Category: tour

I happened upon In Flames’ ‘Come Clarity’ album in 2006 and was completely floored by how METAL it was (doses of prog rock tossed in too). I wrote a review of it for Wonka Vision Magazine in which I said I hadn’t heard a metal album as good as this one since Pantera’s ‘Vulgar Display of Power’. In Flames has a new CD coming out on April 1 called ‘A Sense of Purpose’ and this spring they’ll be part of Megadeth’s Gigantour. On off nights, they’ll be playing some headlining shows (just a couple, but, hell, one of them is in Columbus and that’s all I really care about). Here are those dates:

Apr. 18 – Little Rock, AR – The Village (w/ JOB FOR A COWBOY)
Apr. 24 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory (w/ CHILDREN OF BODOM)
May 02 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall (w/ JOB FOR A COWBOY)

Here is In Flames new video “The Mirror’s Truth”.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=bcc3p2giBsI[/youtube]

And here’s the song that made me a fan, “Take This Life”.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Ul-hqg_iPo[/youtube]

When I was a teenager I would tell anybody that listened that if The Police ever reunited and toured, I was going to go no matter where the concert took place and no matter what the price of a ticket was. I even said I’d sell a kidney if that’s what it took because Sting, Stewart, and Andy broke up before I was old enough to be able to see them.

A year after the reunion tour was announced I’m both pleased and saddened to report that I still have both kidneys and remain a Police virgin despite the fact that they played just 2 hours from my home during their 2007 run (the poster of which is featured to the left).  I made all the excuses in the world for not going to the show … “It’s on a Monday night and I can’t miss work the next day”, “The only ticket I can afford would put me in the nosebleed section in the upper deck”, etc., etc.

Upon hearing today’s announcement that the band is doing one final farewell sweep to hit many cities they missed last time around, I felt like a kid being given a second chance. Before even seeing the dates, I decided that anything within a 4-hour drive was fair game. Lucky for me, there’s a May 4 date in the arena directly across the street from where I earn a living. Hell, the $10 I’ll save by being able to use my parking pass in the arena’s garage can go towards my concert ticket!

Here are the dates. Elvis Costello is scheduled to open all shows.

May 2008
1 – Ottawa, Ontario – Scotiabank Place (on sale 2/23)
3 – Buffalo, NY – HSBC Arena (on sale 2/23)
4 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena (on sale 2/23)
10 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena (on sale 2/25)
13 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center (on sale 2/23)
14 – Omaha, NE – Qwest Center (on sale 2/23)
16 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center (on sale 2/23)
17 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
20 – Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (on sale 2/23)
21 – Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center (on sale 2/23)
23 – Las Vegas, NV -MGM Grand Garden Arena (on sale 2/23)
24 – Phoenix, AZ – Cricket Wireless Pavilion (on sale 2/25)
26 – Chula Vista, CA – Coors Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hollywood Bowl (on sale 2/24)

July 2008
11 – Ridgefield, WA – Clark County Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
12 – George, WA – The Gorge (on sale 2/23)
14 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre (on sale 2/24)
16 – Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion (on sale 2/24)
17 – Marysville, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
19 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
21 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre (on sale 2/23)
25 – Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Amphitheater (on sale 2/23)
26 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Center (on sale 2/23)
28 – Burgettstown, PA – Post Gazette Pavilion (on sale 2/23)
29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Center (on sale 2/23)
31 – Mansfield, MA – Tweeter Center (on sale 2/23)

August 2008
1 – Saratoga, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/23)
3 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center (on sale 2/25)
4 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater (on sale 2/25)

It’s that time of year, where seemingly every band announcing tour dates has a stop (or four) in Austin scheduled for SXSW week in mid-March. And for bands that don’t have tour dates listed during mid-March, well, they are ripe for SXSW rumor fodder. So, for those keep scorecards at home, The Mountain Goats have released tour dates in conjunction with the release of ‘Heretic Pride’ (out on Feb.19 on 4AD) and will be forgoing Austin in favor of touring the East Coast (multiple dates in Boston and New York that week).

DOWNLOAD: “Sax Rohmer #1”

February
19 – Anchorage, AK
22 – Vancouver, BC, Richard’s on Richards
23 – Seattle, WA, Neumos
25 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir
26 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir
27 – Eugene, OR, WOW Hall
29 – San Francisco, CA, Bimbo’s

March
1 – San Francisco, CA, the Independent
2 – San Francisco, CA, Bottom of the Hill (matinee)
4 – Los Angeles, CA, the Troubadour
5 – Los Angeles, CA, the Troubadour
13 – Northampton, MA, Pearl Street
14 – Boston, MA, Museum of Fine Arts
15 – Boston, MA, The Middle East
18 – New York, NY, Webster Hall
19 – Brooklyn, NY, Music Hall of Williamsburg
20 – Philadelphia, PA, First Unitarian
22 – Washington, DC The Black Cat