KISS and DEF LEPPARD Pre-Sale Password, North American Tour Announced

Gosh, do I feel like a loser for being away from things for a bit, so thanks for coming back! Obviously, the Concert Calendar needs some updating and I've got the usual backlog of things to post, but look for some cool things to come including some unreleased audio recordings (more on this to come!). For now, among a recently rediscovered stash of live recordings from the late 80s and early 90s are ones from Kiss, Def Leppard, and Badlands.

As you may have heard by now, Kiss and Def Leppard are teaming up for an extensive North American co-headlining tour this summer that runs from late June through the end of August. The itinerary includes a stop at the Target Center in Minneapolis on August 17; this is one of the few indoor shows of the tour if you prefer those to outdoor ones like I do.

Tickets for the Minneapolis date go on sale tomorrow Friday, March 21 at 12:00 noon CDT, but there is a 12-hour presale from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm CDT today, Thursday, March 20. Head on over to AXS and enter the password TONGUE.

Here is the complete list of the Kiss and Def Leppard dates:

June 23 - West Valley City, UT, USANA Amphitheater
June 25 - Denver, CO, Pepsi Center
June 27 - Ridgefield, WA, Sleep Country Amphitheater
June 29 - Auburn, WA, White River Amphitheater
July 2 - Concord, CA, Concord Paviliion
July 3 - Wheatland, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheater
July 5 - Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 6 - Chula Vista, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheater
July 8 - Los Angeles, CA, The Forum
July 9 - Phoenix, AZ, Ak-Chin Pavilion
July 12 - Austin, TX, Austin 360 Amphitheater
July 13 - Dallas, TX, Gexa Energy Pavilion
July 15 - Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
July 16 - Nashville, TX, Bridgestone Arena
July 18 - Atlanta, GA, Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood
July 19 - Charlotte, NC, PNC Music Pavilion
July 20 - Raleigh, NC, Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
July 22 - West Palm Beach, FL, Cruzan Amphitheatre
July 23 - Tampa, FL, MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 25 - Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live
July 26 - Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
August 1 - Mansfield, MA, Xfinity Center
August 2 - Atlantic City, NJ, Boardwalk Hall
August 3 - Camden, NJ, Susquehanna Bank Center
August 5 - Saratoga Springs, NY, Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 6 - Wantagh, NY, Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
August 8 - Virginia Beach, VA, Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
August 9 - Scranton, PA, Pavilion at Montage Mountain
August 10 - Hartford, CT, Xfinity Theatre
August 12 - Toronto, ON, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
August 13 - Darien, NY, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 15 - East Troy, WI, Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 16 - Tinley Park, IL, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
August 17 - Minneapolis, MN, Target Center
August 20 - Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
August 22 - Noblesville, IN, Klipsch Music Center
August 23 - Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 24 - Burgettstown, PA, First Niagara Pavilion
August 26 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH, Blossom Music Center
August 28 - Maryland Heights, MO, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
August 29 - Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
August 31 - Woodlands, TX, Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion

DREAM THEATER to Embark on North American Tour; Burnsville Date and Presale Password

Progressive metal giants Dream Theater have announced a headlining tour in support of their current self-titled album. Dubbed the Along for the Ride Tour, the band will have no support acts and promises a lengthy show.

The dates (the full itinerary is below) includes a stop in Burnsville at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 8. General ticket sales begin this Friday, December 20 at 10:00 am through Ticketmaster. A ticket presale is current underway through Thursday, December 19, 10:00 pm. The presale password for the Burnsville show is PACDTH - head over to Ticketmaster now for your reserved seat tickets!

March 20 - Toronto, ON, Massey Hall
March 21 - Montreal, QC, Bell Center
March 25 - Boston, MA, Opera House
March 27 - Upper Darby, PA, Tower Theatre
March 28 - New York, NY, Hammerstein Ballroom
April 1 - Washington, DC, Lincoln Theater
April 2 - Greensburg, PA, The Palace
April 4 - Detroit, MI, Fillmore
April 5 - Chicago, IL, Chicago Theatre
April 6 - Milwaukee, WI, Pabst Thater
April 8 - Burnsville, MN, Burnsville Performing Arts Center
April 9 - Kansas City, MO, Uptown Theater
April 10 - Denver, CO, Paramount Theatre
April 12 - Vancouver, BC, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
April 15 - Salem, OR, Elsinore Theatre
April 17 - San Francisco, CA, The Warfield
April 18 - Riverside, CA, Fox Performing Arts Center
April 19 - Los Angeles, CA, The Orpheum
April 23 - Mexico City, MX, Arena Ciudad de Mexico
April 25 - Monterrey, MX, Arena Monterrey
April 26 - Guadalajara, MX, Auditorio Telmex

ALL THAT REMAINS Announces Select Headlining Shows, Presale Password for Minneapolis Show December 4

Metalcore band All That Remains will play a few headlining concerts immediately following the conclusion of their current tour supporting Asking Alexandria on November 23. Support on most dates will come from Motionless In White and Soil. One of the shows will be here in Minneapolis at Mill City Nights on Wednesday, December 4. Tickets for Minneapolis go on sale this Friday, October 25 through AXS, but a 12 hour presale starts today, Thursday, October 24 at 10:00 am. The presale password is HARRY. It's an 18+ show sponsored by 93X, and tickets are only $9.37. Here's the current list of headlining shows for All That Remains:

