Real Music People

Rihanna’s comeback seems to be in full swing as the singer made a surprise appearance at Jay-Z’s concert at UCLA last Sunday. The performance marks the first time in a very long time that the Barbadian singer sang live. And mind you, she sounded absolutely amazing. Rihanna took the stage just in time for her collaboration with the rapper on ‘Run This Town’. Rihanna also had a solo performance of her new song ‘Hard’. That should get her comeback going. I just think that she still needs to up the ante regarding her new music because her singles are mediocre at best.

Despite his upcoming tour not being able to sell as many tickets as any of his camp would like, Chris Brown’s album ‘Graffiti’ is actually getting pushed for an earlier released. The R&B singer’s album is now going out on December 8th, a week before its original release date. The release is coming on the heels of his upcoming ‘Fan Appreciation Tour’ which kicks off on November 14 in Houston, Texas. Yeah, he should appreciate his fans that do go to see him in concert because it’s likely that there’s only just a few of them left. They should just leak his album altogether.

To counteract Rihanna’s interview with Diane Sawyer, Chris Brown also took the time to tell his own side of the story with MTV’s Sway. During the interview, the R&B singer talks about the struggle to adapt to the public’s new perception of him and how fans might react towards him at his concerts. Chris goes on to talk about his on-going anger management therapy, court-mandated weekly group sessions and his community labor sentence. He says that all of those things helped him evaluate his past behavior and express his feelings in his new songs. It’s not like anyone’s going to watch and buy whatever he has to say.

It seems that the rapper’s recently planned “small shows for the fans”, with up to 2500 seats available, mind you, aren’t really attracting many of those fans Chris Brown claims to have. It seems that all of his upcoming shows for which tickets have been selling since last week are not filling up at all, not even those that have only 1000 seats. Things aren’t looking too good for Chris Brown right now… maybe he should try some new stunt with somebody else, get his publicity up and running a bit, see if he can in any way boost his popularity. It’s a pity for all those wonderful tickets to go to waste…

While performing a concert in Melbourne, Australia earlier this week, Akon decided to leap into the crowd to stop a brawl that had broken out between rival gangs. The singer’s promoter talked about his heroic act, saying “One of the things people should take note on is an artist didn’t have too much concern for his own safety to go down and try and make things better. The thing that I saw, and I was standing right next to him … He walked to a girl (involved in a fight) and walked to her and held her face and said, ‘You’re better than that’.” 9 people were taken to the hospital following the fight and 6 have reported being assaulted.

U2 have confirmed via video blog that their sold-out concert at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in California, Sunday 25th October 2009 will be streamed free, in full and live on YouTube. It’s the first time a show of this size will be streamed live.

The Rose Bowl show is the penultimate U2 show this year – with more to come in 2010 – and already is set to host the venue’s biggest ever audience of over 96, 000 fans. The 360˚ Tour, which has been critically acclaimed and “re-invents rock’n’roll”*, will now boast unique access for fans worldwide – as fans in territories yet to be visited by the tour, or not at all, will be able to enjoy the whole show online. Managed in partnership with Live Nation, this sell-out tour has broken attendance records in most venues it has visited – its success due in part to increased capacity coupled with a lower ticket price and great sight lines afforded by the stunning in-the-round stage set. Visit U2.com or youtube.com/u2official for details of how to join in this ground-breaking on-line event.

U2 manager Paul McGuinness said – “The band has wanted to do something like this for a long time. As we’re filming the LA show, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 – this time U2 can go to them, globally.”

YouTube will be streaming live across five continents. The show will be available in the usual You Tube way, as video-on-demand, following two full replays – after the live stream – on both U2.com and You Tube.

“YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world’s greatest bands” – Chris Maxcy, Director of YouTube Partner Development. “We are always looking for new ways to connect fans around the world with their favourite artists, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

Breaking Benjamin lead singer Ben Burnley is going to be part of Xbox Live’s “Game With Fame” series tonight (10/15)! Ben will be playing “Call of Duty 4″ with the gamertag “BreakBen GwF” (make sure you put the space between BreakBen and GwF!) between the hours of 7pm-9pm EST. Anyone can play so all you need to do is log into XBox live and play “Call of Duty 4″. Make sure to bring your “A” game!

Breaking Benjamin have also just released their new album Dear Agony on September 29th. The album made a big splash at iTunes, debuting at Number 1 on the album chart.

Breaking Benjamin are also about to embark on a fall tour with Rev Theory, Sick Puppies (select dates), The Veer Union (select dates), and Adelitas Way.

Tour dates:

11/29/09 Sunken Garden Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX

12/2/09 The Pavilion, Lubbock, TX

12/5/09 The Cotillion, Wichita, KS

12/6/09 Shrine Mosque, Springfield, MO

12/8/09 Val Air Ballroom, West Des Moines, IA

12/9/09 Sioux Falls Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD

12/14/09 Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO

12/16/09 The Egyptian Room at Murat Centre, Indianapolis, IN

“I Will Not Bow” video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=62208288

Chris Brown is taking a break from his busy, court ordered hard labor schedule to go on a concert tour for whatever miniscule number remains of his fans. Why? The R&B singer recently posted on his Twitter saying “BOUT TO START A SMALL TOUR SOON.. 15 TO 20 DATES.. MY FAN APPRECIATION TOUR. just for yall.nothin bigger than 4,ooo seater.” He might as well also expect that there will only be 15 to 20 people attending each concert date and I’m not even counting the ones who will repeatedly be at the shows because they’re stalkers or groupies like that.

The rapper has recently pleaded guilty to assaulting a friend of Ne-Yo at a Louis Vitton store in New York. Apparently Jim Jones made this bold move because he didn’t want to risk any tour prohibitions in the near future, after all, the man released his latest alum only a few months ago and there is promoting to be done, a true artist cannot waist time on trivial things such as judicial procedures… after all, it takes a long time to decide anything in the justice system and they never decide anything unless it is worth taking… a long time to decide.

U2 Announces European Tour Dates for 2010
In the midst of the North American leg of their 360° Tour, U2 has announced their fall 2010 European Tour dates. The 12-stop tour will hit Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain, and Portugal. Tickets for many of the shows went on sale as early as this week, with more presales scheduled for October 5th-7th. Visit U2.com for all the information.

Also new on the U2 website are some pictures from the band’s most recent tour stops. Check out the photo gallery here.

U2’s twelfth studio album No Line on the Horizon, as well as their I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight Remix EP are available now on iTunes.

Photo Gallery Link:

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

8/10/2010 Frankfurt, DE – Commerzbank Arena

8/12/2010 Hannover, DE – AWD Stadium

8/15/2010 Horsens, DK – Casa Arena

8/20/2010 Helsinki, FI – Olympic Stadium

8/25/2010 Moscow, RU – Luzhniki

8/30/2010 Vienna, AT – Ernst Happel Stadium

9/03/2010 Athens, GR – Olympic Stadium

9/06/2010 Istanbul, TR – Ataturk Olympic Stadium

9/15/2010 Munich, DE – Olympic Stadium

9/18/2010 Paris, FR – Stade De France

9/29/2010 Seville, ES – Olympic Stadium

10/02/2010 Coimbra, PT – Stadium

Pop-rockers Honor Society debuted at #18 on the Billboard Top 200 this week, moving over 22,000 units of their debut album, Fashionably Late. The band kicked off their second headlining tour on Monday, September 21 in Minneapolis, MN and will continue a run of nearly 40 dates with shows across the United States and Canada including an appearance on The Today Show on Friday, September 25.

