Beethoven's Last Night

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is coming to the Benedum Center this Sunday, April 4th. TSO is currently on tour for Beethoven's Last Night which was first released in 2004. The story follows Beethoven on his last night on Earth and is based on actual events with the creative twist of events that might have happened. During the second half of the show, they will be performing pieces from their newest album Night Castle which was released in October 2009.

TSO is probably most known for their Christmas albums/works and debuted with the single "Christmas Eve" in 1996. TSO is a high energy rock version of classical music which makes it much more enjoyable. I usually prefer vocal pieces over purely instrumental pieces, but with TSO, it is the complete opposite. I like their instrumental pieces much much more than their pieces that include vocalists. I recommend going to see the show if you have a chance because the music is amazing! I haven't seen them live, but just listening to their music blows me away.

The show is April 4th and 7:30pm and tickets start at $53.50. For tickets, visit the Benedum's website. For more info on TSO, visit their website here.

Video Project: Pittsburgh Concert Spots

Finding out where people like to go to see a concert in Pittsburgh! Take the quiz below to give your opinion!

Metal Show at Diesel

This Wednesday, March 31st, Diesel Club Lounge is hosting The Dillinger Escape Plan's current tour which includes three other bands. The show includes: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Darkest Hour, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, and Animals As Leaders.

The Dillinger Escape Plan is a New Jersey based metal band touring for their new album Option Paralysis. The rest of the tour includes the Coachella music festival in California and another trip to Pittsburgh on the main stage at the Vans Warped Tour. For the metal fans out there, I would recommend checking this band out either on their MySpace or live at Diesel. The tracks that I listened to were pretty good.

The doors open at 6:30pm and tickets are $18 in advance. For ticket and venue info, visit Diesel's website. The websites that Diesel goes through are ticketfly and elkoconcerts, but Diesel's website does not have direct links to the sites. All ages are welcome at this event!

**Photo Credit: dugdogmaster on Flickr

Play On...

Carrie Underwood's Play On Tour comes to Pittsburgh's Petersen Event Center next Thursday, April 1st. The tour opened with a sold out show in Reading, PA on March 11 and continues to be successful as it moves through the country.

Underwood was the winner of season four of American Idol, the only season I've ever watched, and was 22 at the time. I have been a huge fan of Underwood since she won Idol, and think she is a very talented singer. Her single "Cowboy Casanova" off of the Play On album has gone platinum becoming her fifth single to do so. Underwood co-wrote the single along with a number of songs off of the album. She is nominated for six Academy of Country Music Awards including Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist of the Year, and Vocal Event of the Year. Underwood is up against Taylor Swift for Entertainer, Female Vocalist, and Song of the Year. Since this is the Country Awards, it's a toss up for which girl I prefer to win. I hope it turns out well for both of them, even though I prefer Carrie Underwood to Taylor Swift.

For more info on Carrie Underwood, visit her website here. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.

Here's Carrie singing one of her first singles "Some Hearts" live:

Screening Update!

I just heard from the Butler brothers that the Saturday screening of "Confusions of an Unmarried Couple" is FREE!! If you have the chance, go Saturday to meet the guys and of course to avoid the ticket price. The theater is also BYOB, so feel free to bring your favorite brew along!

The Butlers have another film that won Best of Fest last year called "The Notorious Newman Brothers." The film is directed by Ryan Noel and stars the Butlers. For more information on this film, check out SubProd's website.

Confusions of an Unmarried Couple

Confusions of an Unmarried Couple is an Indie film produced by Substance Productions (SubProd), a production company based in Toronto. The film is a comedy that follows characters Dan and Lisa trying to figure things out after a bad breakup. The Hollywood theater in Dormont is holding screenings of the film from Saturday, March 27 to Tuesday, March 30. The film's creators Jason and Brett Butler will be in town for the Saturday screening along with Naomi Johnson (Lisa).