November 24 - Tempe, AZ, Marquee Theatre, w/Sevendust
November 26 - Reno, NV, Knitting Factory, w/Soil
November 27 - Boise, ID, Knitting Factory, w/Soil
November 29 - Spokane, WA, Knitting Factory, w/Motionless In White, Soil
November 30 - Missoula, MT, The Wilma Theater, w/Motionless In White, Soil
December 2 - Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall, w/Motionless In White, Soil
December 4 - Minneapolis, MN, Mill City Nights, w/Motionless In White
December 28 - Northampton, MA, w/Jasta

STEEL PANTHER Announces Select U.S. Dates, Minneapolis December 17, Presale Ticket Password

Joke glam band Steel Panther has announced a few U.S. tour dates for the month of December, starting with a concert right here in Minneapolis on Tuesday, December 17 at First Avenue. These shows come in advance of the release of the band's fourth album (if you count Hole Patrol), All You Can Eat, set for release in the first quarter of 2014. The last two Steel Panther shows here sold out quick, so get tickets right away when they go on sale tomorrow, Friday, October 18 at 12:00 noon. You can buy presale tickets for the Minneapolis show right now through etix - the password is "ali".

Here's the current list of Steel Panther dates in December:

December 17 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
December 20 - Chicago, IL, House Of Blues
December 21 - Royal Oak, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre
December 22 - Cincinnati, OH, Bogart's
December 31 - Vancouver, BC, Commodore Ballroom

ALICE IN CHAINS Ticket Pre-Sale - St. Paul July 9

Grunge kings Alice In Chains just announced a concert at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul on Tuesday, July 9 with support from Chevelle and Monster Truck. Their upcoming album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, is my most anticipated albums of the year. The last album, Black Gives Way To Blue was stunning and in my opinion the band's greatest work.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 4 at 10:00 am through all Ticketmaster outlets. You can get your hands on tickets early through a 24-hour presale that starts today, Friday, May 3 at 10:00 am through Ticketmaster. There are two passwords for the presale: WILD or hollow. The floor seats are general admission while balcony seats are reserved.

Watch the video for "Hollow" from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here.

ALICE COOPER Adds Seconds Show, Ticket Presale Starts Today

Tickets for Alice Cooper's Sunday, July 14 concert at the State Theatre in Minneapolis are on track to sell out, so a second date has been added on Monday, July 15 at the same venue. The State Theatre is reserved seating only so buy tickets early to get the best seats. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 22 at 10:00 am.

A ticket presale for the July 15 show starts today, Wednesday, March 20 at 10:00 at the State Theatre box office and all Ticketmaster outlets - the password is TRUSTROCK. This presale opportunity only lasts for 24 hours.

ALICE COOPER Concert Announcement, Presale Password

The legendary Alice Cooper returns to the area for an intimate show at the State Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday, July 14. There's no word yet on support acts. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 1, 10:00 am through Ticketmaster.

A 24 hour ticket presale starts this morning, Wednesday, February 27 at 10:00 am through Ticketmaster and in person at the State Theatre box office. The presale password is: TRUSTCOOP

THREE DAYS GRACE, SHINEDOWN, P.O.D. Pre-Sale Passwords

There are two presale passwords available for the just-announced Three Days Grace, Shinedown, and P.O.D. concert at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday, February 5. The venue password is "BREAK", and the promoter (Jam) password is "down". Both passwords will be accepted only tomorrow, Thursday, November 15 from 10 am to 10 pm through the AXS website. Otherwise, public sales begin this Friday, November 16 at 10 am through AXS.

SOUNDGARDEN Pre-Sale Passwords - Open NOW!

There's at least two pre-sale password opportunities for the recently announced Soundgarden show on Saturday, February 2 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. One is already open at Ticketmaster, so hurry there for the best choice of available seats right now. Once there, enter "TAREE" in the "King Animal Presale" box to initiate your order. Apparently this password will work for dates in other cities, but I can't vouch for the accuracy of this. A second presale opportunity begins this Friday, November 16 at 10:00 am through Ticketmaster. The Jam password is "animal". Otherwise, public sales begin this Saturday, November 17 at noon through Ticketmaster. Good luck getting great seats! This show should immediately sell out - it baffles me why this wasn't booked at a larger venue such as Myth or Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Concert Announcements - June 29, 2012

Minneapolis-based hard rock band New Medicine will be headlining a Live on Arrival benefit show on Friday, July 27 at The Cabooze in Minneapolis with Toussaint Morrison, Sheeped, Dr. Wylie, Big Villian, Q’s Junction, and Chrome Lotus.

Taproot and Smile Empty Soul have lined up a date at Station 4 in St. Paul on Monday, July 30

Henry Rollins brings his spoken word performance out on the road for an appearance on Thursday, September 27 at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Tickets go on sale today, Friday, June 29 at 12:00 noon.

Folk metal fans can rejoice at the return of Finland’s Korpiklaani to Station 4 in St. Paul on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. Joining them for this voyage are fellow Finns Moonsorrow, Denmark’s Týr, and Estonia’s Metsatöll.

Hard rockers Chevelle play at 21+ show at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Friday, September 7. Locals Throw The Fight open the show before apparently heading to Ellsworth, Wisconsin to headline their own show at the Gaslight Bar & Grille. General ticket sales begin at 12:00 noon today, Friday, June 29, and you can buy presale tickets through Etix (linked at the First Avenue website) using the password "93x".

A second Lagwagon date has been added at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis on Wednesday, October 3. The October 4 show must either be sold out or close to it, so get your tickets soon!