Garth at the press conference.
Garth Brooks is planning a five year residency at the Wynn hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The one-man show will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for 15 weeks per year. Brooks and casino magnate Steve Wynn revealed details today from a Vegas press conference. Concerts begin December 11, 2009.
“I told him he couldn’t afford me, I was wrong,” joked Brooks during the announcement this afternoon from the Wynn. As part of the deal, Wynn had to buy Brooks a plane to get him to and from his Oklahoma home quickly.
Tickets will be priced at $125 for all levels, with the first five weekends set to go on sale Sat., Oct. 24 at 8 AM/PT (details below). About 200 seats per show will be available exclusively to Wynn hotel guests.
Confirmed dates are December 11, 12, 13; January 1, 2, 3 and 22, 23, 24; and February 12, 13, 14 and 26, 27, 28. Concerts will be 8 PM, with an additional Saturday night show at 10:30 PM.
Though it is being billed as one-man show, Brooks is promising surprise guests.
The late entertainer Danny Gans most recently occupied the Wynn Encore theater, before he passed away. “This room is for special moments of entertainment,” said Wynn, reiterating that he plans to maintain only superstar level acts in the theater when it is not in use by Brooks.
Brooks’ charity partner is Teammates For Kids and some proceeds will benefit them.
Brooks revealed this morning that he is officially ending his retirement. Following much speculation, he shared the news at a press conference in Nashville and then took the press with him to Las Vegas for another event.
It has been almost 11 years since Brooks did a full-scale tour. The 47-year-0ld reiterated today that he will not be touring or recording until his youngest daughter, 13, graduates from high school in about five years.
With more than 128 million albums sold, Brooks is the best selling solo artist in U.S. history. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children.
With a $5 service charge and a $13 tax, the total ticket price is $143. Tickets may be booked by calling 702.770.7469 or online at www.wynnlasvegas.com/boxoffice.
Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn at the Las Vegas press conference.
It’s Official: Garth Set For Wynn Residency
/by Sarah SkatesGarth at the press conference.
Garth Brooks is planning a five year residency at the Wynn hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The one-man show will run Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights for 15 weeks per year. Brooks and casino magnate Steve Wynn revealed details today from a Vegas press conference. Concerts begin December 11, 2009.
“I told him he couldn’t afford me, I was wrong,” joked Brooks during the announcement this afternoon from the Wynn. As part of the deal, Wynn had to buy Brooks a plane to get him to and from his Oklahoma home quickly.
Tickets will be priced at $125 for all levels, with the first five weekends set to go on sale Sat., Oct. 24 at 8 AM/PT (details below). About 200 seats per show will be available exclusively to Wynn hotel guests.
Confirmed dates are December 11, 12, 13; January 1, 2, 3 and 22, 23, 24; and February 12, 13, 14 and 26, 27, 28. Concerts will be 8 PM, with an additional Saturday night show at 10:30 PM.
Though it is being billed as one-man show, Brooks is promising surprise guests.
The late entertainer Danny Gans most recently occupied the Wynn Encore theater, before he passed away. “This room is for special moments of entertainment,” said Wynn, reiterating that he plans to maintain only superstar level acts in the theater when it is not in use by Brooks.
Brooks’ charity partner is Teammates For Kids and some proceeds will benefit them.
Brooks revealed this morning that he is officially ending his retirement. Following much speculation, he shared the news at a press conference in Nashville and then took the press with him to Las Vegas for another event.
It has been almost 11 years since Brooks did a full-scale tour. The 47-year-0ld reiterated today that he will not be touring or recording until his youngest daughter, 13, graduates from high school in about five years.
With more than 128 million albums sold, Brooks is the best selling solo artist in U.S. history. He is the only solo artist in RIAA history to have six albums top the 10 million mark. In the midst of one of the most successful careers in music history, Garth retired in 2001, delivered his last record for Capitol Records and moved back to Oklahoma to raise his children.
With a $5 service charge and a $13 tax, the total ticket price is $143. Tickets may be booked by calling 702.770.7469 or online at www.wynnlasvegas.com/boxoffice.
Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn at the Las Vegas press conference.