The release of Fashionably Late caps off a busy summer for Honor Society as they joined the Jonas Brothers on their World Tour 2009 performing to nearly 1 million fans throughout North America. Honor Society simultaneously headlined their own club tour called The Full Moon Crazy Tour where they brought their high-energy live shows to sold out venues including the Blender Theater in New York City and over 1,500 fans at Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

See below for what the press is saying about Honor Society and Fashionably Late and visit HonorSocietyMusic.com for more info and a full list of tour dates.

Rolling Stone

“Over You” (3 stars) — delivers “shiny heartbreak that splits the difference between *NSYNC and Maroon 5 – all riffing synths… and tunefulness.”

Entertainment Weekly

Honor Society are “crafty pop rock dudes” with songs that “shimmer with freeze-dried funk licks…”

People Magazine

“…fans will likely swoon over …” whose “strongest tracks include the power ballads ‘Where Are You Now’ and ‘Goodnight My Love’ both showcasing Bruno’s emotive tenor. ‘My Own Way’ is an infectious pop-rocker.”

U2 Releases New Video Clips from 360° Tour

U2 kicked off the North American leg of their 360° Tour on September 13th, and cameras have been rolling during the shows and behind the scenes. Visit the official U2 YouTube channel to see video clips of songs from the concert, including “Your Blue Room” and “Vertigo” from the Chicago shows, a radio interview in Toronto, and an advance screening of an exclusive U2.com chat with the Edge.

Can’t get enough live U2? Download the new Blackberry app that lets you get inside the new album No Line On The Horizon. The app features song previews, news, tour updates, exclusive images of the band in the recording studio and on the road, and more! Find out the specifics on the Blackberry website.

No Line On The Horizon is U2’s twelfth studio album and is available now, in stores or through iTunes.

Vertigo Link and Embed Code:

Your Blue Room Link and Embed Code:

Toronto Radio Interview Link and Embed Code:

CRASH LOVE will be released September 29 on DGC/Interscope. First single “Medicate,” for which the band is currently shooting a video, is already available on iTunes both as a single download and as part of an 18-song CRASH LOVE deluxe edition featuring multiple bonus tracks both from the CRASH LOVE sessions and the AFI vaults.

AFI recently added another leg of dates to its first series of live shows in the U.S. since its July 7, 2007 Live Earth appearance. The tour commences October 2 in Minneapolis with additional dates running up through a November 22 appearance at Stubbs Amphitheater in Austin, TX.

Produced by Joe McGrath and Jacknife Lee, CRASH LOVE is AFI’s eighth album and arguably the band’s most focused, direct and ambitious effort to date. CRASH LOVE follows up two consecutive platinum AFI albums, 2006’s DECEMBERUNDERGROUND which entered the U.S. chart at #1 and 2003’s SING THE SORROW. AFI’s discography also includes the full lengths THE ART OF DROWNING (2000), BLACK SAILS IN THE SUNSET (1999), SHUT YOUR MOUTH & OPEN YOUR EYES (1997), VERY PROUD OF YA (1996) and ANSWER THAT AND STAY FASHIONABLE (1995).

AFI FALL 2009 U.S. DATES:

10/02/09 – Minneapolis, MN – Epic

10/04/09 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall

10/05/09 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s

10/07/09 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

10/08/09 – Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights

10/10/09 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

10/11/09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Zoo

10/13/09 – Hartford, CT – The Webster

10/14/09 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

10/16/09 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall

10/17/09 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

10/19/09 – Richmond, VA – The National

10/21/09 – Scranton, PA – Scranton Cultural Center

10/23/09 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion

10/25/09 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

11/03/09 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom

11/04/09 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant

11/06/09 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater

11/07/09 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater

11/09/09 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit

11/10/09 – Toronto, Canada – The Sound Academy

11/12/09 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory

11/13/09 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom

11/15/09 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues

11/16/09 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

11/18/09 – West Palm Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater

11/19/09 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues

11/21/09 – Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater

11/22/09 – Austin, TX – Stubbs Amphitheater

After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C last year, Natalie Cole has been through what she describes as a real tough journey. The singer has undergone chemotherapy and a kidney transplant yet she was in full force at her comeback concert last week. She told the crowd “I really do have to say … it really is a miracle time. It’s a miracle night for me. I never thought I’d be standing here healthy and whole and 100 percent. My heart is very full tonight, and I know a lot of you know why. It’s just good to be back. You know what I’m saying? You know, things don’t always go the way we want it to. Things happen unexpectedly. You got to take the good with the bad.” Natalie received several standing ovations throughout her performance in which she sang 17 songs.
Real Music People Friends Blog

