Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey sings at Chastain Park Amphitheatre during the band's 2009 show with fellow '70s hitmakers Chicago. EWF returns to Chastain this fall and the tickets go on sale Friday, June 24. Photo: Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.com

ON SALE NOW
A3C Hip Hop Festival. Oct. 6-8. Masquerade. $15 per day, online and in advance; $20 at the event. Early bird special $33 three-day pass (through Aug. 1); after Aug. 1, online and in advance price is $40, $45 at the event. www.a3cfestival.com.

Chastain Series B series and mini-series tickets on sale. Tickets for the full series or any combination of two or more shows will be available online at www.chastainseries.com Full series includes two more show to be announced. Individual show tickets on sale at a later date.

• Bob Dylan, Leon Russell. July 28. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. LN.
• The Go-Go’s, Tom Tom Club. Aug. 9. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. LN.
• INXS, Nikka Costa. Aug. 14. Chastain Park Amphitheatre. LN.
• Stevie Nicks. …

Continue reading Hot tickets: Jun 21 »

Guitarist Phil Collen(shirtless) and singer Joe Elliott and Def Leppard invade Aaron’s Amphitheatre Saturday night on their MirrorBall Tour 2011. The large crowd endured a severe storm which caused a power outage at the venue, resulting in a 90-minute delayed start to the concert.

Def Leppard formed in 1977 in Sheffield, England as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal Movement. As one of the world’s best-selling music artists, Def Leppard have sold more than 65 million albums worldwide, and have two albums with RIAA diamond certification, Pyromania and Hysteria. They are one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling over 10 million copies in the U.S. The band were ranked #31 in VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” and ranked #70 in “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time”. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Rick Savage (bass guitar), and Rick Allen (drums). At nineteen years, …

Continue reading Def Leppard & Heart Bring Classic Rock To Aaron’s Saturday Night »

It wasn’t a pretty start, but most fans attending the Heart/Def Leppard show at Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood would likely agree that the payoff was worth the wait.

 The venue lost power during Saturday’s vicious storm, which led to an hour of will-there-or-won’t-there-be-a-show guessing as fans waited for the gates to be opened.

 Eventually, with the storm passed, electricity restored and safety concerns cleared, the concert was a go, with Heart taking the stage at 9 p.m. for a condensed 40-minute set (they’ve played about an hour and 10 minutes on the first two stops of the tour, which launched Wednesday in South Florida).

 But anyone who has seen Ann and Nancy Wilson and the rest of Heart live before knows that the sisters pack a ton of power – no pun intended – into everything they do.

 Though Ann’s voice was lost in a poor mix of the opening “Cook With Fire,” the sound clarified for the sweetly sexy “Never,” re-dressed with an acoustic …

Continue reading Def Leppard and Heart don’t let rain spoil the party »

Atlanta trio the Head celebrates the release of "Hang On," the band's second album, at the Five Spot in Little Five Points on Friday, June 17. Photo: Jessica Howell

TODAY
The Head
The term pop-rock gets a bad rap, probably because so much of the music it’s been used to describe is lifeless, dull and unimaginative. Atlanta trio the Head is here to change that. These three young men take a bit of power pop, some ’70s AM Gold and singer-songwriter smarts and drag them into the new century with a brand new, shiny coat of paint. This gig is a release party for the band’s second album, “Hang On.” In a just world, the album would send these guys into the upper reaches of the pop chart. It might not sound like anything else on the radio today, but it has timeless charm, exudes youthful energy and the hooks come fast and furious. Check it out at the band’s website.
8 p.m. June 17. $8. The Five Spot, 1123 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-223-1100.

TODAY
Maze featuring Frankie …

Continue reading Live music picks: June 17-22 »

R&B singer Ledisi today releases “Pieces of Me,” an album featuring 12 tracks that the singer songwriter hopes will gives fans a better glimpse of who she is as an artist and a woman.

Last week, the Grammy nominated Ledisi talked with the AJC about her new project, which features guest artist Jaheim (“Stay Together”) and producers Rex Rideout, Claude Kelly, Chuck Harmony and others.

You did a listening party for the new album here in Atlanta last month. Why is Atlanta an important market for you?

Every time I play Atlanta it’s incredible. People come out, and they laugh with me and sing with me, so it’s appropriate. I’m always there hanging out there on the scene, and my photo shoots are always done in Atlanta.

How would you describe your new album?

It’s really “pieces of me,” which is the title track. It explains what the entire album is to me. People are starting to know that I’m a singer, but they don’t know anything about me and I wanted to display …

Continue reading Ledisi reveals self in new album ‘Pieces of Me’ »

Phish heads who couldn’t score a ticket to either of the band’s sold-out shows at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park Tuesday and Wednesday can still watch the shows online.

The band will stream the concerts at www.livephish.com. Fans can purchase a two-night pass for $24.99 or individual nights for $14.99 each. Phish will also make CDs, MP3s and FLACs of each show available.

For more information, visit: http://www.livephish.com/packages/2,49/Phish-mp3-flac-download-Alpharetta-Summer-2011.html.

Continue reading Phish makes Alpharetta concerts available for online viewing »

Gillian Welch and her producing and performing partner David Rawlings will take the stage at Variety Playhouse on Aug. 6. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 17. Welch's "The Harrow & The Harvest," which comes eight years after its predecessor "Soul Journey," will be released June 28. Photo: Mark Seliger

ON SALE NOW
Atlanta Summer Beer Fest. 5 p.m. June 25. The Masquerade Music Park. $35-$40. TM.
Wiz Khalifa. 6 p.m. July 12-13. The Masquerade Music Park. $34-$36. TM.
Superchunk. 8 p.m. Sept. 8. Buckhead Theatre. $19. TM.
Foster the People. 7 p.m. Sept. 21. Masquerade. $20. TM.
Kyuss Lives, the Sword, Monstro. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Masquerade. $25 in advance. TM.
Frank Turner. 7 p.m. Oct. 1. Masquerade. $13. TM.
Toro y Moi, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bass Drum of Death. 8 p.m. Oct. 14. Masquerade. $15. TM.
Little Big Town. 9 p.m. Oct. 15. Buckhead Theatre. $25-$35. TM.
Reverend Horton Heat, the Supersuckers, Dan Sartain. 7 p.m. Oct. 27. Masquerade. $20 in advance. TM.
Battles. 8 …

Continue reading Hot tickets: June 14 »

Just when you thought the summer concert docket was already bursting with choices comes the Georgia Natural Gas Concert Series B Lineup at Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

Six of the series’ eight shows were announced Monday. Tickets for the full series or any combination of two or more shows will be available at 10 a.m. Sunday at www.chastainseries.com or by calling 404-233-2227.

The lineup so far:

July 28: Bob Dylan and his Band with special guest Leon Russell

Aug. 9: The Go-Go’s with Tom Tom Club

Aug. 14: INXS with Nikka Costa

Aug. 15: Stevie Nicks (non-table setup/no coolers or carry-ins)

Sept. 24: Elvis Costello and The Imposters

Oct. 1: Bryan Ferry

Continue reading Chastain announces series B lineup with The Go-Go’s, Dylan, Nicks »

Selena Gomez endured a brief hospitalization over the weekend — reportedly for a combination of nausea, food poisoning and exhaustion — but the Disney star/pop singer/Justin Bieber girlfriend is strong enough to return to her movie promo tour tonight in California.

The promo jaunt to support “Monte Carlo,” opening July 1, stops at the Mall of Georgia’s Village Amphitheater in Buford on June 16. Gomez will be on-site for a 45-minute Q&A session, but during the rest of the free event – from 2-8 p.m. — fans can receive mini-makeovers and participate in a “Monte Carlo” photo session.

In the movie, which co-stars Leighton Meester and “Glee”’s Cory Monteith, Gomez’s character becomes an accidental heiress and through a series of misadventures, winds up in Monte Carlo.

For more info on Gomez’s appearance, visit http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=983

Continue reading Selena Gomez will keep scheduled appearance at Mall of Georgia »

Willie Nelson performs for nearly 10,000 fans at the Willie Nelson Country Throwdown on Sunday, June 12 at Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Braves, in Lawrenceville.
Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown 2011 featured 15 artists on three stages for an 8-hour sun-drenched day of good music and partying at Coolray Field. Some of the performers included Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Lukas Nelson. The tour, in its second year, is produced by Kevin Lyman, who also produces the annual Vans Warped Tour.

AJC photographer Robb Cohen covered the event with his camera. Check out the 20-photo online gallery. How did you like the  concert? What were your favorite artists?

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

Continue reading Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown Takes Over Coolray Field Sunday »