ZBB, Friends To Save Georgia Theater
/by Sarah Skates“The Zac Brown Band are showing their incredible generosity and their love for the Athens music scene by hosting this benefit,” says Wilmot Greene, Georgia Theatre owner. “The presence of the Theatre in Athens has allowed bands to find an important early audience that helps to bring bigger success later. That’s a big part of the tradition of the Theatre and is an important aspect of why it needs to be rebuilt. This concert will be a huge help.”
Presented by Outback Concerts, tickets will cost $100 and are available via Ticketmaster.
NSAI Song Contest Deadline Nears
/by Sarah SkatesThe Grand Prize Winner will receive a mentoring session with The Valory Music Co. recording artist Jewel. Additional prizes include a single-song professional demo, tickets to the 2011 CMT Music Awards, a private tour of CMT studios, a performance at the legendary Bluebird Café, meetings with major music publishers and a one-year membership to NSAI, just to name a few.
Nashville pro writers, publishers and industry professionals will narrow down the finalists over three rounds of judging and select the Grand Prize Winner, 10 Runners-Up and 10 Honorable Mentions. Then the Top 10 will be posted on www.nsai.cmt.com for fan voting for the CMT Listeners’ Choice Winner, running January 20 through February 26, 2010.
All genres of music are encouraged. The entry fees are $35.00 (NSAI members) and $45.00 (non-members) per song. Proceeds benefit the NSAI Legislative Fund to protect the rights of songwriters. For a full list of prizes and how to enter, visit www.nsai.cmt.com.
New Hank Williams Recordings, Hank III At The Hall
/by Sarah SkatesHank Williams III treated both devoted fans and Museum visitors to a special interview and performance on Saturday (10/10) at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum. During the program, which was held in conjunction with the Museum’s major exhibition Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Williams spoke about his family’s musical legacy and performed his own brand of country music, punk rock and heavy metal with a full band.
Pictured (L-R) Exhibit co-curator Carolyn Tate, Daniel Mason (banjo), Williams, Shawn McWilliams (drums), Zach Shedd (bass), Adam McOwen (fiddle), Andy Gibson (steel guitar, dobro) and exhibit co-curator Michael McCall. Photo by Donn Jones
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A set of previously unreleased recordings that Hank Williams made for the Mother’s Best radio show in 1951 will be issued as a 3-CD box set called Revealed: Unreleased Recordings on Nov. 3 via Time Life. In addition to 50 tracks not heard since they originally aired, the collection includes extremely rare in-studio conversations with Williams, and each disc contains a complete show exactly as it was heard over fifty years ago. Of particular importance is “Cold, Cold, Heart” captured on one of the program’s earliest surviving shows, making it the first public performance ever of the song.
The recordings offer new insight into William’s life and music, revealing a previously guarded personality. It showcases his humor as he jokes with his band and the emcee, and his love of music as he talks about his favorite songs.
McGraw, More Added To CMA Awards
/by Sarah SkatesT
im McGraw will perform at the CMA Awards for the first time since 2005 when the event lands at the Sommet Center on Wed., Nov. 11.
The star-packed lineup continues to grow dramatically with the addition of McGraw, a special Vince Gill/Daughtry duet, and Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, and Zac Brown Band.
“The 43rd Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, airs live Nov. 11 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Underwood, and Keith Urban.
McGraw last performed on the CMA Awards stage in 2005, when he joined wife Faith Hill on “Like We Never Loved At All.” His last solo performance on the CMA Awards was in 2004, when he opened the show with “How Bad Do You Want It?”
Free Downloads, New Music And More
/by Sarah SkatesPictured (l-r): Fitzgerald Hartley’s Bill Simmons; Clear Channel Los Angeles’ John Ivey; Arista Nashville’s Lesly Tyson; Paisley; Sony Music Nashville’s Skip Bishop; and KKGO’s Tonya Campos and Charlie Cook.
Brad Paisley played the Los Angeles area recently as the headliner at KKGO’s Go Fest 2009, and some of his Nashville team members were on hand for support (see above). Paisley’s “Welcome to the Future,” is at No. 3 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart and is the second smash from his acclaimed American Saturday Night album.
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Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser kicked-off their co-headlining CMT On Tour 2009 outing last week in New York City. It includes dates in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and 27 other cities across the nation this fall. Houser’s new single, “Whistlin’ Dixie,” has premiered on CMT.com and will impact radio Nov. 2. It will appear on his upcoming album scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2010. Houser also visited the Victory Junction camp in Randleman, NC recently to perform for the chronically ill children there.