Check out a series of flip cam videos self-shot by the hip-hop group Shwayze. Each video gives you a look into the fun and crazy lifestyle that the Malibu-based duo lives behind the scenes and on tour. Watch the clips below and head over to Shwayze.com

for more information and a list of upcoming tour dates. Get excited for the release of their new album, Let It Beat, available October 27th featuring the hit single “Get U Home.”

Cliff Diving Flip Cam:

Lost Backstage Flip Cam:

KIIS FM Flip Cam:

Sophomore Release Due Out November 17th

OneRepublic have unveiled the cover to their highly anticipated sophomore album Waking Up. The follow-up to their Dreaming Out Loud debut is due out on November 17th, and it features the powerful new single “All The Right Moves.” OneRepublic broke records with their mega-hit “Apologize” which became the most legally downloaded song in US digital history.

In anticipation of the album’s release, the Colorado-based quintet is heading out on tour with Rob Thomas. Visit Myspace.com/OneRepublic

to listen to “All The Right Moves” in full and view the upcoming tour schedule.

Full press release below:

In 2007, after seven years together as a band, OneRepublic took the world by storm with their debut release Dreaming Out Loud. The album included the smash first single “Apologize” which shattered digital sales and airplay records worldwide, and along with second single “Stop And Stare” propelled the album to platinum plus sales. Now the boys from Denver are back with a new set and a fall tour! Waking Up will be released November 17th on Mosley/Interscope Records. First single “All The Right Moves” will go for adds at radio September 22nd.

In support of their new release OneRepublic will join Rob Thomas on tour beginning September 23rd at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, FL.

OneRepublic recorded Waking Up in their home town of Denver, CO. Tedder, an accomplished producer in his own right, and one of the most sought after songwriters of today, has penned and produced hit singles for the likes of Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Lopez and Natasha Bedingfield and is currently working with Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Adam Lambert and Rascal Flatts. Naturally he was up for producing duties on his band’s new album.

OneRepublic is Ryan Tedder (songwriter/vocals/keyboard), Zach Filkins (guitar), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle (bass, cello), and Eddie Fisher (drums). In addition to their success here in the states, OneRepublic also has tremendous international success achieving gold record status in 12 countries. They have shared the stage with acts such as Lenny Kravitz, The Verve, and Muse at various music festivals around the world.

360 TOUR STARTED IN CHICAGO

Tour Dates:

Sep 12 Soldier Field Chicago

Sep 13 Soldier Field Chicago, Illinois

Sep 16 Rogers Centre Toronto

Sep 16 Rogers Centre Toronto, Ontario

Sep 17 Rogers Centre Toronto, Ontario

Sep 20 Gillette Stadium Boston

Sep 21 Gillette Stadium Foxboro, Massachusetts

Sep 24 Giants Stadium New York

Sep 25 Giants Stadium New York, New York

Sep 29 FedEx Field Washington, Washington DC

Oct 1 Scott Stadium Charlottesville, Virginia

Oct 3 Carter Finlay Stadium Raleigh, North Carolina

Oct 6 Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia

Oct 9 Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida

Oct 12 New Cowboys Stadium Dallas, Texas

Oct 14 Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas

Oct 18 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, Oklahoma

Oct 20 University of Phoenix Stadium Phoenix, Arizona

Oct 23 Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, Nevada

Oct 25 Rose Bowl Pasedena, California

Oct 28 BC Place Stadium Vancouver, British Columbia

VIDEO EMBED: