New shows: No Doubt tour chatter, more John Mayer at Nokia
November 25th, 2008, 5:02 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Ben Wener
Thanksgiving week, like any holiday break, is traditionally a dead zone for the concert industry – few major events take place (Céline Dion the key exception this time) and fewer, if any, new shows are announced.
So the big news right now is pure speculation: Where and when will No Doubt give its first full-length performance in at least five years, now that the quartet has revealed plans for what it hopes will be a rejuvenating 2009 tour? (Click here to read the amusing faux-IM chat among Gwen Stefani and the gang, where they conclude that scratching their tour itch might lead them to write and record some songs on the road. And remember, I said “full-length performance” – which would be a bit more than what the band did during Gwen’s encores last June at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.)
At this point, however, there isn’t much more to report. The only No Doubt date on the books so far is a headlining turn May 3 at the annual Bamboozle in East Rutherford, N.J. – but surely there will be gigs before then, which is adding plenty of fuel to the rumor that perhaps the group might surface before then at Coachella ’09.
As with the idea that U2 could kick off its next tour at the Indio getaway, the notion that No Doubt would score a plum spot is at least believable, unlike the ludicrous Michael Jackson rumor that’s making the rounds. I can’t help but wonder how well long-gone-pop Gwen & Co. would be received by the fest’s dominant demographic, the indie hipster elitists. But then again, they turned out in droves to see what Madonna and Kanye West had to offer, and after last year’s successful Jack Johnson/Prince/Roger Waters trifecta, any sort of Coachella is possible.
For now, all we can say is stay tuned. My guess is we won’t hear further details about any Southern California shows, Coachella or otherwise, until closer to Christmas, perhaps even after New Year’s. (In other No Doubt news, though, The Singles Collection, the band’s 14-track best-of from 2003, will become available for Rock Band download on Dec. 9.)
Meanwhile … there are some new shows and additions to share.
• John Mayer, already slated to headline Nokia Theatre on Dec. 6, will now give an hour-long performance at the venue at the conclusion of “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!” on Dec. 3. Tickets to the event, $50-$500, include Mayer’s set. Meanwhile, the original lineup of the Time (not just Morris Day and Jerome Benton but also Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson and Monte Moir) will reunite for an after-party nearby at Club Nokia. Proceeds will benefit the soon-to-open Grammy Museum, also housed in the still-growing L.A. Live complex.
• Also at Club Nokia: Xtreme, Dec. 13, $27.50-$75 … Keb’ Mo’ will open for America, Dec. 4, $20-$45 … and Chris Pierce will open for B.B. King, Dec. 27-28, $60-$75.
• New at House of Blues Anaheim: Doors tribute band Wild Child, Dec. 26, $20, and a tribute to Dylan and the Dead featuring Cubensis and Highway 61 Revisited, $15. And at the House of Blues in West Hollywood: Tarja, May 8, on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 29.
• Out at the Glass House in Pomona: Electric Christmas with Paparazzi, Acid Girls, the Spys, DJ Score, Ultra Tiger and We A.R.E., Dec. 27, $10 … another local date for the Adult Swim cult hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Jan. 16, $18 … Amy Ray of Indigo Girls, Jan. 27, $15 … Destroy the Runner, Jamies Elsewhere, Burning Tree Project and Run Doris Run will open for A Static Lullaby on Dec. 14, $13 … the Expanders will warm up for Hepcat on Dec. 20 … and Wildbirds and Peacedrum will open for Lykke Li on Feb. 17, $17.50. All shows are on sale now.
• And finally, a discount special from Live Nation to kick start the holiday shopping season: Starting at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 28, and ending until 10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, tickets to select shows (while supplies last) will be $10 off. Plus, $5 from every ticket sold will benefit victims of the recent wildfires via the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Here’s the complete list of shows being offered in the promotion:
Tesla, Dec. 1, House of Blues Sunset
Bell Biv Devoe, Dec. 1, HOB Anaheim
Wu-Tang Clan, Dec. 4 at HOB Sunset, Dec. 5 at HOB San Diego
Bryan Adams, Dec. 5, The Wiltern
RBD, Dec. 5, Gibson Amphitheatre
Aimee Mann, Dec. 6, The Wiltern
Cheech & Chong, Dec. 6 (late show), Gibson Amphitheatre
Meshell Ndegeocello, Dec. 8 at HOB Sunset, Dec. 9 at HOB San Diego
Los Lobos, Dec. 10 at HOB Anaheim, Dec. 11 at HOB San Diego, Dec. 12 at HOB Sunset
Anthony Hamilton, Dec. 12, HOB San Diego
Eddie Palmieri, Dec. 13, The Hollywood Palladium
Cheap Trick, Dec. 15-16, HOB Sunset
Ozomatli, Dec. 18-20, HOB Sunset
Keith Sweat, Dec. 20, Gibson Amphitheatre
Rockapella, Dec. 22, HOB Sunset
Ratt with the Donnas, Dec. 26 at HOB Sunset, Dec. 28 at HOB Anaheim
Wild Child, Dec. 26, HOB Anaheim
Strung Out, Dec. 27, HOB Sunset
The Marshall Tucker Band, Dec. 30, HOB Sunset
The Wailers, Dec. 30, HOB San Diego
The Radiators, Jan. 3, HOB San Diego
Boyz II Men, Jan. 15, HOB San Diego
The Country Rat Pack, Jan. 25, HOB San Diego
HorrorPops, Feb. 14, Avalon
Styx, Feb. 14, HOB San Diego
Paquita La Del Barrio, March 14, Gibson Amphitheatre
