Catch the SkyroomLive sessions starting next week

Excuse me for a second while I sound like one of those annoying TV salesmen, but this really is cool… Are you a live music fan? Do you hate the fact that you hear about all these awesome gigs and yet you can’t make it because of your geographical location? Well I have a solution for you. SkyroomLive.com is a new destination designed just for you.

The site will give you an opportunity to stream performances from some of SA’s most loved artists on your Mac, PC or your phone. The multi-camera, hour-long gigs will take place at the top of one of the Johannesburg CBD buildings.

The first gig kicks off on the 18th of March with electronic rock act, Die Heuwels Fantasties. The band had this to say about the concept; “Die Heuwels Fantasties can’t wait to kick-off the SkyRoomLive sessions. Live streaming of a live rock show off of a rooftop in Jozi! That’s crazy. Having worked with everyone involved before, be it music videos, or massive live events, we are confident that it’ll be a great show and certainly a first for our band.”

The performances will be broadcast live and free and if you’re looking for an archived performance, you’ll pay just R40 to see it through the website. You can also be apart of the live audience by purchasing tickets for R300 through Computicket. If you’re keen to go through or even just watch it on your PC here’s who you can expect to see this month:

Sunday, 18 March             Die Heuwels Fantasties

Tuesday, 20 March            Nancy G

Friday, 23 March                Karen Zoid

Sunday, 25 March             Jozi

Monday, 26 March           Tidal Waves

 

Remember to visit SkyroomLive.com for more details. Rad concept!!

The Eagles are coming

The countdown to this year’s first big stadium concert it on! The legendary rockers, The Eagles will be heading to SA this April and this tour will mark their first time to the country in the band’s 40-year long career. Here is the official release on the band’s tour:

The Eagles will tour South Africa for the first time ever in the band’s 40-year history.  The band will perform on Wednesday, April 4 at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town; Saturday, April 7 at the Superbowl in Sun City; and on Sunday, April 8 at the Soccer City Complex, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Continue reading

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2011 induction ceremony


The 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is just about to wrap up in New York City. The ceremony took place at the Waldorf Astoria

* Alice Cooper Rob Zombie (White Zombie)
* Neil Diamond inducted by Paul Simon
* Dr. John inducted by John Legend
* Darlene Love inducted by Bette Midler
* Tom Waits inducted by Neil Young
* Jac Holzman inducted by John Densmore of the Doors
* Art Rupe inducted by Lloyd Price

There aren’t any videos online on the performances from the event, but as soon as I can find some I’ll stick them up here. Did anyone in the US watch it on Fuse tv?

You can now go and visit these names and more at the official museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Man, I wanna go. Anyone offering?

Oh and for all South Africans reading this, don’t forget Neil Diamond is on his way to the country this April. View details here.

Foo Fighters to release Wasting Light this April


There seems to be a lot of pop and R&B music being released this year. This isn’t such a bad thing, but of course a bit of rock would be rad too. So to make your Monday a bit more bearable, here’s some rock news for you. Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear aka the Foo Fighter are preparing to release their new album this April. This will be their seventh from the band and it’s called Wasting Light and is expected to drop on the 12th of April. The first single off the album is called Rope and it has been described by Rolling Stone as an “Atomic Beast”. Have a listen here

- Produced by Butch Vig and mixed by Alan Moulder.
- The album was recorded entirely on analog tape in the garage of Grohl’s home in California’s San Fernando Valley. This is very interesting because there are no alterations, special effects. It’s pure music, strong, raw and shows their musicality at its best.

Don’t forget, the 12th of April is a date to diarise if you’re a Foo Fighters fan. Man, wouldn’t it be awesome to see these guys out in South Africa this year? Hint hint Big Concerts.

Pics: U2 360 Degree tour


94.7 Highveld Stereo has been rocking their own, mine 360 degree stage for the last two weeks. They’ve got some of their listeners to hop on the stage to give their best rendition of some of the U2 classics. While most of the singing was kak, props have to go out to them for their efforts. Speaking of props, big up to the Highveld peops for hooking us up with a first look of ‘The Claw’. We headed through to the FNB Stadium earlier to catch a glimpse of it. For those of you who have been to what we all prefer to call it, Soccer City, you’ll know how big that stadium is, but one thing that can make it look small has to be the U2 stage. It’s massive. 68 metres wide, 36 metres high! Maybe some of these pics will do it justice…


A view from the middle of the stadium.


It looks like a “fokken prawn” from District 9.

I’ve got some video, which I’ll upload soonest. This concert is gonna be epic! If you don’t have tickets then visit Computicket’s website now. They’ve just released a couple of hundred more! Thanks Highveld for the rocking experience!

U2 360 Tour- All you need to know

You excited? You ready to rock out with U2 next weekend? Well this whole week you’ve seen the 94.7 Highveld Stereo Transportable stage floating around the greater Gauteng area and if you haven’t won tickets this week, be sure to follow all the #U2Highveld action here

Now you’re probably starting to make plans as to how you’ll get there, when you need to get there, what time things will get going etc. So here’s a detailed list courtesy of Big Concerts:

Show Date: Sunday, 13th February 2011
Venue: FNB Stadium
City: Johannesburg
Gates Open: 16:30

Amadou and Marium: 20:00
Springbok Nude Girls: 20:45
U2: 21:30

BEFORE THE CONCERT
Where do I collect my Red Zone Tickets?
All Red Zone ticket holders must pick up their tickets and wristbands starting at noon at the Red Zone box office window which is conveniently located outside the stadium.

If I bought my tickets through the U2 Pre-Sale where do I collect them from?
The delivery and collection of pre-sale tickets purchased via U2.com shall be arranged directly with you. All customer inquiries should be directed to eTix directly by filling out a support form on our website. This form can be accessed directly by visiting:
http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/help2.jsp

Can I get into the inner Circle if I have a general standing ticket?
Yes, starting at 7:00 am fans will be permitted to queue in the general admission line-up. Entry into the inner circle is on a first come, first served basis and there will be a clearly defined entry process for the safety and ease of fans.

Can I purchase tickets at the Stadium?
It is likely that this event will be SOLD OUT, in which case there will be NO tickets available from purchase at the stadium box office. To be certain, visit www.computicket.com where you can purchase a ticket prior to the show.

Can I resell my tickets or use it for commercial purposes such as advertising, promotional competitions or to promote the sales of other goods and services?
Tickets cannot be resold or offered for resale (including on-line auction sites) or used for commercial purposes including advertising, promotional competions, or to promote the sales of other goods and services. If this condition is breached the ticket may be cancelled without refund and the bearer of the ticket may be refused entry.

Is it safe to buy someone else’s tickets?
In order to be certain that your ticket is not conterfeit/fake you should purchase it directly from Computicket only. Our security staff are trained in spotting counterfeits, and even though you might believe that you purchased a legitimate ticket from a tout/friend/gumtree you might find yourself denied entry into the venue (without a refund), or even arrested for possession of a fake ticket voucher.

If the tickets are lost or stolen will they be replaced?
Should you have lost or misplaced your ticket, please contact Computicket customer service PRIOR to the show date. Tickets are considered legal tender and as such we cannot replace or refund lost or stolen tickets at the venue.

GETTING TO THE CONCERT
The traffic management plan to the stadium will broadly replicate that used during the Soccer World Cup. Gates will open at 16:30 and the show will start on time. As the transport and entry systems will be pressured with this very large crowd, fans are strongly encouraged to allow enough transport and entry time so as not to miss any of the show.
Continue reading

BLK JKS to support Thirty Seconds to Mars this November


It’s been a good year for South African rock band, the BLK JKS. Not only were they on the bill for the FIFA Kick-Off Celebration concert in June, but they also got to sing and perform alongside superstar, Alicia Keys. They also collaborated with one of the world’s biggest DJs, Tiesto for the Smirnoff Mash-Up Experience. Now the indie rockers, the BLK JKS continue on their successful 2010 this November, when they open and support American rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars. Jared Leto and the rest of the band will be returning to South Africa next month. This time to headline their own tour. Cape Town ticketing sales sold so well, the band added a second show to their itinerary. Details are as follows:

19 November- Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg
20, 21 November- Grand Arena, Grandwest Casino and Entertainment World, Cape Town

Big up to the BLK JKS! Continue to fly that flag!

