COLD PLAY

COLD PLAY IN CONCERT (from the original website)

25 January: Key Arena, Seattle, WA (3397 Reads)
26 January: GM Place, Vancouver, British Columbia (2579 Reads)
27 January: GM Place, Vancouver, British Columbia (1547 Reads)
30 January: Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA (2387 Reads)
31 January: Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA (1596 Reads)
1 February: HP Pavillion, San Jose, CA (1343 Reads)
2 February: San Francisco - Private Acoustic Performance (814 Reads)
3 February: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV (1510 Reads)
4 February: The Forum, Los Angeles, CA (1826 Reads)
6 February: Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (1241 Reads)
7 February: Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (1520 Reads)
Grammy Awards 2006 (793 Reads)
13 February: Radio 2 - Abbey Road Studios (1153 Reads)
15 February: Brit Awards (397 Reads)
19 February: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO (1336 Reads)
20 February: Qwest Center, Omaha, NE (1041 Reads)
22 February: Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI (1310 Reads)
23 February: Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY (1370 Reads)
25 February: Toyota Center, Houston, TX (1408 Reads)
26 February: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX (1395 Reads)
27 February: Ford Center, Oklahoma City, OK (1864 Reads)
2 March: MCI Center, Washington, DC (936 Reads)
4 March: T.D. Waterhouse Center, Orlando, FL (1250 Reads)
5 March: Ford Pavilion, Tampa, FL (1577 Reads)
17 March: ScotiaBank Place, Kanata, ON (1114 Reads)
19 March: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI (1235 Reads)
20 March: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH (1096 Reads)
22 March: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario (3279 Reads)
23 March: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario (2852 Reads)
25 March: Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (1570 Reads)
26 March: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (1170 Reads)
27 March: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY (1044 Reads)
30 March: United Center Chicago, IL (1347 Reads)
31 March: United Center Chicago, IL (1324 Reads)
3 April: Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH (512 Reads)
4 April: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT (571 Reads)
6 April: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA (1745 Reads)
6 April: China Club, New York, NY [Acoustic Set - WPLJ] (959 Reads)
11 June: Isle Of Wight Festival, Seaclose Park, Isle Of Wight (1068 Reads)
23 June: Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (1453 Reads)
24 June: Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia (701 Reads)
26 June: Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia (982 Reads)
27 June: Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia (778 Reads)
28 June: Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia (845 Reads)
1 July: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia (1090 Reads)
2 July: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia (578 Reads)
3 July: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia (699 Reads)
5 July: Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia (712 Reads)
7 July: Burswood Dome, Perth, Australia (1184 Reads)
10 July: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore (1350 Reads)
13 July: Hong Kong Airport Expo, Hong Kong (704 Reads)
15 July: Intex Osaka, Osaka, Japan (433 Reads)
17 July: Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, Japan (390 Reads)
18 July: Budokan, Tokyo, Japan (462 Reads)
19 July: Budokan, Tokyo, Japan (980 Reads)
27 September: Jay-Z and guests at Royal Albert Hall (feat. Chris Martin)

