Indianapolis Entertainment

Ben Folds in Indy October 23 for ‘Lonely Avenue’ Tour

After a long quiescence from the recording and performing scene, ‘90s alt-rock star Ben Folds will be pounding the pavement this fall in support of his new release, “Lonely Avenue”.

The singer/songwriter’s itinerary for fall consists mainly of east coast and Midwest stops. The official launch of the tour is on November 5 in Chicago, but Folds has also signed on to perform on a couple of side-gigs in October, a show in Denver on the 2nd and in Indianapolis on the 23rd.

Catch the alt-rock piano man at the Clowes Memorial Hall in Indy on October 23, Sunday at 8 PM. Tickets will go on sale via Ticketmaster although no on sale date and time has been set yet. Graduates of Butler University in Indianapolis are entitled to ticket discounts beginning September 27, Monday at 10 AM EDT. Tickets go for $31 each for all seating areas.

Folds is also slated to perform in a charity concert in Nashville for the benefit of the Nashville Symphony and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center which houses the musical ensemble. The benefit gig is scheduled on November 27 in Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center and will mark the tour’s end point.

“Lonely Avenue”, Folds’ sixth studio release, will surface on the market on September 28. The 11-cut set boasts of music composed by Folds and lyrics penned by renowned author Nick Hornby.

For more information on Ben Folds’ tour schedule and new album, log on to Ben Folds Tour.

Bob Dylan to Perform at Murat Theatre October 31

Fresh from his show in Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival earlier this month and a rather disappointing show, commercially speaking, in San Francisco’s Warfield in August 25 where tickets were sold only on the day of the event at a fixed price of $60, Bob Dylan, one of the greatest troubadours of all time, goes back to touring – and tour marketing more specifically – the old fashioned way.

Dylan has just laid out a new set of dates for October and early November which will have him and his band performing in several collegiate stages and performing arts centers across the south and the Midwest for one whole month. The trek, which will be launched in Fort Lauderdale’s Don Taft University (The Arena) on October 6, will include multiple city stops in Florida and Michigan.

Dylan is also scheduled to drop by Indianapolis as he reaches the homestretch of the said tour on October 31, Sunday. He and his crew will be playing at the Murat Theatre at the Old National Centre at 8:30 PM.

Those looking for advance tickets for Dylan’s lone Indy stop have three chances at snagging one. There will be two simultaneous presale events – the Live Nation and radio presales – happening on September 23, Thursday at 10 AM EDT while an earlier presale via BobDylan.com will take place on September 21, Tuesday at 10 AM EDT. Regular on sale schedule is set for September 24, Friday at 10 AM via Live Nation. Ticket prices range from $52 to $84.25.

Log on to Bob Dylan Tour to view the singer/songwriter’s complete fall tour schedule.

Toby Keith Swings Through Verizon Wireless August 28

Toby Keith, one of country music’s most successful artists, will be embarking on a lengthy North American tour to sing tracks from his 13th and most recent studio album “American Ride”.

The country music sensation will be in Noblesville, Indiana following a show at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on August 27. Keith’s fans in Indiana can see him perform on the 28th at the Verizon Wireless Music Center at 7 PM along with special guest Trace Adkins. Tickets will be available to the general public on June 26, Saturday at 10 AM EDT with presale events on the 23rd, Wednesday at 10 AM EDT for Citi cardholders and another presale event on the 25th, Friday at 10 AM EDT organized by Live Nation.

Ticket prices are $34 for general admission and $73.50 for pavilion seating.

Keith has plenty of reasons to smile about these days. Not only is his “American Ride” album performing well in the charts and in the sales department, he was also recently awarded the prestigious Songwriter/Artist of the Decade award by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and he is also in the running for CMA’s Entertainer of the Year. The CMAs will take place in Las Vegas in April.

Check out Toby Keith online for all the latest on his music and tour schedule.

Adam Lambert Screams into Clowes Memorial August 31

Adam Lambert, the early favorite in the eighth season of American Idol who impressed almost everyone with his glass-breaking vocal stylings, will now be leading a North American road trip to bring his flamboyant and sometimes, provocative performances closer to his fans in over 50 cities, starting with a show in New York on June 6.

Fans of the “Glambert” can watch this undoubtedly talented performer live in action in Indianapolis as he tears up the Clowes Memorial Hall on August 31, Tuesday at 8 PM. Tickets for the show will be available through Ticketmaster on June 11, Friday at 12 PM EDT. Those looking forward to snag themselves early bird tickets can come over at Lambert’s fan club presale on June 9, Wednesday at 10 AM EDT and on the Clowes Memorial/AEG presale on June 10, Thursday at 10 AM EDT.

Tickets are priced at $31.50 for the terrace, main floor and box seating areas.

Lambert’s debut album, “For Your Entertainment” was released in the latter half of 2009, a few months after he graduated from “A.I.” as runner-up. The album took the no.3 spot on the Billboard 200 upon its release. Its performance in the sales department isn’t that bad either as it has moved close to 200,000 copies during its first week on the shelves in the US alone.

To view Adam Lambert’s complete itinerary for the upcoming tour, visit Adam Lambert Tour.

Yo Gabba Gabba Entertains Indianapolis October 13

Nick Jr.’s colorful gang composed of DJ Lance Rock, Muno, Foofa, Toedee, Plex and Brobee, collectively known as The Gabba Gang from the “Yo Gabba Gabba!” show will be touring 60 cities spread out in North America for the “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!: There’s a Party in My City” tour.

Bring the kids and the entire family along when they drop by Indiana on October 13, Wednesday at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis. There will be two show times, one at 3 PM and a repeat at 6 PM.

Tickets for both shows go on sale to the public on June 4, Friday at 10 AM EDT through Ticketmaster. AMEX cardholders can avail of presale tickets on May 20, Thursday at 10 AM EDT. A presale event will also be held by Old National on June 3, Thursday at 10 AM EDT.

Ticket prices are the same for both show times. Tickets are priced at $39.50 for the front balcony, orchestra pit, and main floor seating levels and $22.25 to $39.50 for the balcony level.

In October 2009, The Gabba Gang released the album “Yo Gabba Gabba!: Music is Awesome Volume 1”. The album debuted at no.1 in the kids’ album category on iTunes and was also among the top 5 albums in the Amazon album list.

Log on to Yo Gabba Gabba on the web to view their complete tour schedule.

The Black Crowes Rock Murat Theatre August 25

One of rock music’s biggest names will be embarking on what seems like their final tour as they take a rest from the rock music scene, probably for good.

The Black Crowes is slated to go on the road for their “Say Goodbye to the Bad Guys” tour starting on August 13. They will be stopping by at Indiana on Wednesday, August 25 as they perform at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis at 8 PM.

Tickets are priced at $24.75 for the balcony section, $39.50 for the balcony front, $49.50 for the main floor seating and $75 for the orchestra pit seating. Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster on May 14, Friday at 10 AM EDT. However, no presale tickets are available for the said event.

The Black Crowes will be singing their hits which spanned their 20-year career. They are also expected to promote their two-disc greatest hits compilation, “Croweology”, which are all acoustic versions of their greatest singles. And as a way of saying both ‘farewell ‘and ‘thank you’ to their fans, each copy of the album will be sold for the price of one disc.

The album is scheduled to be released on August 3. For more news and updates on the band, log on to Black Crowes Tour.

American Idol Finalists Hits Indianapolis August 31

The American Idol top ten finalists will not be able to get enough sleep yet as they are scheduled to drop by city to city for the annual “American Idol Live!” tour, which will begin on July 1 at the Auburn Hills Auditorium in Detroit, MI.

The tour will stretch from mid-Summer till September, just in time for the fall. The 49-city trek will come to a halt on September 14 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. But before that, the ten “Idol” hopefuls are scheduled to perform in Indianapolis first, as they approach the homestretch of the said tour.

See them perform up close and live at the Conseco Fieldhouse on Tuesday, August 31 at 7:30 PM. Fans can get their tickets either through Ticketmaster starting on May 15, Saturday at 12 PM EDT or through the various presale events by the American Idol Music website, Live Nation, radio and the venue on May 14, Friday at 10 AM EDT.