Singer Farryl Purkiss to open for Crowded House

It has been quite a year for South African singer/ songwriter, Farryl Purkiss. Not only did he win a South African Music Award for his latest album, ‘Fruitbats & Crows’ but one of the tracks was used in the hit American TV series, Private Practice not so long ago. Now the star continues on his winning streak with the news that he will be supporting Australian band, Crowded House on their South African tour. The tour kicks off next week and on hearing about the news, Purkiss said, “Crowded House is one of the most influential Australian rock bands of all time. It’s such an honour to have been invited to perform on the same stage as them”. Nice one Farryl.

Tour details are as follows:
Cape Town at the Grand Arena- 26 October
Durban ICC Arena- 28 October
The Big Top Arena at Carnival City in Johannesburg- 29 and 30 October 2010.

Get your tickets from computicket now

New Jamiroquai album coming this November

Yeah… here’s some good news on a Monday. Jamiroquai will release their new album ‘Rock, Dust, Light, Star’ this November. This will mark the group’s first release in over five years and will mark their 7th studio album. The two singles due to hit radio stations soon are called ‘White Knuckle Ride’ and ‘Blue Skies’.

Facts:
- Jay Kay and his band have sold more then 25million copies worldwide
- The group, one of the UK’s most popular, have been in the industry for over 18years.
- They’ve focused on a more organic, live sound on this album. Jay Kay says, “Everything on the record is live . It’s a real band record. The last, album – fantastic – but the whole thing became a little sterile. This time we’ve captured the flow of our live performances”.

Here’s a first listen of one of the tracks:

Full:

Daughtry tour to SA confirmed!

Tuesday, 3 August 2010 – MNET, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 Kfm are excited to announce that American rock band Daughtry will be performing in South Africa for the first time ever during October 2010. The tour kicks off at the Grand Arena, Grand West Casino and Entertainment World in Cape Town on Wednesday 27th October 2010 and culminates at the Coca-Cola Dome Johannesburg on Friday 29th October 2010.

Daughtry released their self-titled debut album in 2006. A hit in both artistic and commercial terms, the GRAMMY®-nominated album spawned a trio of #1 songs (It’s Not Over, Home, and Feels Like Tonight), sold over 5 millions albums worldwide and was the fastest-selling debut rock album in Soundscan history. Produced by Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance), released by 19 Entertainment/RCA Records, Daughtry earned multiple wins at the American Music Awards, the World Music and the Billboard Music Awards.

Daughtry topped the charts with its second platinum release Leave This Town (2009). The album entered at the top of the Billboard 200, making it the band’s second #1 album. Its first single, “No Surprise,” extended the group’s extraordinary streak of #1 hits to four and current single “September” is following the same path. Leave This Town again produced by Howard Benson mixes powerful rock to hushed ballads and emotional mid-tempo rockers. It also includes the country-influenced “Tennessee Line,” a track Chris Daughtry wrote with guitarist Brian Craddock that features vocal harmonies by country-music superstar Vince Gill. In addition to writing with all his band mates, Chris also collaborated with some of rock’s savviest song smiths for the album, penning “Learn My Lesson” with Mitch Allan and “Ghost of Me” with music producer Brian Howes; both of whom co-wrote songs on Daughtry’s debut. Leave This Town also includes stellar contributions from Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger.

Daughtry has made an impressive run of television appearances including NFL’s Super Tailgate Party at Super Bowl XLIV, NCAA Men’s Final Four Coke Zero Countdown and Pep Rally, The Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Dallas Cowboy Thanksgiving Day Game, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve show in New York City’s Times Square and are invited back for the second consecutive year on the Today Show Toyota Outdoor Concert Series.

Tour Itinerary

Cape Town

Wednesday 27th October 2010

Grand Arena, Grandwest Casino and Entertainment World.

Tickets from R221 – R399 including all service fees. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.computicket.com or via phone on (+27) 083 915 8000.

Johannesburg

Friday 29th October 2010

Coca-Cola Dome

Tickets from R221– R399 including all service fees.