ReD HOT CHILI PePPER

Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem) were formed after what was supposed to be a one-time performance in 1983 by Fairfax High School alumni Michael "Flea" Balzary, Jack Irons, Anthony Kiedis, and Hillel Slovak. Later in that same year, they secured a record deal with EMI.
Irons and Slovak were committed to their original band, What Is This?, so the sessions for their self titled debut, Red Hot Chili Peppers were recorded with Jack Sherman on guitar and Cliff Martinez on drums. Produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill, the album did not achieve commercial success. The ensuing tour did not fare much better, with internal fighting resulting in Sherman leaving the band, at which point Slovak returned.
Parliament-Funkadelic's George Clinton was hired to produce their second album, 1985's Freaky Styley. Martinéz left the band soon after the release of the album, allowing the return of original drummer Jack Irons in early 1986.
While the album did garner some attention from college radio, mainstream radio gave it little notice.
Their first album to enter the Billboard Top 200, 1987's The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, was produced by Michael Beinhorn. This would be the only album to feature the four original high school friends. Its first single, "Fight Like a Brave", would later be featured on the soundtrack to the video game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 in 2001.
During the supporting tour, drug problems, which have haunted the band throughout its career, came to public light when Slovak relapsed; resulting in erratic behaviour and botched performances. Shortly after the band returned from some performances in Europe on June 27, 1988, Slovak was found dead of a heroin overdose. When news spread of the death of one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, everyone (including Blackie Dammett, Kiedis' father) assumed it was Kiedis, because of the severity of his addiction. It wasn't until later that they discovered the truth. Anthony couldn't be immediately tracked down, as he was somewhere in Los Angeles, presumably getting high. Anthony himself had such drug problems at that time that he couldn't really comprehend the fact that his soulmate was dead. He explains in his autobiography that at some point there he turned off his brain from all the mess. Some people associated him with being responsible for Hillel's death, Hillel's family said he was the bad influence for him. Even though his best friend just passed away he continued to get loaded on speedballs. He didn't know what else to do. He decided that he was in such bad shape he couldn't attend to the funeral. Togheter with Ione, his girlfriend at that time, he traveled to a house in a small fishing village in Mexico that Ione's mother had mentioned once. He felt better but after ten days he returned and was again down in the mess that he left. One day Jack Irons called to a band meeting and he explained that "I don't want to be part of something where my friends are dying" He left the band and never came back
The band temporarily employed Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro and former P-Funk guitarist DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight, later replacing them with Chad Smith and John Frusciante. Mother's Milk was released in August 1989, providing the band with their first top modern rock hits with their tribute ballad to Slovak, "Knock Me Down" [2], and their cover of Stevie Wonder's hit "Higher Ground". The album reached #52 on the album charts, the best chart position yet for the band at that point. Contributing to the ascending to success was Kiedis' girlfriend at the time, Ione Skye, having a lead role in the movie "Say anything", from which the hit "Taste the Pain" was included in the soundtrack. Frusciante proved to be a prodigious and talented guitarist, and that contributed to that album being their breakthrough album. Although it is thought to have been their breakthrough album to the mainstream, the band usually refrains from playing it in live concerts due to John's dislike of the "macho" way he used to play on it. In an 2002 interview, the guitarist stated:
"Way back when I joined the band and when we were recording 'Mother's Milk' the producer pushed me into this metal-funk department and I therefore played mainly hard riffs on the lower e-string. That didn't really come from the heart, however, in those days it seemed to be a good idea. Although I'm not too proud of 'Mother's Milk', it is probably our most influential album. At least back then a lot of people jumped at it. In some instances we simultaneously put five distorted guitar tracks and a piercing solo on top of the bass." [citation needed]
John later said that it was largely the producers decision rather, than his own, to have multi-layered guitar parts, and the "weird experience" he had with layering on 'Mother's Milk' was the reason that he did not layer so much on later albums with the band

QUEEN

Queen is an English rock band formed by Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor in 1970 from the remains of Smile, with John Deacon completing the lineup the following year. The band became popular during the mid-to-late 1970s and to this day retains an extremely large international fan base.
Although formerly overlooked by critics, especially those in the United States, Queen has more recently been acclaimed as a pioneer of arena rock[1], glam rock[1], hard rock[2], heavy metal[1], and progressive rock[1].
In the Music Of The Millenium poll conducted by Channel 4 in 1999, Queen was voted the second greatest band in music history[3].
The band has also been cited as a strong influence on many later artists and in 2001 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2003 Queen became the first and only band to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2004 the band was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and in 2006 was the first inductee in to the VH1 Rock Honors.
Queen has also been inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame (at Guitar Center on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard), and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Queen has had a total of eighteen #1 albums, seventeen #1 singles, and eight #1 DVD's worldwide.

THE ROLLING STONES

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music group that rose to prominence in the early 1960s with the so-called British Invasion. They started by covering a number of American electric blues and rock 'n' roll songs and were the leaders of the English R & B boom of the 1960s. The Stones presented a rebellious image that many other bands continue to emulate. Beginning with their 1969 American tour, the Stones have been introduced and referred to as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World." [1]
Originally an R&B outfit that recorded Rock n' Roll as well as ballads on their first album, they later took up country blues, country music, psychedelia, and reggae. Starting in 1965 lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards began writing almost all of the band's new material, and have written a string of number one songs for The Stones starting in 1965 and continuing until the early eighties.
The Rolling Stones continue to record and perform and are one of the longest running and most successful acts in show business. They are often the highest grossing concert act the years they tour, and every album of primarily new studio material has placed in the top 5 in the United States.
For the 40 plus years of The Stones; Jagger, Richards, and drummer Charlie Watts, have been constant members. Founder, guitarist and harp player Brian Jones died in 1969. Jones's replacement Mick Taylor left in December 1974. His replacement, guitarist Ron Wood, is still with the band today. Long time bassist Bill Wyman retired in 1991. In 1963 Pianist and founding member Ian Stewart was removed from the lineup early on and became their tour manager, but nonetheless played piano for the band until his death in 1985. The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

RUSH

Rush is a Canadian progressive rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush formed in the summer of 1968, in Willowdale, Ontario (now part of Toronto) by Lifeson, Lee, and John Rutsey. Peart (from St. Catharines, Ontario) replaced Rutsey on drums in July of 1974, two weeks before the group's first US tour, to complete the present lineup. Since the release of their eponymous debut in 1974 the band has become well-known for their instrumental virtuosity, complex compositions, erudite lyrics, and inspirational camaraderie. Rush's three decades of continued success under their current lineup of Lee, Lifeson, and Peart has earned the band the respect of their musical peers, and their supporters are often cited as some of the most intensely loyal in rock. Rush has influenced various rock artists such as Metallica,[1] Smashing Pumpkins[2] and Primus,[2] as well as notable progressive bands such as Dream Theater[1] and Symphony X.[3]
Rush has been awarded the Juno Award[4] several times and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994.[5] Additionally, Lee, Lifeson, and Peart are all Officers of the Order of Canada[6], the first rock musicians so honored. Over the course of their career, the individual members of Rush have been recognized as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments. Each member has won several awards in magazine readers' polls[7]. As a whole, Rush boasts 23 gold records and 14 platinum (3 multi-platinum) records making them one of the best selling rock bands in history. Rush currently place fifth behind The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, KISS and Aerosmith for the most consecutive gold and platinum albums by a rock band[8].

VAN HALEN

Van Halen is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The band's first studio album, Van Halen, released in 1978 is widely regarded as a milestone in rock music. With this first release, the band established itself as a leader in the emerging and commercially successful U.S. hard rock and heavy metal genres of the 1980s. In particular, the band's guitarist, Eddie Van Halen, quickly gained widespread fame for his technical prowess and musical sensibility. Almost overnight, he was touted as one of the most innovative and influential American rock and roll guitarists[1].
From 1978 to 1998 the band released 11 studio albums (all of which broke the Top 20 spot of the Billboard 200 music charts[2]). The band has sold more than 75 million albums worldwide[3] and has received several Grammy nominations[4]. Van Halen is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records with the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock List[5]. According to the Recording Industry Association of America Van Halen is #19 on the list of Top Selling Artists of all time (having sold more than 56 million albums in the U.S.)[6]. Van Halen is one of six rock groups that have had 2 albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. (the others being: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, The Eagles and U2).
In addition to being recognized for their artistic contributions, commercial success and popularity, the band is known for drama surrounding the lead singer spot. Although the core instrumentalists and backing vocals have remained constant (Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony), the band has recorded studio albums with three different lead vocalists: David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone. Each vocalist has departed (at least once) under cloudy circumstances. Following their 2004 concert tour the band is currently on hiatus; once again they have a vacancy in the lead singer position and an uncertain future.

DEEP PURPLE

The band Episode Six released several singles in the UK during the mid-sixties. It featured Ian Gillan on vocals, Graham Dimmock on guitar, Roger Glover on bass, Tony Lander on guitar, Sheila Carter on keyboards, and Harvey Shields on the drums. Despite extensive touring, they never had their big break..
In 1967, a band called The Flowerpot Men and their Garden was formed, formerly known as The Ivy League. It was concentrated on a trio of singers. The new name was clearly derived from the children's show The Flowerpot Men, with the obvious psychedelic-era puns on flower power and "pot". The band's most popular song was "Let's Go To San Francisco." Some listeners assumed that the song was a parody of Scott McKenzie's "If You're Going to San Francisco," but the band has denied this. It featured Tony Burrows, Neil Landon, Robin Shaw, and Pete Nelson on vocals, Ged Peck on guitar, Nick Simper on bass, Jon Lord on organ, and Carlo Little on drums. Jon Lord had formerly played in The Artwoods, Nick Simper had been with Screaming Lord Sutch's The Savages, where he also played with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

black sabbat

grandpa of the metal

Metallica was formed in Downey, California, in 1981 by Lars Ulrich, drummer and son of tennis prodigy Torben Ulrich, along with guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield whom he met after each had placed classified advertisements in the publication The Recycler. Hetfield, who had been influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal or NWOBHM, tried to start his own band before contacting Ulrich but was unsuccessful. Bassist Ron McGovney was an original member, and the band used a few transient guitar players, such as Brad Parker and Jeff Warner. At their first session, in Lars Ulrich's garage, there were only three members, Ulrich, Hetfield, and Lloyd Grant, but McGovney joined a few days later.
Metallica got its name when San Francisco-area metal promoter Ron Quintana asked Ulrich to help pick out a name for his new magazine to promote metal and NWOBHM bands. Quintana came up with a list that included "Metallica," but Lars suggested "Metal Mania" and used "Metallica" for the band he and Hetfield had just started.
In early 1982, Metallica recorded "Hit the Lights" for the first Metal Massacre compilation. Desperate for a full time lead guitarist, Ulrich posted an advert in a local newspaper. Dave Mustaine from Huntington Beach, California, from the band Panic responded and met for an audition. Ulrich and Hetfield were so impressed with Mustaine's warm-up and equipment, they asked him to join before the audition began.
A few months later the band recorded a full demo, No Life 'Til Leather, which quickly drew attention on the underground tape trading circuit. After conflicts with Mustaine, McGovney left the band and was replaced by Cliff Burton from Castro Valley, California. Burton was lured from his band Trauma with the proviso Metallica relocated to the San Francisco area.
When the group arrived in El Cerrito, California, live performances and word-of-mouth enabled it to quickly build a healthy following in the Bay Area Thrash Scene. Metallica then travelled to Rochester, New York in 1983 at the urging of local promoters Jon and Marsha Zazula, and after a few gigs the band signed with the Zazulas' new label, Megaforce Records. Shortly after arriving in New York, Ulrich and Hetfield decided that Mustaine's aggressive and disruptive behaviour (relating to his extensive alcohol and drug problems) was becoming too much to handle. Mustaine was asked to leave the band, and Kirk Hammett was drafted from Exodus to replace him. A former pupil of Joe Satriani, Hammett brought to the band his own unique style. This would become more apparent after Ride the Lightning, the first album to feature Hammett's songwriting. Mustaine would go on to create the hugely-successful Megadeth.
Metallica released its first album, Kill 'Em All, in 1983 on Megaforce. The album set the template that they would follow throughout the 1980s, featuring Hetfield's heavy vocals and aggressive rhythm guitar. Kill 'Em All did not have huge initial sales, but it did consolidate their loyal fan base in the growing underground metal scene. A year later, Metallica released their second 'Megaforce' album, Ride the Lightning, adding complexity and further melodic flair to the thrash metal of their debut. Longer songs showcased lyrical and musical growth, like "Fade to Black", a slower, more introspective song that some thought reflected the thoughts of someone contemplating suicide. The song in fact was written after the band's equipment was stolen (most notably a Marshall amplifier, leading James Hetfield to search multiple continents to find one with the same sound). The inclusion of slower, introspective songs with clean or acoustic guitar distinguished Metallica from most other thrash or heavy metal bands. Some tracks on Ride The Lightning contain riffs brought by Kirk Hammett from Exodus songs; "Trapped Under Ice" is reminiscent of Exodus' "Impaler".
Some fans saw Metallica's formation as a direct reaction to the prevalent glam metal scene of the early 1980s. Metallica was inspired by bands such as Motörhead, Diamond Head (declaring in the sleeve notes of 1998's Garage Inc. that "two heads were better than one"), Saxon and other NWOBHM bands. They also took inspiration from hardcore punk bands like the Misfits and Discharge. By putting all these elements together, Metallica was determined to break the grip of soft metal on heavy metal fans[citation needed].