Ticket prices go from $40.50 to $70.50. Club and balcony level tickets go for $50.50.

All “Idol” finalists will be there to perform and show their appreciation to their fans including this season’s final three – Casey James, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox.

For the complete and detailed schedule of shows for the upcoming tour, visit the American Idol Tour page.

Chelsea Handler Brings Laughter to Indianapolis November 13

Stand-up comedienne and host of the hit late night cable talk show, “Chelsea Lately”, Chelsea Handler, will be dropping by Indiana on Saturday, November 13 when she performs, promotes and signs copies of her third book, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre in Indianapolis at 7 PM.

Tickets for the event go on sale via Ticketmaster on May 14, Friday at 10 AM EDT. Presale tickets are available via Chelsea Handler’s website on May 10, Monday at 10 AM EDT. Citi cardholders can also avail of presale tickets beginning May 11, Tuesday at 10 AM EDT. Other early bird tickets can also be availed through Live Nation, Radio, Ticketmaster and at Old National Bank also on May 11, Tuesday at 10 AM.

Ticket prices are from $49.50 (balcony and main floor) to $79.50 (balcony front and orchestra).

“Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” is Handler’s third book and her follow-up to the best-selling “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea”. “Bang Bang” was released in March 9 and has taken the top spot of the New York Times Bestsellers list since then.

Catch Handler on “Chelsea Lately”, weeknights on the E! network. Also check Chelsea Handler Tour for the complete schedule of her comedy tour.

Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum at Verizon Wireless June 17

After adding more shows and rescheduling some events, the itinerary for country crooner Tim McGraw’s spring-summer tour is now finally complete and updated.

The “Southern Voice” tour which continues to promote the artist’s latest studio effort of the same title was launched in February and will run until August. The complete list of tour dates and venues is posted at Tim McGraw’s website.

He is scheduled to perform in Noblesville, IN, still as part of the album tour, along with special guests Lady Antebellum and The Lost Trailers on June 17, Thursday at 7 PM at the Verizon Wireless Music Center.

Tickets will go on sale to the public via Ticketmaster on May 8, Saturday at 10 AM EDT. Earliest access to tickets will be made available to members of McGraw’s fan club on May 4, Tuesday at 10 AM EDT. Other presale events will be held on May 7, Friday at 10 AM EDT by Live Nation and radio.

Tickets are priced at $44 to $78.50 for the pavilion level and $34 for general admission.

“Southern Voice” is McGraw’s follow-up to his 2007 release “Let It Go”. “Voice” landed at the second spot in the Billboard 200 and at the top spot in Billboard’s Top Country Albums list upon its release in October last year.

McGraw can also be seen starring alongside Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” which was recently released in the US and is currently being released in other countries. McGraw plays Bullock’s husband (Sean Tuohy) in the movie.

Eric Clapton to drop by Verizon Wireless July 2

Guitar great Eric Clapton will be performing on a short string of shows this summer in the mid-west following his appearance in the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Bridgeview, IL on June 26.

He is scheduled to perform in four cities, among which is a stop it Noblesville, IN on July 2. He will be performing at the Verizon Wireless Music Center at 7:30 PM.

Tickets go on sale to the public on May 1, Saturday at 10 AM EDT via Ticketmaster. Unfortunately there are no presale tickets available for the event. Tickets are priced at $36.50 for general admission, and $94 – $174 for the pavilion level.

Clapton will be accompanied by the following music crew: Michelle John and Sharon White on second vocals, Chris Stanton on keyboards, Willie Weeks on bass, and Steve Glad on drums. Together with Clapton, they will be performing the guitar great’s famous classic hits along with material from his most recent release, 2006’s “The Road to Escondido”, which features two songs written by Clapton’s greatest musical influence, J.J. Cale – “Cocaine” and “After the Midnight”.

Clapton has also announced that he will be joining forces with Who’s Roger Daltrey for a series of shows later in the year. Check Eric Clapton’s tour page for more updates on his upcoming road shows.