For me, the film got off to a little bit of a slow start. The real comedy and storyline kicks in once the characters start interacting. A warning to anyone easily offended by language: you might want to skip the screening. Though it's a little strong at most points, the language used is what added to the humor of the film. The soundtrack was very good and was all original work (songs and score) written by Ryan Noel who is part of the SubProd crew. I searched for any other music Noel has done, but failed to find any so it doesn't look like he's pursuing a music career at the moment. Between the good music and humor of the film, I would definitely recommend checking it out!

See Confusions of an Unmarried Couple at the Hollywood Theater and meet the Butler Brothers this Saturday at 4:30pm. It will also be showing Monday 3/29 at 7:00pm and Tuesday 3/30 at 9:30pm. The Butlers and Naomi Johnson will only be at the Saturday screening. The cost for all shows is $6. Check out some of SubProd's other projects on their website including their web series Larry and Burt's Gut Rot.

**Photo Credit: subprod.com

Hey Soul Sister...

Train was formed in 1994 in San Francisco, California. In fifteen years, Train has gone multi-platinum and has produced a number of hits such as "Drops of Jupiter," "Meet Virginia," and "Calling All Angels." Train released their fifth album Save Me San Francisco in October of 2009 and is currently touring for the album. The album features the hit "Hey Soul Sister" which is currently at number six on Billboard's Hot 100.

Train stops in Pittsburgh this Thursday, March 25, at the Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland. For information on Train, visit their website. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster as well as on the tour page of Train's website.

Listen to one of Train's hits "Get To Me" here:

A Fight For Fame

This Saturday, March 20, Pittsburgh bands will compete for a chance to win a trip to Vegas to perform at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. There is a pre-show from 6:00pm to 9:00pm with Morning and Mirrors and special guests, and the competition starts at 9:00pm. The show will be at Altar Bar on Penn Ave. in the Strip District. There is a $12 cover charge and all ages are welcome. The line up for the competition includes:

• Long Time Divided- Hard Rock
• Wizard Bomb- Rock
• Kill the Skylight- Alternative
• Call to Attraction- Pop/Rock/Alternative
• Xstrophy- Metal
• Check Your Satus- Pop/Punk

Again, the winners get a trip to perform in Vegas, free studio time, and other prizes. Come out and support your local bands! For more information, visit Altar Bar's website or Sardonyx Productions' website.

**Photo Credit: sardonyxproductions.com

Monster Ball

Lady Gaga has announced another North American leg of her enormous Monster Ball Tour beginning on June 28th in Montreal. This is the second headlining tour Gaga has had in the 2009 season. The Fame Ball Tour started in March of 2009 and The Monster Ball Tour has been running since November of 2009. The Monster Ball Tour is currently scheduled to end on September 19th, 2010 in Raleigh, NC.

Gaga exploded onto the scene with her first single "Just Dance" in April of 2008 and has pumped out hit after hit. Her current hit "Telephone" reached number one on Billboard's Pop Chart becoming her 6th consecutive number one single. She is the only artist in history to have six consecutive number one singles. Gaga was up for six Grammys this year and won two of them including Best Dance Recording ("Poker Face") and Best Electronic/Dance Album (The Fame). Over her short career, Lady Gaga has been nominated for 115 awards world wide and has won 54 of them.

The Monster Ball rolls into Pittsburgh on September 5th at the Consol Energy Center (opening later this year). Sale dates for the Pittsburgh show have not been announced yet, but keep your eyes open as select tickets will go on sale on March 19th. For more information on the tour and ticket sales, visit Lady Gaga's website.

**Photo Credit: Hause Of Mr. Peter on Flickr

Jay-Z Tour Comes to Pittsburgh

Jay-Z's BP3 tour comes to Mellon Arena this Tuesday, March 16th, at 7:30pm. The album Blueprint 3 was released in September 2009 and gave Jay-Z his first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 list. "Empire State of Mind," featuring Alicia Keys, marked Jay-Z's first single to top the chart. The album also produced the smash hit "Run This Town" which won a Grammy for both Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song.

