After letting the piles get way too tall, I finally managed to get the vast majority of my laundry done. I still a load left to take care of but … well, Rome wasn’t cleaned in a day. My night last night wasn’t all that exciting … but my morning today was. I managed to get a pair of tickets for the Glee concert that will take place at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal City, CA in May as well as a pair of tix to see Ok Go in concert at the Music Box/Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, CA the day after:

I am very excited for these two shows. I’ve already been able to see Brendan Benson and Mariah Carey in concert and I’ve got a few other great shows to look forward to — Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Owl City and now these two shows. Considering how amazing the line up for Lilith Fair is turning out, I’ll prolly be there as well. 2010 is shaping up to be a great year for concerts … and we’ve only just begun! Woot!! Are any of y’all planning on seeing any of these shows too?

Great news music fans … the amazing 80’s band The Go-Go’s have just relaunched their official website with the tease of a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming soon. I’m thinkin’ the announcement has something to do with the band gettin’ back together, possibly to release a new album … after all, it was just announced this week that The Go-Go’s are among the acts who have signed on to tour with Lilith Fair this year!

Lilith Fair is steadily becoming one of the festivals to go to for 2010 with their impressive roster of artists. After a hiatus of more than a decade, the celebration of women is back in full force. We’ve announced a lineup bursting with female talent along with the cities announced, but we’ve got more news to give you! The touring festival is not limiting themselves, or those who plan to attend, with a set number of artists. They’ve just announced more artists such as Kelly Clarkson, The Bangles, and The Go-Go’s have been added to the lineup. Check below to see if your favorite female musician will be joining the. Along with Clarkson, some bigger additions have been country superstars, Martina McBride and Courtyard Hounds (Emily Robison and Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks). Other include: The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, Suzanne Vega, Anjulie, Anya Marina, Jesca Hoop, Kate Miller-Heidke, Lucy Schwartz, Miranda Lee Richards, Nikki Jean and The Rescues.

This is fantastic news!! The Go-Go’s are one of my fave bands ever … to return with Lilith Fair is just too perfect. After the jump, check out the list of Lilith performers announced thus far and find out what other new project The Go-Go’s have got planned for us all …

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After Whitney Houston faced tough criticism on her first few concert dates in Australia and after Whitney beat a hasty exit out of Sydney, homegirl performed a show in Melbourne which has — surprisingly — resulted in a RAVE review! Despite what some critics have been alleging, Whitney Houston proved in Melbourne that she’s still got what it takes to thrill an audience full of concert-goers:

REPORTS of Whitney Houston’s career-death have been greatly exaggerated. Given some of the post-show comments – by journalists and the public – after Houston’s Brisbane and Sydney shows you half expect her to collapse on stage or not sing a note. On the contrary – her sold out Rod Laver Arena show was – for the majority – pure superstar material. Houston is just a more human superstar in 2010, now with added flaws that give her character. She hits all the right notes in I Look to You, the new song about what she calls ”down times.” Indeed every time she hits a huge note her devoted audience break into applause. I have rarely seen an audience so behind an artist, willing her on. Before that note in I Will Always Love You the audience give her a standing ovation, someone even yells ”You can do it” – and she does, 90 minutes into the concert. Those saying Houston should not be on tour are misguided – these are her people and they are thrilled to see her back on stage. And Houston knows she’s in her element. Perhaps all the haters (Houston referenced her bad Australian press) have spurred her on – there was no hint of trainwreck. Sure she’s eccentric – at times looking in her own world – but who wants normal stars? At one point Houston did her own make up on stage and occasionally giggled to herself. However there were no signs of excessive sweating, minimal holding onto towels and hardly any coughing. Houston belted out hits like The Greatest Love of All, All at Once and Step by Step with that spine-tingling voice in full effect. She chatted and engaged with the crowd, performed a Michael Jackson tribute and got well and truly in the vocal zone during her gospel segment. The only niggles were the talk-singing of I Wanna Dance With Somebody and How Will I Know at the end of the show, with the audience singalong and her amazing backing vocalists saving the day. But they’re minor gripes – if she keeps up this quality Houston we do not have a problem. Houston returns to Melbourne to play at the Plenary on Saturday.

Now this is more like it. While I fully believe that Whitney may not have sounded her best at some of her earlier shows, I never believed her performances were as tragic as her critics would like us to believe. A review like this is enough to wash away all the previous criticism … and if Whitney is using the “haters” to spurn her on, then I hope they keep the criticism coming. Whitney Houston is a survivor but, more importantly, she is a performer … and I LOVE that she is able to silence her critics in one fell swoop. Now, if she can just keep on going with that same fire, she will be just fine. She’ll be fine anyways … but I’m really looking forward to hearing more good things about Whitney’s show … and I’m really looking forward to seeing her in person myself. You go, Whitney!! You keep on goin’!!

[Source, thanks Meredith]

Earlier this week, we learned that fans who ventured out to see Whitney Houston perform live on her Nothing But Love World Tour stop in Brisbane, Australia were less than impressed by her performance and today we learn that Whitney — thru her publicist — is firing back at the criticism. Despite the negative press she’s been receiving Down Under, Whitney’s people insist that she is healthily and happily soldiering on tour … with no plans to stop:

Whitney Houston says her tour of Australia is going great, despite the swathes of fans and critics who have panned her performance. Houston has faced a barrage of complaints since embarking on a six-date tour of Australia in Brisbane on Monday, with some fans walking out of concerts, some demanding refunds and others complaining she was off key and looked exhausted. The backlash following Monday’s (Feb. 22) concert and a similarly criticized performance in Sydney on Wednesday (Feb. 24) prompted Houston’s publicist Kristen Stewart to release a statement, dismissing rumors that the 46-year-old singer is having health problems. “Whitney is in great health and having a terrific time on her tour and with her fans,” Foster said in a statement reported by Sydney newspaper the Daily Telegraph. “Her fans were dancing and singing along with her and Whitney appreciates their support.” But not everyone agreed that Houston was in such fine voice for her first tour of Australia in 22 years. After finishing her Australian tour in Perth on March 7, she heads to France and Britain in April with her “Nothing but Love” world tour … Disgruntled fans have backed up their complaints about Houston’s performance by posting video clips of the singer online, showing her struggling to hit some notes. Houston’s Australian promoter Andrew McManus said he was proud to be associated with such “an amazing talent” and people who wanted to hear Houston of 20 years ago should go and buy a CD. “All I can say is what happened to the Australian positive support of someone who has seen difficult times and is now up on stage, warts and all, presenting herself like an open book for the world to see,” he said in a statement on his company website.

