meets the avant garde. Her quirky, quivery voice and odd, anachronistic soundscapes are a bewitching blend of Bjork, Kate Bush and English folk eminence Shirley Collins. The harpist and vocalist’s latest album, “Have One on Me,” is a sprawling three-disc opus that might be her most accessible album.
8:30 p.m. March 26. $23. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-524-7354.

FRIDAY
Wilco
Like it’s predecessor, “Sky Blue Sky,” 2009’s “Wilco (the Album)” seems to split the difference between the edginess of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and “A Ghost Is Born” and the straightforward, tuneful Americana of “Summer Teeth.” Fans who’ve missed some of the simpler pleasures of the band’s early work might find it easier to digest.
8 p.m. March 26. $35. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. …

Continue reading Live music picks, March 26-30 »

The B-52's will perform at Chastain Park Amphitheatre on Aug. 25 as part of the Delta Classic Chastain series. Photo: Joseph Cultice

We’re barely into spring, but it’s time to start thinking about the summer outdoor concert season. One of Atlanta favorite annual series has just announced its line-up and the on-sale dates for tickets. The Delta Classic Chastain series at Chastian Park Amphitheatre begins in early June and runs through Sept. 11 (see below for specific artists and dates).

Subscription packages go on sale Monday, March 29 at 10 a.m. Subscription packages can be purchased for the Wednesday, Friday or Saturday series. Or you can create your own series, and choose the Take 5 or Take 3 option. Subscription packages are only available through the Delta Classic Chastain box office (which is located not at Chastain but at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at 2200 Encore Parkway in Alpharetta) at 404-733-5012 and online at deltaclassicchastain.com. Single tickets …

Continue reading Delta Classic Chastain series on sale Monday »

Damian Marley comes to the Tabernacle with Nas and Nneka on June 12. Photo: Jim Cooper/ Associated Press

ON SALE MARCH 26
The Suex Effect, Love the Baby, the Vegabonds. 8 p.m. April 7. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $7. TA.
Mimicking Birds. 7 p.m. April 11. Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta Room. $10 advance. TA.
James McMurtry with Johnny Burke. 8:30 p.m. May 4-5. Five Spot. $18; $16 advance. TM.
The Infamous Stringdusters. 8:30 p.m. May 19. Five Spot. $15; $12 advance. TM.
Bang Tango. 8 p.m. May 21. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $15 advance. TA.
Distant Relatives featuring Nas and Damian Marley with Nneka. 9 p.m. June 12. The Tabernacle. $36. LN.
The New Pornographers with The Dodos and Duchess and the Duke. 8 p.m. June 26. Variety Playhouse. $32.50; $30 advance. TM.

ON SALE MARCH 27

Teen sensation Justin Bieber will have them screaming at the Gwinnett Arena on Aug. 9. Photo: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Hall & Oates with Todd Rundgren. 7:30 p.m. April 24.

Continue reading Hot tickets, March 24 »

The Moody Blues (from left): Justin Hayward, Graeme Edge and John Lodge. Photo: Mark Owens

TODAY
Moody Blues
There are worse things to be nostalgic about than the Moody Blues. A thoroughly tuneful catalog, still performed by three of the five principals that first committed them to vinyl (remember records?), makes this more worthwhile than your average time-traveling musical experience.
8 p.m. March 19. $49.50-$79.50. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-881-2100.

TODAY
Alkaline Trio
Pop-punk isn’t known for its intelligence and depth, but the skillful imagery of Alkaline Trio has always been an exception. The band released its first album more than a decade ago, and after a one-album stint on a major label (Epic released “Agony & Irony” in 2008), Alkaline Trio is back in the land of independents. 2010’s “This Addiction,” the trio’s seventh album, is the first release on Heart & Skull Records, a joint venture between Alkaline Trio and Epitaph …

Continue reading Live music picks, March 19-24 »

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

Tim McGraw (pictured), Lady Antebellum and Love and Theft are coming to Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood on May 15. Photo: Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

ON SALE MARCH 19
Emmitt-Nershi Band. 8 p.m. April 26. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $12 advance. TA.
Sevendust with Nonpoint, Day of Fire and Hail the Villain. 8 p.m. April 30. The Tabernacle. $24.50. LN.
Perpetual Groove. 8:30 p.m. May 7. Variety Playhouse. $22.50-$25; $20-$22.50 advance. TM.
Minus the Bear. 8 p.m. May 10. Variety Playhouse. $22.50; $20 advance. TM.
The Verve Pipe. 8 p.m. May 14. Smith’s Olde Bar – Music Room. $15 advance. TA.
Apocalyptica. 8 p.m. May 30. Variety Playhouse. $22.50; $20 advance. TM.
Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club. 8 p.m. June 9. The Tabernacle. $23. TM.
Steve Miller Band and Peter Frampton. 8 p.m. July …

Continue reading Hot tickets, March 16 »

Delta Moon (left to right) Darren Stanley, Frahner Joseph, Tom Gray, and Mark Johnson. Photo: Masarie and Baird

Concert preview
Delta Moon
8 p.m. Sat., March 13. $10. The Five Spot, 1123 Euclid Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-223-1100, www.fivespot-atl.com.

By Bob Townsend

Recently, Tom Gray arrived at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur looking for all the world like a rock star.

Gray, a longtime Decatur resident and the leader of the Atlanta blues band Delta Moon, had taken the suddenly sunny March afternoon as an occasion to stroll a few blocks from his home.

With his longish gray hair, stylish glasses and dapper sport coat, Gray could easily stand in for Eric Clapton on one of those T-Mobile “Fender Edition” cellphone commercials.

But unlike Clapton, Gray came late to the guitar. He started out playing keyboards and singing on the club circuit. And in the early ’80s his new wave group, the Brains, secured a major label deal with Mercury Records, making two albums with producer …

Continue reading Delta Moon at The Five Spot »