For Jay-Z news, visit his website here. For tickets, visit Tickmaster or any other ticket retailer.

Listen to another one of Jay-Z's Grammy winning BP3 singles here:

Weekend Shows at Altar Bar

Here's a look at this weekend's shows at Altar Bar located in Pittsburgh's Strip District:

• Friday 3/12 Sounds of Seattle Tour: Ten-Pearl Jam tribute band, BadMotorfinger-Soundgarden & Hungerstrike tribute band, and others. Show starts at 10:00pm.
• Saturday 3/13 28 North CD Release Party- 28 North is a band based in Pittsburgh and has been recording, performing, and writing their music for five years. Show starts at 9:00pm tickets ant tickets are $5 advanced and $7 at the door.
• Sunday 3/14 Battle of the Bands. Show starts at 4:00pm

For information on Altar Bar and all of their shows, visit the website here.

Copeland Says Farewell

The rock/alternative band Copeland is currently on their farewell tour and will roll into Pittsburgh on March 11, 2010. The band formed in 2000 and released their first album Beneath the Medicine Tree in 2003. The band's latest/last album You Are My Sunshine was released in October of 2008. Copeland announced their farewell tour in December of 2009 and the last show listed on their site is set for May 16th in Shanghi, China.

I know this information is a little late, but the show still has tickets available. The band will be performing at Mr. Small's at 7:00pm. Visit Mr. Small's website for show and ticket information and visit Copeland's website for information on the band and their remaining tour dates.

**Photo Credit: cafedostoievski.com

Crazy Love

Michael Buble will be at the Peterson Events Center next Wednesday, March 17th on his Crazy Love Tour. Ticketmaster seems to be fresh out of tickets, but other sites seem to have a number of tickets up for grabs. The tickets on the sites have been pretty high in price, so for any big spenders, here are a couple of sites that I found:

• StubHub
• TicketsInventory

For anyone not able to make the Pittsburgh show, the Crazy Love Tour will be in Cleveland on March 23 and in Cincinnati on March 24. The tour will return to the East coast in June when it rolls into Columbus on June 30. For more information Buble and his tour, visit his website here.

**Photo Credit: michaelbuble.com

A Break from the 'Burgh: LA #3

As the center of the music world, it's only natural for LA to have a Grammy museum, and it is only natural for that museum to have a tribute to Michael Jackson. In February of 2009, the Grammy Museum set up an exhibit called Michael Jackson: HIStyle. The exhibit featured many of Jackson's flashy clothes, and after his death in October of 2009, the exhibit was turned into a tribute. The current exhibit Michael Jackson: A Musical Legacy still features clothes that Jackson performed in along with other special pieces. Visitors can dance on a lighted dance floor that mimics his exact moves from his "Billie Jean" video. The exhibit also includes a number of video screen showing footage of Jackson's performances as well as memories from those who knew him.

The exhibit will run from now until this summer. For more information on the Jackson exhibit, click here. For more information on the Grammy Museum and how to visit, click here.

A Break from the 'Burgh: LA #2

Bon Jovi is currently touring and will roll into LA on Thursday, March 4th at the Staples Center. Bon Jovi is making their way through the west coast until mid-March when they will start looping through the east coast. For everyone back in the 'Burgh, you might have to travel a good bit to see the band. The Pennsylvania dates listed on the band's tour page are Philadelphia and Hershey. Other cities that are a pretty lengthy drive, but still manageable for diehard fans, are DC and East Rutherford, New Jersey. It comes as a huge surprise that Bon Jovi is not stopping in Pittsburgh this time around since it is always included in the band's major tours. Oh well, maybe some last minute stops will be added!

For more information on Bon Jovi, visit their website. And, to get your Bon Jovi fix, check out one of their classic hits "You Give Love a Bad Name."