Well, it would seem that “warts and all” Whitney will be moving forward with her tour which will, very likely, be making its way to the US sometime this year. Despite all that Whitney has accomplished to release her latest album I Look To You and to embark on this world tour, it would seem she still has many obstacles left to overcome. I fully support the woman and am very much looking forward to seeing her live on stage here in the US, hopefully soon. Keep your chin up, Whit! If you can survive a marriage with Bobby Brown, this tour criticism should be a piece of cake.

[Source]

Last night David and I had the EXTREME pleasure of FINALLY seeing Mariah Carey live in concert on the first LA date of her Angels Advocate Tour at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal City … and what a spectacular show it was!!

Unlike other big production stage shows, The Angels Advocate Tour is a pared down concert performance where the focus is Mariah’s singing. She does no dancing and prolly takes 30 steps around the stage all night long … but, the singing, yeah she kills it live on stage … well, for the most part. After the jump, check out a few photos from the show last night and check out a fan-recorded video of her performance of Touch My Body …

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Whitney Houston continues to tour the planet with her Nothing But Love World Tour and has recently made her way to Australia (after performing shows in South Korea and Japan) and has hit a huge snag along the way. Whitney performed her first show in Oz this week (Brisbane, to be exact) and completely failed to impress her audience there. According to Aussie news reports, Whitney Houston’s live performance on this tour has not been living up to expectations:

Whitney Houston’s Australian comeback is under fire after fans criticised the opening night of her Australian tour claiming the singer sounded ‘croaky and appeared ‘disorientated’. The American star struggled through the opening night of her first Australian tour since 1988, and was left breathless and exhausted after just two songs at her show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, it was claimed. And even more bizarrely, the 46-year-old took a 20 minute break to catch her breath mid-way through the show. After half a dozen songs she left the stage for twenty minutes to take a break, bringing on her brother, Gary Houston, to sing in her absence. The band and backing singers then performed an energetic version of one of her biggest hits, Queen of the Night, from The Bodyguard soundtrack. One fan interviewed on Australian TV after the show said: ‘It was a disgrace. She can’t sing. She didn’t sing one song properly. She was disorientated and she needed a 20-minute break. It was the first concert I have walked out of in my life.’ Another fan said: ‘She couldn’t entertain a dead rat, to be honest.’ Other fans took to Facebook and Twitter to complain about the ‘croaky’ quality of her voice. ‘ ‘We just got back from Whitney Houston concert in Brizzy and I feel so sorry for her. She sounded croaky,’ fan Rick Crystal said on Facebook. ‘#whitneyhouston should have toured 15 years ago. Voice not what it used to be,’ adavidholloway said on Twitter after the concert. Some fans said they would be demanding their money back. ‘The multi-award winning singer appeared disoriented and failed to properly name some of her backing band as she introduced them to the audience, ‘ wrote the Australian Associated Press’s music reviewer. ‘But the final act faltered at the finale when she croaked her way through I Will Always Love You, pausing to get a drink and towel herself down just as she was about to hit the song’s epic high note, which she turned into a soft coo,’ he added … the singer’s spokesman Andrew McManus said Whitney was ’surprised’ by the negativity and rejected tabloid rumours that she was seriously ill after the performance. U.S. tabloid the National Enquirer claimed the 46 year old had collapsed due to a drug and alcohol binge, and that her health has declined in recent months, with family members begging the star to postpone her planned concerts. ‘It was not a train wreck,’ McManus said. ‘She was hitting most of the notes, yes her throat was a little croaky. ‘Her health is fine but she’s also not 22 years of age anymore.’ The Australian concerts are part of her comeback “Nothing But Love” tour which kicked off at the end of last year. ‘She was not fit to perform,’ wrote one on the Courier Mail newspaper’s website. ‘She seemed to be on another planet and the concert was laughable.’

Yikes! Those Aussies and their concert reviews … they’re quite vicious, no? You may recall that the folks in Oz unleashed this kind of ire towards Britney Spears last year when she performed her Circus tour there … but, in their defense, they may be right about Whitney’s lackluster performance this time around. After the jump, check out video of Whitney’s performance of I Will Always Love You and judge for yourselves whether or not Whit was up for the task of performing …

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Last night I ventured out to see my first concert of 2010 and I was thrilled that my first show of the new decade was performed by my Detroit homie Brendan Benson. Benson, as some of you may know, has spent the last few years playing in The Raconteurs with Jack White (who also hails from Detroit Rock City) but I’ve been a fan of his for years before he joined The Raconteurs and was just a solo act. It’s been many years but the last time I saw Brendan Benson play solo, he was performing on Woodward Ave. as part of Rock City Fest in downtown Detroit. Needless to say, it was quite a treat to see him playing here in LA last night:

Brendan released his latest solo album My Old, Familiar Friend last August and this tour is in support of that fantastic album. After the jump, check out a few photos that I snapped of Benson on stage at Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA last night …

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