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Blake Shelton teamed up with longtime friend Trace Adkins for his new single, “Hillbilly Bone,” and fans can stream it exclusively for two weeks at www.blakeshelton.com. The single, written by Luke Laird and Craig Wiseman, is from Shelton’s forthcoming CD release and will impact radio Nov. 2
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Nichols has also partnered with TheHopeLine to create a website to help people struggling with addiction. Anoldfriendofmine.com is named for his new song about substance abuse, which appears on his upcoming CD release.
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Eric Church will perform his new single “Hell On The Heart” during his debut appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! tomorrow night (10/16) airing at 12:50ET/11:05 CT. “Hell On The Heart” is the follow-up single to Church’s Top 10 hit “Love Your Love The Most,” from his sophomore release Carolina. Despite a broken foot, Church is on his nearly sold-out Young & Wild(er) Tour through the end of this year.
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Love and Theft are giving away seven free downloads via iTunes and AOL’s The Boot. There’s one music video, two songs, three interviews, plus a video documentary. Included is “Don’t Wake Me,” a live version of their single, “Runaway,” three video interviews and one video that tells the story behind the band.
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The Oak Ridge Boys are set to perform new Jamey Johnson-penned single “Mama’s Table” on CBS’ The Early Show and Fox News Channel’s Huckabee this Sat., Oct. 17.
Swift To Host “SNL”
/by MichelleSwift is also scheduled to appear on Dancing With The Stars Oct. 27, and The Ellen Degeneres Show Oct. 29. Yesterday (10/14) she performed on Oprah.
Keith, Bryan Post Solid Debuts
/by Sarah SkatesShow Dog celebration. (Back row L-R): Director Information Services PJ Olsen; SE Rep Nathan Cruise; NE Rep Suzanne Durham; VP Promotion Rick Moxley; and VP Sales & Marketing Bill Kennedy (Front row L-R): Mgr. Media & Marketing Tracy Arnold; GM George Nunes; Promotion Coordinator Ali Sparico; and Sales, Marketing & New Media Sloane Cavitt
Toby Keith debuted at No. 1 on SoundScan’s Country Album chart with about 90K first week sales (10% digital) of his album American Ride (according to Nielsen SoundScan, a division of The Nielsen Company). Luke Bryan’s sophomore album landed at No. 2 on the Country list with a respectable 58K units (16% digital). On the all-genre chart, Keith came in at No. 3, followed by Bryan at No. 6.
Show Dog Nashville sported black and denim in celebration of Keith’s album and multi-week No. 1 single run for “American Ride.” Tonight (10/14) Keith visits the The Jay Leno Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He ends the week with appearances on The Bonnie Hunt Show on Thursday and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on Friday.
Other notable debuts this week are from Rosanne Cash (26K), Bill Engvall (3.4K), and Colt Ford (Wal-Mart exclusive CD/DVD 2.3K). To date relatively unknown indie artist Ford has sold 85K copies of his album.
Glancing at other YTD stats, country album sales are down a slight 1.2%, but the digital share of those sales is up more than 50%. 2009 YTD country album market share is 11.8% of total album sales, which is a slight increase from 10.3% in 2008. Heading into the holiday shopping season, will current leaders Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus maintain position as the year’s best selling artists?
Morris Joins Zavitson Music Group
/by FreemanUrban Recruits Country’s Finest For Hall Fundraiser
/by Sarah SkatesAldean, Swift, Hill and Lady Antebellum onstage. Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Even the ushers were dancing in the aisle last night (10/13) as Keith Urban blazed through “Sweet Thing,” “Better Life,” and a slew of other hits during his We’re All For The Hall concert at the Sommet Center. He spearheaded the benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and recruited the stellar talent of Vince Gill, Taylor Swift, Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town to join him. That line-up combined with tickets priced around $25 assured a sold-out event.
Gill, a longtime Hall of Fame advocate started the All For The Hall fundraising initiative a few years ago, suggesting that all artists donate just one night’s proceeds to the cause.
Gill and Urban remained onstage as band members for the evening, playing alongside A-list musicians including keyboardist John Hobbs, steel guitarist Paul Franklin and bassist Michael Rhodes.
Toward the end of the night, Urban told the audience to mark their calendars for Oct. 5, 2010, for the second annual concert.
A full report on the event was sent out this morning in @MusicRow, for paid subscribers.
Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images